Wacker Performance Horses OFEA Open Show

One of the local training barns hosted an Oregon Family Equestrian Activities Open Show.  These open shows are fun because they are inexpensive, have a wide variety of classes, are well attended and best of all they have ribbons and prizes!

Since this one was so close we decided to go.  We had also decided to have Kerry ride English on Lola for the first time.  That in itself was exciting!  They did great in English with:
                         English Walk/Trot 13-Under     2nd
                         English Pleasure 13-Under        1st
                         English Equitation 13-Under      3rd

Then they did two Showmanship classes.  Here's the video from the first class, Showmanship 13-Under, where they took 2nd.  In the Showmanship Novice Horse they got first!




She and Lola entered the Western Pleasure Walk/Trot 13-Under (2nd), Western Pleasure 13-Under (5th), Western Pleasure Junior Horse (1st), Western Pleasure Colored Horse (5th) and Western Equitation 13-Under (4th).







Last but not least was the Trail course.  She did Trail 13-Under and Trail Junior Horse.  She placed 2nd in 13-Under and 1st in Junior Horse!





And I think the best part of the whole day was that she and Lola won Reserve Champion High Point!  It was a really fun day filled with great performances, lots of ribbons and a High Point award an prize!  Way to go Team Lola!

Paint Idaho

The trip to Nampa, ID for the Paint Idaho show was great for a number of reasons.  First, we were going to visit Grandpa Chuck for a few days on the way.  Second, we were going to meet with Liz Workland of
Dry Creek Designs to have she and Kerry design a custom show outfit.  And third, we were going to the
Roaring Springs water park for one afternoon while in Nampa.

After spending two and a half wonderful days in Baker City with Grandpa, it was time to drive the 2 hours to Nampa, ID and the Idaho Horse Park.  Savannah calls this place Horse Disneyland and it didn't disappoint.

Lola getting banded

We arrived on Wed. 8/1 about an hour before Savannah, Alexis, Emilee and the horses did so we found where our stalls were and then met them as they pulled in.  They had barely gotten out of the truck when a sturdy cowboy came up and asked if he could help us unload.  So we put him to work and had everything unloaded including the horses in no time.  Then it was time to get box fans up and running, stall drapes tacked up, water buckets filled and mini fridge plugged in and ready for drinks.  It was already in the 90's and it was expected to be in the mid-90's and potentially higher for the next several days.  Luckily our stalls were in a covered barn so the aisles were not exposed.  But we were going to have to make sure both people and horses stayed hydrated.


Wednesday afternoon was spent bathing and banding so all the horses looked pretty for the show on Friday.  Banding their manes is a skill and Savannah is definitely good at it!  Then everyone kinda chilled out and got the lay of the land.  We checked out the arena, the restaurant and all the other facilities.

Thursday it was time to get the horses out for warm-ups, pattern practice and any last minute beauty touch ups!  By late afternoon all the work was done and it was off to Roaring Springs for some waterpark fun!

The show started on Friday.  Kerry and Lola would show Western Pleasure and Horsemanship.  Grandpa came to watch which was great!  The did well in both and then were able to get in some practice on the trail course.  The Trail and Showmanship classes would be on Saturday and Sunday would be Western Pleasure and Horsemanship in front of four different judges.

Grandpa and his friend Suzanne came back on
Saturday and had a great time meeting everyone,
meeting Lola and getting to watch Kerry show.  They enjoyed watching Kerry and Lola ride the trail
course.  After a great afternoon they headed back to Baker City.

Saturday night we had the perfect seats for dinner and a show.  Journey was playing at the concert arena and Savannah's RV spot was behind the venue.  So we all sat outside and had dinner and listened to the great music.  It was awesome!

Sunday the classes moved along fairly quickly so after we were finished we decided to head home.  Savannah, Alexis, Emilee and the horses would load up and head for home on Monday.

It was a great show with great Idaho hospitality and it was great to have been able to spend time with family.  Most of all it continues to be a thrill to watch Kerry and Lola perform and grow as a team.  They are proving to be an amazing pair and we couldn't be prouder!

Star Spangled Classic

The weekend of July 20-22nd we traveled to Monroe, WA for the Star Spangled Classic APHA show.  Kerry spent Thursday night with her friend Karli so that they could go to the barn and help pack up the trailer and load the horses for the trip.  On Friday she rode up to Monroe with Karli and her Mom, Nicole.

Lola

Micheal and I left late Thursday afternoon hoping to avoid rush hour traffic.  We got to Monroe, checked into our hotel and then went to the show grounds.  Everyone was settled in and the girls had already ridden.  It was a fairly early night as the show started early Friday morning with the English classes.

We arrived at about 8am on Friday and got to watch Karli and Slick ride in their English classes.  Kerry got Lola lunged and bathed and ready to warm-up.

Kerry and Karli wait for their turn

During the shows its sometimes hard to plan because things can move quickly or very slowly depending on the types of classes and the number of entries in each class.  So its often a chaotic mix of rush-rush-rush and wait-wait-wait.  So you eat when you can, run to the restroom when you can and try and be ready for anyting!

Oma and Opa were coming to show to watch Kerry and Lola.  We were all excited to see them and were glad that their being in Vancouver, B.C. meant they could make the drive down.  This was the first APHA show since Lola had another 6-weeks of training.  Kerry was looking forward to introducing them to Lola.

Time to wake up, Lola!

We are so lucky to have such a wonderful mare who is sweet, calm and who loves her kid!  She and Kerry have a special bond for sure!

Team Lola was showing in Western Pleasure, Horsemanship, Showmanship and Trail.  Each time they compete they are better and better and this show was no exception.




The best moment was in Sunday's Horsemanship class.  This was only the second time Kerry and Lola had shown in this class.  Horsemanship is a pattern class and the judges are scoring the rider on their poise, posture and completion of the pattern.  Kerry and Lola received two 2nds and a 1st!  Kerry's smile lit up the arena!

It was a great weekend, a great show and everyone on the Ambition team did great.  And even though there were a couple of very late nights and everyone was tired, we're excited to go home and prepare for the next show in Idaho!

Open Show - Ridgefield, WA

We attended a 2-day open show in Ridgefield, WA.




It was close to home and a good way to give Kerry some more practice in Horsemanship and to gauge their progress as we get ready for the APHA show in Monroe.

Waiting for Showmanship

Kerry's and Mom are tired..

We were also moving this weekend, so it was busy for all of us!

... Lola's tired too!

All their pretty ribbons!

Photo Shoot at Ambition Performance Horses

Savannah (our wonderful trainer) had made arrangements for a photo shoot at the barn.  It was a beautiful day; sunny and warm with blossoms on the trees.  The Ambition ladies all showed up in their best western shirts ready for a great shoot with Jessica of Red Fred Productions.  Here are some of our favorites!

                                                                   The Ladies of Ambition                                      
                                                         Kerry, Karli, Joy, Alexis, Alex and Emilee









                      Our beautiful girl!  Howdy!

Emilee, Alex

Joy, Kerry, Savannah, Alexis

Karli

                                                                          It's definitely love!
                                                                   
So next up for Team Lola is an open show in Ridgefield, WA on June 30-July 1.  This is a great opportunity for Kerry and Lola to get in the arena after this past month of focused training.  Then they work with Savannah on the final preparations for the next big APHA show in Monroe, WA on July 20th.


**Please note that these photos are copyrighted and made available courtesy of Red Fred Productions.

APHA Birthday Bash - Spanaway, WA

We left Thursday afternoon for Spanaway, WA.  This was a big show with a total of (6) judges over three days.  Here's a glimpse of our weekend!

Thursday:
   -Drive to Spanaway
   -Unload; check in with Lola; Get stall drapes etc. up
   -Exercise horses; practice
   -Head to hotel and bed

Friday (3) Judges:
   -Up and at the barn in time to see Karli in English
   -Exercise horses; then make sure they are clean and tacked
   -Get dressed and ready to go; Warm-Up Pleasure
   -Kerry did the Novice Youth and 13-and-Under Western Pleasure
        *Novice Youth:  (1) 2nd and (2) 3rds
        *13-Under:  (2) 3rds and a 4th
   -Watch Joy and Wyatt in the Amateur Walk/Trot classes
   -Get dressed and ready for Horsemanship; Practice Horsemanship pattern
   -Kerry did the Novice Youth Horsemanship (first time doing this)
        *Novice Youth:  Didn't Place
   -Take care of Lola; she wasn't feeling good; gave her a bath
   -Early night, head to hotel for bed

Saturday (6) Judges:
   -Up early and at the barn to get ready
   -Exercise horses; get dressed for Showmanship; Practice Showmanship pattern
   -Kerry did the 13-and-Under Showmanship (http://youtu.be/8nWBPflN2x8)
        *13-Under:  (3) 4ths, (1) 5th and (1) 6th
   -Lunch Break; get dressed for Trail (first time doing this)
   -Warm-up on the Trail course
   -Kerry did the 13-and-Under Trail (http://youtu.be/FbKLlBeis6U)
        *13-Under:  Didn't Place
   -Wrapped up the day; took care of horses
   -Group dinner at Joy's trailer
   -Back to hotel and to bed

Sunday (3) Judges:
   -Repeat of Friday with (3) new judges
   -Kerry did Novice Youth and 13-and-Under Western Pleasure
        *Novice Youth:  (2) 4ths and a 5th
        *13-Under:  (3) 4ths
   -Go get changed for Horsemanship; Practice Horsemanship pattern
   -Decided not to enter the Horsemanship class; back to barn and got changed
   -Untacked Lola and gave her a bath; took her out and rode bareback and chilled out
   -Packed up for the trip home, loaded horses and hit the road
   -Got the barn, unloaded horses and made sure they were all fed, watered
    and blanketed, then headed for home

It was a long weekend but a good one.  We learned a lot of things both about Lola and about
ourselves.  We learned what to look for when Lola doesn't feel good (Kerry knew right away that something wasn't right!).  We learned our daughter is an amazingly strong, confident young woman and rider who when faced with adversity, held her head up and completed her pattern.  We learned that Mom was a nervous wreck and Dad was a rock!  We learned that our barn family are some of the greatest people!  We learned that we look forward to the next Show!  We couldn't be prouder of Kerry!

Human-Equine Bonding (a.k.a. Horsing Around)

While there is never a dull day at the barn, there are some times when its nothing but laid back, fun and good times with your horse.  We have really encouraged Kerry to have down time with Lola, without the pressure of training or lessons or shows.  Its just a natural part of Kerry's personality to want to "love" on her horse and she's taken advantage of it by riding bareback, spending extra time brushing and handling and even running around the arena while Lola tears around bucking out all her energy!


This week Kerry took a couple goofy pictures!

We have three weeks until the next APHA show and a lot of work and fine tuning to do.  Kerry and Lola will be showing in Showmanship, Halter, Western Pleasure, Trail and Western Horsemanship classes this time.