I had the true trophy wife schedule for the show on Saturday, with 1-1 going at 11:41am and 1-2 going at 1:20pm. Since the HHP is only 20 minutes from my house, FBR and I slept in and rolled in around 8am, mainly because I was signed up to volunteer to take photos and felt guilty arriving any later than that.
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| FBR taking some artistic bedhead photos. |
Before I got braiding, I wandered around taking some random photos of the (very cold) riders and volunteers - it was in the upper 40's and windy all day. They specifically asked me to take pictures of the volunteers for use in future publications...but...they all looked miserable for the most part...and I didn't think they wanted 'miserable' to define their volunteer photos...I did my best.
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| I jumped on this rare moment of sunlight. |
Braiding started around 9:
It was a schooling show, but after the last couple of times I didn't braid Connor for a show and he tossed his head around due to his hair hitting his ears, I promised myself I would never not braid again, no matter how small the show. I also like braiding and find it soothing and almost meditative, so there's that.
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| Not bad for the first braids of the year, and having to braid the blanket rubs. I give myself a B. |
As I braided, I thought about what a calming ritual it is for both of us, and how my rides have historically been better when he's braided, and I wondered if Connor felt more "serious" about showing when he was braided. Or if I treat shows more seriously when I braid and it rubs off on him? One of the IDS board members who had seen me braiding echoed my thoughts when I went over to pick up my scores later, volunteering that her horse always goes better when braided. Interesting thought!
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| There is just something about a flaxen mane against a chestnut coat. |
When he was mostly done, I took a break to watch
Karen and Hampton's first test. Karen has always been one of my favorite bloggers, having trained Hampton herself from the ground up - through 4th level now! It's not the first time I've seen them go, but it's the first time in a long time, and they looked amazing!:
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| Hamps looking like a magnificent porkchop! |
With the bar set high after that test, it was our turn!
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