Show of Champions

When I went to the first reining show at SCR where I board the show secretary asked me if I wanted to go to the Show of Champions in Oct. I asked her what the deal was and she said that CA State Horsemens Assn. hosts a final show every year where the top 10 riders in each discipline qualify for this special show with lots of prizes etc. Being as it was my first year I told her that I didn't think that I would need to worry about going. She said that there weren't going to be 10 reiners from our district and so she was sure that if I wanted to go, I would qualify. O.K. then. It was an extra $25 bucks so I paid it and went on about my merry business. I figured what the heck, if I qualified, I did, and if not it was a $25 donation to a worth while group. In August I got a package with all the info and entries for the "Show of Champions" (SOC). I looked at it and put it away for another couple of weeks to mull it over. It was at a very nice, very large facility about an hour and a half away from home. The reining was on Friday night at 6pm so it was totally doable for me. I decided to go. I got the stuff out and started to fill out the forms but the class list was missing out of my package. I called the show secretary and she sent one over to me and suggested that I call my area representative. I called a very nice and informative lady named Lisa and she walked me through all the forms and classes. She said that this was the first year they were offering Performance Halter and that I should entry. I haven't shown halter in years. Like 30 years. But again, it was $25 and it was for a good cause and in August is seemed like a good plan.

Last Thursday I went out to the barn washed Semp and fitted him as best as I knew how. Friday morning we load all my stuff and we are off. We get down to the venue and the first of the performance halter classes is being called. They had so many horses entered that they broke it into age groups (by exhibitor). I would be in the last of 5 classes - 35 and older. I am o.k. with that. How many old timers could there be right? I start to panic and get butterflies while watching the 14 - 17 year olds. Man are these kids good. And the quality of horses is pretty amazing. 18 - 35 just got tougher. Now I am thinking I should scratch. My husband and daughter coaxed me into "just doin' it". I am still thinking it is going to be a small class. There were 20. The cute little butterflies in my stomach had now become fire breathing dragons tap dancing on my intestines. I waited to be the last horse in the ring. I knew Semp was never going to stand patiently for any length of time. He wouldn't be bad but he would gawk around and nibble on my shirt or want to smell me or something equally as ridiculous. He decides that the chain on my lead made a nice sound if he hit it with his chin - repeatedly - over and over and over. The more noise it made the faster his head would bounce. It was annoying to say the least. The judge comes by and I swear she snickered. I was doomed. I knew that conformationally he is correct. He has nice movement and he kind of looks like a halter horse. I kept telling myself that as long as I didn't go to the bottom of the class I would survive this humiliation. They called first place and it was a really nice young paint horse. They called second place and it was Semper! Go figure. He redeemed himself of the entire chain lipping, banging incident and made me proud.

We had a hour or so wait till our reining classes. I had decided that no matter what I was going to pamper the crap out of this horse at this show to see if it made a difference in his behavior. Boy did it ever. He is such an attention whore. He got treats all day, my daughter brushed and loved on him all day. I even caught my husband loving on him a little. I let him smell me, and nose me, and rub on me and make some new friends. I let every little kid, grandma and dog within a 1 mile radius love on him. He was in heaven. When the time came to do our first pattern he was ready to go. He probably thought that all those people in the stands were there to see him. He tried really hard and did a nice job. We had trouble with our stops but everything else flowed nicely and he wasn't pushy or cranky. We ran three patterns and got third all three times. And yes, there were more than 3 in the classes! I was happy with the way the day went and had a great time. After my last run we loaded up and headed home. Fifteen minutes in to our drive home a friend called me and says "hey where are you? you won a buckle!". Won what? He said that I had won reserve or champion or something. HUH??? No way. Another lady had won two of the classes and placed 2nd in another - how could I have won anything? Welllll..... folks, it was that halter class. She showed in it but didn't place. The points from the halter class put us ahead of her by one point for the 18 and over SOC Reining Champion. I have mixed emotions about winning based on the point system and not on the reining alone. I am very proud of Semper and myself (remember those fire breathing dragons in my gut)for doing so well over all. But I don't want to slight another rider who clearly kicked my butt in the reining! She was a great rider and was truly the "reining" champion.