Playin' around

I've been playin' around a lot this summer and I love it.  Work is kind of making me tired though.  It couldn't be the long weekends of non stop fun. It is definitely the job that makes me tired.  I wonder if I could sell that to my employer? 

Let's see.... a couple of weeks ago I showed at California State Fair in the Ranch Versatility.  It was an AQHA show they opened up to all breeds. The big white horse was the only "other breed" there. My bestie went with me.  She makes me laugh, distracts me from over thinking, keeps things in perspective for me and is one of my biggest supporters.  Her sense of humor is beyond comparison.  She posted this picture of us on Facebook with the caption: 

" In a sea of browns, one color stands alone... Sigs Semper Fi"

It just cracks me up!  Where does she come up the this stuff? 

We did exceptionally well at State Fair.  We won the limited class and brought home a beautiful buckle and ginormous ribbon for our efforts.  Semper was on, there was no doubt about it.  I was super proud of him.  We also did the Ranch Horse Pleasure class.  We placed 5th out of 26 in that class. That was the most satisfying 5th place (we actually tied for fourth)  I have ever taken!  The winner of the Ranch Pleasure won the Open Ranch Horse Versatility, the second, third and fourth places were all trainers.  The horses were all extremely well trained "finished" quarter horses.  5th was not a bad place for a non pro on a white horse to land.  For me - it is placings like that one that let me know I am definitely on the right track.  The picture below is of us waiting for our cow during the working cowhorse portion of the show.

I think this picture is from the Ranch Pleasure Class - the extended trot.

(Thank you Sachorse.com for the picture)

Last weekend we took a break from the showing thing and went to St. Bernard Lodge.  Rode from there over to Drakesbad. The same ride we did last year.  This year 10 of us went. What a great time with great friends!  The weather was glorious. We didn't get lost this year and made it to the lodge in record time.  Ate lunch and then rode up to Devil's Kitchen.  It is a geothermal site in the park.  Water boils, mud percolates, and as my bestie said "you can fart here and not get in trouble".  The smell of sulfur is overwhelming.  

Look at these HOT women at Devil's Kitchen!

I asked for the sorority girl pose... I am not sure what sorority they belong to?

That is my daughter on the left, Ruth (we have been friends for close to 40 years!) in the middle,  and my bestie Laura on the end.

My daughter went along and she refuses to ride any horse but the big white one - she has pretty "high brow" taste in horses. (I mean really, it is like giving your kids the keys to the Corvette.)  I rode Bob.  The more I ride him, the more I like him. He was the youngster on the trip but he out performed some of the older more seasoned horses.  He took everything we put in front of him in stride.  Even the bear!  In the park they are putting up a lot of elevated walkways. Mr. Bob went across them like he had been doing it for years. Even when he had to go out first. 

(Thank you Brandy for the picture!)

We are about half way across the meadow and you can see Drakesbad Lodge in the back ground.

Don't you just love Laura's HOT PINK saddle bags?   

 Hope you all are having a wonderful summer.  Spending time with your families, friends and horses. Pursuing your passions and living life large! It doesn't get any better. 

Herdwork

At the ranch versatility show I said that I sucked out loud at the herdwork and I did.  But I did learn something. 

First let me say that the herdwork at a NVRHA versatility show is a little different that herdwork at a NRCHA show.  At a NVRHA you are given a specifically numbered cow to work out of the herd. When you are done working it in front of the herd you must drive it between a cone and the fence and pen it.

Things learned:
It is important to watch the riders before you to see how the cattle are working.
Don't focus on your numbered cow to early.
Make a deep cut and drive the herd out into a good working position.
Use and communicate with your herd help.

I went into the herd quietly, maybe to quietly. The cows weren't moving out of my way. Semper was wanting to take a bite out of them to get them to move. I was having to remind him that wasn't acceptable but he was still showing his teeth and penning his ears.  Not a pretty site.  I found my cow  and I tried to drive her out. But she wasn't having it. She would stop and turn into Semper. I got behind her and tried to drive her out but she didn't want to go away from her buddies (they are herd animals duh!)  I would get her to move out a little but I couldn't get HER out far enough to work out of the herd.  I unsettled the herd made a mess and used all my time just trying to get her unstuck from her buddies. 

After it was over I spoke with the judge and he gave me some pointers and told me where he felt that I went wrong.  It was like the light went on and I thought... how come I didn't think about that? 

First off let me tell you a little story... My daughter was the a pig princess... she was a superb hog showman. Ridiculously good. When she would get to the show ring and her pig would take off running...she would just show someone elses pig till she found hers then switch. She never lost her cool just moved through the "herd" showing whatever came in front of her till she got to her animal and continued on. She never lost focus and keep her eyes on the judge continually. You may not understand any of this unless you have actually watched 30 white pigs with 30 kids dressed in white carrying sticks or canes in a small show pen. Showing hogs is an art. Trust me.

That is what I should have done. I should have driven the entire herd out or at least a good part of it, with my cow in the mix and then let the others filter off when I had them out far enough that I could actually work a cow. I might not have ever been able to work my cow but I would have gotten points for driving the herd out and making a deep cut etc.  I focused on my cow and tried to no avail to get HER out. She would have gone out if her buddies were out there with her. Duh - herd animals remember. 

Because of the way things were scheduled at this show I wasn't able to watch the previous rider work the cattle. If I had been able to watch the riders go before me I would have known that the cows were sticky and pretty much done with being worked.  Not that my brain would have engaged but it might have. 

Prizes!

I finished up the reining series at Saddle Creek and won the Non-Pro Limited and the Prime Time (for those of us over 50) Non Pro.  Even though it wasn't a super competitive field, I feel like we got something done.  For our efforts we won these beautiful buckles. 

I like prizes but I have to say that winning two buckles on the same day was a little odd.  I mean you can only wear one, right?  I tried to give Mr. Wonderful the one that I won for the old folks class but he wasn't having it.  He says they are too big and gaudy.  Can award buckles be to big and gaudy?  I think not.  This year I also got back about half of my entry fees in winnings.

That is just icing on the cake. 

Last weekend I went to my first Ranch Versatility Show of the season.  I have five planned for this year.  It was in a small town about 3 hours from home.  Mr. Wonderful and I went down for the clinic and then showed the next day.  I was kind of having fits about going because it is expensive to go.  The clinic and entry fees are not cheap. The cost of diesel isn't cheap. A hotel isn't cheap. Meals aren't cheap. And what for? Another buckle? Not to sound like a whiner, because you know that is like counting your chickens before they hatch. It is only "another buckle" if you win. If you don't win it is just money spent on a fun weekend. And there is nothing wrong with that as long as Mr. Wonderful is enjoying himself too. He at least pretends to be having a good time. He is a much better sport than I am. Much. Much. Better.  He didn't whine at all.  Not even when they asked him to stand in the sun and wind for four hours to reset a log in the trail course. Mr. Wonderful is a trooper.

Semper and I won the Ranch Riding and the Working Cowhorse. We did mediocre in the trail and conformation. And sucked out loud in the herd work.  In my defense... the cattle had been worked by the open riders prior to the limited and novice riders working them. It was hot. They were roping steers.  Talk about the deck stacked against you. The little suckers wouldn't move. Semper gets really annoyed when they don't move. He doesn't want them in HIS bubble.

We came in Reserve Champion for the Novice Division.  I might be jaded but I am pretty sure that the toughest competition is in the novice division.  I mean really. 

These ladies are I N C R E D I B L E! 

What an amazing group of riders. They are so nice. We all rooted for one another and were excited for each other when we did well.  They make you feel like part of the group.  Really nice. 

For our efforts we won this beautiful breast collar.  Can you say AWESOME PRIZE? 

I love useful prizes. Love them. And this is a custom made, very high quality piece of tack. That makes it doubly wonderful.  The gentleman that made is a skilled craftsman.  The silver was done by a local silversmith and is stunning.

I generally don't use a breast collar.  I put this on the big white horse and he does look smashing, dashing, sexier than a bag of Doritos in it.

But he does look that way without it. Just saying. Not that I am biased or anything.

Last year I won a halter with the NVRHA logo and Reserve Champion it. I haven't used it yet.  I only wear the buckles when I am showing. I don't know how I feel about using "trophy tack".  I have never been one to draw attention to myself. I would never sit in the front row, raise my hand, dye my hair pink, get a honking tattoo or be the first one on the dance floor cutting a rug.  Unless I have had WAY to much to drink. And I mean WAY - like to infinity and back - to much.

(I know... I know... All this coming from a woman who rides a ginormous white horse.)

What do you do with trophy tack?  Leave it at home and admire it or use the living heck out of it?

Saturday

At 5:30am on Saturday I am up and getting ready to go to the Ranch Versatility Clinic. We get the horses and are on the road. Right out of the gate, I start in on Mr. Wonderful's driving. It is my nerves or am I just being overly sensitive?

Cow work was first up. I wanted to work Semper on cows since we hadn't seen cows since August at the last show. He wanted to stand and visit with his new friends. He fell in love with a jenny mule that was there. She wasn't quite as enamored with him as he was with her. She was a beautiful mule. The cattle are used up corriante roping cattle. They haven't been worked by cow horses before but that doesn't make it any easier. They want to run, run, run. All they think about is getting to the other end of the arena and they don't care who or what they have to run over or into to get there. It is our turn and he moves like he has cement in his legs. He finally gets the lead out and starts to get into the work when the cow takes off. Right through the line of riders that were supposed to be holding herd. One of the lady's colt takes to bucking. Hard. She rides about five good jumps and then goes off. I hate watching this stuff. I thought that she got kicked in the head for sure. He stepped on the back of her thigh and tore her jeans but other than that she came out unscathed. Thankfully. I think she was more worried about her pants being ripped and her butt hanging out than she was the ginormous bruise she was going to have. My daughter had left a pair of pants in my truck so I offered them to her not realizing they were Capri's. She put them on over her jeans and finished the clinic. My hat went off to her. But with all the commotion I didn't finish my turn on cattle with Semper. A couple others went and the clinician offered to let me have a go on Lily. I switched horses and let her have a go. I wanted to go really slow and work more on position on the cow. She wants to be in a hurry so my job was to keep her correct and slow. She did great. The clinician decides that we could all use more work so everyone worked another cow. This time Mr. Semper had his game on and after a little discussion about stopping straight before the turn he did really well.

Then on to trail. I think this lady stays up nights dreaming up these trail courses. I won't bore you with all the details yet, but I thought it was a really tough course. Little did I know that the next day it was going to be even more challenging. I rode Lily and worked on swinging a rope from her. I spent a few minutes just walking around swinging a loop. I probably looked like an idiot and Lily was probably embarrassed by my lack of prowess. She tolerated it. She did the walk overs and we worked the side pass. She always knows where her feet are so those types of things are easy for her. I went and got Semper and worked the rope because I have never worked a loop from his back for real. Then we walked through the course and found all my holes! And there were some big holes. I was supposed to be jogging through some cones. The clinician keep saying "put your hand up, PUT YOUR HAND UP". I am thinking that my hand is up. Riding reiners you are taught to keep your hand in a 6" x 6" box in front of the saddle horn. When I finally put my hand up, up came those shoulders and he floated through the cones. Go figure.

After the trail was Ranch Riding. I have come to really love this part of the event. Probably because Mr. Semper likes it and he looks good doing it. I had to make some space and timing adjustments but things were o.k. The judge is a Western Pleasure/Equitation judge. So I needed to ride more like I would in those types of classes. I was pretty good at Equitation as a youth and thought it wasn't going to be an issue. Well is seems that I have developed a slump. Call it a reiners slump or cutter slump, but I am having trouble keeping my shoulders over my hips, my back straight, and my shoulders back. What the heck? When did this all go to hell in a hand basket?

Next was reining. The pattern is an easy one. I should be able to ace this one. Really? Alas....Not so much. You run in and do a stop past the center marker. Back up to the center. 2 turnarounds right, 2 1/4 turnarounds left, and depart on the right lead for a small slow, change leads to a left large fast, change leads to a right lead wrap around, stop, roll back, wrap around on the left lead, stop, roll back and stop past the center marker. First I forget the back up. Then I do three turns to the right. Not to mention that in the run down Semper was swishing his tail and penning his ears. What is going on? Thank goodness it was a practice run. The circles and lead changes were fine but the stops were horrible. I have to pull him to the ground and he is cranky. Then the clinician tells me to back him up hard and ask again. I do and he is a pill. Do it again and it starts to get better but he is not happy. This is becoming an ongoing issue. I am starting to think that something else is at play here. He finally gives me a couple mediocre stops and I let it go. RD and I have been tossing around the idea that he might be sore or something isn't just right in his hips or hocks. He isn't lame. He just isn't doing this part of his job like he does everything else. This horse is a pleaser, so when he doesn't give you what you want, it makes you wonder what is up.

I rode Lily some more just asking her to stay with me and get her used to all the commotion of the day. She handled herself like a pro.

I annoyed Mr. Wonderful all the way home about his driving and bent his ear about what could possible be wrong with Mr. Semper. It was a long day and we still had show day to go.

Friday

Last weekend I went to another Ranch Versatility Clinic and Show. I took Friday and Monday off and spent the time riding and horsing around. Boy-O-Boy, I could get used to doing that full time. Anybody out there know of a job where you get paid big bucks for spending time working on your horses and your horsemanship? Hmmm... Probably not.


Friday I spent with the new trainer that I have been working with. Let's call her RD. RD is a dedicated wife and mother first and foremost. I appreciate and respect that. It is important to me that I spend time with people that share the same set of core values that I believe in. "Surround yourself by quality people", that is what my mom used to say. I am very lucky and thankful to have a lot of quality people in my life. RD is a ranch wife and I would venture to say one of the hardest working women I have ever met. With that said, it appears to me that she loves her life. She has an easy smile, a pleasant way, an unbridled confidence and a tremendous work ethic. She has been working with Lily and they seem to just "click". I rode all three horses with her on Friday. Since I was taking Lily to the clinic I rode her first. I planned on riding her in the trail and ranch riding portion of the clinic and Semper on the cow work and reining. Lily has come so far. I am excited to see where she is going to be in February or March. Really excited, like a kid waiting to go to Disneyland for the first time excited. Almost giddy. She is so quick and reactive - but in a positive way. All that energy is being focused. Have you ever seen the Pantene commercial where the lady's hair is a wild, dried out mess? She looks confused and distraught, like she stuck her finger in the light socket? Then she uses the shampoo and her hair is all pretty, sleek and controlled and she looks confident. That is what it reminds me of. (Don't ask me where these comparisons come from, I haven't a clue.) All the beauty and ability is there but everything is a frazzled, out of control, crazy mess. You knew it could be stunning and refined, it just needed something to rein in the chaos (pardon the pun). RD is taming the mess, smoothing out the tangles, and refining the look. She is doing it with a confident hand and unrivalled leadership. Lily is eating it up.

Semper was a dream to ride on Friday. He floated around, soft in the bridle, and willing. Since he was being so good and was going to have a long weekend of riding ahead we didn't ask to much of him on Friday.

Next I rode Scooter. Have I mentioned that I love that silly little red horse? He is a goober. I think I always pick the goobers. Look at Semper. It is like we are kindred spirits - us goobers. In a lot of ways, Scooter reminds me of Semp. Must be a gelding thing? Anyway... he was his usual self, he carried on like a fool while he was tied up waiting for his turn, then under saddle he was happy and as good natured as a pig in slop. I asked RD to keep him for the weekend and to leave him tied - a lot. She obliged and said she would even take him for a ride to work on getting his head down more correct.

So off I went with Lily and Semper for the weekend. I meant to got some roping pointers from RD before I left but I was so wrapped up in everything that had gone on during the day, that I completely forgot. Oops. More on that one later.

Ranch Versatility - Part 2

The next class in the versatility was Ranch Riding. This is where this organization differs a little from AQHA. AQHA Ranch Versatility does a Western Pleasure class. Walk, trot and lope directions, you know the drill. NVRHA does what they call Ranch Riding. In my limited knowledge of dressage... it resembles a low level dressage test. I have never done dressage or ridden anything like this. They set up cones in a pattern. You must ride from one cone to the next and transition from a walk, to a trot, to an extended trot, to a walk, to a lope, to an extended lope, change direction, etc. Each transition should be executed exactly on mark. In my opinion this is where it separates the doers and the wannabes. If you don't ride your own horse you aren't going to know how to judge the distance it takes for them to make the transition or stop. You aren't going to get away with having your trainer go out and walk, trot and lope your horse around and then jump on and get it done. Ain't gonna happen. I found this pattern work to be challenging and fun. Trying to ride more with your seat and legs so that your transitions are smooth and your horse is responsive is what it is all about. This class alone will make me a better rider.

After Ranch Riding we moved on to Working Cow Horse. We ran a reining pattern and then the Novice and Youth boxed a cow while the rest of the divisions had to go down the fence and rope. The reining pattern was very much like a reining pattern at a NRCHA class. We got that done with little or no trouble. It had one each large fast and small slow, lead change each direction, three and a half turn arounds each direction and 3 stops. We have boxed a cow before so that wasn't foreign. It isn't always easy and during the show we lost our cow and had to retrieve it. I have done enough WCH to know to take it slow and just go get it and finish my run. The Corriente cattle are a little harder to work then the regular cattle they use during WCH shows. They tend to want to run to the other end of the arena because that is where they go when they are being roped and they know when they get there they are done.

The last class is Halter. Out of all the classes this is the one that I thought I would ace. I mean, Semper is always in the first or second place. Not that I have shown that much halter but he looks very much like a halter horse. We were 7th... ouch. He was the biggest horse at the show, by probably 2 inches and 200 -300 lbs. Maybe more. And of course he was the only big WHITE horse there. The first 6 horses were all very uniform in size and look. That made me feel much better to see the consistency. Only 40% of your halter score is judged on where you fall in the actually line up of the halter class. The other 60% is judged on your horses form to function during the events. So even if your horse is a little less than perfect conformation wise, the halter won't completely submarine you.


After a long day, kind of overwhelming show day, we all waited patiently to see our scores. I was just obsessed to see my score sheets. I am not usually that way but this was so challenging and different. My mind was reeling about what I needed to work on, what I thought I had done well, where I bombed! Because everyone does each event individually you watch all your competition and I saw a lot of great riders and showmen all day long. People were supportive of each other and helpful to fellow riders. The staff and helpers where positive, offered advice and cheered all the riders on all day long. It was just a very positive and enjoyable day. It really never occurred to me where I placed in the grand scheme of things. Their were seven riders in my division and Semper and I took reserve champion. Won a purple (my favorite color) halter with reserve champion on it. I did get my score sheets and studied them for days. I made friends with another rider and we talked on the phone comparing score sheets and discussing where we could improve. Semper stayed with me all show day - he seemed to accept the change of pace that each class offered with a cool head and a willingness to try. What more can you ask for?

Ranch Versatility - Part 1

I went to my first Ranch Versatility Show at the end of August. This is the real deal. It separates the doers from the wannabe's.

I am going to go into detail on this because this was one of those events that I found completely exciting and challanging - Mind, body and soul.

Because this is a long, long post I am going to work on part two while you muddle through part one.

Ranch versatility is made up of 5 classes. Herd Work, working cowhorse, ranch riding, trail, halter/conformation class.

This event was part of the National Versatility Ranch Horse Assn. The way this club or group operates is great for beginners. They start out by offering a clinic on the first day. You can go and learn what it is all about. Get coached through each event and in this case - the judge was the clinician for several of the classes. Talk about a learning experience. They also offer several different levels of participation. From Open, amatuer, limited, novice, and youth. The Novice class doesn't have to rope in the working cowhorse and the trail course is a little easier. Other than that everyone is expected to do the same elements.

We started the clinic doing the herd work. Each rider got a chance to work cattle out of the herd. The clinician would walk you through what he was looking for and then critique you as you rode. When you were done he would tell you what was positive and where you needed work. Herd work is challanging if you are not riding a super cowy horse. Think about the big paint horse here. Semper will work a cow, but at 16 hands he isnt't quite as "catty" as the smaller cowhorses. He has a lot of power and can move quickly but he tends to want to get ahead of the cows and that makes me late coming through my turns. After you work your cow you have to take it around a cone, down the fence and put it in a pen. During the show we worked out of the herd well. When I was ready to move the cow down the fence, I asked my herd holders to move and went to drive my cow to the fence. The cow stopped in the middle of the arena, snorted and took off down the center of the arena. In the cows defense... these were used up corriente roping cattle. He was doing what he was supposed to do for roping. Not so much for herd work. I had about 45 seconds left and the audience was yelling at me to take him back down and around the cone. I might have been able to bring him back and put him around the cone but I would have risked letting him get back in the herd. I made the decision to just follow him to the end and pen him. It cost me 5 points for missing the cone. Afterward the judge talked to me and said I did the right thing. If I had lost the cow back to the herd I would have taken a no score.

Next we went to the trail course. This isn't your run of the mill arena trail course. This is a trail course set up in a natural environment. On a hillside with pine needles for footing. The course consisted of a gate, lope over poles, cones to jog through, a dummy to rope, a log to drag, rotten hay bales to walk through, a pole to move around a barrel, a bridge to cross, walk over poles, trot over poles and then stop in a box, ground tie, open a mail box, drop your bridle, pick up all four feet, and remount. It was a lot in a very small area.
The gate was easy. But from the gate the first of the lope overs where about 15 feet, so you were facing to the right, had to turn pick up the left lead and lope over 6 poles set about 5 feet apart as you started to go up a hill. I have mentioned a time or two that Semper is a big horse right? Everything in this course was TIGHT. We got it done but it wasn't real pretty. He ticked the last couple of poles. Then we were supposed to drop to a jog to go up the hill and jog through 3 cones. Again they were tight. During the show I let him drop to a walk because I was pretty sure we had to much forward motion to make the cones at a jog. He was able to get it done in the clinic.
Next was rope the dummy. I have told you all that I can't rope. I have been practicing but I am in no way proficent. You are supposed to untie your rope and rope the dummy. They let me use a loaner rope in the clinic but I had to have my own the day of the show. I didn't have one of my new ropes in the trailer because I have been practicing at home. I dug around and found this ancient rope in the trailer - think of a petrified snake. It was old, had been coiled wrong for decades and had black electrial tape on the end to keep it from splaying apart. I got it done, didn't catch - again not pretty. The thing is that Semper let me work it out. And that is what it is all about. He was patient, he didn't get jiggy or nervous, just stood relaxed and waited till his roping challanged rider made every error known to man.
Next was the log drag. Around a tree on a hillside and you had to dally. First I have never attempted to dally properly. Ever. The nice young man that was working the course during the clinic was very patient with me and did his best to teach me how to dally so that I wouldn't lose a finger. Of course all that went out the window during the show. I was still so befuddled about he roping dummy that dallying was just as foreign to me as flying an airplane. The one thing that I did remember was to leave enough rope so that the log didn't hit my horses legs. Points for me. Semper could care less what I ask him to drag. He is a trooper.

From there you had to jog through 3 bales of hay set in a zig zag. No big deal.

Here is the one that I had never seen before. Two barrels, one 10ft bamboo pole. You pick up the end of the pole that is resting on one barrel and rotate it around the other barrel. Can you say leg yeilds? Thank goodness for the clinic. The clinician walked me through it - once you get it, easy peasy.

Next you had to go down the hill an onto the bridge. I don't know if I have every told you all about the disasterous bridge incident. Let me fill you in. One time at band camp... Oops wrong story. One time during a clinic with a very well know cowboy clinician... We had to do an extreme trail horse course. I had to leave before we got to the bridge so the next morning before the clinic, I decided to take Mr. Semper over the bridge. It was a teeter-totter bridge. Huge mistake. He walked on like a champ and when that thing broke over and came down with a thud... he thought he had died and gone to hell. Every since then... trail course bridges have been a huge challange. Real bridges are no problem. I had worked with a new trainer on getting him over one and he was doing wonderfully the weekend before. The one thing that I did not want to do was have it in MY head that is was going to be a problem. So we came off the hill and I just looked up and sent him. He started to say "no way Jose" but then he went on. He kind of rushed it but he did it. I let the rushing go. But because he rushed it, he had trouble with the walk overs that were directly after the bridge. Small sacrafice.
Then you picked up a lope for about 10 ft, dropped to a trot at a set of logs, and trotted into the box and stopped. Sounds easy enough. Yeah Right! Tough. Took me a couple of tries during the clinic but we finally got it. The day of the show we got it but his toes were touching the board at the end of the box. Now here is where is gets comical. When I first got Semper I was schooled him to open a mail box from his back. I would put cookies in the mail box. After he let me open the box I would give him the cookies and ask him to stand quietly at the box while I closed it. Again - Huge mistake. At the show, I had to get off, ground tie and go open and close the box. He saw that mail box and was sure it was a cookie dispenser. During the clinic he kept trying to follow me to the mail box. At the show, he stayed put but I had to give him an "evil eye" and say "whoa" a lot. The upside... His ears were forward and he was watching me the whole time.

The last thing you had to do was drop the bridle and pick up all four feet. No issues there.

.... stay tuned for part two.