The Big E Fairgrounds are quite large, and there's often more than one activity going on during any given weekend. While we were there for the reining show for instance, there was also a dog show and a sheep show.
The brother of one of the young women with the Crystal Farm group was showing his sheep, and their mother was there to help him. Much to Kate's consternation (she's a teen... need I say more?), a bunch of us went over to say hello, and see what a sheep show was like.
I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams the reality that is a sheep show.
First of all, the sheer noise of it was overwhelming. I'm not sure how many sheep were there, but I'm pretty sure they all had something to say.
Some of them were wearing fly sheets.
Oh, and be careful where you walk. Maybe sheep aren't worse than horses in that respect, maybe there were just so many sheep in that confined space that it just seemed like there was not one bit of the floor that hadn't been peed on or pooped on... but holy mother of god, that was a lot of poop and pee.
Given that, it wasn't nearly as smelly as I might have expected... there was ventilation, the exhibition hall they were in had windows that could be opened.
Figuring out what they were being judged on was another puzzle. The people showing the sheep (they seemed to be mostly teens or young adults) held them, the judges walked around and chose some out of the lineup, there'd be more shifting around, the judge would choose some more... but what the criteria was, was a complete mystery to me. I asked Kate's mother afterwards, and she said it was mostly judged on grooming, and though some used professional groomers, her son did it himself, a fact of which she was quite proud.
There were a lot of what I can only call grooming stations scattered within the hall - about 3 1/2 feet long by about 2 1/2 feet wide, they were little platforms that once the sheep were attached to the tie-down on it, had a lift that brought them up to a comfortable level for the clipping/grooming to commence. There were a lot of sheep on those things, and they all seemed a bit affronted, and vocalized their displeasure.
An uoccupied grooming station to the left front.
These photos are just a tiny corner of the whole exhibition hall. I didn't even take any photos of the classes and the judging.
I think I lasted about ten minutes in there before the assault on all my senses was just too much. I have no idea how those people stayed there the whole day.
Long story short: it was exhausting, but so much fun!
Cinch and I were better together than at the last show, and I really feel like we're getting to be a good team. We had nice warm weather - well, it was kind of hot and muggy, but better than the freezing temps during the April show - and the sun was shining. People were all in good holiday moods, it was wonderful.
We arrived early Thursday afternoon, got the trailers unloaded and the horses settled in. It may sound like not all that much, but I'm talking eight horses. Before they can even come off the trailer, the shavings need to be laid down in each stall. Then once they're off, water buckets and hay bags filled. Then all the supporting racks, bins, and trunks unloaded into the temporary tack room, the saddles, bridles, saddle pads, etc, following.
After that. and then the evening paid warm-ups, we all went to our respective homes-away-from-home (I shared a room with Angel again) and crashed.
Friday, the first class doesn't start until after noon, so there were more paid warm-ups in the morning. Before they start, the pen is open for people to go in en-masse; the paid warm-ups are time to go in alone, get the horse used to the pen and make sure there'll be no issues.
Angel and I had opted not to get up at the crack of dawn to ride before the paid warm-ups, instead getting there slightly after the crack of dawn. The Tack Shop lady, Kathy (she pulls a trailer full of cool western horsie stuff around to the shows, and is about as nice as you can ask for) was there, so we did some shopping ahead of time - I bought a pretty saddle blanket, and eyed the belts. I'd promised myself a more "blingy" belt if I scored above 60 in the show in April, and then I'd done it. So... but I couldn't make up my mind. I walked away with only the blanket.
Meanwhile, I'd bought a matching bridle and breastcollar from the same people who made my saddle, and I really wanted to get them in time for this show. It came down to the wire: they were finished on Wednesday. I was going to just wait until the next show, but then I got the bright idea to ask the NERHA people if I could get them shipped to the showgrounds.
The answer was yes. YEAH! I contacted the Continental guy, told him yes, gave him the address, and he shipped it out, to be delivered on Friday.
I didn't really think about the fact that July 3rd was pretty much a holiday for everyone, given that the 4th fell on a Saturday.
There were shipping boxes sitting outside the NERHA show offices so I was feeling pretty good... until I asked them if there'd be any more shipments.
"How was it shipped?" she asked.
"USPS" I replied.
"Oh, they won't deliver inside the show grounds, only UPS and FedEx will do that. And I think the main office here is closed."
Oh, crap. I wish I'd known that. :(
On the off-chance that it was not closed, I decided to wander around the grounds looking for the main office. It was quite surprising how many people had no idea what building that was in.
But meanwhile, I did stumble upon a warehouse which contained these:
So it wasn't all bad.
There was a lady mechanic working on a truck in this space who knew where the offices were. They were closed. A kind security guy even let me in on the off-chance that the Post Office had left the box inside the door and someone else brought it inside... but no.
Oh well. It wasn't like I *needed* to match. It was a disappointment, though.
Since the classes started at noon, we did get on a bit before that. It turned out, our draws (along with another lady from our group) were all consecutive - I think 13th, 14th, and 15th, if I remember correctly - so we were in the practice arena around the same time.
This was my run in ladies.
Not the worst ever done... but lots of room for improvement. And my own "personal best", so I won't bitch.
I ended up with a 65 1/2.
The thing with showing along with a crew of people - some are showing in more classes than others. I was showing in three classes the whole weekend: Ladies on Friday, Green Reiner II on Saturday, then another Green Reiner II on Sunday.
That left a lot of down time, even with watching everyone else's runs, helping to feed and water and hose down horses, and otherwise hanging out at the Big E grounds.
Saturday morning, I had a long wait before the draw for Green Reiner would even happen, I was bored. I was back at Kathy's trailer looking at things again, I was back looking at belts.
The thing about Kathy's trailer: it's not the TARDIS. Even if there are things that you like, it isn't guaranteed that they'll be in your size. So I found this belt, my size, kind of pretty.
It had a bit of bling, and some bead work in an Aztec pattern.
I liked it.
But some of the bead work was pink.
Not a brassy neon pink (I actually kind of like in your face pink) but a pale, almost white, pastel pink.
I'm so not a pink woman.
Except that my socks were pink that day - that was just what they came in, ya know? Oh, and my underwear that day was pink - not pastel, thank goodness, but definitely pink.
Oh, hell.
There's a lot more beadwork... I just wanted to also include the bling factor.
So I bought the belt. I've been wearing it nearly every day now, the pink is growing on me.
Saturday afternoon, and Green Reiner II was posted. My draw was last.
I could get all emo and say something like "worst wait EVAH!" but it wasn't, really, It's just, with twenty-eight people in front of you,you're trying to figure out when to start getting your horse ready so you won't be sitting on him too long - it was kind of hot, after all. At around draw 14 I started to brush him and tack him up; Bryan wanted me on him around draw 16 or 17 so that I could do some work in the warmup ring before it was time for my draw.
By the time draw 24 came around, Cinch and I were both sweating, and I was really having to work to get him to move. I finally just moved out near the gate to park him in the shade.
I probably timed it badly - I'd started too early. At that point I wasn't really focusing well, I made lots of mistakes in that class - reflected in my score - 60 1/2. Oh well.
I decided not to purchase that video. Maybe I will after I've forgotten about all my screw-ups. :)
Sunday, Green Reiner was in the afternoon again. Sunday morning, I visited Kathy again.
Maybe her trailer IS the TARDIS: looking at the show shirts - which I'd done every day since we got there - one I'd not seen before called out to me:
Kathy, the enabler, encouraged me to try it on:
Skulls, Elvis collar and cuffs, how could I resist?
Yes, I bought it.
So, Green Reiner. I was not last draw - actually, about 2/3 of the way, but not last. I was rocking my new shirt, and new belt, Yup, feeling pretty confident.
Cinch and I entered the pen. Within about 30 seconds I thought I'd blown it: I overspun the second spin. So I figured, what the heck, let it rip. It's hard to tell watching this, but it sure felt like Cinch was moving pretty fast.
Sunday
Despite being only slightly in control at a few points (you're supposed to look like you're in control) I did OK. Apparently I'd come close, but hadn't overturned by over 1/4 of a circle, so I got a score: 64 1/2. Watching it again, I didn't actually look that out of control. Maybe it was better than I thought. Once everyone had done their classes, we packed up horses and tack and headed home. Angel and I took a scenic route - Google Maps had warned of a bad accident and back up on the Pike - but it was a pleasant end to a very tiring weekend. I'd hoped to get Monday to recuperate, but I ended up driving back to Springfield to pick up my box - the alternative was for them to return it to sender, and I was having none of that. So I'll have matching tack at the August Show. Which is a four day show. I'm not sure if I'm going to survive.
