Posts Tagged ‘2011
2011 Pony Penning Recap: July 26
We were up bright and early on Tuesday morning – and headed over the the Pony Centre, where we were greeted by Minnow’s happy little face.
Eventually we headed over to Assateague, where we got to see the North and South herds in their pens – before they were set to make the swim to Chincoteague the following day. We lucked out and happened to be visiting the pens just as the Saltwater Cowboys were tagging the buy back foals. A Buy Back foal is one the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company designates to be returned to the island for the rest of it’s life. You can purchase one of these foals at the auction – but ultimately it is a charitable contribution, as all you really get to do is name your foal before it is sent back to the island. Usually buy backs go for the greatest amount of money at the auction.
You can see all of my photos from our trip to the pens here. After watching all the hoopla at the pens, we decided to relax on the beach for a while. Then it was back to the Pony Centre so Minnow could perform in the Pony Show.
"American Dream" by Minnow - pony penning 2011
Minnow’s first painting of the afternoon was a patriotic tribute – purchased by a group of Pony Penning goers who return to the island every year – and are wonderful supporters of Minnow! I believe this might be the 3rd painting by Minnow that they own. We love getting to see old friends every year – as well as making new friends.
Here’s a shot of Minnow just before he went on to perform his new skit we designed just for pony penning. Making his costume was one of the hardest parts!
Teaguer (the mascot of the Pony Centre) loves it when Minnow comes to visit, because as resident trick pony at the centre, he gets the week off!
"Cheeseburger in Paradise" by Minnow - pony penning 2011
Minnow’s last painting of the evening was one of my favorites from the entire week. One of the girls from the Pony Centre loved it just as much as I did, because during the show she begged her dad to run down to the show so that he could bid on it for her. She lucked out as he placed the winning bid on this beautiful painting – I think Minnow just might have to paint something here at home in similar colors – because I LOVED it!
After the evening show we headed over to the Fireman’s Carnival, I just had to have one of their sodas. I swear it’s the best soda’s I have ever had! Maybe it’s the shaved ice to keep it cool, maybe it’s the collectable plastic cup, or maybe it’s just the atmosphere I get to drink it in – whatever it is I can’t get enough of the stuff! Seriously, if you ever get to come to Chincoteague – try the pepsi!
We watched the Bingo players for a while before heading back to the hotel – next year I definitely have to play! 25 cents per card and winners get cash!
2011 Pony Penning Recap: July 25
Well, we’re back from Pony Penning! It was a lot of work, but so much fun! Most people probably don’t realize how much time, energy, and commitment we put into preparing to perform all week long in Chincoteague. Not only does Minnow have 10 times the luggage that I do, but making sure it’s organized, canvases are prepped, paint brushes prepared, costumes made, performances are practiced – takes months and months of planning. Every year I tell myself “I’ll be super prepared” this year – and even though I’m probably one of the most organized people you will ever meet (I might have an issue) – I always seem to be working into the wee hours of the night the day before we leave for Chincoteague. And this year was no exception.
The new trailer made packing this year a little more bearable though. Instead of having to bungee pedestals, easels and paints into a bay in our two horse trailer, we now had a front and rear tackroom to work with. But with all the added storage space, we still couldn’t let little Ammo stowaway. Sadly the island isn’t very “dog friendly” as most of the parks and hotels don’t allow dogs (although ponies walking down main street to greet people is a common occurrence! ha).
Minnow made the 4 hour journey to the island with ease, just as he has for the past 3 years. This was actually the first time he had ever ridden in the new trailer, but being the trooper he is it was a piece of cake. We arrived with just a few short hours to prepare before Minnow was set to perform. The first day of performing is always the hardest – because we are yet to get into a routine. Figuring out when/where to set up his props, getting a feel for how much time between “acts” he has for a “costume change” – even for Minnow it takes a little bit to get into the swing of things.
During Minnow’s first performance of the week he painted “Peace of Paradise”.
"Peace of Paradise" by Minnow - pony penning 2011
I got to watch a little bit of the rest of the performances during the pony show at the Chincoteague Pony Centre – but it was hard to see everything while making sure Minnow was prepared for his next “act”.
I’m so impressed by all the kids that work at the Pony Centre. During the pony show they finagle ponies in and out of paddocks – including mare’s and foals, tack and untack horses – all while making sure they are in the arena at their designated times to perform. I have enough trouble making sure Minnow and I are ready to go in the arena (and I have my mom along to help me!). Most people don’t get to see the “back end” of it, and believe me – they make it look way easier than it is!
- “Stormy Sea” by Minnow – pony penning 2011
During the evening show Minnow painted “Stormy Sea” and afterwards my mom and I mustered up enough energy to head over to the Island Creamery.
Double chocolate ice cream for me – I love chocolate almost as much as I do ponies! Then it was back to the hotel for the night – where I got to read Minnow’s article that made it into the paper!
You can read the entire article by clicking HERE.
And thus our first day on the island came to an end, keep reading to hear our recap on the rest of the week!
Champion
We’ve all taken to calling little Ammo the Dachshund “Champion” this week. Because last Sunday we took him to the annual Keystone Dachshund Races. We didn’t have high hopes for him in the racing department – because the last two years he was sort of a racing dud. Not that he didn’t try, but he was just way too excited about being able to play with a bunch of puppies his size!
But this year Ammo decided to kick it into warp speed – as he flew past his competition in the heavy weigh division. Ammo weighs a hefty 20lbs – but he’s far from over weight – in fact he’s got some mean muscles and he’s in great shape. But most of the dachshund that attend the races are considered mini’s weighing 15lbs and under. And at 20lbs Ammo doesn’t qualify to be a standard dachshund (weighing more 25-30lb) so he’s what is called a “tweenie”.
Ammo finished first in 3 out of his 5 preliminary heats, earning him 3 spots in the semi-finals. And in an almost-to-close-to-call finish Ammo narrowly won his last chance race in the semi-finals. This earned him a spot in the Final race. Ammo went head-to-heat with lean mean mini-dachshund Dudley! It was a close race, but Dudley snuck across the finish line a nose ahead of Ammo.
We were super proud of our little Reserve Champ! Perhaps next year he’ll bring home the gold!
Racing wasn’t the only reason we were at the Keystone Dachshund Races, Ammo had also been invited back again to perform during the lunch break.
This year his best friend Trooper (my mom’s dog) performed with him. This was Trooper’s first performance ever – and there were a little kinks – but we all had lots of fun!
We look forward to visiting again next year!
Read all about Ammo’s big race and performance on his blog.
Extreme Cowboy Race 2011 – Finals
Yesterday’s post was about the Preliminary Round in Craig Cameron’s Extreme Cowboy Race at the Harrisburg, PA Horse World Expo. Today it’s onto the Finals!
On Sunday the Expo opened with a drill from the Canadian Cowgirls, then Craig Cameron’s team began setting up the Race in the main arena. Not only did we have to learn a new course in a matter of minutes, but we had changed locations too. In my early morning and late night rides I had been schooling in both arenas, so luckily Boomer had at least been able to see both indoors.
I walked the course and set about committing it to memory. I’m fortunate to have a photographic memory of sorts – but under pressure – you never know if you’ll suddenly draw a blank. Being in the #2 spot meant that I got to ride 10th, which allowed me to watch several riders before me.
The finals course was definitely a lot harder, and going in to day #4 at the expo my energy was beginning to fade. And poor Boomerang had been in a stall for 4 days as well (aside from riding and hand walking time) – something that was starting to weigh on his patience a little.
As I watched the riders go before me, I noticed that many of them were attempting the flying dismount I had used in my run the day before (it had earned me major points with the judges). And then tragedy struck for the rider right before me. Seconds before she crossed the finish line she attempted to do the flying dismount. Unfortunately she got stuck in the saddle and landed wrong – ultimately fracturing her ankle. Paramedics came, and she was taken out of the arena in a stretcher. (I believe she is doing fine now). Definitely didn’t help my nerves right before I was set to ride.
But we braved on. Here is a video of our finals run:
It wasn’t one of my better rides. Afterward I sort of beat myself up about my spill – ironically this was the very first time I have ever fallen off Boomerang. I sort of dwelled on the fact that I ate dirt for several hours afterward – but then I watched the video. After watching the video I realized that, yes, I had made some mistakes – but there were also some very good points in my run.
My beginning free ride was fought with a little lead swapping on Boomer’s part. But I opted to ignore his need to switch his leads, because I could tell immediately that he was going to be a little spooky on this run (not sure why), so I needed to concentrate on sitting back and making sure I didn’t fall off this time. I was happy though that he seemed almost unfazed by the cheering this time around.
Our log drag started off perfectly, then I decided to ask too much – and attempted to get Boomer to back with the log, something we had practiced many times. He met me with a little resistance so I quickly abandoned that avenue.
The tarp walk should have been a cake walk, but something must have caught Boomer’s eye and made him jump. But he quickly composed himself and walked calmly across it.
Then came the log gate, my enemy. In all honesty, I didn’t expect it to be that heavy. Once I had it lifted, and realized Boomer was in a less than willing attitude, it was already too late. After I went under it I knew I had to drop it, or it was going to drag me off the saddle, but when I looked back all I could see was Boomer’s rump. Dropping it would mean throwing the log onto my pony – and I definitely didn’t want to do that. So instead I hung onto it until it was clear of my pony, at which point it just toppled me off my pony. I think Boomer could have saved me, but instead he ducked his head and I went over the front. I don’t really blame him, I did lift a log over top of him, but at least he was kind enough to wait for me so I could remount. Thanks Boomer.
After my fall I was a little discombobulated. My brain switched from “do the obstacles properly” to “don’t fall off again you dummy”. So when I rounded the corner to start my pole bending I attempted to ask Boomer to start weaving on the right. But Boomer was too smart, he knew when we do bending poles we always start on the left so that our spin can be a right turn. One little hop on his part and he had me set right again.
We started to improve a little more after the pole bending and next it was onto the ground tieing. I taught Boomer to ground tie (or stay) just a few weeks earlier, but it had never been proven to this extent. Boomer proved that my training had worked though, because after I gave him the stay command he stood like a statue until I returned. He actually stood for quite some time, because I dropped my crop inside the chute and had to crawl backwards to get it. For my remount I had planned to vault on, but by the time I got back to Boomer I was quite tired. I contemplated it for a second, then decided to use my stirrup. I worried if I vaulted I wouldn’t have the strength to get in the saddle, causing me to miss or make Boomer move – which would of gotten us less points. I think the stirrup was the better choice, because Boomer stood like a stone as I mounted – which I’m sure earned us extra points.
The sidepassing was a non-issue for Boomer, and he did exactly as I asked.
The tarp carry was a non-issue for Boomer as well. I tried to get more of it over his back – but it was awkwardly large and started to get tangled in my reins. But Boomer was fine with it, so relaxed in fact that when I asked him to trot he said “no, I think I’m tired now, and we can just walk”. haha. But I was happy he was perfectly calm in this situation.
Boomer showed me once again he knows exactly what to do when it comes to jumps. Me on the other hand – this picture just proves I have no idea how to look pretty over a jump. haha. I think it’s funny – the only reason I carried a crop in this competition is because I thought I “might” need it to convince Boomer to jump scary things (just a little tap on his shoulder usually does the trick). Obviously it’s more of a “security blanket” for me, and I didn’t use it once in the entire competition. In fact, it more just hindered me by getting caught in my reins, and causing me to have to find a place to stash it when I lifted things. Oh well, live and learn.
Next up was the trash chute, and again, Boomer was a star.
The bucket carry was another non-issue for Boomer. Well other than the fact that he saw a bucket and his “pony” kicked in. “Omg is there food in there for me?” He kept trying to turn his head so he could reach inside, making carrying the extremely heavy bucket difficult for me. Finally I let him have a look see, and once he realized it was just water we were back in business.
For our last free ride I was a bit more cautious than the day before. I knew he had been spooky the first time around – so I opted to take a more controlled approach. It worked out fine and Boomer quietly galloped around the arena.
I decided to go for the flying dismount at the end. And thankfully I landed properly and we safely crossed the finish line.
So it may not have been as “polished” ride as the first day – but overall it was actually pretty decent. I really can’t complain, because Boomerang really tried for me. The whole weekend was a lot to ask for a young pony.
In the end we took home 6th place. 4th, 5th and 6th all had a one point difference – so we were all very close. Afterward Craig Cameron gave me a hug and told me he thought I had a lot of heart and he was impressed with what I had done with my pony.
I’m glad I did it. It was one of the most stressful, challenging, and rewarding things I have ever done.
Tomorrow I’ll tell you all about the Winner of the Extreme Cowboy Race. He’s a real cowboy with a palomino Stallion!
See more pictures from the event on our facebook page.
Extreme Cowboy Race 2011 – Preliminary Round
6 weeks ago I decided to do something I’ve never done before. I knew it would be hard, I knew it would be stressful, I knew it would make me stronger.
Last weekend I competed in Craig Cameron’s Extreme Cowboy Race.
In the 6 weeks leading up to the competition Boomerang and I trained intensely. We took western lessons, I transported him to every arena in our area that I could so that he got used to new surroundings, we practiced new obstacles, and tested our abilities to focus in stressful situations. But I knew going into this that there would be elements we couldn’t prepare for. The unknown was scary.
We arrived at the Horse World Expo in Harrisburg PA on Thursday. I had never been there before as a “participant”, and let me tell you, it’s a scary scary place for a horse.
Winding halls lined with stalls, electric “garage” doors, echos, loud noises, carts, dogs, and people – everywhere.
Boomerang handled everything pretty well. Immediately I began schooling him in the indoor arenas every chance I got. I wanted him to be comfortable with his surroundings before the preliminary race on Saturday. The indoor arenas at “schooling time” were an obstacle in and of itself. Not only did LOTS of horses and riders attempt to use them at the same time, but there were teams hooked to carts, horses being lunged, as well as the horses that freaked out as soon as they entered the arenas. Navigating around in them was an obstacle in and of itself. The only thing that I couldn’t prepare for was the noise of a cheering crowd. As the days went on I saw many horses freeze in fear or bolt in any direction possible after hearing their first round of applause. I’m not gonna lie, it made me nervous. I had no idea what Boomer would do when we had to walk into that arena on Saturday. Would he bolt, would he buck, would he refuse to listen to my commands, would I be able to regain control?
If you follow along with the Painting Ponies on our Facebook Page, then you already know what happened. But for everyone else, here is the video of our preliminary round in the Extreme Cowboy Race:
If you look closely in the beginning of the video, you will notice what did happen when the crowd applauded for the first time – Boomer had a little “fear reaction”. But at about 0.34 seconds you can see what I did to refocus him. I asked him to halt, and when he listened and stopped moving his feet I clicked and rewarded him. And that’s all it took to remind him that listening to me was much more worth it than worrying about what the crowd did. 🙂
Our preliminary ride actually put us in 2nd place out of 23 riders and earned us a spot in the Finals on Sunday (where only 11 were chosen).
I was so proud of Boomer. Our ride was far from perfect. I almost fell off when he spooked at something in the beginning of our lap around the arena, my roll backs were a little disappointing – considering Boomer can do them soooo much better, I could have cantered the barrel pattern, my sidepassing started a little sticky, and my keyhole pattern could have been done WAY faster. But it doesn’t matter. I accomplished something. I rode against (and beat) several professional horse trainers, I did western reining patterns in english tack, I rode in a Dr. Cook’s Bitless Bridle (we were the only pair to ride bitless), and I competed in my very first Extreme Cowboy Race.
Craig Cameron (the announcer and organizer of these events) and his crew were impressed to say the least. I don’t think expected what they saw, heck I didn’t even expect it.
But it really didn’t matter what anyone else thought. It mattered that in a mere 7 minutes I had managed to challenge the relationship I shared with my pony, and we came out the other end victorious. I felt like if we could accomplish this, there’s not limit to what we can do. Not only did I teach Boomer some of these western maneuvers in a mere 6 weeks – but I did it without spurs and without a bit. yeah!
You can see more photos from our first round on the Painting Pony Facebook Page, and check back tomorrow to hear all about the Finals!
