Tonight was our drill team's first public performance. It went. Uh. Well....the people there liked petting the horses and we got applause! (Okay, it probably wasn't as terrible to the audience as we all think it was but it was definitely not good. At least we kept moving!)
Anyway, before that, first Kieran got away from me when he wouldn't stand at the mounting block and had to get over to the other horses and start eating grass as if his life depended on it. Sometimes he can be fidgety at the block but tonight was the first time he made any real effort to get away (I think because I had like three "helpful" people all at once try to help me hold him and they wouldn't listen to me saying to back off). Anyway, I got on him after that without any more drama but then while we're waiting for our turn, I start fantasizing about the drink I'd left in the tack room of the trailer. Icy cold goodness, but hell if I'm getting off again of my own free will until we're done (lest we have a repeat of the mounting fiasco). So I ask someone if they would get it for me, and so they don't also have to carry it all the way back over to where we are, I follow with Kieran. She hands it to me, I start juggling drink (luckily with straw and lid!) and reins and Kieran suddenly realizes we're now all of fifty feet from the other horses.
Very quickly before I can do much else besides rather ineffectually haul on the reins and hiss, "shit! shit! shit! shit! shit!!" (and hope no small children heard me)...well, now we aren't so far from the other horses. Christine says she's just impressed I held on to the drink. Once again, Kieran started grazing as if his life depended on it. (I told people that obviously he thinks I'm starving him).
After all of that...the fact that we flubbed several of the moves in the drill? Not such a big deal.
Anyway, before that, first Kieran got away from me when he wouldn't stand at the mounting block and had to get over to the other horses and start eating grass as if his life depended on it. Sometimes he can be fidgety at the block but tonight was the first time he made any real effort to get away (I think because I had like three "helpful" people all at once try to help me hold him and they wouldn't listen to me saying to back off). Anyway, I got on him after that without any more drama but then while we're waiting for our turn, I start fantasizing about the drink I'd left in the tack room of the trailer. Icy cold goodness, but hell if I'm getting off again of my own free will until we're done (lest we have a repeat of the mounting fiasco). So I ask someone if they would get it for me, and so they don't also have to carry it all the way back over to where we are, I follow with Kieran. She hands it to me, I start juggling drink (luckily with straw and lid!) and reins and Kieran suddenly realizes we're now all of fifty feet from the other horses.
Very quickly before I can do much else besides rather ineffectually haul on the reins and hiss, "shit! shit! shit! shit! shit!!" (and hope no small children heard me)...well, now we aren't so far from the other horses. Christine says she's just impressed I held on to the drink. Once again, Kieran started grazing as if his life depended on it. (I told people that obviously he thinks I'm starving him).
After all of that...the fact that we flubbed several of the moves in the drill? Not such a big deal.
