Quattro's off to his first show! Did I forget anything??

Long time, no blog! Been a bit busy, since Quattro has been away getting started under saddle and it's a bit of a hike there. But I'm pleased to announce Trainer Amy has determined he is ready for his very first HORSE SHOW!! It's at Wills Park, which will be familiar to the ASB peeps as the home of the superb Olde Milton ASB show series, so excellently run by ASHAG peeps John Goda and Paula Yeska.

Sadly, however, Quattro is not quite ready for THAT much prime time yet (he has never hand-galloped in a group, for openers, and that is one experiment we will not be trying for the first time with Mr. Go Mo' Faster in the show ring with a bunch of horses and riders we don't know!). Thus, we are doing the Rolling Hills Saddle Club show the day before Olde Milton.

As of right now, Quattro is scheduled to do the Green Horse Division, which is an awesome way to start a baby greenie. It consists of 3 back-to-back flat classes in the Hunter Ring: the first class is walk-trot; then if he seems sane, he'll flat at all 3 gaits in the second, and if he is REALLY worked in and REALLY behaving himself, one of Trainer Amy's team of exceptionally talented Interscholastic Equestrian Association juniors will ride him in the third class, which is a Hunter Seat Equitation class. I just love being at an eventing barn, where Da Kidz are up for crazy escapades like this!

If I seem unreasonably overexcited about Q's first show for someone my age, have mercy upon me: remember that for the last 12 years I haven't had a showable horse. HRH Avery, my late Thoroughbred, was the best horse I have ever had or ever will have, and I don't begrudge him one single millisecond of that twelve years of retirement - he earned every bit of it and more. I could never repay that horse for what he gave me in a million years. But the bottom line is that he was so expensive to maintain that I simply couldn't afford another horse who was showable, and I've been sidelined for WAY too long! I'm over the moon that Quattro will round out his three months of under saddle training with his first-ever horse show. After that, he goes to my friend Marisa's boarding barn to take the winter more or less off, start learning to trail ride, and finish growing; he'll go back to Trainer Amy in the spring.

We leave for Wills on Friday (thank you to my wonderful attorneys for giving me the day off, in case they're reading this, which I bet they are), but as always when this many heese are shipping out (it was 10, last I heard), it will be a mad rush, so I've already started packing.

Here's what I've got so far:

Buckets: feed, water & grooming

Tack: Halter, leather lead, Q's saddle, pad, and every girth and bridle I have in the house (lots) b/c some of the students are low on tack, and we may be shifting stuff around.

Blankets: Lightweight waterproof turnout, show scrim, Irish knit, fleece dress sheet, waterproof quarter sheet.

Protective: head bumper, pillow wraps (thank you Lori from Sunkissed Acres!), standing wraps, tail wrap.

Feed: Way too much, since I'm bringing feed for him at his new place as well.

Meds/Show/Grooming Supplies: Brush box, Braiding box (I've changed my mind and am not planning to braid him, but someone else in the barn may want to braid their horse and I've got both bay & chestnut stuff in there I can share), Vetrolin (legal here, it's nonrated), baby wipes, Vetrolin Shine, WISK detergent (great for white feet and silver tails), creme rinse, Cowboy Magic Mane/Tail Conditioner, hair spray, and - in case of emergencies - Bute, wound cream, a few gauze pads, a Vetwrap roll and a roll of Elastikon.

Stable Supplies: rub rags, cross ties, portable tack racks, bucket heater, clippers, extra halter & lead, lunge line; notebook w/ copies of class list, his Coggins & his papers.

Still need to get a baby thermometer, a big sponge and an outdoor power cord; forgot 'em last trip!

If you notice anything glaringly missing from the list, feel free to chip in! Tomorrow night I do laundry, gas the truck up, and pack ME, and then we're off to Baby's First Horse Show!

The adventure continues (and how). If you see a chestnut Saddlebred careening down Georgia 400, Tweet me; it's mine! :-P