Read what people are saying about Davin and Danee on the NEW Letters Page!
(Includes letters recieved since the Midwest Horse Fair.)
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Midwest Mustang ChallengeThanks to Jessie for the video!!! Scores for each round. Judges scores for freestyle. Take note to where Ken McNabb's scoring Click here to read letters from people who saw Davin and Danee at the mustang challenge! What an awseome weekend! As I watched other competitors school their horses, I thought I didn't have a chance. Trainers were ridding around bridle-less, doing spins, and I thought my horse was the only one there that didn't lay down!!! My horse on the other hand was spooking at everything. On Friday, I went late in the order and watched trainer after trainer mess up the in hand potion of the competition. No horse wanted to stand still to pick up his feet and horses that loaded into the trailer with ease the night before wouldn't do it at all. As I practiced before going in, my horse just wasn't with it. Even the crowds outside distracted him, but when we went in for our turn, we totally nailed it! Not only did my horse stand perfect for picking up his feet, he pretty much launched into the trailer. We did sideways towards me to get from one obstacle to another and he was so good that for the back up I backed him by the tail. There was only one judge that placed me second, but it was by a big enough gap that it put my second over all for the in hand course. While I did better than average on the conditioning and hair coat score, some trainers had put thier horses under lights and they looked remarkable, so after the two scores were combined I stood in third place. Like most horses mine was petrified during the ridden course. We went fourth in the order and I thought we blew it becuase he was spooking and all over the place. But as I watched, most horses were worse. I'm not sure where we placed but it was just high enough to keep us in the top ten. When they announced the finalists we clapped for each trainer, but I was really surprised at the amount of appluase I recieved when my name was announced. I did not get to see anyone elses finals, but the house was at full capacity- 8,000 people. As I walked in the announcer just made an announcement that the people in the aisles had to find a seat or leave as the fire marshall threatened to turn the electric off. I walked in and tried to stick to my routine, to the song "Here I am" from the movie Spirit. We had to include a 360 pivot each way and a canter figure 8. I had them first thing in my performance. The pivots were aweful- I could barely steer. The canter looked better- but I was holding it together with scotch tape. Than I tried to walk up to these bags that I was going to drag- he wouldn't get close to them. Something inside of me just said the heck with it(but in other words!) I made it to the finals and that was good enough- I am an offical Mustang Challegne finallist. What more could I want? I jumped off. I picked up the rope for my bags and threw it over him and undid one rein and sent him around me dragging the bags- the audience cheered,... and I mean really cheered. I though 'you gotta be kidding me???' Others came in draggin huge logs from the saddle. Even so, it was just the wind in my sails that I needed. I dropped the rope and asked him to come sideways towards me. They cheered. I backed him by the tail. They really cheered. I ran with him and sent him over the line of jumps I had origonally intended to ride him over. The crowd went wild. Then I sidepassed him over some barrels towards me. That was harder for him as he had to really think about it and do it on his own. Also the barrels were bigger than those we practiced with and he barely fit over them. Then I sent him over the barrels. We trotted down the center of the arena together and I had him stop with me, than rush off again- stop, trot, stop, trot. It was pretty obvious he was really connected to me and had his confidence up- good thing to becuase I totally ran out of things to do on the ground!! I hopped back up on him and jumped the line of jumps and even jumped the barrels. The crowd was hooting and whistling. They anounced "TIME" and I galloped one last lap around and left the arena on cloud nine. I had fun with my horse, and the crowd had fun with me. People ran up to us in tears. It took an hour and a half to get back to the barn (a one minute walk) because of the mob of people that ran out to congratulate us.  Many of the other trainers really complimented that I knew when to get off and when to get back on. Some that didn't even see it came up and said they heard REALLY good things about our freestyle from a training perspective. During the awards cerimony I REALLY thought I had tenth. I mean, I was the one with the horse that was so wild I had to get off of him. I was floored when I placed sixth!!! Some people we traveled with said they tried really hard to score objectively and thought I should have placed third. They were being nice and I respected that, but come on... My competitors horses were calm and confident. They jumped through curtains, walked under tarps, did reining spins, they roped cows, they jumped jumps and drug objects without having to get off their horse first! Well, later when I had time to look at the judging I saw two judges had me in seventh. Ken McKnab, who is a natural horsemanship trainer/clinician and just competed in Road to the Horse, placed me third- and only half a point from second! That really blew me away. Most of the trainers there especially respected Ken's judging as the others were known more as AQHA judges and show riders- not colt starters or problem horse specialists. (NOTE: I completely respect the opinion of all three judges. If anything I think they put my too high!) The next day I hung out at my stall a good bit Many people walked up and said my freestyle really showed my conection to my horse. Two women asked me about coming out to WI for a clinic. (If anyone from the Wisconsin area is reading this and is interested in a clinic, plese let me know!) Anyways, the weekend was incredible. A women from State College area won- Suzanne Myers. She didn't do anything with guns or fire or tarps, but showed really, really good basics. That horse never came above the bit and every transition she ever did was quick, quiet, and easy. I'm glad she won, as there were not may trainers able to accomplish that. Not only did she win the freestyle, but she won the in-hand, and I believe the ridden course as well. (Although I would have REALLY liked to beat her in the in hand!!! Oh, well.) Congratulations fellow Pennsylvanian, Suzanne Myers!!! I did buy Rave at the auction and Son was adopted to a good home there in Wisconsin where he will be a light trail horse with a small rider. |
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