Lessons and Shows

This year sounds like it will be lots of fun, I was a little worrried about stuff after we worked the buffalo, but after our flag lesson I am much more confident.

We loaded up and headed out, heard it was gonna snow but it looked good and so we got about 10 minutes from Dougs and it was snowy!  But we thought we would go and if nothing going on then we would just head home.  But we got there and they were all riding so we unloaded and started warming up.  I was nervous to go first so Char did and Dude did really well, Doug says she is actually learning something and she retained it.  I think she is learning she has to ride him harder and make him do it, he is not gonna just pack her around and when she asks something of him he steps up and does it.  Quite an improvemnt from when we started going there.

Then it was my turn.  And the first couple gos to the left she would stop crooked and I could feel it but didnt know how to fix it so he said to pick up my reins and straighten her then as we stop put inside leg on her to hold her.  It worked and she did drift a little away from the flag (which I couldnt tell cause I was paying attention to the cow)  but that was probly cause I had my inside leg on her too much after the turn.  So we did a few more turns and I feel like I am flopping around on the turns, especially when he makes the turns right after each other, but he said thats ok I am still learning to ride a cutter and I will get more in tune.   But afterwards he asked if I ever worked the flag and I told him it was  the first time with her and he was suprised cause I did really well, he even said better than her original owner!  He said he thinks she likes me.  So I was pretty happy with that and feel more confident about showing her even if we do make mistakes, I am doing all right :)))

On the way home it had quit snowing so that was nicer, there was about and inch of snow on the road but good tracks and we drove slow and had no problems, but if I knew it was gonna be like that I probly woulda postponned.  Hopefully next week we will get a chance to go twice for lessons before the show (if the weather holds)

And so we were planning on going up to the rimcuts show Saturday with Greg and then yesterday I got the ACHA newsletter in the mail and see there is on at the new Ag Center in Ponoka on Sunday so we talked about that and Doug said he is going to that so we thought we might as well stay overnight in Ponoka and go to it too.  I would rather just go to a show where Doug is going cause then he can help me, but the rimcuts are pretty easygoing learning type shows, so it will be good practice.

I put a list of all the shows, clinics on my sidebar, I am not planning on going to them all since some are onthe same weekends, but I put them all in anyways.  I know I am missinf rimcuts on the 17 of March for the clinic, and the July 6/7 show I am going to be in California then, so wont go to it, but otherwise it just depends on how much money we want to spend and how exhausted we are.