Introducing the Newest Member of WRF's show team: "Babs" Dewey-Bolt.

So, at the last show at White Fences I had entered Galatea as well as Barry.  However, the mare absolutely, positively and in the most vehement terms declined to go beyond X.  Not just on Friday, but ditto on Saturday.  She had worked fine in the same arena on Thursday, but there was no one sitting in the judge’s box.  Of course, for the show there were 2 people sitting in the judge’s box.  Something had changed!  This experience is sort of like being left at the altar.  There you are all dressed up, ready to head down the aisle, and suddenly your partner exits stage left.  It happens even to top level riders when their horses are overwhelmed by the environment (lots of light, noise, audience).  She/we didn’t have that excuse. You can imagine what was going through my head – it wasn’t pretty – and I decided some action was required.  I think Laura thought I was joking when I said I was getting a mannequin.

Meet “Babs” Dewey-Bolt.  “Babs” is my personal S-level judge (only they can get away with a plunging neckline at a horse show).  The straw hat adds a bit of style and joie de vivre, although she would be criticized for the brim interfering with her eyesight and ability to judge.  “Babs” was introduced to other judges on the USDF L program Facebook site where Janet Foy, herself an FEI 5* judge, was appalled that she was not sporting the requisite silk scarf around her neck.  We put “Babs” to work in the outdoor arena to good effect (pic of Laura on Momo). "Babs" will be returning with me to Winds Reach where she will take up residence.  I will have to expand her wardrobe for the weather.  You ask if the mare had a fit on seeing “Babs”?  Of course not.  She just trotted on by and straight up to her with a small flick of the ear.  Horses keep you humble.

Not one to admit defeat, I entered Galatea in the last show in April, which was held at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center. Oh my gosh, but the place is beautiful.  It is situated in a public park and accessible to the public including trails for riding.  There are about six different rings and all feature perhaps the whitest sand I have even seen.  There are NO waving palm trees or bushes by the judges’ boxes.  The weather at my ride time was 90 degrees with 60 percent humidity and full sun, but we rode anyway.  Galatea marched around the ring, did everything I asked, and didn’t blink an eye or raise any objections. I was thrilled. The judge was generous and I received a 67% in the test (First level, test 3) to finish second in a class of four adult amateurs. Woo-hoo!  What a wonderful end to a journey that has seen the mare break into a million pieces mentally and physically and have to be put back together again. 

The shippers picked up Galatea today and she loaded nicely onto an air-ride gooseneck trailer with roomy box stall.  Added bonus?  This shipper was willing to also take cats, dogs, barn mascots and up to 400 lbs of equipment/tack/stuff. “Yeah, we move entire families.”  In the end, I decided to take the cats myself just because things can go awry. At the last visit, the vet handed me a fist-full of gabapentin for the cats to decrease their anxiety. I used it on Bob during some guest stays and it actually made him social (as social as a former feral can be). The equestrian chat rooms have many horror stories about shippers going rogue, missing horses, drivers failing to return phone calls, and even a classic one in which two bay horses of similar appearance but massively different quality were inadvertently switched. So, I popped one of the GPS tracking devices that I had bought for the cats onto Galatea's halter.  I've been able to track the mare and truck throughout the day. as I write this. Plenty of rest stops and no speeding. She switches to a semi in Lexington, KY.

I pick Bill up at the Orlando airport on the 29th and we will start the drive back to hopefully arrive in IC late on April 31st.  I have truly enjoyed the opportunity to train with Laura on a near daily basis, to watch her teach different level riders, and to get down centerline so many times. She has been empathetic yet demanding that I ride correctly.  The experience was everything I hoped it would be.  How can I not do this again????

Looking forward to seeing you all again in person.