So, I’m still not actually home from the show yet. As of this moment I’m sitting in a trailer repair place, waiting for my truck to get fixed so I can haul home. Long story. We’ll get there. But if the formatting/pictures in today’s post look weird, it’s because I’m typing this on my phone. Bear with me.
ANYWAY…
We headed up to the show on Saturday. Trainer and I were hoping to be able to get out there Friday and school Henry down the Irish bank (of death, that he cannot for the life of him figure out), but it rained and was too wet. So instead we decided that I’d just run HC and we’d lunge him off the bank on Saturday. Sadly, that was a no go too since it was still too wet in the woods. So instead we opted to lunge him down the banks in the front field where it was dry enough. Not what we really needed, but better than nothing.
And he was still a bit of a reetee about them. It took him a few tries (again) to remember to NOT PUT HIS FEET ON TOP OF THE LOG and instead to just jump over it and down. He ended up figuring it out, and after a couple hops down the prelim drop into water, we let him be done. Brain hamsters were a-spinning. Not the prep we really wanted, but it was all we could do and something he really needs anyway.
Then I bathed Henry, walked my XC and stadium (you know Trainer has been jacking your jumps up too high when Intermediate SJ doesn’t look big anymore), got all my stuff set up, and put up my tent. During which I got impatient, tried to cram something where I shouldn’t have, broke a tent pole, and got shards of plastic embedded in my finger. But a quick google search confirms that for $10 I can buy a replacement pole, so it’s ok. It held together well enough through the weekend. Just slightly… uh… bent.
Here’s where I should back up and explain that when I entered this show, I forgot the SO was going to be out of town at a work thing. Our dogs are high maintenance (and Stewie is an ankle biter. Literally.) so I decided to take them to the show with me. All three of them. With a horse. And just me. By myself. And we camped in a tent. All four of us. Yes I’m a moron.
Wrangling them during the day was pretty freaking tedious. I was trying to get lots of stuff done, yet one dog is so excited about life that she can’t even handle it, one dog hates everyone but me, and the other dog just wants to lay in the shade and be a corgblob. But all 3 of them turn into huge whiners when I leave them alone. It only took a couple hours for me to intensely regret my decision to bring them.
But somehow we made it work. Fun fact: 3 dogs and a human fit pretty comfortably on a queen size air mattress. Luckily the weather was perfect; it got down to 65 at night, so we were all pretty comfy. Once all my chores were done and everyone was fed, I got the dogs all snuggied in, grabbed my Kindle, popped a Benadryl (better horse show sleeping through pharmaceuticals!), and we were all asleep by 9.
And then, it was show day…
breedrideevent.com 
I was at a H/J show this weekend and on my way home asked my SO what he thought about putting an AC unit on my trailer so I could bring my dog and stay in the trailer at shows. I usually stay at a hotel with my trainer and she is anti-dogs-at-horse-shows. This post is making me rethink that idea. 😉
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I love them but they are annoying as shit if you don’t have another person with you to help wrangle them. Omg.
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Maybe 1 would be easier? Maybe? LOL!
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SO is always wanting me to bring my dog to the barn with me, but I have feelings that it would be a total shitshow and I probably wouldn’t get to ride! I can’t imagine bringing one to a horse show.
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That is a handful. I’m in the minority in that I really dislike dogs around horses. To the point where I tell everyone my horse hates dogs and will kick the crap out of them if they continue to let their off leash dog run up my horse’s butt to eat her poop. I’m friendly like that.
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That’s why mine either stayed tied to something or zipped up in the tent!
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glad to hear it was a good weekend, tent shenanigans and truck repairs aside! and good on you for getting henny the time and practice he needed even if it meant shifting up your competition status. hope the pictures materialize in time for a post!
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That’s the great thing about schooling shows!
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Corgblob looked put out that the housemates were invading his gig.
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Wow, you are officially a super hero in my mind. There is no way that I could have held it together with three dogs!
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I totally live the Better Living Thru Pharmaceuticals mantra, especially at horse shows. And 3 dogs? I can’t even imagine, I have a hard enough time bringing my one GSD. Such a whiner!! The Dachshund before that, nonstop barker. I wouldn’t have been able to do 3 dogs, you are so much better than I!
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3 dogs and a horse… so much going on at once!!
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A tent full of doggies!
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next time, share the benadryl with the dogs…
Glad you survived the chaos! Can’t wait for the recap!
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Lol. Whiny dog problems are real-life. If my dog is off leash (at home) she’s the happiest and doesn’t care if I’m not right next to her. As soon as she is tied (or left in a stall or kennel) if I’m even two feet out of range it’s torture. I think she thinks that I’m going to leave her behind. She only goes to shows if the SO goes too. Maybe someday she’ll outgrow it…
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