On a whim we went to Alma...

Saturday morning while waiting for the well pump to be replaced, we found out that our friend Shannon (with the Gypsy that went to Equine Affair) was doing an open show in Alma, MI today.  She really wanted us to come up when she found out we weren't racing.  So Equestrian Girl and I tossed around the idea while we each took our showers and then...we went!  It's almost 2 hours due north of us and we didn't leave until after noon.  As we got closer, Shannon called us to say the show was breaking for a 30 minute lunch and then there were 4 classes before her first one.  We figured we were fine.  A  little while later, Shannon's husband Don called and said there were two more classes until Shannon's.  Gulp.  No time to spare!  

We literally ran up to the arena as Shannon entered for her class!  It was a casual show with no show clothes but they looked great and Ace was moving so pretty in their Western Pleasure class.  I think I got a minute or two of video but we were in a bad spot to take video so I quit.  I WOULD have taken pictures but the camera queen managed to bring a camera with a dead battery!!!  I was sooooo mad!!!

After Shannon's class she asked EG if she wanted to ride him in WP for her age group which of course was a resounding YES!!  So off we went to registration with Don while Shannon took Ace back to the trailer.  When we got there we figured out that there really wasn't enough time with having to change stirrup length and warm up so instead we entered them in the Western Equitation class.  That meant Shannon had her Eq class first and then EG and then they were done for the day.

I think I taped all of Shannon's Eq class but haven't checked yet.  She ended up getting 2nd place to go with her 4th in WP and 4th in Trail.  We had 3 classes until EG's class so Shannon and Don quickly went to work getting stirrups adjusted for EG and telling her "how" to ride Ace.  She rode him once last winter for about 20 minutes in a very small indoor arena and that was before he really knew how to lope!  Considering her legs are about 10 inches longer than Shannon's (and mine), Ace figured out her cues quick enough and seemed pretty comfortable with her and in they went.  Got out the Flip to video...and it quit after a minute or two (maybe full or maybe batteries?) so I whipped out the cell phone to video.  Got lots on there but the sun was so bright I couldn't see what I was doing and hit erase instead of save!!  There were six other girls in the class whom I am sure all knew each other quite well and had to have been wondering where this girl on the goofy hairy horse had come from.  They were all on stock horses.  And just like that...she won!

We were all cracking up.  Shannon has wanted EG to show Ace so when she goes to sell him she can advertise that he's been shown by a youth.  She never expected to say that a 12 year old took him in a class after riding him for 15 minutes and won with him!  Granted, it was an Equitation class which is judged more on the rider than the horse but still!!  I have no doubt they would have won the pleasure class too...

We'll be going back up to their June 19-20 show where Equestrian Girl will actually show Ace in all the classes for her age group in show clothes.  They "mystery girl" will be back!

Racing at MPX part 2

Equestrian Girl is starting to like going to the races since there are....boys there.  Oh dear.  Luckily most of the time she just hangs out with other sisters like these two with one of their mom's.

The one in the purple shirt is actually older than Equestrian Girl but EG is very tall for her age and the other girl is very short.  The girl in the middle is only 10 so she's just average.

The start of the race is rather heart thumping as all the bikes roar to life at once as the gates drop and they take off.  It's loud.  Really loud.

 Then they start pulling away and spreading out some as they go into the "hole" which usually involves a  rather narrow turn and where lots of crashes happen though many fewer than you would actually expect.  But sometimes you can't see them because of the dust.

The end.  No not really!  Then I just go find a new place to stand so I can see the race and take more pictures.  I want to go where this photographer is so I can get better pictures:

I guess I should consider myself lucky that my zoom lens with some creative cropping does a pretty good job.  Sometimes I even accidently get cool pictures like this one:

It amazes me that the camera knew I was focusing on Motocross Boy #55 and not the tire that zipped in front of me.

And then it's over.

And Motocross Boy flies off into the sunset.  Or over the sugar factory as it may be!

Racing at MPX part 1

Motocross:  Last Sunday started out bright and sunny for racing.  But windy - a brisk north wind coming in off Lake Huron kept it on the chilly side even though the temp was about 70.  The track started out a bit muddy too.

You can see how wet the infield was in this picture.  The roads into the track were like this too.  Ick.

But racing in the mud is all a part of the game and the riders hit it with enthusiasm and speed!

Motocross Boy was entered in 3 races.  Two with his 85cc Suzucki:

And then the trail class with his Kowasaki 110 cc bike:

Motocross Boy isn't the sky jumper like some of these kids are but this pic makes it look like he is!!

We were camped next to a family that has a boy Motocross Boy's age that races and they had a teen boy there with them that was racing as well.  Supposedly young man is quite the racer and he did do very well.  A group of men decided to distract him as he came around a corner close to where we were all camped with this:

Middle aged men shouldn't do this.
But they sure thought they were hilarious!

Lightening

I've had more than one good pop of lightening make me jump.  Last summer at a horse show there were even a few that made me squeak.  But the one Saturday night about 8:00 made me scream.  I'm pretty sure it hit the big maple tree close to the front of our house.  Motocross Boy was closest and was playing XBox. He said he felt a shock come through his hands.  I was next and while I didn't 'feel' anything, I saw a puff of smoke from the tree.

I was actually kind of surprised the power didn't go out.  It sounded like it had hit a transformer and we have one heck of a big transformer right across the street.  And then a few minutes later, Scott says we don't have any water.   Equestrian Girl had been brushing her teeth and it sputtered and then quit.

Of course I had to run to the kitchen to turn on the faucet to see if it were true.  It was.  Huh.  Maybe the breaker had tripped?  Nope.  Uh oh...could the lightening bolt have fried our well pump that is only about 25 feet from the tree?

$1400 later I can positively confirm that yes, lightening can take out your well pump.

Setting up camp at Motocross

Motocross:  Last weekend we headed up to Sebewaing in the Michigan Thumb for some racing!  We pulled in Saturday evening to some pretty soggy ground.  It had been raining a LOT.

First order of business is to set up camp.

These are the backs of our new reclining camp chairs.  They are GREAT for napping in!  I think Scott was afraid of napping so he sat in one of the old ones.  Note the racing camp carpet.

One of the first things I always do is to set up the bed.  Bed as in singular.  The bed starts out as a dinette and couch.  This picture doesn't do it justice since the dinette is already collapsed and the couch is loaded with all the blankets and pillows.

With a little effort and re-arranging while climbing around on your knees, it ends up looking like this:

Yes, all four of us sleep here like hot dogs.  And yes, the left side is higher than the right side and there's also about a 3-4 inch gap between the two.  By criss-crossing the two sleeping bags, it keeps the person from falling in what we affectionately call 'the ditch'.  This person is usually Motocross Boy.  It sort of holds him in place when he gets wedged in so he's not flopping around so much.  Equestrian Girl gets the left window side and Scott gets the right window side.  Yes, that leaves me in the middle between the two kids.  Not sure how....

We hadn't barely unloaded when the kids spotted an pick up baseball game across the field that looked like it could use a few more people.  They grabbed the mitts kept in the trailer and headed out to play.

Most motocross tracks are in the middle of nowhere.  Sebewaing isn't exactly "somewhere" but its next to the Pioneer Sugar factory.  The town of Sebewaing is only a mile away so no doubt they can probably hear the racing on windy days but they only do 8 race days there, never start before 9 a.m. and are usually done by 6.  Considering the number of people the races bring to town, I guess they feel it's worth the bit of noise.  And my guess is that the sugar doesn't mind!

Motocross

Motocross Boy's first race ended with an slight injury at Log Road.  He told us he was giving up racing for the season.

Within days he was ready to race again and headed out for practices.  Another "first race of the season" was scheduled and the weather was beyond horrible.  Equestrian Girl and I opted to stay home even though it was his "first race".  I was pretty sure there wasn't going to be much racing.  They ran one moto and quit.  They were lucky the mud didn't swallow the trailer.

So then a third "first race of the season" finally took place last weekend while we were at our first show of the season.  Motocross Boy got both hole shots!!  First moto he took 2nd and in the second moto he came in 5th after a fall let almost everyone pass him up.  Dad didn't take a single picture...grrrrrr!!

Sunday is another race at MPX so we'll head out there tomorrow night to camp over to be there bright and early for racing!!!  This time we'll have pictures.  For sure.

Equitation

Equitation class is judged more on the rider than the horse.  In most cases, this requires the horse and rider to ride to a pre-set pattern.  Stanley is a great pattern horse but we have to be careful not to practice it too much and especially with cones because he tends to memorize it and then wants to do it HIS way and not necessarily the way it should be done.

Equestrian Girl totally nailed her Hunt Seat Equitation pattern at this last show as you can see in the video!