Rumor Has It

Ch. 31 ~Show Day!

Lizzy's POV

It's show day!

And I'm a nervous wreck.

***

It's 7:30 a.m., and I was getting Disney ready for our first class, beginners' in hand trail.

There were lots of people getting their horses ready. There were borders getting their horses ready, people who don't board their horses here, but still brought their own horses, and lesson kids getting the lesson horses ready. All of the lesson horses were getting used, and I wondered if I had chosen a different horse other than Crackers, if all of the lesson horses would still be used. It didn't matter though, Crackers was mine and we are gonna win the blue ribbon!

I curried dried mud off of Disney's barrel, then used the dandy brush to sweep off all the dirt and dust. I finished off with the body brush. His dark brown coat shone, and I grinned after I polished his hooves. He looked great!

I checked my watch. 7:45. Ooh! Time for the show meeting!

I stuck Disney back into his stall,
And jogged outside. Wow, there were so many people! I found Roo and Alexis in the crowd, and I stood next to them. "Hey," I whispered, and they said hi back. Then Aunt Steph began to talk.

"Good morning everyone! Are you all excited for the show? Good, so let's get started with the schedule. Here it is in order of events:

Beginners' In Hand Trail
Intermediate's In Hand Trail
Advanced In Hand Trail
Master's In Hand Trail

Beginners' Trail
Intermediate's Trail
Advanced Trail
Master's Trail

Pole Bending
Barrel Racing
Keyhole Race
Flag Race
Key Race

After the events, we will have our awards ceremony, and that will be that. The first class starts at 8, and there will be an hour lunch break after the trail classes. And also, if I or anyone who is helping at this show hears any bad sportsmanship, you will be warned first, and if it continues, disqualification. Do I make myself clear?" Aunt Steph said, and everybody nodded, even Stella.

"Good. Now off you go!" she said with a smile, and everybody hustled off to their horses.

I rushed into the barn, and grabbed Disney. We were on second, so we needed to be out there now. The first person is going on in 5 minutes!

I put on the nice, supple, leather halter I'm borrowing from Uncle Pat on Disney, and went over him once more with the body brush. He looked good, so I took him outside to the outdoor arena, where all the events will be held.

I watched as a girl around my age did the course with her leopard Appaloosa gelding, and they only had some trouble going over the bridge, but otherwise, they were flawless. I clapped for them as the announcer, aka Uncle Pat, said, "Thank you Tilly and Apache. Next, we have Lizzy with That Disney Magic." That was my cue.

I gave Disney a pat, and said,"We can do this, right boy?" He took a step towards the ring, and I took that as a yes. "Let's go."

We walked in, and I halted him and did my best to get him square. When he was, I looked at the judge, and she nodded at me, and I smiled, then nodded back. I asked Disney to jog beside me, and we bounced easily over the 4 trotting poles, then I brought him to a walk as we approached the mailbox. I halted him, opened the blue mailbox, and pulled out the letter in it, showed it to the judge, then set it back in the mailbox, and closed it shut. Next, we went to the bridge. We expertly walked over it, then we jogged a figure eight through 2 orange cones. Then came the scary part. The gate. I was able to get him through it if I had treats with me, but in this, I couldn't use treats to coax him through. We were just going to have to do our best.