Cinderella's Cowboy

Chapter Eleven

We take the rail and spread out, the gate gets shut and the class starts. I am in an equitation class, which means I am being judged on my riding not what Lilly looks like. I have to keep my hands steady, my legs quiet, my seat quiet, and I have to be on the correct lead or diagonal. I start checking out the other riders I’ve ridden with most of them before. Out of habit I look for Jordan and Paige. They are not there; they are in the western classes.

Announcer: All walk please all walk.

I ask Lilly to come down into a walk and she does what I ask. All of the other horses do so to without making a mistake. I know what is coming next they are going to ask us to canter.

Announcer: Canter pleases, all canter please.

Just as I thought, I give Lilly her qui and she picks up the correct lead. I feel the judge’s eyes pass over us and watch. I keep everything quiet as they move to the next rider. Out of the corner of my eye I see one of the horses jerk their head up as the rider messes with her reins. They will be marked down.

Announcer: All walk and revers, walk and revers.

I bring Lilly down to a walk again and turn her towards the center changing our direction. A few of the other horses are beginning to get antsy but settle. Lilly’s ears flicker and I tell her good girl.

Announcer: Trot please, all trot.

Everyone picks up a trot and we check our diagonals. I am already on the correct one so I look to see if everyone else is. There is one girl that hasn’t changed it yet and the judge has caught it. She will be marked down. We go around the arena a few more times waiting for the announcer to come on again.

Announcer: All walk, all walk please.

Most of us go down to a walk smoothly but some of the horses are getting ready for the canter that is coming next. And it does quicker than I thought it would.

Announcer: Canter please, all canter.

Again I ask Lilly to canter and she picks up the correct lead smoothly. One of the other horses throws a kick and settles down. We make it around the arena two times when the announcer asks us to walk. So I bring Lilly down and relax.

Announcer: Please trot into the center of the ring facing the ring master.

I have Lilly pick up a trot and we go into the middle facing the person that is standing in the center of the ring. We reach them and stop, I loosen my reins and let Lilly take a quick break we have the class right after this one. We all stand there waiting for the class to be placed. The announcer comes back on and starts calling out names and numbers placing everyone.

Announcer: And the winner of the class number sixty seven Sarah Smith on Momma’s Last Dream.

What that’s me, I walk over to the ring master and collect my ribbon I canter Lilly over to where Beth is standing and pass the ribbon to her. Then take the rail again at a trot. Everyone that was in the last class is also in this class. This this time the judge is look at the horse. We are being judged on; is our horse relaxed, are their ears forwards, is their tail swishing a lot, is their head moving a lot. The class is run the same as the last one. We are asked to walk, trot, and canter both ways. Most of the horses seemed to have settled back down so this class is going to be harder to call. None of the horses act up so I have no idea where anyone stands. We are called into the center again and as the ring master passes us we are asked to back up. As he nears me I put light contact on the reins and she takes a few steps back. He passes to the next horse and we step forwards back to where we were. Again we wait for the class to be placed. The announcer come on again and calls the names and numbers. The order is a little different as it gets to the second and first place and I wait with anticipation.