Some Fancy Updates: Barrel Racing and Other Wonderful Things

Photo by Rumoured Moments Photography

It’s been madness lately and I haven’t been able to post anything in awhile, so I thought I should start with some updates on my Fancy! So without further ado, here is a brief rundown of recent events:

July 23rd, 2015: We Won 1st in the 2D!

There’s nothing better than a mid-week barrel race! Fancy and I hurried to the barrel race after work and made it just in time for exhibitions. Our open run finally came around after dark, in the middle of the summer. I’ve learned to trust Fancy going in, so I let her run in without holding her back. We got a little stuck going around first, which was completely my fault, but I’ve been working on pushing her out between barrels, and she’s really starting to gain speed. She cut second a little close and I bounced my shin off the barrel, but it didn’t go down- it was really close. Third was clear, and we scooted home! After watching the video back, I noticed I started slowing her down before the timer, so I probably lost a fraction of a second there. After a not-so-pretty, but successful run, we came out first in the 2D with a 17.404! It’s nice to win your money back (and then some) once in awhile!

August 5th, 2015: The Day We Ran Our Best Time Ever (Breaking Into 16 Seconds!)

The day before this barrel race I decided I was going to do everything I could to break into the 16 second times. I spent so much time visualizing my run that by the time we got there, I had pretty much run through it 50 times. I didn’t have to rush after work, so I had the time to be calm, calculated, and focused. When it was time for our open run, I just let her go and pushed the whole time. We got caught up on first again – and my fault again – but besides that, the whole run went very smoothly. Fancy and I were definitely working as a team and were on the same page at every turn. We busted out a 16.817!

August 8th, 2015: That Really Weird Day (But We Still Kicked Butt)

My mom and cousin came down for the weekend to see Fancy and I run, which was really sweet of them. I, of course, was pretty sick by the time they got here. Our first exhibition was slow and collected, and the second exhibition went well, too. I was pretty happy with Fancy and the ground, and she came out of that exhibition fine. Then an announcement comes through that there was a shoe found right around the second barrel. I didn’t think it was mine, since Fancy showed no signs of throwing one and was completely sound (on gravel), so I just sat up on Fancy waiting. Then my boyfriend grabbed Fancy’s hoof and pointed out it was, indeed, her shoe. Of course, the show my family comes from another state – and some from another country – to watch, this happens. I was ready to throw in the towel, but luckily there were about five farriers on site ready to work. I was able to get Fancy’s shoe nailed back on and away we went! Even though I was not feeling my best with my illness, and Fancy had a shoe thrown and nailed back on in a matter of twenty minutes, she still kicked butt and ran her best time at this arena – a 17.179. We placed somewhere in the middle to bottom of the 1D.

In Other News…

Fancy is so much more than just my barrel horse. While I am beyond proud of our progress this year, especially considering how crazy of a year it’s been for me, I’m just as proud of her in her day-to-day accomplishments. For example, the other day we went on a mini trail ride and she beautifully jumped a log without hesitation- she’s not a jumper, and I’m certainly not a jumper- she just did it because I asked her to. She’s always willing to do anything I ask, and I always make sure what I ask is within reason. This summer we’ve gone on countless trail rides, for hours and hours, through woods, fields, creeks, ponds, and roads. I can always count on Fancy to be the lead horse, to follow behind, and to be the calm and relaxed horse in the group. She even let my mom ride her (pictured above) and walk around.  She also loves swimming! Lately she’s had a  little more time to relax than usual since I moved (see my new home here), but she (and Comet and Scotch) will be moving into our new home, too, on the 15th. Since she’ll be in my backyard, I can ride every day! Our next show is on the 26th- wish us luck!