Western States Stockhorse Show - Sunday Reining

Sunday was Brailey Shaye's first time performing in the Reining. She did great! She had a lot of help from Stacy Jo Hartley, which we are grateful for, and this was fun for Brailey. She and Tex gave the entire building a little gasp when they started, because when they walked in the arena, they turned to the left and lined up in the middle, just like they were supposed to. However, instead of loping off nicely, Tex took off like a bullet! But Brailey was in control the entire time, and once Tex realized he wasn't running barrels, he slowed down and performed beautifully! We were so proud of them both! When they came in the arena, Papa told the people next to him, "That horse looks like he's asleep, but he's not." He wasn't! It was darling! Brailey loves her horse so much, but now she understands that Maggie might be the better Pleasure and Reining horse for her. Every horse is good at something different, after all. That's why we need a whole trailer load of horses, right?
Proud people! And one very beloved and loved horse. The beautiful girl on the right is Brailey's new mentor, Ciera! We absolutely love this girl! She and Brailey could be sisters... They both have the same mannerisms. the same pretty long hair and the same sweet spirits. The day before the Clinic, Brailey got some bad news - her best friend moved to a new town and is going to a new school. Brailey was so devastated, she cried all night long. Ciera had some really good advice for her, and Brailey listened to every word she said. I'm so glad we met Ciera - she is just the kind of girl Brady and I want Brailey to become. Lucky for us, we see her all the time, and she wants to learn to rope! See? I told you she was a cool girl...
For some reason, my mom is a bit crippled right now. Her hip is out and she has plantar fasciitis in one foot. She has lost the bounce in her step! So my dad and I talked her in to trying some patches the lady in the picture was selling, which are for humans or horses either one. We also made her get a pressure point massage. We are hoping the combination will get her back on the right track to her healthy self! After Brailey showed, we were standing by the office watering her horse, when all of a sudden, Brady ran over, ripped his halter off and told Brailey to run to the office with it! You can see what a wild horse Tex is... So Brailey went into the office with her pink halter, and she won a gift card from Wilco! They had made an announcement, which we didn't hear, but Brady did, "The first person to the office with a hot pink halter wins a gift card from Wilco!" Thank goodness Brady was on the ball with his quick thinking!
While we waited for the Reining results, Brailey twinkled up Tex. Sadly, we missed the Twinkle Contest the day before, but Brailey had a big time working on him the next day. Tex is a Duck fan, you know...
See the two proud little faces in the background to the right of the "O?" And here they are with their prizes! At least they didn't come home empty-handed. We still have a lot to learn about the horse show world. But we improved from last time, and they will only get better. Western States Stock Horse Show complete!