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Category: Life
Back in December1981, several lifetimes ago, I was milling around on my little mare, outside the arena at the IARCHA snaffle bit futurity, waiting for my number to be called. I had ridden the "reined work" segment of the competition in my mind at least 300 times. Friend Greg Ward, one of the greatest cow horse trainers of all times, had told me to keep riding it in my mind until it was flawless. And I had done as he instructed, even thought I did not understand, back then, the importance.
Then, I was up. I entered the arena, and began the pattern. The lead changes were just as I'd seen them in my mind, the stops were as good as I had dared to dream, and the turnarounds (some people call them spins, I adamantly do not) were smooth, pretty, and flawless. YEAH! On my last stop, I felt the side of one boot give way, separating where the leather was worn and cracked.at the sole. The icy wind blew in...and I had a quick thought. "Dang! I'm gonna have to win this thing to even get these boots resoled" I'd gone to that futurity with my last $100.00 ...I'd sold my other cowhorse to pay up my futurity entry payments, ...I was going through a divorce, and the cowhorse trainer I had been working for had just laid me off, because he just didn't have enough horses in training to be able to pay me. And now I had a split side on my boot, right at the sole.
Funny all the things that have time to cloud your mind while you are dong something important. Greg's voice was in my head..."Hell, some people don't have feet to put their boots on..." and I mentally shook myself and got back to the task at hand.
I was already sitting second in the cutting segment, I had a great little mare, and I could win this thing....and at the end of the reined work, second in that division.
Now, I had a chance to rest my mare and come back for the fence work...the reined cow horse part of the futurity.
My little mare was resting in her stall with a flake of hay, and I was sitting inthe corner of her stall, shielded from outside view, and was going over the fence work in my mind, as Greg had told me to do. I heard voices outside, "Is that the one?" "Yes" "That's the leader?" "Yes" ....the voices got closer, and the two men were looking into my mare's stall. One of them saw me in the corner, and they moved away from the stall. I then realized what was going on. I was in first place, and they were seeing if anyone was around...they intended to do something to my good little mare! My stomach churned, and my heart was in my throat.
I skipped lunch, so I would not have to leave my horse, and had a friend sit with her while I went to get my tack over to my stall to get ready for the last go round in the afternoon. My friend went to look at the score board, and sure enough, I was in first place going into the finals.
The fence work seemed like a fog to me that day, I remember it was bitterly cold, and I decided not to risk washing my mare at the show...she'd just have to have the faint stains on her legs and neck. The other horses had already done their fence work when I came in, since I was the leader. Then they tabulated the scores, and we waited ...my number and name and my mare's name were called...we had won the 1981 IARCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity. My little mare, the one I'd picked out at 10 days old, was the first mare to win that futurity . I was the first woman to win that futurity, and the youngest trainer to win at that time.
They took pictures, and then I want back to my stall to unsaddle, and take care of my horse. By the time I headed back for the after-party, the party was over. But I had the check for 1100.00 (it was a fortune to me at that time), and the buckle, and I had smashed through the "Felt Ceiling" for the first time. I was 25 years old...and I got those boots resoled when I got home.
3:42 PM
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