MAHA All-Arab Spring Fling, Winona, MN
March 23 – 25, 2007

We set out for the show when there was still snow on the ground, but it was a balmy 86 degrees in the barn and 75 in the arena! Being the first show of the season, this one gave us a jump-start into show mode. Suzette’s horses, Avatar MVP+ and Safarr+//, and Kari Augustine’s horse, Akuppah Kaluah+, all had pretty good rides, but Safarr+// was absolutely amazing in his English Show Hack class! He had tough competition but came out of the arena with a blue ribbon!

Sahara Sands Spring Classic, St. Paul, MN
April 4 – 6, 2007

Having more horses ready for the show life, we brought Joanne Adcock’s horse, Exkwizitt+, Avatar MVP+, Safarr+//, Kari’s horses, GF Raushana and Akuppah Kaluah, and Suzette’s, Biya Judge+. They arrived in style in the new Smart Start 8-horse trailer on a pretty nice April day. The weather did change, of course, and we were not surprised to experience the cold, wind and rain! Overall, it was a nice show with Safarr’s+// wonderful 3rd level ride, earning a 63%! Exkwizitt+ was the star, though, earning a 65% and 67% in 1st level, the 67% being highest score of the entire show! What a great start for her!

Double the Fun Arabian Show, Sauk Centre, MN
May 18 – 19, 2007

We dared to bring 6 horses to one show again, and it was a great one for all of them! This was the first show for Marius XX (owned by Yvonne Johnson), who had been in training only since early winter, and he handled the show life and his dressage tests wonderfully! He scored very well in his training level tests, earned a 2nd place in Intro, and we couldn’t have been more proud of him! Akuppah Kaluah+ shined in her open and ATR sport horse under saddle classes and placed 2nd in both. GF Raushana+// did her thing in open and ATR trail, winning them both, and then went on to tie for 1st place with Avatar MVP+ in 1st level dressage! Avatar MVP+ won the tie with his collective marks, though, and he went on to win the sport horse under saddle ATR and open classes with Kari! It did rain at this show, too, and the storm caused a loss of electricity at the hotel and show grounds for a few hours!

 

 

Bara Trac I, Mason City, IA
May 25 –27, 2007

Safarr+//, Avatar MVP+ and Akuppah Kaluah+ made the trip down to Iowa for a really good show. Being the 1st open dressage show of the year, they faced the competition of many other breeds, including the tough warmbloods! Safarr+// made a breakthrough in his 2nd Level Test 4 class, looking more relaxed and moving amazingly well! Avatar MVP was a trooper, getting through 1st Level Test 4 with a 62% despite a swelling on his back from a bite. This turned out to be the show for Akuppah Kaluah+, though, who earned four 2nd places in some big classes, did 1st Level Test 4 for the first time, and received her highest score ever with a 66% in training level! Oh, and it rained at this show, too!

Sorensen Park, East Troy, WI
June 1 – 3, 2007

Another open show, this one dominated by Friesians! We brought our own with Ros Randall’s horse, Frizz, accompanied by Safarr+//, Marius XX, and GF Raushana+/. This was Frizz’s first show, and we were thrilled with the way he handled everything! Ros did a great job with him and received a 62% in the Intro class! Marius XX did really well again in his second show, scoring in the 60’s in all of his tests! GF Raushana +/ earned the highest scores of her
career - and some of the highest of the show - with two 70% tests in 1st
Level! Safarr’s+// scores were wonderful as well with 66% - 68% in his 3rd Level classes! And, yep, it stormed at this one, too!

Region 6 Arabian Championships, Brookings, SD
June 21 – 24, 2007

On to the big show with Marius XX, GF Raushana+/, Akuppah Kaluah+, Safarr+//, Avatar MVP+ and Exkwizitt+! Marius XX looked so handsome in his Geldings-in-Hand class and took home a Top 5! Safarr+// also earned a Top 5 in his Geldings-in Hand class and had his best 3rd Level Test 3 class, scoring a 68.6% and winning the championship! That was coupled with his championship in Show Hack! Akuppah Kaluah+ went Top 5 in her open sport horse under saddle class, reserve champion in training level ATR, and champion in the ATR sport horse under saddle class! Then, Kari ran directly from winning that to winning the AOTR Trail with GF Raushana+/ with a 74%! GF Raushana+/ also received the reserve championship for her ATR 1st Level ride with a 70%! Exkwizitt+ and Suzette came through again with a gorgeous open 1st Level ride and won the championship with 68.158%, a score that tied with Avatar MVP+ and Suzette (who won the reserve)! Avatar MVP+ began to experience painful eye problems but was able to earn a Top 5 in ATR sport horse under saddle, Top 5 in ATR 1st Level with a 65.263% and Top 5 ATR Geldings-in-Hand, all with Kari. It did rain all the way out to South Dakota, but we couldn’t have asked for better weather for the duration of the show!

Parkside Open Dressage Show, Long Lake, MN
July 7 – 8, 2007

Parkside sure tested the nerves of everyone – horses included! In the trailer was Exkwizitt+, Jordan Junker’s horse, Mr. Magicc (showing for the first time in a couple of years), and making his show debut was Melinda Mueller’s Huriyas Jjaguar. Avatar MVP+ came along for the ride to make his eye appointment in Anoka but was brought back home after everyone else was dropped off at the show grounds. Arriving back from that drive, Suzette had noticed that one of the wheels on her brand-new trailer was smoking! Knowing that is not normal, everyone checked it out and found it was a loose wheel bearing that had to be fixed before the drive home. Help was on the way the next day, thank goodness!

The show was underway on an extremely hot Saturday, and Jordan took her first ride on Mr. Magicc, and what a ride it was! He had warmed up nicely, but the tension built in the test, and Jordan showed that she could really handle a horse! It wasn’t easy! Within the day and into the next, Mr. Magicc made such an improvement it was hard to believe it was the same horse! Jordan came through with a 58.5% in her Intro Level test, and Suzette rode him to a 65% in Training Level Test 4! Huriyas Jjaguar was amazing for his first show! He was so relaxed about the whole thing and looked absolutely gorgeous! He easily earned a 66% in both Training Level Test 4 and Test 2, then took 1st place with a 66.957% in Training Level Test 1!

It wouldn’t be a show that we attend without rain, so Sunday brought it to us in generous amounts! It rained so hard it was difficult to see at times, but since there was no lightning, the show must go on! Because the footing was so good, Suzette took Exkwizitt+ into her 1st Level Test 4 class and couldn’t have asked for more! Exkwizitt+ put everything she had into her work and finished a really good test! She scored 64% - 66.7% throughout the show.

The Great Arabian Get-Together, Sauk Centre, MN
July 13 – 14, 2007

It turned out to be a winning weekend for Akuppah Kaluah+, Safarr+//, GF Raushana +/ and Mr. Magicc! With a 66% in Training Level Test 3 and a 67.2% in Training Level Test 4, Akuppah Kaluah+ took home 1st and 2nd place! It was very exciting as her scores in Training Level are continuously improving! Safarr+// won his 3rd Level Test 3 class with a 60.232%, won the Sport Horse Show Hack class and tried 4th Level Test 1 for the first time! He earned a 58.837% for a fantastic ride! GF Raushana+/ went into both AOTR and Open Trail and scored 72 1/2 and 72, winning both classes! She scored in the 60’s in 1st Level dressage and tried 2nd Level Test 1 for the first time. Mr. Magicc began here where he left off at the Parkside show, and that was on a very good note! He held it together in his class with Jordan when a loose horse went racing by, and that was a huge step for him! He scored a 66.785% in Training Level Test 2 with Suzette, won his Intro A with a 66.5% and Training Level JTR with a 64.285%, both ridden by Jordan! Jordan then had to quickly learn how to do a Sport Horse In-Hand class and won that with Mr. Magicc earning a 67%!

Did it rain at this show??? Of course, but at least this time it was limited to the nighttime!

Bara Trac II, Mason City, IA
August 3 – 5, 2007

Off to Iowa to face the tough competition of an all-breeds show once again! Exkwizitt+, Safarr+//, Akuppah Kaluah+, Huriyas Jjaguar and Mr. Magicc filled the trailer and made their appearance in some of the best arenas we have seen! Exkwizitt+ rode through some really nice tests with Suzette, scoring a 68% in Training Level Test 4 and earning 2nd place, then winning the 1st Level Test 4 class with a 69.474%! Mr. Magicc gave Jordan a tough job for her tests, but so goes the ups and downs of training and riding a difficult horse…or any horse for that matter! Suzette took him into Training Level Test 2 and finished in 1st place with a 68.929%! She rode Huriyas Jjaguar through some nice tests as well, his highest score being a 68.214% in Training Level Test 2! Safarr+// won his 2nd Level Test 4 class with a 62.857% and Akuppah Kaluah+ scored a 66.8% in Training Level Test 4, two of the scores that helped Suzette and Kari earn 4th place overall in the Adult Team Championships!

Absolutely POURED for about 8 hours during this show! POURED! Our rain ponchos are tearing apart now. Don’t know if they’ll make it the rest of the show season!

Canadian Arabian Horse Nationals, Regina, Saskachewan, Canada
August 20 – 24, 2007

Heading to The Big One! Leaving at 11:00 p.m. on Saturday the 18th, Safarr+//, GF Raushana+/ and Akuppah Kaluah+ were loaded up and settled in for the 14-hour drive. It rained on the way up, but it was warm enough and we arrived on Sunday at about
3:00 p.m. in warm, sunny weather! The storm that night flooded all of the stalls, however, and the horses were moved to their new rooms just a few rows up. It must be mentioned that the stalls were inside a huge building, as the entire show grounds is under one gigantic roof!

Getting through that, the first day of the show brought great success, even though we had to adjust to a dressage ring that was 6 meters short! Safarr+// won the first award with a Top Ten in Second Level with a score of 60%! Akuppah Kaluah+ went into her Training Level Open class with Kari very tense, despite a nice warm-up. Riding her through some familiar exercises got her mind back into gear, and she and Kari earned a Top Ten in the Training Level ATR class (17 horses in the class!) with a 63.2%! That night, Kari rode GF Raushana+/ through some tough trail courses and ended up winning a Top Ten in both open and AOTR!

The next day, Safarr+// and Suzette focused on their 3rd Level test and performed wonderfully! That ride tied them for Reserve Champion with a 60.7%, but the title went to a warmblood cross and Safarr+// took home a Top Ten. Oh, to be so close! However, a Top Ten at Nationals in 3rd Level is something to be very proud of! GF Raushana+/ had the same situation in her 1st Level open class with Kari! She held the Reserve Champion title with a 66.58% until the very last horse rode its test! Still, extremely happy to earn a Top Ten out of 18 horses!

Unfortunately, Akuppah Kaluah+ tied up after a chaotic Sport Horse Under Saddle class, where 18 horses ran around in a ring that was way too small for such a large class! Nerves got the best of her, but thank goodness this episode was mild. She was treated immediately, had a great appetite and finished her IV fluids at about midnight on Friday. She was good to go on Saturday for the trip home!

The weather? Cold (we had a heck of a time converting Celsius into temperatures we could understand!) and rainy! The best day was Saturday, the day we left for home, of course!

So, SIX Top Tens at Nationals!!! Woo hoo!

MIDWEST CHAMPIONSHIPS, Mason City, Iowa
September 8 – 9, 2007

The beginning of September brought about another Mason City show that never fails to include the tough competition of the open circuit. Test scores from shows throughout the summer qualified Safarr +//, Akuppah Kaluah +, GF Raushana +/ and Exkwizitt + for this championship show.

Leaving mid-morning on a gorgeous Friday, what was supposed to be a 3-hour trip turned into 5 hours with a stop at Fleet Farm (we’re beginning the exciting project of adding a second barn and had to get the big order in for the Priefert stalls that will house more horses! Gotta keep up with business!) and a quick trip back home to retrieve some show clothes were still neatly folded in a truck at the barn! The next day brought on warm, DRY weather and the first set of classes, including some of the championship classes.

Suzette and Safarr +// competed in 2nd Level Test 4, placing 4th and presented another nice ride in the 3rd Level Championship, earning a spot among the group of big bay Warmbloods during the awards ceremony to receive 3rd place!

The Training Level Championship class offered some opportunities for Kari and Akuppah Kaluah + to have a few discussions about moving forward lightly and not focusing on outside distractions. They came to an agreement for 1st Level Test 1 and 1st Level Test 2. and received two 3rd places in those good-sized classes!

There were some discussions between Suzette and Exkwizitt + as well, but these are what make the horses better! Outside distraction was an issue for Exkwizitt +, too, but every situation allows a chance for her to learn to deal with her emotional reactions, therefore, increases her confidence. Exkwizitt + looked beautiful during her tests, though, and did earn a place in the championship awards ceremony for the 8th place ribbon!

GF Raushana +/ and Kari worked hard in their 1st Level Championship class and won it! Raushana also placed 1st and 2nd in two more 1st Level classes, proving that she was not rattled by the competition!

This was a nice show and well run, as are all the Mason City shows, and a really good warm-up for the Arabian Sport Horse Nationals at the end of September! We were able to enjoy the highlights while working on the weak spots that presented themselves, all of which will only improve our horses and strengthen their training. Now we just continue to work, wait and see!

ARABIAN SPORT HORSE NATIONALS, Lexington, VA, September 26 – 30, 2007

We left early in the morning again; this time it was the U.S. Sport Horse Nationals, to which we hauled 5 horses across some gorgeous land and enjoyed unbelievably great weather all the way to Lexington, Virginia! The horses did get a break from the long ride at the beautiful Saddles and Sheets “horse hotel” in Midlland, KY. There, they spent several hours playing in the huge pastures and rolling in the dirt before they were brought in for the night. Their rooms for the night were large, deeply bedded stalls, each complete with a window and fan! We couldn’t have dreamed of a better place for them to stay! On the road again the next morning, we arrived at the Virginia Horse Center about 7 hours later. After a day of rest, it was back to work in preparation for the tough competition!

Things seemed to come together at the right time, and our first celebration at the awards ceremony was for Akuppah Kaluah +/ and owner/rider Kari Augustine! They earned their place in the Top Ten (8th place) for their 63% ride in Training Level AAOTR - a class of 26! We found ourselves back at the ceremonies the following night with Safarr +// and Suzette Sontag, owner and rider! Out of another big class of 23, they also rode to a Top Ten (8th place) with a 61.4% in 2nd Level Open! Kari’s mare, GF Raushana +/, got her spot in the Top Ten lineup as well, taking a victory pass for her 65.921% ride with Kari in 1st Level AAOTR – also a very large class with 51 entries! That class was a real nail-biter, as Raushana held on to the Reserve Champion slot until the last few rides when she dropped to only 4th place!

Avatar MVP + (owned by Suzette) came back from a long recovery due to eye surgery to compete at nationals with Suzette and Kari, each in Training Level. Considering his time off, we were happy with his rides, and his scores of 63.8% in open and 61.6% ATR got him in the top 20 at least in classes of 50 -60 or more!

Another on-the-edge-of-our-seats class was the 1st Level Open with Exkwizitt + (owned by Jim and Joanne Adcock), ridden by Suzette. Making her nationals debut, Exkwizitt + had a great ride, recovered quickly from a sudden spook, and earned a score of 62.9%. That put her in the Top Ten, which she held on to for the entire day…until the last few rides! After some really good rides from some really good horses, Exkwizitt + slipped from the Top Ten but finished in 14th place in a class of about 60!

Exkwizitt’s class was on the last day of the show, but we didn’t dare pack up until the final results were posted! Excited about her placing and the great week that all the horses had, we loaded the trailer and headed for Saddles and Sheets once again for an overnight stay before the long stretch home!

A couple of our horses were entered in the USDF All-Breeds Year-End Awards program, and we are happy to announce their final placings! Akuppah Kaluah +/ made the Top 5 for Half-Arabian Adult Amateur Training Level with a median score of 64.200%! Exkwizitt + finished a great year with a median score of 64.737%, earning 9th place in Purebred 1st Level open! She also made the list at 15th place for her median score of 65.200% in Training Level open!

Sahara Sands Spring Classic Arabian Show
St. Paul, MN May 2, 2008

The Smart Start trailer had practically been in hibernation since returning home from the Scottsdale show, and opening the door to the tack room and gooseneck last Thursday, it was apparent we had unhooked and ditched it as quickly as possible on that ridiculously frigid night in February! Covering half of the gooseneck, we had horse blankets for any kind of weather that could be thrown at us (who knew we would have to use them ALL in Arizona!), show jackets still had the back numbers pinned on, boot heels and toes were adorned by dried sand from the then-wet arenas, and our lounge chairs that we enjoyed for about a day and a half had been tossed in with disgust once the rain had begun! So, there was organizing to do, but this time the weather looked better and we were staying close to home for the Sahara Sands show!

May 1st was 68 degrees and gorgeous, and a great day to get the horses looking like they would be worth taking to a show! Melinda Mueller, Suzette and Kari spit-shined and polished (some needed much more spit than others!) GF Raushana +/, Mr. Magicc, Akuppah Kaluah +/, Exkwizitt + and Khourvago (owned by Karri Degendorfer) by 1:00, then lead them out to the trailer BLANKETLESS! Of course, we’re not new to this, so we brought every kind of blanket with us just in case!

Rick, Suzette, Kari and Jordan succeeded in getting all of the horses ridden amidst the chaos of the coliseum. There is always an air of energy that begins in the tunnel and embraces the arena when the pre-show warm-ups include western, hunt, dressage and the high-stepping English horses along with reiners, but all the horses handled it fine. We were especially happy with how Magic took it all in being his first time at the fairgrounds!

As to be totally expected, the rain came Thursday night and into all of Friday! Nevertheless, we arrived at 5:00 a.m. to feed, braid, and get all our complaining of the lousy weather out of our systems! When the clock hit 7:00, it was show time for Khourvago, and lucky for him, he had Suzette to guide him through his dressage class debut! He came from a background of successful halter and hunt showing, and now had about 6 weeks of dressage training with Suzette. He was very familiar with the coliseum, but also knew that the ring was never surrounded by letters before! Despite being a little nervous, he scored a 60.714% for his Training Level Test 2 ride! At 7:05, Mr. Magicc and Jordan entered at A to begin their ride in the same class. It was exciting to watch them work so well together, and after they made their way to the final halt at X, they had clinched a score of 59.286%! Because we like to stay super busy, we had entered Akuppah Kaluah +/ in this class as well. Kari must have been able to channel Kaluah’s extra energy into her movements and gaits well, as they earned a 67.143%, which gave them 4th place in this class of 13! Mr. Magicc made another run around the ring for 1st Level Test 1 with Suzette and came back out of the coliseum with a score of 61.000%, winning a tie and placing 6th out of 11!

Last year at Sahara Sands Exkwizitt + was the highest-scoring horse of the show, so we were anxious to see how she would do this year. She came into her 1st Level Test 3 class looking what we thought was just great! Well, the judge agreed and awarded Suzette and Exkwizitt + 1st with a score of 69.143%! When the entries were sent in, Suzette had made the decision to put Exkwizitt + into 2nd Level Test 1 to raise the bar for the little mare just a bit. Not getting a warm-up before the class because of the cold, Suzette brought Exkwizitt + around the ring at a trot, then began the test at the ring of the bell. That obviously was all that Exkwizitt + needed, because she received a 64.054% for her ride; coming in 2nd only to Jan Halter and Extravazanzza (also associated with Smart Start)!

GF Raushana +/ was feeling good before her 1st Level Test 3 class and went into the ring to perform a good test. After being in the cold weather, the warmth of the arena made her a bit lazy, but she did a great job and scored a 64.571% and placed 4th. Later that night, Kari and Raushana reappeared in their western attire for the trail class. With new assignments worked on at home, GF Raushana +/ approached obstacles and maneuvered through the course like she never had before, showing that even after many years and 3 National Top Tens in trail, there is always room to improve! She did win the class!

After getting 5 horses and 3 riders through 11 classes in one cold and rainy day, we were sure ready to pack up and get home! Although there was still a good steady rain, we made the multiple trips to and from the trailer so fast the drops couldn’t even keep up! Thank goodness all of the horses load quickly and easily, and before they could even sniff their haybags, we had their butt bars in place, the ramps up, and we were headed down the road!

Region 10 Championships, St. Paul, MN
June 13, 2008

Fortunately, the Arabian Region 10 Championship show was held in St. Paul again this year (not to be confused with the Arabian Sport Horse Regionals for dressage held in Waukesha, WI), close enough for the cost of travel not to be a big issue. This show includes such classes as hunt, western, reining and, our favorite, trail – which is what we brought GF Raushana +/ over the river and through the cities for.

We arrived at the State Fairgrounds at about 1:00 p.m., not exactly knowing how fast – or slow – the classes were going. Showing a lot of dressage, we get used to having exact ride times, so we were all on our own in guessing when the trail class would be! Well, we talked, walked Raushana, made our way through the progressive barn party, watched it rain a little bit (of course!) and fidgeted for almost 8 hours before the coliseum cleared, finally offering a glimmer of hope that trail would happen at least before midnight! We’re not very good at guessing.

It was 9:30 p.m. and show time! GF Raushana +/ had a great support group, and they watched as Kari rode her through the gate, backed through poles, walked with a bag of cans, side-passed poles, went over poles at different gaits and over a bridge. As Kari has been working on, Raushana maintained her softness and flexion, presenting a picture of a nice western pleasure horse performing in a trail class. The judge at this show is a well-known and successful western and trail trainer, and she awarded Raushana with a score of 75, which won the Regional Championship in Arabian Trail! Congratulations GF Raushana +/ and Kari!

The Great Arabian Get-Together, Sauk Centre, MN
July 4-6, 2008
“We must be crazy!” is what we said when we decided that we had 8 horses ready to show at the Great Arabian Get-Together in Sauk Centre, MN. Occupying the Smart Start stalls would be Safarr +//, Avatar MVP +, GF Raushana +/, Akuppah Kaluah +/, Mr. Magicc, Exkwizitt +, Khourvago and MG Diva (owned by Mary and Gary Florke). It truly was a wonderful group of horses, making the approximately 30 rides between 3 riders on Friday and Saturday much easier to handle!

We braved some pretty heavy rain on the way up to the show, but it cleared by the time we arrived (which usually does not happen for us!), and we were able to get all 8 horses out and exercised on Thursday night! The marathon of classes began bright and early on Friday, with each day ending at about 5:30 p.m.! Being in the junior classes, Jordan Junker and Mr. Magicc are more often than not one of the first rides of the day, meaning we ALL have to be there early! They are making huge progress, though, and it has been very exciting to watch the progression with each show. This one brought them scores in the upper 50’s for Training Level, and they gave 1st Level a whirl for the first time! They ended the show with pleasant and relaxed tests, just what they were working for!

As our horse at the highest level, Safarr +// sure sets the standard for the others. Suzette has been working with him on the movements required in 4th Level and presented a beautiful test for their first time in Test 1. Their 3rd Level tests earned them scores of 58% - 59%, giving them a collection of 2nd and 3rd placings throughout the show!

GF Raushana +/ and Kari stayed busy with 1st Level dressage rides and trail. Competing in 1st Level Test 4, she earned a 62.631 and tied for 1st place with Exkwizitt +! Going into the arena for trail, she did a great job over the jump, through the back-through and sidepass, the gate and bridge, and earned an unbelievable score of 77, winning that class!
Exkwizitt + and Suzette went on to earn 62.29 in another 1st Level class that placed them 2nd, and for only the second time, Exkwizitt + rode in 2nd Level and completed a great test!

Training Level was extremely busy, as Akuppah Kaluah +/, MG Diva, (both ridden by Kari), Mr. Magicc, and Khourvago (ridden by Suzette) were scheduled to compete in most of the tests! MG Diva came in for training with Kari back in April and had only done a very limited amount of dressage before. This show was her first with us, and she sure did us proud! She earned a score of 62.17% in Training Level that placed her 2nd of 6, and a 61.20% to give her 3rd of 5! As Khourvago’s second show with us, he performed as if he was born for dressage, and brought in consistent scores of 61%-63%! Akuppah Kaluah +/ showed off her great gaits, which awarded her scores of 63% - 64.400%! It was really neat to have those 3 horses placing in the top of their classes together (classes of 6 to 9 horses!). The Training Level Test 3 results ended up with Akuppah Kaluah +/ winning the class, Khourvago in 2nd and MG Diva in 3rd! How cool!!!!!

Also in 1st Level, Akuppah Kaluah +/ competed in Test 1 and earned a 61%, giving her 2nd place! Suzette rode Avatar MVP + in 2nd Level for the first time, and the cute little guy placed 1st and 2nd in his classes!

Dressage was done by Sunday, but Khourvago had more work to do! He was ridden in some Sport Horse Under Saddle classes by Karri Degendorfer, and it was watching him go around the ring that really made us see just how fancy he is! He came in 1st and 2nd in the two under saddle classes, and those followed some good placings in his hunt classes on Saturday night! We also had Khourvago and Mr. Magicc entered in the in-hand classes where Karri lead Khourvago to two 1st places, and Jordan lead Mr. Magicc to two 2nds.

What an exciting show this was! Each and every horse was absolutely fabulous to deal with, despite us having to be in such a rush at times! They all do well under pressure (and good thing we do, too!), and understand just what their job is! The weather did cooperate to a point…we didn’t get rained on! We experienced some major storms at night, with tornado warnings surrounding us before the sun went down, but we were done riding, and thankfully, the storms were a lot nicer to us than they could have been!

We would like to thank Mary Florke for her help and great reading of so many tests the entire weekend!

Adult Team Championships, Bara Trac II and Bara Trac II Too
Mason City, IA, August 1-3, 2008

July 31st brought yet another Thursday of trailer packing and horse scrubbing! Of course, we had to wait for the inevitable rain to end for the trailer to be packed (it was a good excuse to procrastinate!), but the horses couldn’t wait. On went the raincoats, and out to the farthest point of the pastures to fetch Exkwizitt +, Avatar MVP +, GF Raushana +/, Safarr +//, Akuppah Kaluah +/ and Mr. Magicc!

Mason City is the site of very competitive open dressage shows, and we choose this trip to be the prerequisite for Canadian Nationals. Warmbloods dominate at these shows, but there are also a number of other breeds present that are built to perform dressage correctly. This is where our Arabians must work harder in order to be competitive! Nothing like setting the bar high and psyching ourselves out before Nationals!

This weekend was set up so there were actually 3 separate shows throughout the 3 days as to earn scores from different judges. Friday was the Adult Team Championships, where you compete individually but can also come as a team with others. Otherwise, you may be assigned to a team if a spot is available. We didn’t come as a team, but all our horses (except for Exkwizitt + and Akuppah Kaluah +/) ended up being assigned to teams that needed more members. The day was very hot at 85 degrees, but Suzette and Kari had many rides to complete, so there was no time to complain! Jordan, being only 17-years-old could not compete that day, so she was designated our official reader, runner and go-getter!

So, the results! Exkwizitt + was a favorite, and with Suzette riding, she earned better than 60% on her 1st and 2nd Level rides, and a 62.500% won her the 1st Level Test 2 class. One of the judges had commented on Suzette’s great geometry, so Exkwizitt + was obviously in very good hands! Those rides awarded them the Reserve High Score for 2nd Level that day, coming just behind a fancy Luisitano stallion with a 6-figure price tag!

Safarr +// competed in 3rd and 4th Levels and was moving better than ever!
His efforts won him the Reserve High Score for each of those levels! GF Raushana +/ and Kari competed in 1st Level, resulting in scores in the 60’s but needed to work on more impulsion. That was improved later in the weekend with Rick’s brilliant exercise ideas! Akuppah Kaluah +/ and Kari rode tests for Training and 1st Levels, earning two 2nds and 4th place out of 4 – 8 horses in both levels!

Kari also rode Avatar MVP + in Training Level, before which Suzette told Kari to make him move like a Warmblood. Ask and you shall receive, and Avatar MVP + earned a 69.211%, tying for 2nd place with a big, awesome-moving, imported Warmblood! Mr. Magicc was ridden wonderfully by Suzette and placed 2nd and 3rd in their 1st Level classes.

The official awards ceremony was at the end of the day for the team placings. That was exciting, as GF Raushana +/ and Kari received a medal as part of the 1st place team, Safarr +// and Suzette picked up a 2nd place medal, Avatar MVP + and Kari also got a 2nd in their division and Mr. Magicc and Suzette received a 5th for their team!

The showing continued for Saturday and Sunday – Sunday being the better for us of the two. The days were still hot, but we persevered! Jordan and Mr. Magicc worked so hard, and that paid off in Training Level where they received a score of 58% or better from some tough judges! They performed like they belonged in their 1st Level Test 1 class, with Jordan showing off Mr. Magicc like a pro! Akuppah Kaluah +/’s scores jumped to 65%-66% in her classes with Kari using Rick’s suggestions for better movements! As things always need to be tested whether you’re ready or not, during one of Kaluah’s rides that was going well, a large piece of plastic blew into the arena and decided to rest between centerline and B! She quickly glanced but continued on with her work and earned a 65% in that class!

Those exercises for GF Raushana +/ raised her scores as well, and she earned 64% - 65% in her 1st Level classes to place 1st and 2nd! Those scores also won her the Reserve High Score award for 1st Level! Safarr +// took home a blue with a 57.436 in his 3rd Level class, and Exkwizitt + earned a well-deserved 63.421 in 1st Level Test 4, taking 3rd in that class.

After earning a 63% and 1st place in 1st Level Test 1 and a 64.800% and a 3rd (out of 10) in Training Level Test 4, Avatar MVP and Kari were the very last ride of the weekend – like, there was no one else left in the other 2 rings, and NO ONE in the warm-up! They rode their Training Level Test 4 class, though, and scored a 66.800%, giving them a 2nd place out of 9!

So, that was it! The end of the weekend that the weatherman said “would be too hot to rain!” We let the horses rest and enjoy their stall fans as we decided to delay our usually immediate pack-up-and-get-out-after-the-last-class regimen for a much-needed stop at Burger King!