Congratulations! But…we’re dying for some pictures of your critter (s)! You must have something. Although the commentary is quite vivid AND witty, you know how many words they say a picture is worth! 
You are brave - and Hammie is a star. Ribbons in every class - even the AA’s? AMAZING! That’s such a competitive area.
I finally took a lesson on Justice at the Eq Center. Instead of lunging him, I put him on the hot walker for 20 minutes - so he actually made it through the whole lesson. There were 3 lessons going on in one ring, but he could have cared less. He was very brave and was the only horse with no stops
There were a few frightening moments when his mom forgot she was on a green bean however. It’s been so long since I took a lesson that I was a little eager beaver, and since I have a bit of a, shall we say aggressive eye, it can be a little frightening. Quoth the trainer “I would NOT have done that on a green horse” 
Your day at the show sounds like a blast!! That’s great that Hanta Virus was so well-behaved!! (well, in the show ring that is . . . !)
Merry, do you know Nancy? Clue me in on her screen name!!
YOu are assuming that she might WANT to actually attend a horse show…
I teach leads with the threat of no food for a week if they do not lean them. THAT seems to have more effect on their tender psyches than the threat of NOT going to a horse show… 
I am stuck at the stage of teaching Mikey that we need to do 5 in a five line. Four and a 1/2 is NOT acceptable. He thinks lines are great fun and to be jumped as quickly as possible. We have even gone back to (GULP) trotting fences… And doing FLAT work… Will the torture never cease?
The Hambolarama should get extra cookies today!
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Beezer’s favorite moment: Merry yelling, “STOP IT, YOU F-ING BUTTHEAD!!” in the warm-up ring, stunning all the pony moms and dads into silence. Beezer calmly says, “Merry, best not to use that language in front of the children.” <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Oh Merry, you and I could be kindred spirits!!
The best I ever did was to say “oh you are such a TOTAL Richard Cranium!!” Mostly I use “Merry terms” By day three of a horse show, all the HSMs are putting there hands over there children’s ears and hastily removing them from the scene of the (impending) crime when I arrive!
Justice sounds just like Barbie cow (the West Coast filly). I shall dub her the “thigh mistress” because I have to work so hard!
Yes, Bumpkin, we have a new horse trailer. The Lovely Spot miraculously morphed into a brand new, white, warmblood-sized Circle J trailer.
Let’s see how long it is before Beezer dings it up… As I recall, the smooshed fender on the last Circle J trailer happened when Beezer contorted the vehicle into a space at a show where I had to extricate it. My choices? Crunch a BMW or ram the fender against the show arena rail. I wisely chose the arena rail… 
Ahem, that was ME in the rust breeches, I must add! 
Beezer was standing in the background, highly amused at the staged spooking event.
Spunky: Nancy Reed’s screen name, I believe, is just nancyreed. She reads just about everything Calif.-related; she’s just a tad shy about posting!
As for the trailering incident, our sisterly adventures often meld into fantasyland. The truth, I’m sure, lies somewhere in between!
Elliot can be fabulous one day and “terrierble” the next day!
Gotta love those skip/bucks behind when he does not want to make a lead change…
He will get a 4 in a 4 and a 5 in a 5, but when you cut across the diagonal, he will take this leap that is quite impressive and beautiful from a full stride back. Not very “Hunter Like”, although I will say again, he does it with beautiful style.
And what’s the latest with Bubba???
Merry and Beezer: I sure look forward to the more than humorous accounts of your experiences with Hammie (and previous accounts with the Lovely Spot). The hysterical tales certainly brighten up a Monday! Though I suppose the humor is hard to see when you’re experiencing it, it sure makes for funny stories a day or so later. Thanks for posting them.
Oh yes, forgot to congratulate you on the next successful step in getting Hammie to the shows and your current quest for A/A success, then on to the A/Os.
Cheers, Maggi
Ya dun good Merry! Even if Hambola was brain dead periodically during the day. But the expletives, ahem, in front of pony parents too…
Beezer you are a very good ground person. This was a 4 star show!!
I hurried back from the stables to add the rust breeches part!!! HONEST!!!
Also the fleece half pad.
I did find the one I needed from Beval’s
Oh-oh. I feel a new thread starting… “Baby Steps for Your Baby Greenie”?
Yay Merry and Hammie! That’s exciting news.
Portia, I too have numerous names for my spotted mare!
Dang! How could I have forgotten THIS part??!?!
It’s after the low-AA under saddle (in which Hammie was NOT a good boy) and Merry says to Beezer, “I don’t think I need to go school a fence. I mean, he was just in there.” Says Beezer: “Yes you do. He just hacked; he won’t realize he’s supposed to jump. Plus, the fences are bigger. And you know how he can be about having to go back to work after standing for a bit.”
So, grumbling, Merry sets off for the warm-up ring.
Thirty minutes and two really good Hammie-tantrums later, the trio returns. Merry ticked and outraged over his misbehavior, Hammie defeated (for the moment ) and Beezer triumphant, having – once again – been proven correct.
Hey wty, I have to clear the warm-up arena one way or another!
A belated Congrats to you and Hammie
Also love Beezer’s comments too
I can’t wait until you post pictures. Did you breed Hammie too? I can’t remember if you have said 
Congrats again. Carrot margaritas for all
I got to break away from the mad rush of getting things ready around here to host Mr Bumpkin’s 4th of July Birthday party, and go watch the trainer ride Elliot.
Elliot of course made my day by just watching me watch him being lunged.
Then WTF arrived and we watched Elliot’s trainer ride him. Elliot was wonderful today and we discussed a show, or shows coming up!!!
I then walked him out and gave him a talk about how wonderful he was, groomed him, rubbed down his legs, turned him out in his large grassy paddock for the afternoon and cleaned his tack.
What a delightful morning.
I also found out that his big sister, Raquel, may come for some training this fall!!
I am JEALOUS that you are trucking around at 3’ and winning ribbons at A shows… CONGRATS!
Mikey (age 4) was supposed to go to a schooling show on Sunday and jump around at 2’, UNTIL… a practice session on Friday made it quite apparent that I have been remiss in putting a mouth on lil’ Mikey. Once inside the lines, it was WHOOPIE! and counting strides was only a dream.
So we stayed home and did that AWFUL flat work (which I hate more than he does), and we worked on lengthening and shortening and listening to mommy when mommy says something…
Guess I should have started doing lines more than 2 days before his first show.
Just wait till next year – we WILL catch up…
