AFTH Audition 2011

Well, after Saturday's fiasco (see ACTHA Take – Two) I was unsure if we were even going to be able to complete the audition, but when the time came to go feed Sunday morning, the sun was shining and there was no wind (yay!).  That boosted my spirits a bit and although it was still cold enough to see your breath, I felt that the lack of wind and the shining sun was a sign we were going to pull it together.

Dee was very relaxed and seemed to be back to herself.  I remember telling Randy she had her "eyes back"  I don't know if I can explain what that means, but basically she seemed to be interested in what I was doing and even made an effort to check for shoelaces (she loves to tug on my shoe laces - weird, but cute!) I was wearing boots-no laces, so she just nuzzled my hand and waited for me to put out her hay.  I spent some time grooming a bit, it had rained (mixed with snow – hello, DESERT) over night and I thought she was going to be a mess, but she had not rolled at all so that helped. 

My audition was scheduled for 9:15am so I was ready to go by 8:00 and decided to bring her back to the trailer to tack up.  She came with me easily and didn't prance or dance her way to the trailer.  Just as I got to the trailer however, one of the other contestants with a beautiful gaited horse decided to warm her horse up on the road in front of the trailer.  Dee started prancing around as I put the saddle on her back and just about got rid of it.  I removed the saddle and took her around the trailer where there was some room and sent her at the trot in a circle around me.  Every three or four strides I would ask her to move three steps sideways.  The first couple requests became demands as she chose to blow right by and ignore me - I popped her with the end of the string on my stick and she responded by jumping sideways - I just acted like nothing happened, then asked nicely again three or four strides later. She moved immediately when I asked that time - but was sluggish the next.  Within the next five circles or so I think I popped her two more times and after that I had her attention.  I sent her the other direction and she was right on with every request.  So back to the trailer we went.  This time she stood long enough for me to get the saddle on and tightened enough for no slip and she started showing signs of losing it again. (the gaited horse was still going back and forth in front of us) She stepped away from me and I asked her to come back...she did, but stepped away again immediately, so we went back to our circles. 

It took half the time to bring her down this time and we had the added distraction of another horse being warmed up in the same area - this one a stud horse who was a bit amped himself (uh, yes it made me nervous! But his owner seemed to have control and I was able to stay focused on Dee).  This time at the trailer she stood still until I was finished with her tack and grooming.  I was trying to think about how I was different on Sunday then I had been on Saturday.  Why was it that she was coming back to me now, but couldn’t the day before.  The best I can figure, I was asking too much too randomly on Saturday.  This time I was more rhythmic and I guess that is what she needed.  It was a fluke that I even tried it – but I’m glad it worked.

We headed to the arena and she did a good job sticking with me, only showing some nervousness in a couple spots but nothing major.  When we got to the arena there were two other horses there, the gaited one who was such a distraction before (my goodness those horses don't move slowly, do they?) and a spotted Arabian that we were both strangely attracted to.  (We are sweet on Arabians - yup)  I played with her online in the arena for awhile, sideways mostly, then asked the rider of the Arabian if she would mind us shadowing her for awhile and she was very nice to let us do so.  So I mounted up and we started moving around, beside, in front and behind the Arabian - pretty soon we were off doing our own thing and from there on out she was greatly improved.  She wasn't the best behaved horse out there or anything, but I think we fit in just fine and she didn't seem to care if we were hanging out with the other horses or off on our own.  We also were not far from the Interstate...maybe an eighth of a mile or so - close enough for the noise to be a factor and the big trucks rumbling along caught her eye a couple times.  I ignored them and soon she was ignoring them too.  At this point I was so stinkin' happy I didn't even care about the audition!

Before everyone was sent out of the arena, there were about 15 horses in the area - all of them moving around in different directions at different gaits and she was doing pretty well with it.
We were the third horse and rider team to do the audition – I don’t even remember how the first two did.  For some reason as soon as it was time, I got nervous.  Butterflies and everything!  I have got to learn how to control that – really, I do.  :0) 

The obstacle was fairly simple…trot over eight poles that were spaced unevenly across the side of the arena, then stop straddling a ninth pole and side pass to the right until the pole was cleared.  At that point Dee was to trot to the center of two cones, stop and back a figure eight, then trot on out to the cones that marked the end of the obstacle. See?  Simple. 

We had practiced at home and never really got it all nailed down, but she was getting better.  Most of her issues were because of my own inconsistency in the way I ask her to do things.   I will share a picture of us doing the side pass as an example of my own issues (what is all that leaning about?)  Aren’t pictures great – they always point out the real story :0)

We did get through the obstacle with her only bumping a couple poles along the way.  We had an issue getting started on the backup – but I restarted and she did fine on the second try (wish I had a picture of that). Please note that when I say “we did fine” I by no means intend to say we nailed it – it just means the pattern was completed.  We then reported to the judges station and I decided to go through the obstacle online as my “45 second” freestyle.  In hindsight it was not the best choice – but in my defense I was really nervous and not thinking clearly.  I think it was Dee’s turn to wonder if she was ever going to get me to focus!  After the 45 seconds, it was back to the judges stand for a quick interview.  I don’t think I told them everything I wanted to tell them about Dee – I guess I expected a few more questions, but there were only three and two of those were very open-ended.  If you are auditioning – don’t forget to tell them everything!  Just throw it into the answers, whether you think they asked or not!  Ha!  I felt like a little kid with stage fright.  What a funny thing to happen.  With that – it was all over and we were leaving the arena. 

We had to wait for Randy to finish his volunteer job of video taping the auditions, so we spent the rest of the day just hanging around the arena.  It is so amazing by the way, to have such great support from my wonderful husband, who not only packs and unpacks the truck and trailer, carries my tack around for me and always comes along for the adventures - but he is always willing to help out anyway he can at any event we go to.

I really do consider the day a success – I may not be expecting the call inviting us to Austin – but I never really did anyway, I just wanted to know if we could show up.  We showed up!

What would I have said about Dee during the interview had I been thinking?  Dee is so curious about everything around her, and that curiosity makes her fun.  She has come very far in a very short time (when you count the time we have been working under saddle) and she makes me laugh out loud almost every day.  There is nothing better than that!  Imagine what she will be when I figure out how to be the leader she needs me to be..there will be no limit to what we can do together.  (Well – you can bet we would both say no to high diving – but you get my drift)

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