What a great first day. Once we got past all the clinics and opening ceremonies, the clinicians finally got down to business and each of the competitors chose their horses. Pat went first and picked a nice little chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail. He said he chose the horse because he thought they could be friends. Chris and Clinton went another direction and chose more athletic and difficult horses. This is a calculated risk that can get them more points if they handle the horse well. The total time of the evening’s competition is 2 hours with a mandatory 30 min break for the horse spread over the two hours.
Each of the clinicians had a different approach. Clinton moved his horse around the arena for about 30 minutes before he was able to get the horse to hook on. He moved to a lariat to help the horse along and then went to the halter. He spent most of the 1.5 hours desensitizing the horse and getting him to follow a feel. There were some tense moments but Clinton was able to get through them and end on a good note. Pat had a very different approach. When he was interviewed he said that he wanted to be a friend to the horse and then work on respect. He had a nice horse that was hooked on within a few minutes and worked with two long telescoping sticks to get the horse to follow him around the roundpen. About an hour later he had him saddled. He turned the horse loose and he bucked a bit. Pat drove him around until he relaxed. He brought barrels, tarps, and poles into the roundpen and worked him some more from the ground. In the last 15 mins he got on the horse. When he asked the horse to move his feet, he started to buck and got Pat on the ground. Pat unsaddled him and got on him bareback to try and set the tone for tomorrow. Chris chose a tough horse with lots of feel. Chris spent a lot time getting the horse to connect with him. He used a lariat and then the halter and was able to get the horse to hook on. About 1.5 hours into the competition a student of mine asked why he chose this horse. I’m sure at this point the audience thought he was way behind but I knew better. He brought out the saddle and pad and worked the horse through the saddling process. He left the roundpen for his final break and the clock ticked down to 10 mins. Chris re-entered the arena with his chaps on and I knew what he was about to do. Rick Lamb made a comment about not getting on the horse with so little time left but I was confident that Chris wouldn’t get in over his head. He worked the horse from the ground again until he was ready to ride. With six minutes on the clock Chris put his foot in the stirrup and started the process. I was on the edge of my seat. Once he was on, he was able to move the horse’s hindquarters around and get him off his leg a bit but he was up against the clock and quit with a minute to go. He took off the saddle and bridle and exited the arena with just a few seconds to spare. The crowd erupted with applause.
I can’t wait for tomorrow. Stay tuned!
ps – I got to meet Cody Lambert today (the stock contractor for the PBR)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pps – Dr. Robert M. Miler DVM made it through surgery and is recovering nicely. Please continue to send good thoughts his way.
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