When you're up you're up, and when you're down you hug your horse

We started at the barn at 5 am, got K and the two other horses loaded and on our way. Hubby drove. I could hear some kicking back there, but checked once at a stop light and all looked fine. Got to the show, pulled out the other two horses, and got to K. She was drenched, I mean absolutely drippin in sweat. Her show sheet was drenched, and ripped. Pull her out quickly and into the stall at the show, and start drying her off and getting her to drink. She recut above her eye, same place as last time, and has two big scrapes at her point of hip. Her hip is bleeding and swollen. I have a break down and just start bawling. This is what I had been so scared of and it had happened again. Hubby snaps me out of it, and I start working on the wounds. I had packed all her boo boo meds from the last time, just in case, so cleaned it up, put the antibiotics on, and then the corona paste. I scratched my first class, Halter Hunter Type. I let her rest for an hour, and she seems calm and happy, eating and drinking, I call both my trainer (he's home sick) and my vet. Both say she is ok to show. Bleeding stops, scrapes are superficial, swelling goes down.

I tack up, go into our first class. She just knows what to do and where she is. She's in full show horse mode, and takes first. Then takes first in our second class. I was elated, so proud of her. I then head over to the trails class, which was very intimidating. She completes the whole thing, including one of those swim noodle car wash set ups, a jump, a waterfall,a gate, and a buried tarp among other things. We take third in trails which was so exciting, since we'd never done anything like that at home.

It's about 90 degrees when our first of two canter classes start. Our first class is equitation...I enter the ring wanting to find a competitor to vomit on (a little tip given to me by an online friend). Target is identified, I smile and end up taking third place, couldn't believe it. Our second canter class goes very, very well. We have collection, we have great cadence, I'm confident. We're on the correct lead...and then the horse in front of me rears up, high. I use my inside leg to move K close to the rail as I see the horse is rearing towards the inside. K thinks I'm asking for a flying lead change, which she does beautifully, unfortunately, and then I can't get her to change back. Have to bring her back to the trot and back up into the canter on the correct lead. Judge sees the whole thing. We still placed though with a 5th. So after 5 classes, I take her and hose her off, feed and water her. A lady gives me some Ace pills for our trip home for her. She takes them and looks a little drowsy. I'm hopeful the ride home is going to be calm.

Another rider from my barn hears my name called over the sound system, I won high point that day for our division. Can't even believe it, it was so amazing to win on our first show together, the rosette is my most prized possession at the moment.

So, we load up. K is fine, we pull away from the show grounds and I hear something going on in the trailer. The truck is moving I jump out and climb up on the trailer to see whats going on, and there is K, all four hooves up against the front of the trailer, back against the padded butt bar, and she's pushing her face against the window to get out. She's stuck. I went into complete panic mode screaming for my hubby to get out and help me. I open the trailer, we pull the other horse out (who's an angel through all this) and get to K. At this point the show execs have heard us, and run out to help. I get the bumper open, finally and K falls to the ground, and is struggling to get up. She finally gets up, the show exec slams the bar up on her, loads the other horse and yells to get her home asap. I'm hysterical. She hugs me, tells me its all ok, get her home fast. Its a 45 minute drive, and I can hear her doing it again back there. I pray the whole way home, completely stressed, that she comes out of this without a broken leg. We pull into the barn, finally, pull out the first horse, get to K, who is once again drenched in sweat, shipping boots shredded, and pull her out and hose her down. I look her all over. No new cuts but the cuts from the morning are now bleeding again. I find that her rear shoe is dangling off. Find the shoe puller and get it off, her hoof wall is cracked, and chipping. I was an emotional mess. I am so thankful for my barn friends, who helped me get her hoof taped, wounds bandaged, trailer cleaned and put away, and all my tack away while I stay with K to calm her down. I finally get her into her stall and she eats and drinks, and I can leave.

Hubby took me to dinner, sweat, blood and tear soaked, and got me a huge glass of wine to calm me down. At that point I finally can think logically, and realize it all could have been so much worse, and our farrier can fix the foot, the wounds will heal before the breed show and I can celebrate our performance during the day.