The New England Performance Challenge was held on October 20th in Spencer, MA. I realize it is almost a month after the show but I was having issues getting all the photos to load and then I got lazy and forgot. *sigh* I hate when that happens. I had several goals in mind going into this show. One was to actually show since I have been doing so much judging. Though I still wasn't totally into it. I have a new mule, her name is Showgirl. She is a Lola artist resin (it's totally OK that the song is now going through your head, that's how she got her name). I can't remember who painted her. Her tack is by Joan Yount and I made the doll. Showgirl's first class was jumper and she managed 4th place.
One of my goals for the show was to get Flash in the Sky a NAN card in an English class. Still hoping for NAN and I didn't have any English cards with her as she has preciously only been shown in western classes. Flash's first class was Other English where she managed her NAN card with this versatility entry. I took all the photos at a horse show at a little country fair the kids and I attended a few months back. Perhaps some posts will come from those pics, it was a very interesting day. Anyway, Flash is wearing English tack made by Jennifer Buxton, the western set on the table is very cool but I have no idea who made it. I made both the dolls.
Next Flash was in the arena trail class. She managed third place with her stop on the bridge and show the mail entry. I have heard from judges this entry would do better if the mailbox was open. Well mine doesn't open so until I get another mailbox this is how it's done. The red flowers are some new ones I made recently from lovely paper flowers from the UK. Maybe one of these days I will do a tutorial on how I put together flowers. I have heard people say that flowers are hard to do and I really have to disagree. The way I do them is pretty simple.
Back to Showgirl. Next up was her hunter over fences class. She only placed 6th so she is so far not doing too well as a show equine. The jump is a temporary one I made while waiting for the awesome one I recently got from Marci Driscoll. I have been doing some really awesome trading recently.
Showgirl next tried her hoof at dressage. It took 3 people to figure out what lead she was on and get a pattern that would work for her. I can't even remember what was decided other than she is in an awkward point of the stride. I agree.
another goal of the day was to get Cranky Pants a card in Native American costume. He is my Sencillo resin painted by Liesl Dalpe. I have no clue who made the costume but it's awesome. I made the clothes on the doll but Joan Yount sculpted the head for me. Cranky Pants got his NAN card.
So back to Showgirl. She then showed in pleasure other type and only managed 5th place. I see her pad is a little crooked but I am not sure if she had other issues or if the judge just didn't like her. I wasn't super into showing and I didn't ask. Showgirl managed no NAN cards so will need to try again at another show. Or maybe stick to photo showing, she's good at that.
Flash in the Sky managed third in pleasure. But she got her English NAN card which is why she wanted to come to the show.
I also brought Frank to the show. He is a new custom horse I got from Joan Yount. He is a lady phase with a Zippo head, turned into a stallion and painted into a very nice appaloosa. Pink wasn't the best color to go with him but I didn't have time to make a new showmanship doll so he got what I had. I still know my stuff with showmanship so Frank (which is short for Frankenhorse) got his NAN card. Another goal for the show. I think I didn't bother to show him in anything else.
Now let's move onto the CM western division and Caramel Latte. She is a Leggs resin (original version) sculpted by Liesl Dalpe and painted by Joan Yount. The tack was made by Pam Perkins, the doll was made by me and the Two Barrels and a Pole game documentation came from Jennifer Buxton's blog. Love that game. And it was good for third.
Next Caramel Latte showed in other western. I again used the versatility class as my entry and even with 15 entries on the table and the judge having seen the same class in the English division it still got 4th place. Not bad.
My first OF class of the day was Lady Intrigue in therapeutic riding (other English) I am still chasing that last NAN card for her so she came out just to show in this class. She is wearing a saddle made by Joan Yount (ugly girth made by me) a bridle that I sort of threw together and didn't quite adjust properly and I made all the dolls. I guess if I want that last card I have to go back to paying super careful attention to my entry. Apparently besides some minor tack issues (which are BIG things in region X) my doll on the off side of the horse looked like he was going to fall. I say let him fall as long as he stays out of the way of the horse.
This little horse is Just Because. She is wearing tack by Jennifer Buxton and her youth doll rider was made by me. These are some ugly poles I painted (I don't like to paint poles) and the entry was worth 2nd place. It was another of my show goals to get Just Because a NAN card in English. She has a couple of western cards but I was hoping for English and Other.
Next we will go back to the custom division and Caramel Latte. This was her arena trail entry. These way-better-than-mine poles were painted by Joan Fauteux. Joan loves painting poles and is very good at it. She even does all of stripes nearly freehand. I totally can't do that. Anyway, Latte only managed 5th with this entry.
But then she came back to get 2nd in western pleasure stock type.
Here is the photo for the Red Leggs Rivalry. That is a fun side-competition between my Leggs resins and the lopin' Leggs resin that belongs to my friend Marisa Evans. I said we should put them head-to-head (this type of competition is not new to Marisa) and since we both have a Leggs resin, even though they are different, she agreed. The way it works is when the horses are in the same class whichever places better gets the point. If they get the same number of wins per show it apparently then goes by actual points earned. I won this one by like 3 points. (there were more ribbons than just pleasure)
OK, back to OF. Just Because competed in the hunter over fences class. This jump actually belongs to Marci Driscoll but she let me borrow it for the class as she was judging something and didn't need it. It looks very similar to the awesome jump she made for me.
Just Because managed to get 2nd place in the huntseat sport type pleasure class. She didn't get to show in any of the classes in the Other division as she was in the English and the Other division overlapped. I will need to bring her to another show to try for a card in Other.
So I was not as focused on showing as I have been at other shows but I did manage to get most of the things I was hoping for. Hopefully all my awesome new trades will get me geared up to bring my A game to the Spring shows.
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