(Pictured is Roo, the best mascot we could ever have!)
Well, sadly, I wasn’t able to try most of the food places I wanted to in Tulsa. L However, we did discover the Rib Crib and that place was amazing. Great ribs and even better Mac and Cheese!
The 2015 Congress was much different than any Congress I’ve experienced so far. For my two first timers, it was a good wake-up call to show them what life at a horse show can sometimes turn into. They learned that they needed to be ready to show no matter what the circumstances were. They had practiced hard and they needed to present themselves like they came to win. Instead, their nerves would often get the best of them, or they would let their brains wander somewhere else. They realized that at this level you have to be at the top of your game or you might as well have stayed home.
My other student who had been once before had some of her best rides and performances. For some of those classes she was rewarded for it, and for others she really missed out on. However there’s another lesson to be learned. There was one group of judges that saw things differently than we did, but sometimes that is the case. That’s why it’s great that there are different groups of judges throughout the Congress. There was one day that was certainly frustrating. She had worked really hard and had some amazing rides and it’s hard to continually be turned away. However, the next day was a brand new day; brand new judges and new opportunities to show off in new classes. But instead she got discouraged, and the gusto she had the day before was gone. Well I didn’t let that slide and at the end of the day the girls and I had a “chat” about their performances that day.
The next day all my riders were early to the barn scrubbing their horses clean, putting on clean outfits and putting their best foot forward once again. Sure enough, my returning student won her Hunter Under Saddle class that night in the versatility and also had her best jumping round to date. It’s a tough lesson, but it’s one every successful person has to learn. You don’t always get rewarded for hard work, but if you don’t put forth the same strong effort the next day, you will never be rewarded.
Overall, Congress 2015 was an experience that hopefully my students will remember and embrace as a standard to prepare for in the future. “Don’t wish it were easier. Wish you were better.” –Jim Rohn
Overall results for the SWPH Team:
How Do I Look and Jill Pfisthner were Champions in Senior Reining, Champions in the Versatility Hunter Under Saddle, 9th in the Versatility Western Pleasure and an 8th place overall in Versatility, Reserve Champions in Western Riding 14-18, 3rd in Reining 14-18, 3rd in Handy Horse 14-18 and a few more top ten placings in the gymkhana classes
One Hot Mocha and Madyson Buchanan were Reserve Champions in Halter Medium Mares, 3rd place in Senior Reining, 6th place in Western Riding 14-18, and had many top ten placings in the gymkhana classes with her best times yet
JPR Intense Dreams and Madison Ochoa received 5th place in Most Colorful, 6th place in Huntseat Equitation 9-13, and I believe it was a 6th place in Handy Horse 9-13
Dutch Rumour Has It and I were Reserve Champions in 19 & Over Reining, 3rd in 3 year old Halter Mares, and 10th in Most Colorful