Glyn Haven performance

It's fair to say that the performance classes at Glyn Haven's Autumn Horse Faire were not most competitive I've ever judged.  Still, this was an absolutely delightful division filled with fun tack,

teamwork,

and abundant good humor.

One of the most enjoyable parts of my day was  watching Teresa go "old school" with her Stock Horse Stallion, Bronze. 

I was a little dubious when she first brought this horse to the table...

but her entries with him were uniformly interesting and well documented.

Other contenders in the English division included Regan's Nas Sombras...

and Vaguely Familiar...

and Teresa's Mindless Self Indulgence.

Athough Bronze tried his best...

the English division title went to his more modern stablemate...

with Nas Sombras taking the Reserve.

Moving on to the Western division, we started with Sidesaddle Cutting...

and Sidesaddle Roping.  Ha!  Actually, these set-ups were whipped up at the last minute by Regan and Fabian when it became obvious that there were no serious entries in either class.  I was more than happy to award the effort with blue ribbons and NAN cards.

Here's Fabian's serious sidesaddle entry in the Western Pleasure class.  Like his funny entries, it also earned a blue.

When it was all said and done, Fabian had won the Judge's Trophy (for being the most improved performance shower, not for the poop),

Teresa's pony was Overall Reserve Champ, 

and Regan's best boy was the Grand Champion. 

Congratulations to everyone who participated in this most fun and happy performance division! 

Glyn Haven's Autumn Horse Faire

Glyn Haven's Autumn Horse Faire, held September 22nd and September 29 at the Parker Senior Center in Parker, Colorado, represents my friend Jane Schneider's first outing as a show holder.  Despite that, last Saturday's installment was one of the nicest, most organized model horse events I've ever had the pleasure of attending.

Everything about this show felt special--from the exhibitor swag bags and programs...

to the extremely organized judges' packets!

Not surprisingly, the prizes were also first rate.  Sectional champions were certificates, neck sashes (green for champions, rust for reserve) and glass cups filled with candy.

Overall champions received fancier neck sashes and absolutely lovely pony pouches which were sewn by Jane.

Additionally, each judge was given a special trophy to award to their favorite entry of the day, irrespective of placings. 

As usual, I brought too many horses...  

Make that way too many horses!

I probably could have made them fit on one table, but fortunately, I didn't have to.  For reasons I do not comprehend, this show was not a sell out.  There were several empty tables in the show hall, and I was allowed to commandeer one of them for my customs and foals.

The day's schedule included a dog show with three divisions (performance, conformation and workmanship) which was judged by Jane's daughter, Marianne.  Jennifer Scott judged the Resin Halter, Custom Halter and Resin and Custom Workmanship divisions, and I judged Performance.

In addition to the regular competition, there were also a number of "fun" classes which were held over the lunch break.  There were three entries in the Sentimental Favorite class.  This was mine.

this was Regan's...

 (more of Regan's!)...

and this was Teresa's. 

 Other fun classes featured baked goods, fantasy creatures,

cows, cats, 

and wildlife!

The raffle was also surprisingly wonderful.  

I'll be honest--I'm not usually one for raffles.  At this stage in my life, I'm pretty picky about what I want to own, and it's unusual for me to be tempted by the offerings.

This particular raffle, however, so many lovely, handmade items.  I bought a bunch of tickets and somehow managed to win nearly everything I wanted, including some of Jane's pony pouches... 

and JerryLynn Rice's awesome arena diorama.

It's worth noting that there were a few things I didn't win.  I "let" Fabian have the Sandicast Quarter Horse...

and I split the home made horse treats with Teresa and Marianne.

Despite the low shower turnout, this was an outstanding show.  I hope it will become a regular fixture on the Colorado live show calendar!

Queen for a day

Everyone should have at least one day in their life where they win... everything. For me, that day came yesterday at Glyn Haven's Autumn Horse Faire.

The parade of prizes started in the Dog division where Roz...

and Mitzi swept top honors in the Performance division. 

Darling Abbie followed that with a Reserve Championship in the Workmanship division.

The Braymere gang continued their winning ways in the Resin halter division. BFF was the Draft Champion...

with Jennibray in Reserve. 

 Zefyrr was Reserve Champion Sport Breed,  

Estudioso was Reserve Champion Spanish Breed,  

Vulcan was Champion Gaited Breed, 

Mabel was Champion Pony, 

Khemotigre was Champion Light, 

Heather was Reserve Champion Pony, 

and Squee! and Gimme S'more were Champion and Reserve Foal.

Even more impressive, Validator won Champion Sport and Reserve Champion Overall Resin Halter.

He was bested by Octopurdy who was Champion Stock Breed and Overall Resin Halter Champion.

Khompounded Interest was Overall Champion in the Custom Halter division...

and Octopurdy and Validator claimed top honors a second time in the Workmanship division. 

I also won a couple of the Fun classes, including Sentimental Favorite with Braymere and Rubber.

Poka Tia won the Glyn Haven Trophy... 

and I made out like a bandit in the raffle. 

Since I am fortunate enough to own so many nice horses, I generally expect to do well when I go to a show. However, this level of winning was unprecedented. I never expected to come home with so much "stuff."

Thanks to Jane Schneider for holding this show, Jennifer Scott for judging and everyone who helped make my Queen for a Day experience so enjoyable. It was truly a day I'll never forget.