Guffey

Yesterday, Seth, Piper and I got in the minivan and drove to Guffey, Colorado, a small, eclectic mountain town whose mayor is a cat.

We spent some time in the town itself.

Very small.

Very memorable.

We met a few residents.

The owner of the bakery was friendly, but these two were kind of standoffish. 

We also went for a short hike at nearby Guffey Gorge.

Despite the grey skies, it was a nice day to be outside.

I had a great time.

We all did.

But that's not all.

We also met a horse.

I've met a number of horses this year, but this one feels different.

Somehow, I don't think this will be our last trip to Guffey.

As you can imagine, yesterday was pretty busy. I chose, but did not post, the winners of the April giveaway. The winners are Susan Wade and Evelyn Lauer. Congratulations! Please email your shipping information to braymere@comcast.net.

Multiple flashbacks Friday

I was two lines into a post about the basics of performance showing, when I thought, "I think I've already written this." I clicked on the search box in the top left corner of my screen, and typed in the obvious title. Sure enough, there it was. I read the post and found it solid. "No need to rewrite that," I told myself. "I'll just post a link."

I moved on to the next obvious topic, and realized I'd already written that post, too. In the past sixteen plus years, I have written so many words on performance showing. It occurred to me that ,rather than a new post, what we really needed was a recap.

So this is that. Multiple flashback Friday. Onward!

To show performance, you need - at a minimum - one horse and one set of tack. The horse itself is the most important piece of the entry.

I have written a lot of words to that effect .

So many.

It goes without saying, but maybe not, before you start planning your entries you need to know what gait your horse is doing.

No surprise, this is another well traveled topic.

Confused by canter leads? Now worries. There's a post for that!

After the horse is chosen and its gait has been identified, it's time to talk about tack. In 2018, I wrote a pair of posts discussing the basics of fit and function. This one covers saddles.

And here's bridles.

On to dolls! This topic is tricky. Rider/handler dolls aren't strictly required, at least not in this country.

Also, they can be hard to work with, even for experienced showers.

Because of this, I've written multiple posts about choosing...

and posing dolls.

All of these posts have an English slant, but the principles are the same regardless of discipline.

So far, most of these linked posts were written with beginners in mind. For people who are already showing performance but want to get better, I recommend Mindful performance...

and Progressive performance.

For those who want to get really, really good, I recommend Degree of difficulty (a guest post by Hanna Bear)...

and The Wow Factor. Actually, I recommend this one to everyone. The pictures in it are amazing.

These are, by no means, the only posts I've written about performance showing, but this post is long enough. Enjoy the flashbacks. Tomorrow - hopefully! - we'll tackle something new!

Throwback Thursday

In a perfect world, I would be making plans to host a performance clinic of my own. I would love to do that. I have so many ideas.

Realistically, however, this is not the year. I have too much on my plate. I just can't add anything else.

Well, I can't add anything else in a real life setting. What I can do - what I will do - is devote some blog time to the topic. This isn't actually a first for me. Back in 2013, I wrote a whole bunch of posts specifically tailored to hopeful performance showers, starting with one called Performance Anxiety.

For the record, I've never re-posted any of my earlier writings in their entirety. This is a first.

That said, I did make a few edits and add some pictures and text. 

Anyway, without further ado, here's...

Performance Anxiety

I'll be honest, I've never suffered from this particular disorder. 

As long as I've shown models, I've shown performance.

Most of my early efforts left a lot to be desired, but I never got discouraged.

Instead, I kept working at it.

Eventually I got better.

So much better!

We moved to Colorado in 1998. Within months, I discovered the local live show scene. I didn't own any fancy halter horses, so all my attention was focused on the performance classes. My entries weren't particularly good, at least not by today's standards. Still, I managed to bring home more than my share of NAN cards. 

Raindrops on Roses, Etiquette and Roll 'em Pete

After the birth of my children, I took a long break from the live show ring. I did not, however, take a break from the hobby. Instead, I used that time to improve my tack making skills and build my resin collection. When I returned to showing in 2006, I did so with a vengeance.

Getaway at Devilish Kokopelli Live, 2006

After that, there was no stopping me.

Getaway, Balthazar and Dun Up Purdy at Devilish Kokopelli Live, 2009

I've shown numerous models to numerous championships.

Emma at Rocky Mountain Rendezvous, 2010

More now.

Olivia at Rocky Mountain Spring Fling, 2018

So many more.

Formal Attire at the Willow Tree Live, 2017

I've also judged performance in three different regions.

Show for the Cure, Itasca, Illinois 2011

More now, for this one, too.

Judging at Models in the Mountains, 2017

I know  there are a lot of hobbyists who view performance showing as impossibly difficult and unattainably expensive. I disagree on both counts.

Princess Trillium at the GLC No Frills Holiday show, 2012.  
I had not seen this model (even in photos) prior to the show date, and still managed to show her to an Overall Performance Championship.

There's no doubt that performance showing requires a significant front end investment in both knowledge and equipment. However, once you master the basics, you're set for life.

Everyone's Olive, Candyland Live, 2024
Had not shown live show performance in more than five years, picked up right where I left off.

I am semi-retired from the performance ring these days, but one of my oldest/newest blog goals is to help prospective performance showers conquer their performance anxiety. Trust me, people - it's not as hard as you think it is.

Please share your performance related questions and post suggestions. This is my online performance clinic, and I am here to help!

Performance clinic

Yesterday, I discussed Stone Horses' newest sponsorship program designed to grow performance showing by by encouraging and supporting non-competitive performance clinics. 

That's all well and good, but what, you may ask, does a non-competitive performance clinic look like? In today's guest post, Lisa Smalley of Smalley Saddlery answers just that question. Thanks, Lisa! This is awesome.

Hosting a Performance Clinic 

by Lisa Smalley

Hosting a performance clinic is great for two reasons: 

• Helping others to learn or increase their knowledge about performance.
• Getting together with fellow model horse hobbyists in a low-stress, judgement-free, non-show setting where everyone is sharing knowledge and learning!

I have hosted two performance clinics, in 2017 and again in 2024. In both cases, we had a large range of performance experience in our attendees at each. There were halter-only showers who came to learn about performance, novice performance showers who were thrilled to have a place outside of a show to learn and ask questions, and experienced performance showers- learning and sharing knowledge.

Google Forms is free, and I created a form for registration and had people check yes or no for each class so that I could gauge how much space we might need.

The clinic was set up in the following format:

• four show rings (since that is what fit in the room)
• maximum two "entries" per class, with no tack changes (tried to have a separate horse for each class when possible)
• four classes were set up, we evaluated all of those classes, then set up and evaluated the next four classes

It takes time to set up, evaluate and discuss entries, so a full performance class list was not feasible. I chose a limited number of classes (eight) that could potentially incorporate entries from multiple performance classes. That way, we could discuss each entry as well as similarities and differences. For example: all types of harness were together and we had a great variety- racing, pleasure, fine, draft, etc. 

The Pleasure class included Western/Ranch/English/Huntseat/etc. because the bottom line is that the horses should be a pleasure to ride, and we could point out the different gaits performed and equipment required for each. The limited number of classes also freed us from rushing around all day like we normally do at a show.

I utilized the following class list for the 2024 clinic.

• Harness (all types- pleasure, fine, draft, etc.)
• Stock Work (Anything with livestock, ex: cutting, roping, team penning, etc.)
• Over Fences (Hunter, Jumper, Cross Country, etc.)
• Pleasure (Western, Ranch, English, Hunt Seat)
• Trail (English, Western, etc.)
• Dressage (English and Western)
• Pattern Classes (English or Western - Equitation, Horsemanship, Reining, Western Riding, etc.)
• Showmanship

After each class was set up, we gathered at the table and walked around the ring in the same manner as a judge, looking at each entry. Then we would discuss the class and ask questions. It was meant to be a no-pressure environment where you could ask anything. There isn't always time for this at a fast paced, highly competitive show, plus sometimes people are to embarassed to ask questions in that environment.

If someone had a lot of real life experience, they might take the lead with explaining different aspects. For example: In 2017, I lovingly pestered Pat Coulter to come down to the clinic and be my English expert. She obliged and was wonderful in sharing her wealth of knowledge from both real horse and model horse showing experience. 

We miss you, Pat!

Renee Foust attended in 2024 and shared lots of driving knowledge in the Harness class to help everyone to better understand the parts of harness in different disciplines and the equipment used. We could have talked *forever* about each class, but we had to keep an eye on the time to be able to complete all eight classes.

It is great to have model horse hobby get togethers of different sorts outside of shows. We are often stressed at shows or constantly running around. It's really enjoyable to be able to spend time with our fellow hobbyists in a more fun and less stressful environment. With the performance clinic, all of us learned new things - even the experts - and we had fun doing it! 

Thanks again, Lisa. I hope someone out there is taking notes. This is a really do-able format for a performance clinic. Come on, performance showers! Let's make this happen!