Back in the Day: Night Out

Top hat. No helmet. Shame on me in 2002.

Night Out - or Bart - was not a horse my family owned. I was a catch-rider of sorts for him in the summer of 2002 while I was still at college. Bart is a big (by Morgan standards, 16.1) black gelding who had had a solid start at a hunter. By that I mean he did not start out as a park saddle horse and then started wearing hunter tack, as is common in the Morgan breed.

I have video of us showing at the Morgan World Championships in Oklahoma City. It is by far my favorite area to ride in. You have to trot down this long tunnel under a sign that says "Gateway of Champions." The tunnel is dark and spooky and makes for some interesting rides into the show ring. Once you hit the ring, you are almost blinded by the light ... (revved up like a deuce, 
another runner in the night).

I loved it!

Despite the fact that his owner is sort of a loon, we did well. She made sure to tell me that the last time she showed him in OKC, he did nothing but buck. Thanks, lady.

Here is video of the World Champion Amateur hunter pleasure class. It started out with close to 50 entries and they divided us into 2 heats. Unfortunately, I was in the second heat. Which meant that while I was THRILLED to get a call back into the final, we didn't get to rest at all. It was exhausting for both me and poor Bart who was not fit at all.

I had no horse left by the second canter. Poor Bart. He tried but he was so tired.

I was also pooped!

Pretty boy

(My little sister was the one video-ing ... so ... it stinks. haha. Later in the class she actually loses me and can't find me with the camera. I think there were 22 horses in the ring at the time!)

I'm pretty proud of this because not only did I show IN A SNAFFLE on a horse with very light plate shoes, but we actually got a first place vote from one of the judges! Sadly, the other 2 judges didn't put us on the card but what can you do. In today's Morgan hunter classes, it's rare to find a horse in a snaffle. And rare to find one without weighted shoes and long toes. It's sad, really. Not a one would make it over a fence.

After this season, Bart was sold. His new trainer put weighted shoes on him and put him in a double bridle and proceeded to dominate Morgan hunter pleasure for several years. He was a nice horse and a good boy. I was happy to be part of his younger years - and win with him without resorting to riding him like a park horse. :)