Blink! It's over

Usually it's hurry up and wait. That's standard for going to a horse show. Let's take last week, for instance. The Kootenai County Fair Horse Show started at 7 a.m. That's when we left Sandpoint.

We arrived at the fairgrounds just after 8. More than three hours later, after riding her all over the grounds, I finally rode Lily into the arena. Laurie rode the next class, so we scrambled to get me off, change the stirrups and get her on. Then, it was hurry up and wait, and some nice time spent visiting at the trailer. We did that routine twice during the remaining two classes for Lily.

So, with the Bonner County Fair Horse Show, often one of the bigger shows of the season, my sisters figured they had plenty of time yesterday to do some errands in town during the morning, then get home, load up April and haul her to the fairgrounds for some late afternoon classes.

Upon completing their errands, they stopped by the fairgrounds at 11 a.m. to pick up their numbers. April was in Class 18. Class 16 was in the ring. Colburn is ten miles from the fairgrounds. Oops!

The show ended around noon.

For some unknown reason, over the past couple of years, the powers that be keep changing the dates for the fair horse show. And, this year the fair begins a day early, the day after the fair horse show. So, it's likely some people are still thinking it's over Labor Day. It's not.

And, others are too busy getting all their other animals and projects ready for the fair, where entries for open class close at noon tomorrow.

Anyway, that put a damper on the usual well-attended fair horse show, cutting the numbers of entrants and surely cutting the amount of time folks usually expect to spend there.

Yesterday's "blink and you missed it" show meant a change in my plans yesterday. Because of all that extra time, Laurie suggested that I ride Lily over to their place to have her bath and to stay in their barn overnight.

I had my cookies baked and had figured out all the other fair items (just have to pluck 'em and clean 'em), so I figured it was a great opportunity for an afternoon ride. And, that's just what it turned out to be.

A gentle breeze on a sunny late August day provided the perfect conditions for plodding down South Center Valley Road and turning on to Center Valley Road toward my sisters' place. Lots of people were taking stuff to the Transfer Station aka the dump. Our road provides a back route for that.

Lily had some good experience at staying on her side of the road without falling in the ditch as pickup after pickup drove by, loaded down with cast-offs. On Center Valley Road, the Wood family was putting up another crop of feed, this time oat hay. That meant hay loader trucks and tractors going up and down the road, providing Lily some unusual sights for her eyes and plenty of rattling metal.

She passed the test, and behaved like a lady when Steve Wood climbed off his tractor on the road and came over to visit. Steve thought she was doing pretty well for a young 'un, and so did I. We had a nice conversation until his tractor started rolling down the hill, slowly, of course. He climbed back on, went on his way while Lily and I did the final stretch to Tibbs Arabians and the wash rack.

Today she's supposed to be in three or four classes, and as the clock moves closer to the 8 a.m. starting time, I guess I'd better scurry on down there, so I don't miss the fast-forward horse show.

So, happy Sunday to all. I'm off to the fairgrounds. Hope I make it in time to do a little hurry up and wait.