Tails and Tales of Tuesday

The Idaho State Horse Judging Contest has come and gone, and we were pretty pleased with the results and how the day went.  

Bonner County 4-H horse judges took both team and individual championships, so several of them will be competing at Nationals in Kentucky.

The caravan of horse trailers, the 4-wheeler and other vehicles from the Colburn contingent arrived at the fairgrounds with no problems, as did the horses. 

My sisters were quite please with how well the horses behaved throughout the day.  Some of the handlers had a few comments about some moments of misbehavior in the show ring.

For me, personally, Dusty (up there on top with Mary Ann Boseth combing his tail) started the nibble routine almost immediately after entering the ring.

I felt pressure to show him as best I could, especially every time, Barbara (the judge and Dusty's owner) walked by.  

It did not seem like Dusty behaved as he does when Barbara shows him, but she said later he wasn't that bad.  So, I felt relieved.

The "athletic" handler Merisa said her horse Rusty seldom stood still.  I guess Laurie knew what she was doing when she assigned Rusty to Merisa.  Both horse and handler got a work-out.

Still, I must say that I never saw Rusty acting up too much.  

It seems that the outside world often notices fewer nuances than we who are trying our best to do our best.

The horses looked beautiful too.  There's this new magic potion for horses with white hair.  Just spray it on, and the green manure stains disappear with a quick rub down.  

Scout, the pinto, received the biggest potion rubdown.  

And, the tales of tails.   What is there to say about those tails, other than "nice tail."  

Barbara and Laurie's horses always receive special, long-term attention to tails.  This attention to a small de-tail makes for some beautiful sights as their horses trot on and show off for a judge. 

I'm not so sure Dusty agrees with their tail procedures cuz he was standing on his tail a lot of time while I was trying to make him stand perfectly.

That could be why he nibbled so much---just to get his mind off what was happening behind him.

And, while all the primping was happening, little kids gathered and did what little kids do at outdoor events like yesterday's.  

They find their own forms of entertainment.  The Neu suburban went home with some new back-window art yesterday.  

And, I loved the line uttered by little Elsa (she's Cherise's daughter, granddaughter to Colleen and great-granddaughter of the late Elsa Wormington).

While I was snapping the photo of Elsa and her cousin working on their window art, I heard her say, "I bet a little spit would help."

Smart young lady!

Anyway, the day and its events all turned out well, and all those rigs, people, puppies and horses returned home safely after a hot day at the fairgrounds.