AR Horsemanship

Our trail run from this morning. I would have posted sooner, but my reception was terrible at the barns. I was thrilled with Hope’s performance in this class. There was lots of greenery around and the infamous canter pinwheel. Hope was a little forward but was listening and over all was really on my cues. I just got scores for this class and we came in 1st! So proud of this special mustang. I will be posting our compulsory run shortly. #teamespanasilk #countercanterdesigns

Second class done! I couldn’t have been happier with Hope in this class. Of course there’s always things to nitpick, but she was on my cues nicely for the most part. We did a ton of transition work to make sure she was with me before going in. We got results from our 1st class which turned out better than I was expecting earning a 9th place. And in our 2nd class we placed 1st! Tomorrow we start at 9:00 AM with trail, followed by compulsories at 1:00. #teamespanasilk #countercanterdesigns

First class is over… this was probably the worst handling class I’ve had 😅 Hope was going well in the warm up pen but as soon as she saw the first horse go into the arena she was on high alert. Our pattern itself wasn’t that bad, but she was fresh in the roundpen and didn’t want to be caught. Which is not at all like she is at home, she normally catches you. In this environment she was definitely distracted! Nevertheless, we are on to the next class this afternoon! #teamespanasilk #countercanterdesigns

36 days left before Hope and I are on the road to Texas. It’s crazy how quickly the time has flown by!#teamespañasilk #countercanterdesigns

The end of a journey means the start of another 💛 My journey with Jimin was one of my all time favorites with a competition mustang. He is one of the sweetest horses with a heart of gold. When I picked him out back in April he was not my top pick due to his smaller size. He may be small, but he sure is mighty! I’m excited for the future of this amazing boy. Since I finished Kookie’s journey video this week, I felt I needed to get Jimin’s done as well. I hope you enjoy! #teamespanasilk #countercanterdesigns

Hope’s right around 20 rides now and she is starting to show some real potential. We have been working on body control, cruising around at all of her gaits, and her stops. Her stops are probably her favorite thing so far 👌🏻 She was not a fan of the neighbor throwing a frisbee across the street. She was pretty sure that was going to kill us. But, other than that, I haven’t found anything that she’s been super fearful of. And we did work down from the scary man in the field. Hope is going to make someone a really nice horse. Don’t forget she’ll be available in January! #teamespanasilk #countercanterdesigns

Jimin 100 days from the wild 💜4 yr old mustang gelding out of Divide Basin, WY. We will be showing together at the 2024 The Fort Worth Mustang Show in September. This sweet boy is coming along great and is such a joy to have around.#teamespanasilk #countercanterdesigns #ftworthmustangshow

Our final class of the makeover, freestyle! Freestyles have always and will always be my least favorite thing. I am never fully prepared. And as usual, this was made up on the spot 🤣 Despite not being rehearsed in full, Chandler had done all the components separately. He got a little hot in the arena but considering everything, I was super happy with his performance. We were not perfect for even close, but we got it done. Chandler and I finished in 5th place overall! In the auction on Saturday afternoon, Chandler sold to a lovely couple. They picked up the following morning. He is doing great and they love him dearly! #teamespanasilk #teamcountercanterdesigns

Our final preliminary class was trail. This was Chandler’s best class, but it was not without its bobbles. The poles were very white, so there was some clear hesitation in his gait. And despite us having a checkerboard bridge at him, Chandler wasn’t sure that he was able to cross over the one in the class. Chandler really pulled through for me here and got both of his leads clean, and stopped nicely in the box. He did roll the pole in our back, but in his defense, backing over a pole that they can’t see doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. I came out of this class estatic with how well it went. Chandler really had tried hard for me in there. I couldn’t have asked for a better pattern from him. He gave me everything he had. We placed 1st in this class! EspanaSilk Grooming Products Counter Canter Designs

Mustang Maneuvers

Our 2nd class was maneuvers. For this class, we didn’t have a great warm up situation. Because of the lack of warm up space, I wasn’t feeling very optimistic about the class. Chandler was struggling to pick up his left lead, and he was mentally hot so I had no idea how our class was going to go. Chandler handled himself overall nicely in this class, despite his anxiety over his canter. Another class I was happy with! We placed 6th again. #teamespanasilk #countercanterdesigns

It’s time that I posted some updates on the Extreme Mustang Makeover now that it’s been a week since we checked in and started showing 🤣 Our first class was the handling & conditioning. This class went well, apart from moving on his feet pick up and thinking that the trailer was a little too small for his hind feet. He did everything though, and I was really happy with his performance! Chandler earned 6th place in this class. #teamespanasilk #countercanterdesigns

It’s time that I finally posted about this sweet boy💜On April 6th I picked up a 4 year old dun gelding from Divide Basin, Wyoming. Previously tag 3510, he is now Baby Mochi, barn name Jimin!He was a curious but incredibly jumpy little guy. I’ve had him for about 50 days now and he has easily become one of my favorites. He has so much try and is very much an in your pocket, wants to be friends with everyone kind of horse. Jimin and I will are working towards competing in Fort Worth, Texas in September. Following the competition he will be available through competitive bid in an auction. #teamespañasilk #countercanterdesigns #thefortworthmustangshow