My First Time...

... Showing.

Basically, I want you guys to get in the mindset that I had when I was heading into the pen, so listen to this little tune & accompanying video...

Most importantly the verse...

"His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy

There's vomit on his sweater already, Mom's Spaghetti."

Okay... so I didn't really enter the ring like I was living in detroit, repped do-rags, rapped at night and sold drugs by day, but Myself and Rabbit (Eminem's character in 8 mile) do have something in common.

We happened to do a big 'ol choke.

So what happened?

Well... First things first... I walked into the herd with a fresh horse. 

Wow... loper of the century over here, can't even lope my own horse.

Then I got into the herd & sort of... blacked out.

Basically I was going for a shape cut and realized as I began driving (way too many) cows up that I didn't exactly know how to shape cut. 

Well, shit.

I got a cow infront of me and that cow took one look at me, turned tail and smashed past me at the wall, right back to the herd. 

Well, shit.

My second cow was alright, and I got something done, but when I went to turn back to the herd my horse hung in the bridle and I grabbed the reins with my second hand.

Well, shit.

My third cow did something very similiar to my first cow.

Well, shit.

& I chipped one off the top for my last cow and got to work a little bit before I heard the buzzer go off.

My score?

A Solid 63.

I left the pen & every part of me was screaming:

But, a client and I were talking after and she said to me,

"The first time I showed, I fell off my horse in the pen. It was terrible. Somebody said to me then, 'Well, your first time showing is over and you'll never have to do it again.'"

& by golly she is right,

never. again.

The Most Feared Two Words: "Too Fresh"

Once upon a time I was a little canadian girl transported into the big world of the Texas cutting horse scene. We were at a show, my first show (!!), when I was handed the reins for a seasoned 7 year old show-horse, and told to get him ready. My fellow-loper assured me this horse was "super easy" to get ready. She said to me, "Trot and lope him, once he drops his head he's about ready, take him to the middle and if he pee's that's his cue, he's ready to cut." 

So here I was, loping around, and this horse goes pee... not once, not twice, but three times. Shit, I thought, maybe I over-loped him? But, he didn't really feel "ready". I was having a mental back-and-forth about the whole thing when all of a sudden over the loud-speaker I heard "-horse- please get ready"... well then...

So, off I get, and hand the reins over to the Texan Trainer. He gets on, does some dry work and all of a sudden takes off loping around the arena.

My friends, that is never a good sign.

Me:

The Texan Trainer walked into that pen, and that "seasoned show horse" that's "so easy to get ready", well he sort of turned into a very seasoned...

... dragon...

a dragon who wanted to eat some cows alive

That horse zinged and zanged from wall to wall, and at one point, I swear to you almost sent himself and the Texan Trainer right into a wall. My co-worker who had given me such helpful advice, turned and stared at me with an open mouth. Yep, I was screwed.

The buzzer finally went and the Texan Trainer walked out of the pen, jumped off and shoved me the reins. He stared me down and said very tersely "Way. Too. Fresh" and then huffed off.

I stared that "seasoned show" horse down, and I swear to you he looked smug.

Seasoned Show Horse:

"Got ya, you little inexperienced loper bitch"