The boy done good!

It's all very well taking piggies to the Show but there are other chaps at RectoryReseve who deserve a little fun too!

The local Hunt organises a country fair, not very far away from here, every year on the first Sunday in August. Apart from (or maybe because of) being their chief fund-raiser, it's a very popular event with all the usual fairground activities, clay pigeon shooting, loads of stalls selling everything from home-made jam to Conservatories, a large horticultural element, a poultry show and competition, numerous canine classes and, of course, a variety of equine events. And this year, for the first time, it had been decided to enhance these with the addition of dressage classes.

As a hunter (all the time if he had his way) turned dressage (though not exclusively) horse, Rocco just had to be entered! Especially since my hunting colleagues know that one of the main reasons we don't hunt as much as we once did is because it messes with the boy's brains for dressage!

So Sunday morning saw us bright and early transforming Rocco the Hunter into his alter ego - AKA Madonna's Child: he just loves being plaited and polished, oiled (hooves) and chalked (white socks)! And he really does scrub up well.... Obviously he knows the routine by now but, knowing what's at the other end, he doesn't get too excited!

He was pretty excited when he got to the other end this time though! All the noise and bustle, the fairground rides and the fancy dress, guns going off in the background and little ponies whizzing hither and thither....... quite on his toes, as if he expected Hounds to appear any moment. He was quite lit up in the warm up area too...... not surprising with children waving balloons almost under his nose and people picnic-ing just beside the arena..... I don't think he could really fathom what was going on. He was certainly a lot brighter and perkier than he usually is at dressage events........ But then, he didn't realise it was a dressage event ----- until we entered the Arena proper and started the 'Test'. Even that didn't subdue him though: "Don't mind doing this here" he seemed to be saying. And it is more interesting doing dressage outdoors with the attendant scenery and things going on rather than indoors with no views and just a few sober, serious and quiet people about!

So the horse was on his toes and all attention and actually quite happy to do everything he was asked without hesitation or deviation! Which thrilled his rider and quite impressed the judge! If it had not been for the former making a few really stupid pilot errors the latter would have given us even better marks. As it was though the boy done good and won the red rosette anyway! And an extra rosette for being so well Turned Out. And --- for the first time ever - some money...... real hard cash! Well, even I got excited then!

"Perhaps we should do this outdoor thing more often" I said to Madonna's Child as I told him what a star he had been. He just gave me a sidelong look and carried on eating his prize ---- a whole banana (it was supposed to be my lunch but I thought he'd earned it!)