By Glen W. Crofford
We all know about Annual Show and Stock Show, but do we know about Horsecapades, Fountain Valley, Vernal, Limon, White Division Show, White Division Olympics, Interclub, Easter, Buffalo Bill, Lakewood, Arvada? These are just a few of the Shows/Parades that Westernaires will participate in this year! We do these shows for several reasons. First, because we were INVITED. However, I believe that the other two reasons are: (1) the Team that went before us did an outstanding job; and (2) we also need to do an outstanding job so the team coming up behind us will be invited!
OK, we have all of these performances to go to, but how and what do we do to get there and what will ensure that we will do our best when we are there? The answer is both easy and difficult. It is called PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! There are many sayings about this, but I think the best one is, "PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT". Every time there is a practice scheduled, we all need to do just that. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. The important thing here is the word ALL. In this case, ALL means everyone involved. The riders, personal support staff (moms and dads), wranglers, monitors, instructors, first aid, kitchen staff, truck drivers, grounds keepers, costume people, office staff, posse members, caretaker, riders and even the Board of Directors. We all depend on each other and if a team has a bad practice/performance we all have a part in failure.
How do we improve practices? Well, we all need to:
Work/play harder. We can all do this, it just takes (you guessed it) practice.
Follow the rules. The rules have been developed over the years and they are good! If you don't have a copy get one and read it.
Some examples of common rules infractions are:
NO DOGS ALLOWED! People always say, "My dog isn't afraid of the horses", I am sure of that but the problem is that there might be a horse that is not happy with dogs and that is what creates the safety problem. Follow the rule!!!
RIDERS MUST WEAR THEIR BANDANAS! This is for instant recognition. If a rider in a Tenderfoot team has a red bandana on, things will be corrected immediately.
RIDERS WILL REPORT 15 MINUTES BEFORE CLASS! This is very important to practice. Not only are you likely to not get a horse, but if this was the Stock Show do you think that they would hold up the entire show for you?
DRIVE CAREFULLY! The biggest violators are adults! Horses and cars don't mix! If they do, horses and riders lose and if horses and riders lose they don't go to shows and their team is short a rider. Remember: Horses and Riders First, then cars.
PARK IN DESIGNATED AREAS ONLY! While we are under construction, do not part in front of gates, in construction sites, in roadways or cone zones and park trailers in trailer parking areas only.
UNLESS YOU ARE A RIDER, WORKER OR HORSE, STAY OUT OF THE PADDOCK AREAS! These areas get very busy and there is a lot of confusion, especially during class change. If you are in these areas you are adding to the confusion and are creating a safety hazard, not only for yourself but also for riders, workers and horses. PLEASE NOTE: This is the way it is at all horse shows, PRACTICE THIS!
WHEN YOU ARE IN THE ARENA, NO TALKING! If you are being "flap jawed" you are causing others to not pay attention and you are disrupting the drill and creating a safety hazard!
WHEN YOU ARE IN THE ARENA, PAY ATTENTION! Teamwork is the result of many paying attention and doing their job well.
Practice is hard and with few thanks, at least until the end of a PERFECT PERFORMANCE! Practice hard and see how much easier it is to smile!
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