Equestrian Weekend

Ruth had back-to-back horse shows in Tyler yesterday and today, so we headed down Friday night and spent a couple of nights in a cute little cabin in the woods. Many things were different about these events compared to other events we've attended. First of all, these were much bigger shows and therefore lasted much longer than other shows we've attended. These were also held in a fancy indoor arena, which offered protection from the drizzle of today but almost seemed to magnify the extreme cold of yesterday. And, while spectators could huddle together in the stands instead of building little camping chair villages, the noise of the crowd and the metal bleachers really seemed to spook some of the horses and kept many of them on edge. Over the course of the two days, Ruth got to ride four different horses, and she performed beautifully. As a bonus, all of her grandparents got to be there at various times to see her ride. She came away with four colorful ribbons (a blue, two reds, and a yellow) of her very own, and her team came in second in today's show. We are so incredibly proud of this girl and absolutely love to see her do what she loves!

Little cabin in the woods

Ruth and Gizelle were a beautiful match in the walk/trot/canter (WTC) class yesterday and secured first place.

Calica was spooked in the arena, but Ruth kept her under control and won 2nd in the walk/trot class yesterday.

This girl was on fire despite the cold!

The official roster described Roxy as "witchy on the flat," but Ruth managed her perfectly and got 2nd place in WTC.

Agnes and Ruth got 3rd place in the walk/trot class this afternoon.

So proud of this beautiful equestrian!