Our team went to the South Carolina's horseman's Council  April 2001. It was held in conjuncture with a Pet expo. All kind of animals. DOGS mostly! To say the least, I'm terrified of dogs, been bitten more than once! When I pulled into the Expo the first thing I see is dogs everywhere. NOT a good start! They were having some kind of dog races.

To give you a setting: Their arena was next to ours, and they had put tarps over their cages. Do you know that when the dogs start to race the people scream at them to "COME On", "Run, Run Run", all kind of things. Get the idea? Dog folks are a lot louder than horse folks! To top it off it was as windy as I've ever seen it! The tarps were flapping........and we're a flag team.

We had some members that had to drive down early the morning of the performance. Since 3 were unable to make it. <another story> So they didn't get a chance to get accustom to all the noise or the animals, as there were camels in the same barn as us.  We also had been told that the arena would be 80 x 100. We had changed our music/ routine to this size. Well the arena was 100 x 150. Big difference.
We thought no big deal we'll just cut off 1/4 of the arena. We had only a few minutes to practice without music
 
Well right before we went in I decided to change the side we were cutting off because of the dog races ( that was at full steam at this point) BAD idea! Our first rider starts toward the opposite end of the arena a Fire truck turns on his lights. YIKES! "Ms Freckles" starts to buck.  Just about the time everyone gets in the arena a mule wagon team comes and parks at the end to watch. Well some of our horses started to spook at it. THEN I notice we're running out of music. So I tell my partner to cut off one circle. She thinks I say go another one so we really get off. Everyone is starting to fan out.
So I say "GET BEHIND ME! " At one time I look behind me and I have part of her team behind me.  Then I Say "Follow your leader" . Thinking we'll pull it back together. Then I stop in the wrong place because of the last minute change.  After several trips around the arena looking totally disarranged we pulled it together and ended on a go note.

Words of wisdom to future teams. Don't make last minute changes EVER! If there are dogs around run, run, run! Then run so more!!! If it's windy consider not using the flags, horses tend to remember months later. Ask fire trucks not to turn on their lights at the same time you start your drill and get all your horses accustom to wagons. If you give a morning devotion on "Attitude" you should have a good one even when things go a wire! And most Important, the biggie, if the camels break out the night before,( to breed each other) things most likely aren't going to be good the next day......

Our team motto now is "Follow your leader!" ( some may say it's "Get behind me" others "Ruff Ruff" ;o)

Wanda  Wood