Costume Classes

I participated in my very first musical freestyle, anything goes, class in June this year. What a blast! It's also not something I'd do again. It was so much work. And I about died from nerves before starting the test.

First I had to find music that fit Ava, and had some kind of theme to it. I spent hours combing through music and listening to different genre's attempting to find something that would spark an idea for a costume. I finally settled on the "He's a Pirate" theme simply because nothing else seemed do-able at the time. So then I went to work putting the costume togeter. I am not good at sewing. I don't sew. I can barely get one pass through the fabric before the string is in knots and I'm gushing blood.

Every day I sewed, and I sewed. I sewed on my lunch break, I sewed after work. I sewed when I woke in the morning. Did I mention I will never do this again... :)  I made pirate boots out of fake leather, and lined them with padding, with little cut out toe's for the boots that wold hang over Ava's hooves.

I finally had to beg my mother to come help me finish the costume the day before the show. Thank you, Mom!!!

I still hadn't a clue as to what pattern I was going to ride, or even how long it would take to enter at A and ride to X for the halt.  I was completely unprepared!

So the day of the show... we fit the costume on Ava. Strap her little boots on, and snug her vest on her. When my trainer suggests that maybe I should see how Ava will react to all this stuff before I head out of the barn. DOH! Why did I assume my mare would be hunky dory with strange things fluttering and bopping against her in weird places?!?!  Aaarrggghh..  I was going to die a painful death.

In light of this astonding logic (Sorry Bern), we decided to leave the head band off of Ava.  Like just the headband was going to be an issue. hahaha.

Amazingly, Ava did not care at all. She took one look at everything and puffed right up like she was Miss Super Star!  I love my horse!

My husband made us beads to go in Ava's mane and forelock out of stryofoam balls that he painted and tied together with thick string. We banded it into Ava's mane before the class. It looked Awesome! 
Finally we get Ava all dressed up and it's time to enter the ring. I'm hyperventalating at this point. I can feel my heart in ears and my stomach is rolling. I still did not have any idea what to ride when!!  I was screwed!  haha

So I figured... As long as I don't fall off, Ava doesn't get hurt, and we make it out of the ring alive at the end, then we did OK in my book. It was for fun anyways. I just wanted to try it out. I mean, geesh, who doesn't want to ride in a costume to music in front of dozens of people. HA. I'm a glutton for punishment.

Here's "Captain Jack":


Here's Ava's Costume (after our ride):







I wasn't able to get the full test video taped. But you get the idea.

There were only two people in the class (including me), and I placed second. Ironically, I got a 70.something percent on it.