So, we were in Jefferson, WI all weekend for the first show if the year. We took the RV and enjoyed some nice weather.
Sydney's horse, Snickers, has been in Texas since November with a trainor. Mike, a long-time family friend and world champion, brought Snickers home last week and was nice enough to hang around for the show and work with the kids. They love him!!
Here are pics of Billy and Mike in the Lead-Line class. This class is for the youngest of riders where they are asked to show basic riding skills, but the horse is kept on a leash with a someone leading the way.
Walking around the arena in front of the judges...
Billy is asked to "back" his horse...
Billy answering questions from the judge...
Billy wins 1st Place!!!
Sydney shows in several classes. We didn't get many pictures...but here are a couple. 
Saturday, Sydney struggled to find her rhythm. Sunday was a different story. She showed GREAT! In one class, though, her numbers didn't get put on her saddle blanket for her class...an automatic disqualification!!! It was such a bummer!! The judges told her she would have won the class! So, in her next class...after scrambling to get her numbers on...she kicked butt!!! Both judges gave her 1st place! She was THRILLED!!! (There's this one girl that she's competed against for the last 2 years and Syd FINALLY beat her!) It was the ego-boost that Sydney really needed.
Back in the fall, Sydney had to write a short story as an assignment in her English class. Her teacher asked her to make a few changes to it and wanted her to submit it in the Yahara River Writing Contest...a county-wide contest. We didn't think much of it, as several of the kids from her class were asked to do the same thing. Much to our surprise, of all the 6th-graders in her category, she got 4th place!!! She was invited to attend a writer's workshop, followed by an award ceremony and lunch. We are VERY proud.
Oh yeah, her story was about a boy and his horse...Go figure!
Sydney with a few of her friends that also received awards.
After a much needed spring rain...We noticed this BEAUITFUL double-rainbow across the sky. This was the view of it from our back deck. God has a way of stopping you in your tracks :o)
