Melissa Cooper is my Great granddaughter. She calls me her greatest Grandma. We really like each other. Yesterday, Aug 8, 2009 was the first horse show Melissa has ridden in as a competitor. She was the smallest and possible the youngest competitor in the class and she was definitely the hit of the class. She rode in on Rose's Morning Glory Morning Glory was chosen for her mount because of her sweet nature and her experience in competition. If Melissa didn't quiet know what to do, Morning Glory did.
Regardless of how many times her Granny, Papaw, Mommy and Daddy said they weren't nervous we were all worse than hens on a hot rock. We gave Melissa so many last minute instructions that it was a wonder that she knew how to stay on the horse.
One of my most important instructions to her was not to stop the horse and pose for a picture. She has been photographed so much that she automatically poses for pictures. In one of her practice sessions I was taking pictures of her and she leaned over toward me and looked directly into the camera to get her picture made. I felt it was good and necessary advice to tell her not to stop and pose in the show arena.
Jamie Derickson was instructing her and he was the calmest one of us. He is an excellent teacher for Melissa. He is very patient and he genuinely seems to like her and like helping her learn to ride. All of us in the family really appreciate and like Jamie. He remained very calm and I think it gave her the confidence and the calmness that enabled her to do so well.
I was stationed on the south side of the arena to encourage her to keep Morning Glory in her gait. So as she went by me I continued to tell her to keep clucking to her and keep her in her show gait. She did that really well. But her helmet slipped down in her face. Everyone was really wanting to go out to help her with her helmet. Finally Derick Tipton solved the problem when she came by us at a trail walk. He told her to push her helmet up and she did and then she looked around to see who in the world was talking to her. It was a very sweet moment.
Derick's son Kobe was also competing in that class and it was the evidence of the good sportsmanship of the Derickson and Tipton families that Derick helped Melissa too. He was also encouraging and instructing her on the rail.
When the line up was called she rode her horse over to the north rail with the other five competitors. When she asked Morning Glory for her back up, Morning Glory did it perfectly as she had done so many times for many other riders, young and old. Finally the announcer gave the show results over the speaker.
We had told Melissa she would be competing with some riders who had been riding all season and some had even ridden several years since this was an eleven and under class. Melissa is six.
We had stressed to her that since this was her first time in the show ring she may not get a ribbon at all. Even though she had a very good first ride I did not expect her to leave with a ribbon. We were all so pleased and happy when Melissa earned the fifth place ribbon out of six riders. And Melissa was very pleased. Pink (or as she would say "Pank") is her favorite color.
I think all you readers who are parents or grandparents can relate. It is a story that is repeated many times in many different ways. We all want our offspring to do well. It is important to them and so it is important to us. Yes I wanted to her do well. But most of all like other parents and grandparents, I just wanted her to be safe.
Riding can be dangerous. But so is riding a bike, skate board, swimming and any other sport you can name. It is not our job to make her fearful of all the fun things in life and afraid of having fun doing what she likes to do. Yes it is our job to keep her safe. But when it is all said and done, she is in God's hands and there is no safer place to be. He is with her everywhere. We are not.
God bless and keep you in his loving care.
And my prayers for you is that you will have happy trails where ever you may go.
Regards
Mary
aka as Jane Wayne in some circles
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