Horse Showing...

I’m standing here so nervous, just about to pass out Terror has it’s grip on me-I’m filled to the brim with doubt My palms are sweaty and itchy, I’m having trouble holding on, What in the heck was I thinking, I should’ve just withdrawn; Now Luck can sense my fear and he’s prancing side to side, On the outside I might be smiling but my gut is twisting inside; The judge is getting closer now, should I be on the left or right, Wracking my brain to remember, no one knows of my plight; I step around my horse’s nose, he’s finally standing still, The Judge is looking Luck up and down with terrifying skill; Things are flashing through my mind, I check them one by one, Did I clip his ears, Did I paint his hoofs, I refuse to be outdone; The Judge is almost finished now, he tips his hat to me, I dip mine back and he moves on-I breathe a sigh of relief; Now all we have to do is wait for his final judgment call, I whisper softly to Lucky, “Soon you’ll be back in your stall”; Waiting now is the hardest part, hoping we did alright, A top ten would be amazing, if not we gave them a good fight; A backwoods girl competing in such a prestigious show, How Luck and me made it this far, I honestly don’t know; The Judge is handing off his card, the results are about to be read, My heart is pounding harder now, my body filled with dread; They start at number 10 then count down to First Place, 10 is called, then 9, then 8-I hang my head in disgrace; I’m certain now that we didn’t place, my dreams are shattered in two, I shake my head in disappointment-So much for our debut; “First Place number 6-6-2 handling Lucky White Star” I’m sure I didn’t hear him right, A cruel joke by far; I stand there stunned to silence, then make my way to the gate, Why on earth did he pick us, My questions will have to wait I grab the blue and pin it on my Luck Mans haltered head Truthfully I’d have been happy with Yellow, White, or Red Shocked and stunned by this happy turn, I show my boy off proud I was hoping for a top ten but my First place won the crowd! ~For the Top 10 Contest~