The First Ever MIM 2024 High Point Performance Challenge hosted by Grace and Skye Little

May 3, 2024
It was Art Night at MIM.  The arena was all set up, the sand footing smoothed, the easels carefully placed.  The equus prints by Phariss Sacha had each been removed from their protective coverings, and adhered to their backing boards.  The easel paintings by Katy Niles made a strong, colorful, balanced contrast. Skye's deer family and two of her watercolors of trees were also on display.

Seeing the turnout and how everything came together made the considerable work of art night feel worthwhile.  Anahit and Lousin introduced Grace and Skye to two of their friends, Crustal and Heather.  Riders and stable hands milled about, along with many of Grace and Skye's dogs.  It was going to be a good show.

May 4
Show day at last. Grace kicked it off with a one woman grand entry on her beloved Windy Boy.  Skye watched them fly down the rail. Windy Boy was Grace's favorite horse to ride when she first came to the ranch. The two of them still had a special bond.

And then a calf tore down the rail! Whose calf, they really weren't sure, but he was cute, and he could move

English events came first. Skye watched a young girl who couldn't have been older than nine or ten put her pony over jumps with all the style of a veteran rider, and an eager smile on her face the whole while.  Hunters and jumpers. Glorious horses. But a lot of work to put up and take down the jumps and change the course.

English english english. It went on for a long time.  There were some beautiful horses in the arena.  English games. Other english. It was all fun to watch.  It was all pleasant and friendly, but there were some seriously competent horses and riders in the arena.  

Finally, in the afternoon, the western division began, and Grace got to ride for Tara Reich's stable.  The calves seemed to know they were up against a horse they couldn't outmaneuver.

And at last, the calves got their little bit of limelight.

Barrels.  Poles. Grace felt sometimes like she might be better off just to sit down and hang on. There wasn't much this horse couldn't do on her own.  Roll backs and slides as smooth as silk.

Tara's western pleasure horse was equally responsive...on a completely different level.

Skye wandered outside when there was a lull in the action. It was so hard to be inside all day, even it it was a horse show. She watched a bank of clouds moving up the mountain and felt the moist chill it brought with it. It would be a cold night.

Back inside the arena, Grace was putting the finishing points on the horse who would take the high point performance challenge title.

Then Dahlia slipped comfortably into the saddle, looped the reins around the horn, and using only her weight to guide her horse, made an impressive mounted archery exhibition.

Skye loved the other regalia class. Mulan reminded her of Mikki.  And the medieval warrior was breathtaking.

​It had been a long day, but a really good one, especially for Grace, riding GTFO Imposter Syndrome to the performance high point championship.

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