Improving Pasture

NE Illinois...THAT's what I was wondering.  If you have an agriculture office, usually those gub'ment workers are sitting around playing solitaire just waiting for someone to ask their "expert opinion". []  Seriously, I just googled for this and here's a great start!
Source: Jim Morrison, Extension Educator, Crop Systems, Rockford Extension Center, University of Illinois, Phone 815-395-5710; FAX 815-395-5726, Email [email=morrison@illinois.edu]morrison@illinois.edu[/email]
Our winter forage around here is rye grass, which I should be buying now and planting in about a month.  You need to do what's best for your area.  also, you can get your soil tested and start making it even healthier over the winter....I think.

Melody sheepishly hangs her head and says, "Oh, yeah.  Those guys.  I've called them for other things before."
Probably just distracted because thisis county fair week...

Aw.... *hands Melody a cold one*.... it's okay!  Sometimes all I have to do is ask someone for help and magically I can do it myself.  Not sure why but it's been like that for years.
 
I want to hear more about the fair!!  Which fair?  Whatcha entering?

-slurp-ahhhh!

McHenry County fair n NE IL.  It's a terrible fair, but my daughter's 4H group shows there.  In the past, she's shown goats and chickens, but this was her first year showing horses.
We got quite the education.  We saw horse people at their very worst; all the snottiness and superiority for which we are judged.  She actually lost her best friend over her horse; she and Wakiya became "competition," and Rachel and her mom couldn't handle it.  It's been a horrible year.
She didn't do exceptionally well, but, for a first-timer, I was proud of her.  5th in Showmanship; never mind that there were only 5 contestants!  Her blankety-blank horse trotted in beautifully, trotted out gorgeously...and stumbled like a cow when walking to the judge!  It flustered Mary to the point that she did her turn in the wrong direction and got called out for it pretty roughly.  She placed 4th in English Equitation; I took video and was FINALLY able to convince her that, no, she does NOT have her hands down!  She took 2nd in English Pleasure, right behind Rachel, whose mom told another mom that "Mary never placed anywhere CLOSE to Rachel.  Never mind that this was Rachel's 2nd and final year as a Novice, and she'd shown 2 years outside of 4H before that.  -grumble_
But Mary had fun, and that's what her horse is all about for her.  I hope she shows again next year, but I'm not counting on it.  We found a riding club nearby that we plan to join, and she's more comfortable and happy there.  But 4H is a good thing for her; we homeschool, and most of her socializing goes on through the group. 
Thanks for asking!

Welcome to the World of Horse Shows.

Following is a RANT I did in my BLOG on a website I run, www.sc-horse.com. While I state I prefer timed events, I have been told that "in-experienced" riders should not go to horse shows". Which leads me to wonder, how do you get experience? In my case, my horse does great on her home turf, but not when I take her somewhere else. The only way she will get better is if I keep taking her!

Anyway, here is the RANT!

My favorite horse events are the timed events such as barrel racing and pole bending. Why? Because they are not subject to horse politics and opinions of individuals who tend to favor the people they know. With timed events, it is what it is.

My first experience with a horse show was at The Egyptian Event at the Kentucky Horse Park. In one of the events a VERY young boy was halter showing. He was a crowd favorite and he won. However, the horse he had could have done it#%92s thing without the young boy. Come to find out, he won the previous year. In the end, the question must be raised, did the best horse and person combination win. The general concenus was, “NO!”

On the final night of the show it was all about the stallions. The final night was broadcast live on Saudi Arabian TV. There was a Saudi Arabian prince who had his horses being shown, and if his horses were entered, they won. The very final event was between 3 stallions. Once from Texas and two that the Saudi prince owned. I am no expert when it comes to such things and from what I saw it was between the Texas horse and ONE of the prince#%92s horse. As you notice I emphasis ONE of the prince#%92s horses. His second horse was totally of control and performed horribly. However, the prince#%92s horses came in 1st and 2nd with the Texas horse coming in 3rd. It was all about politics and giving the Saudia Aranian TV audience what they wanted. SO VERY SAD!

All of this of course is very apparent at the local South Carolina shows as well. Local judges tend to favor the local kids that they know. Visiting kids are at a huge disadvantage. It can be quite apparent when the announcers make a big deal, as the kids are competing in the arena, about how great the local kids are looking and say nothing when the the visitors are competing. These arenas need to remember the visitors are spending money and time hauling their horses to their shows and paying for the classes as well as paying for their concessions. If they are not treated fairly, guess what, they ain#%92t coming back, your reputation for such tactics will spread and your revenue will drop.

My brother-in-law recently attended a Hunter/Jumper show where his daughter was competing. He actually stood next to judges who would go gaw gaw over the local kids and when the visiting kids were competing, they would not even watch and spent the time having conversations on topics not even related to horses. UNACCECTABLE

In the end, this does no good for the kids. The kids that win that shouldn#%92t have started to get the attitude that they are better than they are and this will slow their improvement. The kids that deserve to win get fed up and QUIT. Not all facilities host competitions so not everyone has the advantage of being on the home turf.
If you experience and witness bad judging behavior you need to inform the people running that show and explain if this is the type of show they run, then you will not be back and you will share your view with others. I have seen new show circuits start in South Carolina because of the unfair judging that is going on.
Once concept might be to doing judging like a high school band competition. Judges feel out juding forms which have different captions for what they are judging. They may comments on the forms. They could make audio tapes where they comment on the individuals performance as it takes place. With a band, the goal is to get feedback on how you are doing. You have your band directors opinion, but this gives another perspective. It is a tool for improvement. I believe people go to horse shows for the fun of competition and to learn. What better way to learn than to hear some comments from the judges. A summary of all scores should also be posted for review by all.

This is just my 2 cents and my solution would not solve the issue but I think it would help. There is politics in band competions as well.