Disappointments

It's times like today that I wish we had never gotten involved in activities.

Gymkhana was canceled for the third month in a row. The October and November shows were canceled due to pigeon fever at the facility we normally use. Today's show was canceled due to wind (which is really ridiculous since our valley is always windy). The problem is that Lorna got up in the dark to get the horses ready, we all ran around yesterday cooking extra food and getting everything prepared for today's show. I should feel lucky that we got a call as we were getting ready to load the horses but it's difficult not to be angry and frustrated.

Last week I found out that we could have been using the rodeo grounds for shows all along. When the first show was canceled I asked about using the grounds and was told that there wasn't a tractor available, which I found out isn't correct. It seems there was a falling out between our club and the rodeo grounds people a few years ago. The people who caused the mess are long gone but no one could put the hard feelings aside long enough to find that out the actual details. Small town politics are really frustrating!

Ultimately my kids are the ones who are hurt by all this which makes me really angry. Our club really only has a handful of children who ride and I think the adults who make the decisions forget what it's like to have an activity you love be so inconsistent. Lorna has stopped planning for future shows and won't even put the dates on her calendar anymore. At this point she is of the opinion that no one outside our family keeps their word and I really can't blame her. I put out over $100 for year end awards, the money cannot be refunded. In order for her to actually qualify for those awards we are going to have to travel 50+ miles to shows in other districts. This means more money for fuel and more planning since we will be gone longer. All of this could have been avoided if the people who run our club had been just a little more forgiving and proactive.