So much fun! Great competition from all over, and Banksy back to jumping 20″ again!

Banksy came in 2nd overall for the Masters Series, and won a bye to the US Open finals in Jacksonville Florida! That was with one bar in the Jumpers part, and a beautiful standard run.

That’s a pretty long drive. And there are alligators there. We would go if not for things like work, if we had all the time the world we would drive there and find an alligator farm and see all the things on the way, I think New Orleans is near there, Georgia is near there, and Marfa is on the way. We could even visit Tallahassee and see a swamp.

Maybe someday, things like this, driving across the country for agility. In a camper!

For now, big fun events like this will do.

Banksy did not put a foot wrong all weekend, she just put her feet in front of another as fast as she could go and tried her hardest to do the things I pointed to, just like we practice, simple as that.

There were some amazing runs with amazing time, there were some bars, there were 2 handling errors on Sunday that cost me Es in 2 classes, and made me see how perfect Banksy is. She follows my every move and does exactly what I show her every single time! So I learned some things, such as use a decel at jump 5 instead of blasting her at top speed towards the wrong end of the tunnel screaming “INININININ!” in the 2nd round of Speedstakes.

I just wanted to win. Just use the decel! Maybe I would have won with it, maybe not. But the wrong side of the threadle tunnel was a popular E, so at least I was in good company.

The dabbling I did earlier this year with 1 arm threadle apparently took and caused a wrong bypass when I used that cue by mistake, costing us our Biathlon Jumpers run! Oops. I am very glad I have video to see the amazing dog that Banksy is, who does every single thing I’ve taught her.

She missed 1 rdw exit. But hit all the rest quite nicely!

I still make mistakes. But so many great, fast runs, Banksy is a dog of a lifetime. She’s napping now. Otterpop, too. Gustavo hung out at the score table and ate treats and helped set bars. He thought that was great. I missed his birthday, I forgot it was the same day as mine and he’s now 13 years old! Happy Birthday, have some pollo!