- It's a schooling show
- I haven't ridden the 2019 tests yet
- It's a great knock-off-the-rust-and-oh-yeah-get-your-Coggins-done show
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| And knock the rust off your braiding skills while you're at it |
We ended up with a 62.162% for 2-1, which I will both not complain about and admit was generous. We had no major mistakes, but at the same time a lot about it was rough around the edges. Really, it was the perfect first outing for the year, which is exactly what we were there for, so that's a win.
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| Gross. "I can't ride my horse because I'm clamped onto his back like a vise grip" isn't the best way to start your Dressage test, in case you were wondering. |
Our scores ranged from a 5.0 for that seriously sticky rein-back, to 8.0's for both centerlines and halts, which was a minor miracle because as I made the turn at A for my final salute, I realized C had been placed to the left of A by about 18".
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| It's a schooling show run by pony club parents, and I'm therefore not upset about it, but whew it threw me for a loop. |
My lizard brain reacted by going "Shit, ride to the letter" and my final centerline was seriously drunken, but...judge didn't notice the two steps of leg yield I threw in there? I don't know. This was an 8.0:
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| Gift horses and all that. |
As I look back at the video of this test (thanks to my trainer for taking it for me!), it looks...hurried. I can definitely see what both my trainer and KGP mean about him running through me. I didn't have the best or longest warmup, partially because they sent me over early and I didn't double-check or ask to go at my actual time (see also: first show of the year and knocking the rust off).
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| #notalengthening but look at me remembering to half halt at F! |
I need to be more present - which is partially a result of not knowing this test as thoroughly as I did the old tests. I need to actually remember to half-halt - which is just...not a habit in high-pressure situations. I need to relax - and I actually did have a moment I'm quite proud of, when I realized my pressure points were in the middle of my thighs most of the way through the second 10m canter circle and relaxed.
Immediately after I finally relaxed, he finally relaxed. The next movement was the counter canter in our tough direction, and it was probably the best he's ever done this movement in this direction:
It's good place to start the show season off from even if it wasn't perfect. The takeaways were: relaxing through my seat and half halting need to become default habits, and I need to find ways to reduce tension for both of us in the show ring.
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| We were fractions of a percentage point out of second place, but I could not have cared less. Give me the scores! |
LOL your centerline made me chuckle, that was a really nice little leg yield though!
ReplyDeleteI mean, style points for a nice leg yield? Lol
DeleteDefinitely style points for the straight leg yield. Great first show out!
ReplyDelete1 -- I am seriously impressed you braided all that hair! 2 -- Wait, dressage isn't supposed to involve vice-gripping your horse??? :o
ReplyDeleteCongrats! Sounds like you got exactly what you needed out of this show. I'm guessing the judge probably also noticed C and A were not lined up, and maybe bonus points for working that out? lol!
ReplyDeleteSpring is ALL about knocking the rust off for those of us in the North that don't show year-round! Sounds like a great opportunity to do that for both you and Connor!
ReplyDeleteI’m so happy for you! That’s a fantastic score :) Also, glad they didn’t follow through on their questionable threat ;)
ReplyDeleteIt was a show weekend for the Castleberry cobs this weekend b/c I saw one at FENCE HT! He was packing his person around Starter and was doing such a great job. I recognized the Castleberry name from your blog and thought you might enjoy hearing about another one out there enjoying the weekend :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good weekend knocking the rust off and having a good time!!!
I LOVE this!!! Do you remember what the full name was? His breeder would be thrilled.
DeleteCastleberry Triple Praline. If you google Liz Crawley Photos you should find pictures of him from this past show!
DeleteCongrats on a great first outing for 2019!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good first outing for the year to give you a reference point on what needs to be smoothed over for the future!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on a great first outing! I loved your subtle leg yield. I wonder if the judge knew the centerline was off and rewarded your ability to make a split-second decision. I had a similar thing happen at a schooling show last summer. I was way right of C because C wasn't lined up, but I decided to ride straight and make it look intentional. The judge commented that I "missed the centerline" and dinged us for the movement, but then conceded that the centerline maybe wasn't where it should be. It made for a good laugh at the time!
ReplyDelete