Cob Jockey

Yes, yes, I know how incompatible making plans and horses are. But I've sent in some show entries at this point (bye money), so I may as well talk about it out loud.

Our next show is going to be Waterloo in Michigan June 18-20, and GP trainer will be there too. I'm going to use this one as a prep show for National Dressage Pony Cup, so I've entered 2-2 on Saturday (which will be my first time ever doing 2-2) and 2-3 on Sunday, same as we'll ride at NDPC. 

I also entered Dressage Seat Equitation on Friday at Waterloo at GP trainer's request, something I've never done before. For those of you who don't know what that is, picture a flat class from the hunters, but in Dressage saddles. Everyone is judged together with the judge calling out gaits, and the judge pulls you over at the end to discuss your eq. 

GP trainer says it's a good way to get the horses out and into the show ring before you ride your tests, and she likes to hear the judge's feedback on her riders. I did ask her to check with her judge friend and make sure doing DSE in a jump saddle wasn't a faux pas (it's not). Her judge friend says as long as I can sit up straight in it, I'm good.

Why yes, yes I can

After that will be National Dressage Pony Cup in St. Louis July 16-17, for which we'll ride the required 2-2 on Friday and 2-3 on Saturday. There's a second non-championship NDPC show on Sunday I could've entered, but I didn't see much point and decided I'd rather get home a day early than show again.

The rest of the season is a little murky after Pony Cup. I'm qualified for Regionals, so we'll be doing that. GP trainer is (hopefully) going to Lamplight for Festival of Champions in September and I have a lot of friends and family right by there, so I'd like to do that (not FoC obviously, but the regular show associated with it). And there's one more rated show at the HHP in August that would be an easy target.

Little baby Disco becoming quite the chonk

The schooling shows might be even more interesting - there's a non-zero chance we'll be ready to fling ourselves at 3-1 before the end of this year somewhere that the points don't matter. I am NOT going to rush it, I want to do it right, but GP trainer is talking about starting changes in the near future, once a couple more building block skills are more complete. It certainly makes it an easier conversation knowing that Connor has changes and half passes and all that, even if I haven't done them before. Full training continues to pay off.

It's certainly conceivable at this point that I could finish by Bronze by early next season at the latest, five years after I started it. No regrets on taking the slow, patient way to do it, but dang it's been a journey!