More success at our summer dressage show!

[pboy]

Yesterday afternoon and evening we had a summer dressage show at my stables. I arrived early as I'd agreed to help plait the ponies for the early classes and damn it was hot!! Only about 32 degrees but with the humidity if felt far far hotter - by the time I'd groomed Classy and plaited two ponies I was dripping sweat, despite being in shorts and t-shirt! Thankfully my first class was at 6.53pm (Prelim 13) then pairs at 7.30, so the sun was behind the mountains by the time I warmed up. My two classes only had 4 entries each, which must have been a welcome change for the judge who'd had 20+ in the Show Hack (mostly walk test) and Intro A!!

I had a final practice on Saturday morning and I really felt I could 'ride' Classy through the test and prepare for each movement instead of thinking 'oh sh!t, circle circle NOW!!'. In the warm-up, he felt like he was 'running' a lot and not too balanced, however we were in the jumping arena which is (a) a bit exciting and (b) on a slight slope so I was hopeful he'd be better in the actual arena. We went in and he was fab - willing, fairly supple even on the left and only a little bit behind the leg. Canter transitions were a bit camel-like!! My friend Jessie was in just before me and her test looked lovely, we tend to come 1st and 2nd or thereabouts when we compete together and I was sure she'd reverse the placings this time! Some pics - OH didn't get any of the actual test so I'm going to see if he got a video...





I was very surprised to find we'd beaten Jessie again! We're going to have a look at the comments when our sheets come back as her horse, who can be tricky and volatile, looked lovely and soft in her test so I wonder if she's dropping marks on accuracy. Her horse is certainly more elegant with better paces than Classy and she's a lovely rider!

OH was struggling with the camera in the dark so it looks like I'm on a ghost horse in the prizegiving



Next up was the pairs, which I did with Jessie. I've never tried pairs dressage before and it is HARD!! Jessie's horse is a bit of an antisocial g!t but luckily Classy loves everyone so they got on ok. I rode like a muppet but we got through it, though with an hilarious comment from a friend who was watching that we looked like a two-stroke engine!

Warming up:



About to start, checking that I'm level with Jessie!



Cuteness award went to 7yo Ellis on Madonna (the grey - my instructor was on the 13.2hh chestnut and was in fits of giggles the whole way around):



Last up were Jessie and my instructor, and watching their warm-up I was sure they would win. However Jessie's horse decided to start with a karate kick that broke the fence (!) and my instructor's horse felt the test would be far more interesting if he threw in some canter So somehow we came out on top again!

Our dog Xasco also had fun at the show playing with his best friend, the stable puppy (or teenager, he's 5 months now):





Edited to add - here's the video. I'm so depressed watching it - firstly I thought I'd really shortened up the reins but they look soooo long, and secondly I used to have fantastic quiet hands but now I can't stop fiddling I think it comes from riding a less 'off-the-leg' horse so I fiddle with the front when I can't get the response from the back

[pboy]

I just noticed how weird Xasco's leg looks in the first picture of him - it looks like he has double-jointed knees!! Freaky...

[haffyfan]

Congratulations! Struggling with the vid but i'll bet your being harsh on yourself.

Lovely dogs too.

[zara]

Well done! I think you are being very critical of yourself; Classy is working into a contact most of the time and I think your hands seem quiet! Loving the dogs xx

[pboy]

Thanks Haffyfan and Zara! I've developed a terrible habit of pulling back on the inside rein every time I sit in the rising trot - it's only about half an inch but now that he's going into the contact it makes him wiggle his head a lot. I'll start thinking about putting my hand forwards with each sit I think and hopefully it will break the habit.... Zara - you have a good point about the contact. He used to curl up and sit behind it and now he's almost leaning on it so he's moving in the right direction I suppose!! If I think of it in terms of scales of training, we seem to have the rhythm, getting better with suppleness and improving the connection. Now I should focus on impulsion then straightness and hopefully I can get him more uphill and 'round' without losing the connection.

Lots of transitions, leg yield and squares I think! Plus tonnes of no stirrup work...and some pole work and jumping to keep it interesting .

I picked up the sheet this morning and we got lots of 6s and 7s with an average of 64.2% for prelim 13 (between two judges, but they were only about 4 marks apart), which is our highest mark yet and included a 7 for his paces so clearly the barefoot thing is working for him. However in reading the sheet I managed to drive off from the stables without putting Xasco back in the car!!!!!! I drove a mile down the road before I remembered, he looked very pleased to see me when I got back! Thank goodness I don't have children, I'd probably leave them in the supermarket or something....

[racaille]

LOL leaving children behind at the supermarket is the best thing for 'em!!!!!

You are being hard on yourself. I wasn't too shocked by your hands although your reins were longer than would have been felt 'right' here in France (and I was stunned that you are allowed to do rising trot - it's always sitting trot here ) I thought that, certainly at the beginning, your lower legs looked a bit fussy but then I understood when I saw Classy so slow off your leg in the first canter.

This is also one of the very many lazy tricks Paco gets up to so I find a good zing with a dressage stick in the warm-up when he is trying to be deaf certainly wakes him up - we aren't allowed to carry then in a test and I assume it's the same for you too.

But I think the main thing to take away is a BIG FAT CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! You did brilliantly, and in such a hot and clammy atmosphere too. Well done!

[pboy]

Thanks Rac! I definitely have very flappy legs - I actually was carrying a whip but didn't use it in the test (we ride under BD rules, so for lower levels you can do rising trot and carry a schooling whip). He was very zippy in the warm-up so I didn't need it, then he died on me in the test! Typical He's definitely not a good horse for my leg position but he's much more off-the-leg than he used to be - even a couple of months ago I couldn't use a whip as it resulted in bucking across the arena, and a year ago he'd even buck in light-seat canter if you tried to push him on! So I guess we've made good progress It's easy to lose perspective when you look at how far you still have to go instead of how far you've come...

I'm just reading through the sheets and the comments are quite interesting - e.g. movement 6, judge 1 says 'Good use of arena, well done' while judge 2 says 'lack of use of arena'. Movement 7 judge 1 says 'nice shape and forward trot, judge 2 says 'circle not round'. There are others too yet both were sitting at C! Despite the comments the marks are similar, and I just remembered that the head judge, who has judged us before, commented on what a good job I'm doing with Classy

[brigadier]

The thing I admire about you Pboy is that you are never afraid to show your vids and do a very good job of dissecting them. I think your own feedback is your best tool as you can feel where you need work and then when you see the vids it shows what you feel. Its easy to say he needs to come up in the shoulder more and you need to fiddle less but as you say yourself its about the rhythm and balance and progression. A huge well done- dont be too hard on yourself- you did fab!
Plus- I think we are all learning from watching you so dont stop posting the pics and vids- love em!

[pboy]

Aug 14, 2013 19:28:40 GMT brigadier said:

The thing I admire about you Pboy is that you are never afraid to show your vids and do a very good job of dissecting them. I think your own feedback is your best tool as you can feel where you need work and then when you see the vids it shows what you feel. Its easy to say he needs to come up in the shoulder more and you need to fiddle less but as you say yourself its about the rhythm and balance and progression. A huge well done- dont be too hard on yourself- you did fab!
Plus- I think we are all learning from watching you so dont stop posting the pics and vids- love em!

Thanks Brig - I was thinking that maybe I should keep my muttering to myself and maybe find a quiet corner to do it in (perhaps buy some cats for the purpose too?) but it's good to hear someone finds it useful!! Sorry for the random streams of consciousness but somehow it does help me to think through it all... And you lot are such a friendly bunch on here that I'm not too scared to post vids!

On which topic, I was looking at old vids of me and Pocholo doing dressage and it's such a different picture. I suppose that's the difference between a naturally uphill and naturally very downhill horse!!

[racaille]

I agree with Brig - I love to look at your pix and vids, it is very useful. I'm only sorry that I have so few to post - the only person interested enoughto come along (the teenager) is always on a horse herself.