We are going to do it!

[racaille]

The carthorse and the sack of spuds are signing up for our first ever dressage test!!!

True, we'll be up against kiddies but it is a big thing for us as dressage is sooooo not our thing!!! I'm hoping that what we lack in floaty paces we might make up for in accuracy - but boy, those corners are hard (I thought of you Bonnyben......) Brig somewhere gave an ace exercise for this: riding 6m circles into each corner, so we'll be trying that.....

Areas of weakness for us are: after not riding for weeks, my back has seized up and my sitting trot is not as soft as it once was (all our tests are done in sitting trot, but you may rise for the extended trot). Left lead canter (of course) will be a real trial: nice old P is doing it really well now but I have to put him into it absolutely just so, any error on my part and he simply cannot do it and my nerves (no no, excitement!!!) will get in the way of my riding fluently. The strike off should be relatively accurate although P can anticipate, but the downward transition will be a laugh - once he gets going he likes to tank round!

I have none of the kit to wear either. But who cares?

So. No date yet, everyone is watching the weather, but it is supposed to be in February. But (and it is a big but) it does depend on finding transport or being able to hack there ....

[solomon]

Go you Rac fanastic news gives me the incentive I need to push myself a bit more.

[fimacg]

Go Rac, you never know you might even have fun... LOL

[spotti]

Go you! You go have fun, who cares if you don't win! It's all experience for both you and Paco at the day, so go, enjoy, and if you can drag someone along to take pictures/videos, do that too!!! ;D

Good luck!

[kitcat]

Good luck Rac. I hope you enjoy it.

[duckles]

Brilliant Racaille - I bet you will really enjoy bringing out your inner dressage diva!
You always seem to have loads going on in your neck of the woods (like Fimacg) -
Out of interest, what tests do you do? I presume not the BD ones?

[fleabitten]

thats great! Hoping for lots of pics and vids ;D

[racaille]

Duckles, BD? Is that British Dressage? The ones here are set by the FFE (Federation Francaise d'Equitation) but I don't know yet what level I will be entered in. You have to belong to the FFE (ie have a license from them) if you want to compete properly, you can have a Club license or Competition license - but Competition license holders will never be allowed to compete below their level (it wouldn't be fair). To grade riders, we pass Galop exams 1 to 9 (seven+ is instructor level). I have level 6 with Pleine Nature (rando) accreditation (with me so far?) It sounds better than it is! Really my level is five.

Officially, I should 'compete' at my exam level. Exceptions are if I enter a young or inexperienced horse in which case I can go 'hors concours'. But since this is a fun day out between local clubs I should be allowed to go in a baby class, unless they cut up rough!

[fleabitten]

so basically for any competition you have to have exams???

is there no unaffiliated gymkhana type shows?

[bonnyben]

Rac, just seen this!!!!

What date and where are you at with your preparation???

Good Luck gel!!!! I think it's a right pig that you have to do sitting trot though....

We don't do extended trot I don't think til we get to Elem level........

[brigadier]

Ha ha - you go girl! Fantastic news- good old Paco. What gear do you need?

[racaille]

Well Brig, for a 'proper' competition at any level here you should have white joddies and a black or navy jacket plus tall black boots (which can be rubber - though I would never wear rubber boots) but there is no way I'm putting my thighs in white joddies and the teenager's black jacket will not do up around my bazookas. But it's only a fun day so I shall be in black jods. I have some very smart competition short boots and gaiters that once on look as though they are boots but I have no idea about the jacket. The only thing I have i a DJ - but Im not sure about that look ....

BB the date is now set for Feb 28 but we're anxiously looking at the weather. In terms of preparation .... er, zero. It has been so foul that I haven't been able to get near an arena for weeks and greedy P is now the size of a small block of flats. Hoping to have a lesson tomorrow ....

But all we have to do is walk trot (petit and allongé - I think that might be your working and extended) and canter, some circles and diagonals etc. All sitting, apart from the trot allongé. Obviously Paco and I will forget the reprise, spook at the judges, tank round in canter and then skid to a halt....

Actually Paco's real talent is a version of barrel racing. If you set a slalom of , say, seven or eight cones he can canter up through them very fast and as straight as possible, turn on a sixpence and then weave back again very very fast. We've never been beaten. Odd but true.

[duckles]

I'm impressed at Paco's talent at barrel racing!! I hope he will take to the dressage arena although I can see that he might find it that bit boring compared to the other things you do (barrel racing, fording rivers, death valleys etc)
I bet you will enjoy though, dressage has this amazing fascination, I think it is like a quest for perfection, impossible but addictive.

[fleabitten]

duckles you have summed it up ;D

you might be able to get a bargain off ebay or in a 'ads for free' paper if you have them in france with regards to the jacket.

i have a pair of gaiters and was going to start wearing them for my lessons but i had them on and they were really stiff and squeaked off my joddy boots at every step, so changed into my grubby suede chaps and boy they were comfy!! and you could barely feel them on your legs - pity. will have to get them gaiters on again and broke in.

[racaille]

Flea, try giving them the same treatment you would a new saddle. Works wonders.

Re the reprise, I'm going in the 80cm (it's part of the ODE thingy) so won't have to do trot allongé. Having some trouble with the extended walk - you have to drop your hands enough for the judge to see while asking with your seat and I have been so cold recently that I find it hard to gather the reins up again in time for a couple of strides of trot and then straight into left lead canter, which is our bugbear. I need to ask for this absolutely correctly or he can't/won't strike off correctly and I'm finding this transition very hard.

But corners are better and accuracy is coming along. However, when we are in a new arena it will ll fly out the window!!! However, it is also a training day, not just the competition, so it will be fun.

I think I've solved the transport problem. We will hack down to the club and then join them in hacking over to the next village for the day out. Shouldn't be much more than two hours each way.

[fleabitten]

paco must be fair and fit rac! i know you say he is fat but you seem to be out riding for at least a few hours what with hacking to the venues etc. i thought you had a trailer or was that just hired for the jumping comp a while back?

anyway, it will be loads of fun, hoping for lots of pics!

im not sure if soaping and oiling them will b very good for them as they are synthetic (bit like the same as a wintec saddle) and not leather. i will have a look at the packaging again to nsee if theres any care instructions - they are made by shires so probs not the best quality.

[Jen]

sorry to hi jack rac :/ but flea just wear your gaiters riound the house, you dont need to neccessarily wear boots with them but the the more you wear them then the more they feel comfortable!!

[babymare]

hey go smile and love the day - its about fun and enjoying and hey you youre doing more than i can do - cant ride in front of ppl so GO GIRL GO

[racaille]

I'm getting very excited now!!

We had a training day yesterday at the venue - but I sort of forgot about it (might have been the neighbour's party the night before.... ) so had to rush a bit. It only took us an hour and a half to get there in walk and trot.

Did one test just to get P used to the new arena and found it a great deal bigger than it should be so the test feels odd, but at least I more or less remembered it. There is a stand of bamboo at one end that rustles in the wind which P didn't like but R was a complete angel! In fact he was going really well, really pretty paces and the teenager looked great on him (how I envy her her supple back!!! And R is sooooooo comfy to sit to, unlike choppy old P).

Some kids were mocking me during my test as I had my map holder around my neck and a headcollar and rope clipped to my saddle but for once the teenager defended me, she told me later. She has also volunteered to do a test on a little black pony that is terribly difficult and mareish so should be a laugh- I was proud of her, she seems more relaxed these days!

Will have my last practice tomorrow and I have promised tips on how to keep P in canter for the diagonal as in left lead he still tries to fall out despite much leg. He seems to find it terribly hard to balance himself, it is fine on right lead. I suspect also that I am using too much hand to steer him to stop him tanking off down the long side. Hmm. work to be done.

But it's going to be a good day out, a real laugh. I am already steeling myself for the encouraging cries of: 'Go, granny!'

[solomon]

You go for it! Have fun, we will be watching for the low down and lots of pics.

[bonnyben]

Sounds like a good day to be had Rac...

Good Luck and have a laugh. How many times have we all said "It's about enjoyment anf having some fun"?

Have a great day - hope the weather holds good.

And we shall want a blow by blow of it all..

[brigadier]

cant wait.................

[racaille]

Oh poo, a bit of a blow. I have misunderstood things. It's not that my French is rubbish, more that there has been a breakdown in communication. The event on Sunday is NOT where we trained last Sunday so it will be all new - but apparently we are entitled to have a walk round the arena first, it being an interclub do. But there may well be flowers and shrubs ... and we all know that they eat horses.

And it is not within hacking distance. The YO offered to send her OH up here to get us but I think that will be too difficult and it would be very good for R to hack down to the club, where we are expected at 8.30am. So we will have to be getting the horse in and groomed before 7am. groo. She offered to have the boys overnight but I think R will be too fizzy if he hasn't had that hour hack down there.

So I will have to take all our stuff - travel boots, coolers etc etc - down by car on Saturday.

And the weather forecast is rain. FGS! Will it never stop?

The ruddy test is the least of our problems. Went through it again today and P was lovely in some ways but is anticipating the left lead canter, does a little leap and ... strikes off of the wrong leg.

Oh what the hell.

[maximum]

hope all is well!! you are so lucky - my competition gene has been buried for too long grrr!

[racaille]

Had a private lesson yesterday in hot sunshine and worked on lots of stuff with some great results! My trainer showed me a way to more or less oblige P to strike off correctly in left lead - not really ideal and we are still working on the 'proper' way but this is a good trick for the test.

I think I have finally cracked the circles although I still struggle with the serpentine - I just can't get the loops equal.

We finished with a run-through of the reprise, which went very well. P wanted to anticipate the canter but I wouldn't let him, he stayed in canter for the diagonal and my back is a little suppler so sitting trot was less of an effort. My trainer was thrilled with me and said if I rode like that on Sunday it would go very well.

Er, that's the good news. There is noway it will be that good!!!!! I shall fluff the test massively and P will throw a wobbly at the new arena. And there is more rain forecast so it will probably be postponed again!

But it was lovely to do it (even only once) as well as P and I can. I felt we were performing at our best and even if it never happens in public I am very pleased with us both! ;D