Flying solo

This weekend went by so fast! It was jam packed with horse activities and voting.

Saturday Henry and I went and did some dressage at a local club that was fundraising for brain cancer. We entered a prelim and a novice test and went along with the aim of getting Henry to stay in front of my leg and a bit more relaxed than our last outing.

Hen and I were flying solo since Andrew was judging all day and the Pony Club State Championships. I've been to plenty of competitions on my own but not with Henry. I was very pleased that neither Henry or I were nervous without our normal support crew. 

Our first test was prelim 1C,  and I allowed about half an hour to warm up.  I'm still finessing how much  time  Henry needs, but since he has been taking a little bit longer at home to really work nicely I figured it would be similar out and about.

I was on the money, Henry came out forward and a bit tense. He wanted to be looking here there and everywhere like a tourist so it took a bit of time to get him to focus on me. I started warming up on circles, using changes of direction and transitions to get his attention and to help him soften. Once he was going well on the circles, I focused on getting him to relax on straight lines. This was way harder for Henry but by the time it was our turn, he was working well everywhere.

I was really pleased with our first test. He was responsive, relaxed and forward. Our first halt went a bit wonky but was square, he got both of his canter leads, and he stayed forward. There were moments of tension but overall I was really pleased. it was a big improvement on our last few tests.

We had over an hour to wait for our second test, so i took Henry back to the float and let him chill out. He was more than happy to stand tied by himself which made me very happy. It's something we have been working on! The time went by quickly as one of my friend arrived and we spent the time chatting and catching up.

I hopped on with about 20 minutes to warm up for our second test knowing that we wouldn't need as much time. Henry came out super relaxed, and I took a mental note that he made need a preride int he future. Our ring was running really early, and I was the next rider to go in. I took our time warming up but Henry was responsive and relaxed so I didn't over do it and went in early.

The novice test is a stretch for us because Henry is still learning the ropes. There isn't anything he can't do but it is a lot harder especially in a competition environment. Overall I was happy with the test. He was so much more relaxed and forward. He was happy doing his job, did everything in the right place and it was a cute test.

Neither test scored well at all, which I was really disappointed with but not overly surprised. The tests both felt good though, and the comments on both tests were really unhelpful. While I was overall very pleased with how our day out went, I still had a bit of a moan about how I just can't do dressage. Really though I just need to keep plodding along. I have decided to aim for weekly flat lessons for the time being to help get me out of my funk!



Comments

  1. aw he sounds like he's turning into such a solid little worker! bummer about the meh scores and unhelpful commentary tho, that kinda drives me nuts too. sometimes tho just going through the motions is the real win of the day!

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    Replies
    1. Exactly, for us at this point a positive outing is a huge win, no matter what the score sheet says!

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  2. great job and I am not a fan of dressage and judges that don't give constructive comments. :)

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    Replies
    1. Jumping is just so much more fun! Dressage is hard work!

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  3. He is really maturing nicely. Sorry the scores and comments were not what you wanted

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    Replies
    1. Dressage is hard! Me and dressage judges never see eye to eye.

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