Most Improved

Have you been on pins and needles awaiting this update on how the horse show went….??

No?

That’s ok, haha!

We had an awesome week of rides leading up to show day.  Pongo is feeling physically better than he has in over a year (YAY!).  It seems this last round of injections, plus a slight tweak to his hind shoeing has really made a difference.  In sorting those two issues out for the time being his back and shoulders have started to free up.  Amazing how interconnected everything is.

By Saturday I had a horse swinging so freely through his shoulders that I could barely keep him contained, he was flying around the ring with a big, floaty trot.  No complaints here!  Sunday we went to the show, it was about an hour long haul.  The farm was SO cute.  As soon as I got there I had to braid and then read a test for one of my barn mates.  I hustled back to the trailer after reading where super groom (aka my husband) had Pongo SADDLED UP and my tack all cleaned.  *Totes Spoiled*.  I popped on my new Ariat Monacos (SWOON!) and my new Horseware Competition Jacket (COMFY, affordable, washable and oh so smart looking!) and off we went!   Pongo warmed up beautifully.  The test was quite a different story.  As we rounded the outside of the ring he started to tense up and get strong.  I felt him continuing to build and by our first transition to canter I knew I was toast.  He grabbed the inside rein and ZOOM!  he was hauling me around the circle in the center of the ring.  I tried to sit back but I had to make an extra, small circle to bring him back to trot.  GRRRRR…Second canter wasn’t much better. While he didn’t take off quite as bad, he still completely blew off my cue for the downward transition and I slammed him on his butt in the corner to get the trot, turn down centerline and sheepishly gave my salute.

Did I mention the judge was dressed up for Halloween like a JUDGE?

Judge Judy...but you get the idea...

 

57%.

YUCK.

We earned that.

So, how to fix it?  He tricked me a little in warm up by being so quiet, I didn’t work him enough before we went in for our first test.  I knew for the next test I needed to do about 400 canter trot and trot canter transitions in warm up until he was b-o-r-e-d and a little tired if possible.   We went in for our second test and, aside from a couple bouts of screaming at the Friesen walking around in the adjacent arena, Pongo was quite civilized!   

That's more like it...

68%. 

BETTER.

We earned that.

What did I learn…well, I think in some respects he was just being a twit in the first test and hadn’t shown or been off the property since May.  The disobediences don’t concern me much at all because we went back in and fixed things for the second ride and walked away with a score much more in line with where he is at in his training progression.  Maybe next show I’ll lunge him a little to get his sillies out before I hop on and school him in his canter transitions a little harder before going in for our first ride…but, that’s about it…He knew what to do, he just decided to be cheeky and not do it!

 It was a seriously fun day!  I memorized and rode two different tests to boot!  I don’t know about you, but my capacity for memorizing these things is way less impressive than it was when I was younger!

Beautiful Day!

Last night we had our regular Monday night lesson.  Pongo warmed up great and we started into shoulder-fore down the quarter-line in the trot and then in the canter.  H-A-R-D!!!!  My shoulders and abs were on fire as I tried to keep my posture/position correct.  Pong was trying equally as hard to do it correctly.  After about 30 minutes of the exercise I got to just trot him around the arena…WHERE DID THIS HORSE COME FROM?  I had the most elastic connection and he was pumping along in the prettiest trot.  He felt like a real dressage horse, there was flexibility, elasticity, evenness, suspension.  Wow.  Wow. Wow.  

Seeing him come together like this is incredible and rewarding!  

Don't forget to check out Sprinklerbandits contest!  

Dream Horse Studio....all the pretty colors!