How Was The Horse Show?
It was a good day, and I had fun.
The weatherman had predicted a not so cold day of 56 degrees with a slight chance of rain, when I got up at 5am it was beautiful out. The sun rose to some clouds and Mt. Rainier big and beautiful on my drive down to Spanaway. Then the closer I got to the place the show was the cloudier and cooler it got. Fortunately it only really rained once during the day, it mostly spit and drizzled. The downpour waited until I was driving home.
When I arrived Tauri let me know just how unhappy he was to be stabled where he was. All by himself at the end of a row of outside facing stables. He wrinkled his nose, pinned his ears and tossed his head around. Mr. Cranky, he's usually pretty happy and curious to see me, but not that morning. However, as people arrived and stuff started happening, he got calmer and more content.
I was so incredibly nervous, running the tests over in my mind. I had thought that oracle2c wouldn't be able to call out the tests at the show like she does at the schooling shows. I was so nervous of forgetting the tests, or mixing the three tests up in my mind and doing a weird mish-mash. Once I found out that she could stand to the side and call out the tests it was a huge relief.
I got there early enough, and the order of the tests were mixed up enough, that I got to see an Intermediate test, that's many levels above where I'm at. Intermediate is what you do before Prix St. George and Grand Prix levels, the highest levels of dressage. That was cool to see, it's cool to see how other people at your level look competing, but the higher levels are inspirational to watch.
I got Tauri ready, and we warmed up for our first ride. He had attitude, as he usually does. Every time I get on him he tests me, every time he wants you to prove to him that you know what you're doing, and maybe because show environments are more high stress, he always seems to test me harder.
While I was warming up for the first test chiaspod arrived. This feeling of happiness and well-being came over me. It probably sounds sappy and hokey, but having him there meant a lot to me.
The first ride was shakey, Training Level Test 2. Tauri was busy looking at the cones with letters on the sides of the show arena, and he hadn't worked out all of his crankiness so one of the canters he kicked at my foot. The judge didn't like how I was sitting in the saddle, most of her comments were about my position, there weren't much about Tauri, except where he shied, or kicked at my foot. She was the most critical of us in this test, but it was the best score of the day at 59.642.
There was a long break between the first and second tests, kitsunebeast and spawnling arrived. That was cool to have more people there, though I'm not sure how much of the second test they got to see, Chandra was concerned that Ash's excited exclamations would distract me in my test. I didn't hear a thing, other than Deborah's voice calling the test, though I do think I heard a very excited Ash yell 'Lorian!' when I entered the arena. After that I focused on the test, Taurean, and Deborah's voice, people could've been talking, I didn't hear.
The second ride I felt was our best of the day, Training Level Test 4. I tried to address the judge's feedback about my position, and also work with Tauri about not looking at the letters on the sides of the arena. I felt like it was a good solid test, he did good and I did good. We were marked down because Tauri's free walk was slow, and the trot on a long rein he didn't stretch his nose down at all. She still didn't like how I was sitting in the saddle, though she did say we had potential to move up levels, so we're not totally hopeless. My score was 57.200
Chandra and Ash had to leave after the test, it's hard to explain to a two year old that you can't ride the horse. Though she did get to sit up on Tauri's back for a little bit when he was standing still. She wanted Tauri to move, and I thought it was cute that my stirrups in the up position, tucked up on the saddle so they don't bang loosely on Tauri's sides (it's a safety thing you do with any english saddle when the horse is not being ridden) were in the right spot for her little feet to reach. It was fun to have them there, I hope they had fun too.
The third ride Tauri was getting tired, not hot and sweaty, just tired. He gave me the usual test when I got on him, but he wasn't putting that much energy into it. I thought it was our second best test, First Level Test 2, the hardest test of the day. I tried to further address the judge's comments about how I was sitting in the saddle, more weight in my thighs & legs, less in my butt, trying to keep good alignment ear - hips - heel. I'll need to work on that more before the next show. It was my lowest score of the day; 56.666, however in a class of 6-7 people that score came in fourth, so I did manage to place in one of my three tests. Most of the judges comments make sense with how tired I know Tauri was, his lengthen in the canter and trot weren't as dramatic as I know they can be with him. He wasn't resisting, I think he was trying to do it, he just didn't have the oomph anymore. She made no comments on my position, so I must have managed to correct that enough, I just need to remember where that was so I get it right next time.
So overall I feel like I did really well for my first A show, I'm happy with how Tauri and I did together. I know it's a delicate balance with him, he needs enough fire and fight to be flashy, but I need to help him direct that to his movement because he needs to look obedient, once he's too tired to fight the showiness in him is also gone. I think the next show will be easier because the mystery is gone, I spent a lot of time imagining what it would be like, building up this idea, and it wasn't nearly as snobby or cliquish or daunting as I was afraid of.
Douglas took some pictures, I'm not sure how they came out yet, I was too tired Thursday night to look, and too busy a work, and tired last night when I got home. There was a videographer there, so I had them record my first and last tests of the day. I'll see if I can youtube them so people can see them, if interested.
It's amazing to me how much showing takes out of me physically. It's not muscle soreness or anything like that, I can ride that much, but all the tension, stress, excitement, adrenaline, is draining. My hands are rough and dry, I've been moisturizing since I got home Thursday and they're still not right, I'm tired and drained, I feel dehydrated. Today is better, but it's just weird how much it takes out of you.
The weatherman had predicted a not so cold day of 56 degrees with a slight chance of rain, when I got up at 5am it was beautiful out. The sun rose to some clouds and Mt. Rainier big and beautiful on my drive down to Spanaway. Then the closer I got to the place the show was the cloudier and cooler it got. Fortunately it only really rained once during the day, it mostly spit and drizzled. The downpour waited until I was driving home.
When I arrived Tauri let me know just how unhappy he was to be stabled where he was. All by himself at the end of a row of outside facing stables. He wrinkled his nose, pinned his ears and tossed his head around. Mr. Cranky, he's usually pretty happy and curious to see me, but not that morning. However, as people arrived and stuff started happening, he got calmer and more content.
I was so incredibly nervous, running the tests over in my mind. I had thought that oracle2c wouldn't be able to call out the tests at the show like she does at the schooling shows. I was so nervous of forgetting the tests, or mixing the three tests up in my mind and doing a weird mish-mash. Once I found out that she could stand to the side and call out the tests it was a huge relief.
I got there early enough, and the order of the tests were mixed up enough, that I got to see an Intermediate test, that's many levels above where I'm at. Intermediate is what you do before Prix St. George and Grand Prix levels, the highest levels of dressage. That was cool to see, it's cool to see how other people at your level look competing, but the higher levels are inspirational to watch.
I got Tauri ready, and we warmed up for our first ride. He had attitude, as he usually does. Every time I get on him he tests me, every time he wants you to prove to him that you know what you're doing, and maybe because show environments are more high stress, he always seems to test me harder.
While I was warming up for the first test chiaspod arrived. This feeling of happiness and well-being came over me. It probably sounds sappy and hokey, but having him there meant a lot to me.
The first ride was shakey, Training Level Test 2. Tauri was busy looking at the cones with letters on the sides of the show arena, and he hadn't worked out all of his crankiness so one of the canters he kicked at my foot. The judge didn't like how I was sitting in the saddle, most of her comments were about my position, there weren't much about Tauri, except where he shied, or kicked at my foot. She was the most critical of us in this test, but it was the best score of the day at 59.642.
There was a long break between the first and second tests, kitsunebeast and spawnling arrived. That was cool to have more people there, though I'm not sure how much of the second test they got to see, Chandra was concerned that Ash's excited exclamations would distract me in my test. I didn't hear a thing, other than Deborah's voice calling the test, though I do think I heard a very excited Ash yell 'Lorian!' when I entered the arena. After that I focused on the test, Taurean, and Deborah's voice, people could've been talking, I didn't hear.
The second ride I felt was our best of the day, Training Level Test 4. I tried to address the judge's feedback about my position, and also work with Tauri about not looking at the letters on the sides of the arena. I felt like it was a good solid test, he did good and I did good. We were marked down because Tauri's free walk was slow, and the trot on a long rein he didn't stretch his nose down at all. She still didn't like how I was sitting in the saddle, though she did say we had potential to move up levels, so we're not totally hopeless. My score was 57.200
Chandra and Ash had to leave after the test, it's hard to explain to a two year old that you can't ride the horse. Though she did get to sit up on Tauri's back for a little bit when he was standing still. She wanted Tauri to move, and I thought it was cute that my stirrups in the up position, tucked up on the saddle so they don't bang loosely on Tauri's sides (it's a safety thing you do with any english saddle when the horse is not being ridden) were in the right spot for her little feet to reach. It was fun to have them there, I hope they had fun too.
The third ride Tauri was getting tired, not hot and sweaty, just tired. He gave me the usual test when I got on him, but he wasn't putting that much energy into it. I thought it was our second best test, First Level Test 2, the hardest test of the day. I tried to further address the judge's comments about how I was sitting in the saddle, more weight in my thighs & legs, less in my butt, trying to keep good alignment ear - hips - heel. I'll need to work on that more before the next show. It was my lowest score of the day; 56.666, however in a class of 6-7 people that score came in fourth, so I did manage to place in one of my three tests. Most of the judges comments make sense with how tired I know Tauri was, his lengthen in the canter and trot weren't as dramatic as I know they can be with him. He wasn't resisting, I think he was trying to do it, he just didn't have the oomph anymore. She made no comments on my position, so I must have managed to correct that enough, I just need to remember where that was so I get it right next time.
So overall I feel like I did really well for my first A show, I'm happy with how Tauri and I did together. I know it's a delicate balance with him, he needs enough fire and fight to be flashy, but I need to help him direct that to his movement because he needs to look obedient, once he's too tired to fight the showiness in him is also gone. I think the next show will be easier because the mystery is gone, I spent a lot of time imagining what it would be like, building up this idea, and it wasn't nearly as snobby or cliquish or daunting as I was afraid of.
Douglas took some pictures, I'm not sure how they came out yet, I was too tired Thursday night to look, and too busy a work, and tired last night when I got home. There was a videographer there, so I had them record my first and last tests of the day. I'll see if I can youtube them so people can see them, if interested.
It's amazing to me how much showing takes out of me physically. It's not muscle soreness or anything like that, I can ride that much, but all the tension, stress, excitement, adrenaline, is draining. My hands are rough and dry, I've been moisturizing since I got home Thursday and they're still not right, I'm tired and drained, I feel dehydrated. Today is better, but it's just weird how much it takes out of you.