A Surprising Dressage Result and a Question (Vid)

[AlFresco]

Apologies in advance if this is a long one!! So on Saturday Mr F and I went off to our first BD comp of the year, somewhat later than intended due to an injury he sustained in the mud at the end of January meaning he ended up having about 5 weeks off and moving back our 2012 debut from 30 Jan to 31 Mar! He seems to be back on form however and I decided to be brave and enter P19 and N30. End of last year we attempted our first couple of Affiliated Novice tests, they went pretty well with 7 points from 2 tests but they were *only* N20 so I didn’t think that really counted as a proper Novice, lol and the attempt we made at what I considered a *real* novice test, N30, ended up with a disappointing score of 58% and made me question whether we really were ready to move up However, we have been working really hard over the winter (before the unscheduled time off of course!) and I felt like we were ready, 3 weeks ago we went to our local RC show to test the water and we ended up winning both classes with 70% for P14 and 66.25% in N34 with a listed judge so I was feeling a little more confident!

So Saturday came and we went into the warm up which was nice a quiet. I always struggle with F getting the warm up right, I find if I don’t do enough I don’t get him through properly and going forward and if I do too much he gets tired He isn’t naturally forward thinking (read lazy!) and his whole attitude to life is to only do as much as he has to but when he is pushed to work properly I think he has lovely active paces but I do need to push him to get there. Last year I got to the point where I was going to scream if I read one more comment along the lines of ‘Needs to be more forward’ or ‘Could be more active’! We seem to have cracked it at home and he has been giving me some lovely work but of course it is always different in a test situation isn’t it?

Anyway, so I started warming up and he felt awful, I couldn’t get control of his left shoulder and he was falling in, falling out and also hanging onto the left side of the bit and refusing to soften on that side Oh well, I tried a lot of tricks that usually work at home but it didn’t seem to be happening, probably because I was getting tense In we went and he did a nice obedient test but just wasn’t going forward enough and sure enough that was the judges comment – Argh!! We still ended up 5th out of 15 with 65.46% so it can’t have looked too bad but that is what is so frustrating with him as if I could just get that little bit of oomph there would be no stopping him!

Oh well, I had 40mins until my next test (the dreaded Novice test- eek!) So I let him have a chill (read sleep!) for 10-15 mins then picked him up to warm up. Well, he was like a different pony! Gone was the stiffness on the left rein and he felt soft and supple, not as through as I would have liked but hey, considering how he felt earlier I have to admit I was happy to take what I could get! Before I went in I said to my friend that that last time we did this test we got 58% so anything above that would be great, he went in and nailed it, clever lad! It wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination and I made a few silly mistakes that cost us marks but he felt like he was really trying which is all that mattered!

I was quite early in the class and had about 3 hours until the end so I decided to take the boy home and come back later in the car for my sheet. Before we left I managed to see my score at least and was absolutely shocked to see that we had scored 68.46%!! Comedy moment, me standing there mouth opening and closing and muttering OMG, OMG, OMG and my friend jumping up and down beside me grinning madly! Although we were in the lead there had only been a couple in my section that had been at that point and some lovely horses to come so I didn’t think for a second that we would stay there although with that score I was so chuffed I really didn’t care!

I came back in the car when the class finished and we had only gone and won the class!! Eeeek! I am so proud of my boy as he is only 14hh and really not built for dressage and it has taken us a long time to get to this stage but we do seem to be reaping the rewards of our hard work - a 10% improvement on our previous attempt at this test and it was actually the same judge too

I know we still have lots to work on but I feel like we maybe are actually deserving of being in a Novice class now

Which brings me onto my question, we really struggle getting medium trot, we are working on it at home and there are moments when he seems to ‘get’ it but we are nowhere near competition ready, lol! I always feel a bit silly doing a novice test when I know we won’t get any medium and think that folk must think we are competing at a level above what we should be if we can’t do all the movements But we are working at about elementary level at home and he does find most things ok, counter-canter, walk pirouettes, shoulder-in for example he can do without too much trouble and we got an 8 for our walk-canter on Sat so we must be doing something right there! We get passable simple changes and have been working on traver and even medium canter he isn’t too bad with. It just seems to be lengthening in trot he finds hard and I think he always will, does anyone else regularly compete a horse that you know struggles in one area/with one movement but that you have found that you can still move up the levels? Hope this makes sense! Would appreciate hearing anyone’s experiences

Here is a link to our N30 test, CC welcome but please be kind! Wow, cookies for reading this far!

http://s1136.photobucket.com/albums/n489/Alfresco500/?action=view&current=N30SNEC31Mar2012.mp4

 

[palomino_pony]

I've started doing novice even though canter is not always consistently round. There is more to keep madams brain engaged and the frequent transitions reduce her tense ness. We either get good lengthening with head coming above bit, or modest lengthening horse with horse round so it's a work on progress but if you don't try things you'll never get anywhere. ( we do unaffiliated- cheaper ;-) )

 

[camilla4]

That was a really pleasing test to watch! Accurate, well-balanced and with a generally good rhythm. If I'd been judging, I'd probably have added the comment: "a very good partnership"!!

 

[Farma]

I really enjoyed watching that

Sorry, not a medium trot expert at all but I would suggest you steady up before you come to change rein, half halt to get him back on his hocks a tad then think of the whole frame lengthening to start with to allow bigger steps, sit up and drive through your seat, even if you only show a few bigger steps across the centre instead of loads of rushed steps you will get better marks.

 

[AlFresco]

Thanks for your lovely comments

With regard to the medium, at home I can just about get him to lengthen after really shortening him, getting him sitting on his hocks and just about bouncing and then asking him to go forward and he does really powere forward using his back end but only after 3 or 4 repetitions, lol, it's like he can't quite get his brain around the fact that he *can* take a bigger stride until I have assured him a few times that no, really, he can So in a test situation it is just about impossible as I just don't have that much time He is a funny chap, we will get there and there are moments where I think woah we got it and it's fab but then he goes back to insisting he has no idea what I am on about We will get there........

 

[doodle]

My boy sounds very much like yours in his attitude. He really cant be bothered most of the time. medium trot is coming at home but not there yet and yes I have done a few novice tests. He is capable of all the other movements and I just accept that I will get 5's for the mediums and carry on. I think if he struggled with more than one element it would not be worth it, but i expect most horses has not so good at something, they cant all be perfect at everything!

 

[B-B]

For me, my eye is drawn to your leg. You use it a lot and nothing different happens. So when you need it what do you have?

I would work on asking your horse to keep going unless you say otherwise, then if you need to add leg, insist on a reaction, and then something different should happen - which will help get those mediums.

Apart from that you look great together

 

[AlFresco]

Thanks again for your comments, B-B you are spot on and that is the first thing I see too and it drives me nuts! I honestly don't use my leg that much at home, I expect him to go forward and keep going forward until I say to do otherwise and if he doesn't he gets a short sharp kick and sent forwards until he listens and is in front of my leg (Pony club kicks have their place ), he isn't stupid and it only takes me doing it once or maybe twice if he is feeling particularly stubborn My problem is that during a test I can feel him falling behind my leg and so I keep desperately kicking and willing something to happen and as you can see, not much does He is so good at just going along in this lovely rhythm and thinking that is all he needs to do and it is difficult to break him out of it. But you are right and excuses aside it is something I need to work on with him in a test situation - I should really treat him the same way I do at home and if he isn't in front of my leg have the guts to do something about it!

Sigh, still a work in progress but I am happy with the direction we are going. Thanks again for all the thoughts, all very much appreciated

 

[Jnhuk]

Well done but I do have to say that it wasn't a surprising dressage result but a well deserved result after all your hard work and dare I say recent cross training!

 

[Booboos]

Well done, that is a super result! I had to smile at the image of your friend jumping up and down with joy - how lovely!

Re the medium trot try sending him into medium all the way round the arena and not stopping. Just keep going for a few circuits and it might help him get the idea.

 

[AlFresco]

Aw thank you

I guess most of the time I still think all people must see is a fat, hairy cob trying hard but ultimately a bit out of his league so I am still always surprised when we do well - don't get me wrong, I love the wee man to bits and wouldn't swop him for anything! Obviously just need to have a bit more confidence in us

Back out this weekend so we shall see if it was a fluke I guess!