only_me
Well-Known Member
Huge smiles all round here – billy and I are finally back out competing! 
we haven’t been out since last July so I was nervous and very very very ring rusty!! Your comments about nerves really helped, it made me relax and focus on what I wanted out of the day compared to results 
So we trooped off to do some dressage - novice 22 and Elementary 43. When entering I didn't realise it was the centres “final” day, ie. The champs
Billy has been a bit trickier to ride recently; if he does something wrong and I tell him off (ie. Stern louder voice) he becomes very worried and then goes all tense, and resists especially through the neck, which I try to correct but he worries more = vicious cycle. Also, other issue when he goes tense is that he tends to come back into himself, sitting just behind the bit. Because of this I am trying to be really careful how I ride him out of it – too much leg he shoots off and/or runs, too little and he has no support so falls onto forehand. This week I was trying to find a combination of bit/noseband that he would settle into and be confident in the contact, without causing more resistance and tightening. Have now settled on a loose cavesson & ns verdibrand which he seems to be most comfortable in, but I am trying really, really hard to keep a soft contact. It's really difficult! I want to keep a steady, soft hand that can still give him support = me usually trying too hard when schooling = the vicious cycle again.
So my goals for today were basically keep the neck soft as much as possible, transitions on point and try to encourage engagement - without worrying him. The warm up was very intimidating, lots of super flashy horses who were going amazing - plus the odd ex-racehorse, one of whom cantered sideways into Bill
Luckily he was pretty chill at that point so didn't take much to settle him.
The novice test was not great; I tried to trot around the outside of the arena (test indoors) and didn't realise how tight it was – hence billy bashed into the corner boards, whoops it was first time doing the test in a 20x60 – I've been practising the test in the 20x40 at home! We were just ok imo - I was very ring rusty and forgot how to actually ride a test, not just the individual movements. Bit stiff around corners, and I didn't have him enough in my seat/hands so was a bit “blah”
Next test was the elem 43, which I worked on getting him more into the hand, connect the hind to front & try to get lift from the back. We do an awesome canter-halt-canter! I remembered to ride again (for some of it!) so it felt much better to me. Canter lacked jump & overall suppleness is still a work in progress, but we didn't have any stiffness in the neck & he was spot on in all transitions I didn't ask for enough in the mediums (for fear of loosing the neck bounce & him running on!) so not huge change between them so lost marks there. But we kept the flow in the canter to counter canter and leg yields were ok! Idiot on board also forgot G was the final halt, so we halted far too early 
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnGeKn3n2Ck
Please excuse my riding & fatness - it's a work in progress!
So, we ended up winning the novice on 66% and 3rd in the elem with 65.8! happy days! I think we did very well on our first outing! plus judge is international standard & comments were similar to both tests, so nice to know that its accurate judging and shows us what we need to focus on in schooling!
some pics:
Thanks for reading! Can only offer some skinny popcorn I’m afraid, have a park run in the morning
we haven’t been out since last July so I was nervous and very very very ring rusty!! Your comments about nerves really helped, it made me relax and focus on what I wanted out of the day compared to results So we trooped off to do some dressage - novice 22 and Elementary 43. When entering I didn't realise it was the centres “final” day, ie. The champs
Billy has been a bit trickier to ride recently; if he does something wrong and I tell him off (ie. Stern louder voice) he becomes very worried and then goes all tense, and resists especially through the neck, which I try to correct but he worries more = vicious cycle. Also, other issue when he goes tense is that he tends to come back into himself, sitting just behind the bit. Because of this I am trying to be really careful how I ride him out of it – too much leg he shoots off and/or runs, too little and he has no support so falls onto forehand. This week I was trying to find a combination of bit/noseband that he would settle into and be confident in the contact, without causing more resistance and tightening. Have now settled on a loose cavesson & ns verdibrand which he seems to be most comfortable in, but I am trying really, really hard to keep a soft contact. It's really difficult! I want to keep a steady, soft hand that can still give him support = me usually trying too hard when schooling = the vicious cycle again.
So my goals for today were basically keep the neck soft as much as possible, transitions on point and try to encourage engagement - without worrying him. The warm up was very intimidating, lots of super flashy horses who were going amazing - plus the odd ex-racehorse, one of whom cantered sideways into Bill
Luckily he was pretty chill at that point so didn't take much to settle him. The novice test was not great; I tried to trot around the outside of the arena (test indoors) and didn't realise how tight it was – hence billy bashed into the corner boards, whoops
it was first time doing the test in a 20x60 – I've been practising the test in the 20x40 at home! We were just ok imo - I was very ring rusty and forgot how to actually ride a test, not just the individual movements. Bit stiff around corners, and I didn't have him enough in my seat/hands so was a bit “blah” Next test was the elem 43, which I worked on getting him more into the hand, connect the hind to front & try to get lift from the back. We do an awesome canter-halt-canter!
I remembered to ride again (for some of it!) so it felt much better to me. Canter lacked jump & overall suppleness is still a work in progress, but we didn't have any stiffness in the neck & he was spot on in all transitions I didn't ask for enough in the mediums (for fear of loosing the neck bounce & him running on!) so not huge change between them so lost marks there. But we kept the flow in the canter to counter canter and leg yields were ok! Idiot on board also forgot G was the final halt, so we halted far too early Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnGeKn3n2Ck
Please excuse my riding & fatness - it's a work in progress!
So, we ended up winning the novice on 66% and 3rd in the elem with 65.8!
happy days! I think we did very well on our first outing! plus judge is international standard & comments were similar to both tests, so nice to know that its accurate judging and shows us what we need to focus on in schooling! some pics:
Thanks for reading! Can only offer some skinny popcorn I’m afraid, have a park run in the morning
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also glad to just get back out there & dust off the cobwebs - I forgot how much I love it! And he behaved impeccably.
