Dressage Masters Semi Final - Diva report

Worried1

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Well I'm still not really talking to her
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but I do still love her
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She was a bit airy fairy in the warm-up but really good considering it was quite busy with one rider in particular racing around in medium everything! OH did a really good job and she settled and looked stonking!
Was a bit worried about the arena as it had lots of advertising boards and I thought she might be a bit looky so we were ready as soon as the last competitior had finished to get her in and get her round so she could have a look and settle.
She was totally startstruck and found the botton corner too scary to go near. OH has legs of steel and he did amazingly well to pilot her as she was not having any of it!
Came down centre line and then after her halt she was practically in shoulder-in trying to spook at corner which meant she never really performed the first movement which is riding a sqaure. Round the top end she was a little tense but her 10m circle and medium were fair (still a little tense) She tried to jack it in coming round the corner but legs of steel carried her round and halt and rein back were fair, medium canter was more of a hollowed bolt, then she produced some really lovely work.
She scored just under 62% which considering she missed about 3 movements and looked revolting in at least 2, is really pretty good!
I was so gutted for OH he works his a**e of and she looked incredible at home. If she hadn't of misbehaved I reckon she might just have cracked 70%
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So today we are getting the banners out and draping them round the school and also getting the tubs and plants from the garden and decoring the "arena"
Hopefully this, and the fact you can walk around the arenas at early morning excerise, will mean her stage fright is no more at Addington or the regionals!
Have posted some lovely pics in the gallery taken by sis of the moments when she wasn't tense or spooking
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Poor Diva, she sounds just like my mare. I think I will have to 'borrow' my dads plant pots to put around the arena before the regionals
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Well Done to your OH for getting her round, hope next time its you.
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Off to go look at piccies now.
 
Aww what a shame and I can really sympathise. Gen does this sometimes as well and its so depressing. We did the same and got loads of artificial plants and things round our school for a while to get him used to it. If you can its worth doing a 'practice run' dressage test a week before. We always try to do this if we can now cos Gen is just Mr. Spook otherwise. We have to get a music system next as this is his latest bug-bear lol .... not that its the music he hates but the actual speakers D'oh!!
 
Darn!! What a shame... ok... plan of action... gather some friends who are loud, holding pot plans and waving a few flags, and talk loud... tell OH to ride around and add a few bells ringing (ie. time for next competitor to start in other ring which completely threw my boy!!!) and just ride like norm!! Once you have done this a couple of times I am sure you will find Regionals fine.... the walk in am is normally relaxed... last year they did have fountains but I think they will not this year as many people put up a fuss about them...dont worry though as many of us are in the same boat...I have already ordered a fountain, pot plants, loud people and flags!!!
 
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