Jenni_
Well-Known Member
Our local Dressage Group had rescheduled one of their winter competitions to last weekend, and they very kindly let me pop an entry in - so we booked to do Intro A and Prelim 17- gasp - a long arena one for her second time out dressaging. Lord help us!
I had two visits from my instructor (who is also my sponsor) ahead of the tests - Wednesday she came out and we ran through straightness, rhythm and relaxation, and Saturday we had a quick whizz with transitions and had a play with cantering across the diagonal with trot after X to see the best way to attack these. Due to the tension at the dressage the weekend before, we worked on devising a go-to warmup and an exercise that I could quickly do in the arena before the judge rang their bell to try and ensure relaxation. The magic exercise for Skye is squares. A few good squares and she's on side and ready to rock. Few stills from working at home in the glorious sunshine:
All this playing dressage pony is far too tiring mum!
So Sunday morning came, and I dragged her feral backside in from the field. I know what you're thinking, how on earth do I manage to cope with such a wild beast? Its not easy at all....
So off we popped for a no pressure morning out. The aim of the game was to achieve a really relaxed, forward test, with minimal ear-eating, and perhaps a placing in the intro. Prelim was to be used as a joker, just there for a whizz round then come home. I hadn't even ridden the test through once, and I don't think she's ever been ridden in a long arena. What we went for was one thing, and what happened was very different!
Intro - I didn't warm up as much as I perhaps should have as I was worried about over cooking her. She was quite relaxed and on side so I played it safe and left it a bit early. So intro test was ok, nothing special, but not bad either. A bit unbalanced in places but she was mostly with me and pretty relaxed. 64.35% for 6th place, and I was delighted with that - we did what we came to do. Prelim was next for a laugh.
Warmed up for another ten minutes, one canter on each rein, and back to squares. Square corners, square turns, square circles, square serpentines... and then we were in. The minute we got in the arena the dreaded tension appeared, but not to worry, thanks to our super well prepared go to warm up routine, a few square serpentines round the school before the bell went and I had my pony back on side.
The test, for me, was the best I have ridden in terms of effectiveness. Its not the prettiest I've ridden, and I'm having problems with sitting up and my hands are still not completely still, but the test was mostly accurate, forward, and I think it flowed. We need to work on the balance in the downwards transitions, but for her second dressage outing I don't think its a bad test! Test here for anyone who wants a watch- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_T_Ae6RDNY
Since Cousland is only 10 minutes away, we took Skye home to chill and then I went back for my sheets. I was pleased with the test, but wasn't expecting to be placed as this riding club do the same tests every month and their members are pretty dedicated! So you can imagine how chuffed I was to turn up and find out we'd only gone and WON the class on 69.64%! Nearly 70%! Totally over the moon with that result- especially because it means we nailed the warm up routine to ensure she was pretty well relaxed.
The aim was always to stay very low level and no pressure until I could guarantee I could work with her to relax in the warm up and carry that into the test - I *think* we have it now, so we're going to enter a Wednesday evening dressage competition (same venue) and do the Prelim and Novice. Just to spice things up a bit.
Pictures :
(rubbish stills)
Friend took these for me- full permission to post
And rosette time!
Sheet:
Plans for her now are upping the schooling work with our instructor, start on mediums and sideways. Hoping to get out in 2 weeks again, so will I report back on our first attempt at novice. This coming week though, she has the saddle fitter and chiropractor, I also have the chiropractor, and I'm not sitting up and I think that and my terrible hands could be aided if I get my back neck and shoulders seen to. So massive MOT's for us both! We also have more dressage lessons, and our first jumping lesson next Tuesday - woohoo! Can't wait!
And in other news... for no other reason than we have the space and we want them, we are welcoming 5 baby pygmy goats to the yard in the next few weeks. They are so so cute, and we think they'll fit in well with our pigs and sheep, after having recently lost our other two old goats
So this little guy is mine, and he is called Kevin. Doesn't he look extraordinarily evil?
So there's my essay
I had two visits from my instructor (who is also my sponsor) ahead of the tests - Wednesday she came out and we ran through straightness, rhythm and relaxation, and Saturday we had a quick whizz with transitions and had a play with cantering across the diagonal with trot after X to see the best way to attack these. Due to the tension at the dressage the weekend before, we worked on devising a go-to warmup and an exercise that I could quickly do in the arena before the judge rang their bell to try and ensure relaxation. The magic exercise for Skye is squares. A few good squares and she's on side and ready to rock. Few stills from working at home in the glorious sunshine:
All this playing dressage pony is far too tiring mum!
So Sunday morning came, and I dragged her feral backside in from the field. I know what you're thinking, how on earth do I manage to cope with such a wild beast? Its not easy at all....
So off we popped for a no pressure morning out. The aim of the game was to achieve a really relaxed, forward test, with minimal ear-eating, and perhaps a placing in the intro. Prelim was to be used as a joker, just there for a whizz round then come home. I hadn't even ridden the test through once, and I don't think she's ever been ridden in a long arena. What we went for was one thing, and what happened was very different!
Intro - I didn't warm up as much as I perhaps should have as I was worried about over cooking her. She was quite relaxed and on side so I played it safe and left it a bit early. So intro test was ok, nothing special, but not bad either. A bit unbalanced in places but she was mostly with me and pretty relaxed. 64.35% for 6th place, and I was delighted with that - we did what we came to do. Prelim was next for a laugh.
Warmed up for another ten minutes, one canter on each rein, and back to squares. Square corners, square turns, square circles, square serpentines... and then we were in. The minute we got in the arena the dreaded tension appeared, but not to worry, thanks to our super well prepared go to warm up routine, a few square serpentines round the school before the bell went and I had my pony back on side.
The test, for me, was the best I have ridden in terms of effectiveness. Its not the prettiest I've ridden, and I'm having problems with sitting up and my hands are still not completely still, but the test was mostly accurate, forward, and I think it flowed. We need to work on the balance in the downwards transitions, but for her second dressage outing I don't think its a bad test! Test here for anyone who wants a watch- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_T_Ae6RDNY
Since Cousland is only 10 minutes away, we took Skye home to chill and then I went back for my sheets. I was pleased with the test, but wasn't expecting to be placed as this riding club do the same tests every month and their members are pretty dedicated! So you can imagine how chuffed I was to turn up and find out we'd only gone and WON the class on 69.64%! Nearly 70%! Totally over the moon with that result- especially because it means we nailed the warm up routine to ensure she was pretty well relaxed.
The aim was always to stay very low level and no pressure until I could guarantee I could work with her to relax in the warm up and carry that into the test - I *think* we have it now, so we're going to enter a Wednesday evening dressage competition (same venue) and do the Prelim and Novice. Just to spice things up a bit.
Pictures :
(rubbish stills)
Friend took these for me- full permission to post
And rosette time!
Sheet:
Plans for her now are upping the schooling work with our instructor, start on mediums and sideways. Hoping to get out in 2 weeks again, so will I report back on our first attempt at novice. This coming week though, she has the saddle fitter and chiropractor, I also have the chiropractor, and I'm not sitting up and I think that and my terrible hands could be aided if I get my back neck and shoulders seen to. So massive MOT's for us both! We also have more dressage lessons, and our first jumping lesson next Tuesday - woohoo! Can't wait!
And in other news... for no other reason than we have the space and we want them, we are welcoming 5 baby pygmy goats to the yard in the next few weeks. They are so so cute, and we think they'll fit in well with our pigs and sheep, after having recently lost our other two old goats
So this little guy is mine, and he is called Kevin. Doesn't he look extraordinarily evil?
So there's my essay
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