Gobsmacked!

[Marquire]

Went off to do some affiliated stressage yesterday with the Grumpy Boy. On Saturday he was super-naughty in a lesson with my dressage trainer. The first 5 minutes he was stopping, spinning, doing little rears and generally being a little barsteward. Consequently she made me work him hard for the whole hour in trot and canter to put him back in his place (pauses for bunny boilers to protest about me being cruel).

Anyway on Sunday at the stressage he was back to being a nice boy who was actually willing to please. We moved up to novice last month and he has been struggling a bit with the step up but yesterday he tried his heart out and we were 2nd in the first class and 1st in the second class getting another 4 points.

The amazing part of the day was getting a 9 for our free walk in the second test.

I didn't know they actually existed, I thought they were only given out to the Carl Hesters of this world.

Not bad at all for a bargain basement nag who failed the vet as a hack because he had a turned out foot.

Can't stop smiling

Marie

 

[samp]

Well done, It is great to achieve a 9. My horse tends to gain them in her free walk - only doen u/a walk and trot tests and on Prelim. Plan to go to Oldencraig soon and see what kind of marks I achieve there

 

[not_with_it]

Well done you!

The cheapies are always the best!

 

[OliveOyl]

Well done!
Have you half qualified now then?

 

[poggio]

yay, well done ..

congrats on the 9 ! perhaps he can give some tips to a jiggy joggy TB...

 

[DressageChick]

Poggio- when you walk him do you sit like your on egg shells? Just wondering as lots of people who have this problem and up sitting like this ( a little tense in the body becasue they think he's going to jog) which the horse picks up and it make the problem worse, sit heavy in your seat and keep your hips relaxed and swinging, when releasing the contact feel the rein and then let it out ( a bit at a time to start with until he get the hang of it) to encourage him to take it down and out and not just poke his nose out. Might not be the case with you but has been known to fix alot of FW's

Well done Marie

 

[Sparklet]

Snap - I got a 9 for my free walk in affil last weekend from a judge notorious for her mean scores.

Its a weird thing - the walk. If your horse has a naturally good walk you are laughing but it is incredibly difficult to improve (my instructor used to say, about my last horse, if there was a prize for the worse walk ever my horse would win it). My new horse has a good walk