Vickijay
Well-Known Member
Hello,
I thought I would be one of those awful people who posted about the same thing in 2 separate parts of the forum because I am so proud of my baby pony!
Please don't hate me!!!
I took Dottie to her first ever party a month or 2 ago, I had a huge hangover and realllllly didn't expect to do well, let alone win the qualifier for the Badminton dressage championships! It meant that we have had to practice circles and poncing in the arena and even bought some new sparkly based tat to try and embrace the dressage vibe!!
It came around very quickly and before I knew it at 4:15am the alarm was going off, time to get up for washing and plaiting. The trip was good, we got there and I was pretty overwhelmed about how lovely it was.
Got a lift to the arena in a golf buggy to go and watch a few tests and felt a bit in awe about all the nice horses there. I didn't worry about it though, I just was proud we had got there. We went back to truck, tidied her and got ready. The warm up area was so nice, it was lovely just riding there!
My step dad took ALL the Badminton pictures on his posh camera, they are the nicest pictures we have of us trying to look like dressage divas!
We walked down to the arena and waited to go. It was a toss up as to how I would ride her in the test. She is only just 5 and didn't start proper work until the spring whilst she as waiting for my diet. She can go slowly but look mincey or she can go more forward but tends to look hurried. She just isn't strong enough yet to go forward with bigger steps rather than faster. She can get it for a long side, but not for a 4 min test. We decided to go for forward. There were many questions for the baby pony just in the arena, flowers, topiary bushes, 2 judges on raised platforms with flowers/tablecloths etc, chairs with loads of spectators, a tannoy, banners and flags!
She went in, spooked at the tannoy, GAWPED at the people and both the judges but then settled down to pretend she was a dressage pony! My step dads camera didn't cope so well with the arena...
She didn't get placed, she wasn't far away from being, I think she came 12th or around there. She got 62% from one judge but got 70% from the other. The comments from the unhappy judge were that she was rushing. I do think I was damned if I did and damned if I didn't really so have to just be pleased with the fact that she is only just 5, hasn't been in proper work long and this was her 3rd ever party, plus jumping is far more her thing!!
The 70% judge liked her a lot more obviously and her comments were lovely. She put "Stunning horse, beautifully ridden test and a pleasure to judge" that might be the nicest thing I have had written on a test sheet ever!
If you want to see the test in all the hurried glory here it is, please remember she's only young and its work in progress!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eKcheX5oBk
All in all it was a lovely day. We even posed for some pretend ridden photos near the XC...
You can just see the lake and this years jumps if you really look!!
All in all it was a lovely day on my lovely (IMO) homebred, it really was a special day that I will remember fondly and Dot got a pretty rosette just for qualifying to be there.
And I thought Id add 2 pics from early morning riding because its pretty at home at the moment with all the poppies
Thanks for reading
I thought I would be one of those awful people who posted about the same thing in 2 separate parts of the forum because I am so proud of my baby pony!
Please don't hate me!!!
I took Dottie to her first ever party a month or 2 ago, I had a huge hangover and realllllly didn't expect to do well, let alone win the qualifier for the Badminton dressage championships! It meant that we have had to practice circles and poncing in the arena and even bought some new sparkly based tat to try and embrace the dressage vibe!!
It came around very quickly and before I knew it at 4:15am the alarm was going off, time to get up for washing and plaiting. The trip was good, we got there and I was pretty overwhelmed about how lovely it was.
Got a lift to the arena in a golf buggy to go and watch a few tests and felt a bit in awe about all the nice horses there. I didn't worry about it though, I just was proud we had got there. We went back to truck, tidied her and got ready. The warm up area was so nice, it was lovely just riding there!
My step dad took ALL the Badminton pictures on his posh camera, they are the nicest pictures we have of us trying to look like dressage divas!
We walked down to the arena and waited to go. It was a toss up as to how I would ride her in the test. She is only just 5 and didn't start proper work until the spring whilst she as waiting for my diet. She can go slowly but look mincey or she can go more forward but tends to look hurried. She just isn't strong enough yet to go forward with bigger steps rather than faster. She can get it for a long side, but not for a 4 min test. We decided to go for forward. There were many questions for the baby pony just in the arena, flowers, topiary bushes, 2 judges on raised platforms with flowers/tablecloths etc, chairs with loads of spectators, a tannoy, banners and flags!
She went in, spooked at the tannoy, GAWPED at the people and both the judges but then settled down to pretend she was a dressage pony! My step dads camera didn't cope so well with the arena...
She didn't get placed, she wasn't far away from being, I think she came 12th or around there. She got 62% from one judge but got 70% from the other. The comments from the unhappy judge were that she was rushing. I do think I was damned if I did and damned if I didn't really so have to just be pleased with the fact that she is only just 5, hasn't been in proper work long and this was her 3rd ever party, plus jumping is far more her thing!!
The 70% judge liked her a lot more obviously and her comments were lovely. She put "Stunning horse, beautifully ridden test and a pleasure to judge" that might be the nicest thing I have had written on a test sheet ever!
If you want to see the test in all the hurried glory here it is, please remember she's only young and its work in progress!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eKcheX5oBk
All in all it was a lovely day. We even posed for some pretend ridden photos near the XC...
You can just see the lake and this years jumps if you really look!!
All in all it was a lovely day on my lovely (IMO) homebred, it really was a special day that I will remember fondly and Dot got a pretty rosette just for qualifying to be there.
And I thought Id add 2 pics from early morning riding because its pretty at home at the moment with all the poppies
Thanks for reading
)
