Marquire
Well-Known Member
This weekend was our first competition for 11 months as Mr Pony has been out on loan with a friend (who really didn't do anything much with him) as I was relocating due to work. I got him back just before Christmas and we have been working hard at re-establishing the basics as he came back having 'forgotten' most of what he knew before he went 
(
Anyway decided to enter two novice tests on Sunday as they were at the yard (no excuses) and I thought it would be a nice introduction back into the swing of things. On Saturday I dragged OH up to the yard when I rode him to take some pix of our matchy matchy schooling but our fancy spot setting camera died as soon as it was turned on so the pictures below are from his mobile so not the best but you get the gist. I was really pleased with Pony as right canter has been truely horrible since he came back but he was actually quite up and straight for once so I had high hopes for Sunday's dressage- I should remember that pride cometh before a fall!
Quite nice right canter for once
Smart trit trot
So Sunday dawned and off I went to the yard, got him in and scraped about a ton of mud off him including the inside of his ears (?). Plaited him up with 7 golf balls, 2 comb over plaits and 4 normal plaits- very this season don't you know. He warmed up fairly nicely but was a bit looky at all the people coming and going and he felt a lot less relaxed and submissive than normal.
We went into the first test and he grew from the normal 15.3 to about 17 hands as "OMG there is a car in the school!". He was really, really tense and it really felt like I was sitting on an unexploded bomb. Trot wasn't too bad but he exploded upwards into the first canter (imagine Tigger) and it really was damage limitation from then on in. I know that there is no point arguing with him when he gets like this so I had no option but to sit there- smiling like I was having the best time in the world- while he cavorted like a lunatic underneath me.
I popped him away as I had an hour before the next test while a had a few comments of "he looks a handful" and "glad I'm not sitting on that" from some of the other competitors. **SHAME***
Got back on 20 minutes before the second test and he actually felt a lot more relaxed and like his old self. Went into the school for the second test and he still felt okay but just as the bell went some horses went past outside on the tarmac making quite a racket and he was straight back in tense/hyper mode. I had no option but to do a quick circle and get on with it. To be honest it felt a lot better and my OH said he looked really ovely in places but to me it felt barely contained and I had to work really hard to stop him boiling over. But apart from one explosion into right canter he managed to control himself for the most part. It always amazes me the difference between what you feel and what people see because the test felt delicately balanced between explosion and impulsion but a couple of people came up to me afterwards and said how effortless the test looked- not from where I was sitting!
Anyway got him sorted out and went to see results and by some miracle we were 2nd in the first test with 62.6% and were 1st in the second test with 69.6%!!!!!
I nearly cried as that is a personal best score and we got some lovely comments from the judge and an 8 for my riding! Judge comments on second test were " lovely horse working along correct lines and once working with more engagement from behind will do a really super test."
I now need to work how how to get the impulsion we had today in the second test without the tension.
No pictures I'm afraid as OH forgot his phone as as mentioned before camera is kaput.
(Anyway decided to enter two novice tests on Sunday as they were at the yard (no excuses) and I thought it would be a nice introduction back into the swing of things. On Saturday I dragged OH up to the yard when I rode him to take some pix of our matchy matchy schooling but our fancy spot setting camera died as soon as it was turned on so the pictures below are from his mobile so not the best but you get the gist. I was really pleased with Pony as right canter has been truely horrible since he came back but he was actually quite up and straight for once so I had high hopes for Sunday's dressage- I should remember that pride cometh before a fall!
Quite nice right canter for once
Smart trit trot
So Sunday dawned and off I went to the yard, got him in and scraped about a ton of mud off him including the inside of his ears (?). Plaited him up with 7 golf balls, 2 comb over plaits and 4 normal plaits- very this season don't you know. He warmed up fairly nicely but was a bit looky at all the people coming and going and he felt a lot less relaxed and submissive than normal.
We went into the first test and he grew from the normal 15.3 to about 17 hands as "OMG there is a car in the school!". He was really, really tense and it really felt like I was sitting on an unexploded bomb. Trot wasn't too bad but he exploded upwards into the first canter (imagine Tigger) and it really was damage limitation from then on in. I know that there is no point arguing with him when he gets like this so I had no option but to sit there- smiling like I was having the best time in the world- while he cavorted like a lunatic underneath me.
I popped him away as I had an hour before the next test while a had a few comments of "he looks a handful" and "glad I'm not sitting on that" from some of the other competitors. **SHAME***
Got back on 20 minutes before the second test and he actually felt a lot more relaxed and like his old self. Went into the school for the second test and he still felt okay but just as the bell went some horses went past outside on the tarmac making quite a racket and he was straight back in tense/hyper mode. I had no option but to do a quick circle and get on with it. To be honest it felt a lot better and my OH said he looked really ovely in places but to me it felt barely contained and I had to work really hard to stop him boiling over. But apart from one explosion into right canter he managed to control himself for the most part. It always amazes me the difference between what you feel and what people see because the test felt delicately balanced between explosion and impulsion but a couple of people came up to me afterwards and said how effortless the test looked- not from where I was sitting!
Anyway got him sorted out and went to see results and by some miracle we were 2nd in the first test with 62.6% and were 1st in the second test with 69.6%!!!!!
I nearly cried as that is a personal best score and we got some lovely comments from the judge and an 8 for my riding! Judge comments on second test were " lovely horse working along correct lines and once working with more engagement from behind will do a really super test."
I now need to work how how to get the impulsion we had today in the second test without the tension.
No pictures I'm afraid as OH forgot his phone as as mentioned before camera is kaput.