We made it! Dengie Dressage report! *pics and vids*

floradora09

floradora09

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Well, here it is! My blow by blow account of the Novice Dengie Dressage Winter League, prelim round, areas and champs!

Prelim round:
After having some success at unaffiliated prelim tests over the summer, I thought I might as well have a go at doing the dengie dressage winter league- hoping that we would be good enough to get through to the area comp, as I believed that if we did a nice relaxed test, that should be within our capabilities. Headed off with the aim of doing a relaxed test, and qualifying would be a bonus. Wouldn't be the end of the world if we didn't qualify, as there were others on afterwards. Anyway, needn't have worried as he did a nice relaxed test, which I was pleased with. Came a bit deep at some points but on the whole pretty good. Won our class with 68%, straight 7's with two 6's for our right canter, and then an 8 for our halt! :D I was so happy to have qualified on the first outing for the areas!

Vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxgKVY400wg

Area competition:
I'd had a couple more lessons before this to try and be nicely prepared. Lots of people from my pony club were there and I just wanted to do a respectable test, as I'm aiming for perhaps intermediate area dressage this summer. Warmed him up and he was going nicely, nice and relaxed again, so in we went for our test (had already done a warmup prelim test as he can be spooky first time in an arena!). Again mostly 7's, with a couple of 6's, but 8's for our canter circles! Put him away on the lorry very happy, because I felt he'd done a nice test so didn't really mind what the score was. Went to check the scores and was delighted to see 68.5% next to our names! As the competition went on, I gradually moved from 1st to 3rd (the top 3 qualify for champs), so everyone had their fingers crossed I wouldn't be pipped! However, guttingly someone got 68.5% as well, but with 2 more collectives than me, so I was into 4th. On going to the areas I'd never expected to qualify for the champs, but after having it so close and then taken away, I was really annoyed! Went in to collect my score sheet and rossie, but was awarded with a lovely nuumed Dengie numnah and qualification form! :D :D :D Apparently, because we had the same score, I qualified too. Off to the champs for me!

Vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSDkwg8GQT4

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Had some more lessons to give myself the best shot I could at the champs, as I felt if he did a nice test we might be able to come in the top 10. In my lessons we were working on turning 7s into 8/9s etc, and he was really working nicely. Once he's soft through his neck I was really able to ask more of him, and his paces became more uphill and he carried himself in front more too. By this point I was really getting revved up for the champs, I was going to give it my all! However, as some of you will know, he pulled a shoe 4 days before the champs, and was still sore on it two days before, so we had everything crossed he would come sound. (In the meantime I'd missed Tweseldown ODE, the first run of season! :( ) thankfully he was good to go with just being left in the field for a couple of days, so even though I has prepared myself for not going, off we went! :)

Champs:
I gave myself extra time to warmup, because he hadn't been ridden for a few days, but for some reason (possibly because of this, or maybe using a different bit, although he'd gone well in it in my last lesson, but most likely my riding!) he felt very tense in the warmup, really gobby, and pulling down the right rein, and I couldn't get that brilliant feeling I'd been getting in my lessons. :( Perhaps I was asking him to do too much without the relaxtation first, who knows, but I went in for my test anyway. The whole test felt terrible, really tense and stiff through his neck and not soft into the contact at all. I as really aiming on riding into every corner, but he just felt ridgid and I couldn't get him bending very well atall. :( His halt wasn't straight, and I felt like crying when I came out! I had been so revved up for it, and then to have actually got there and not even been able to get in the test what I was aiming for: soft and riding into the corners! Felt like I'd really let myself down, but couldn't work out why he was so tense and where it had all gone wrong. Went back to the lorry very disheartened (and yes, I had been dreaming of winning that lovely thermatex dengie rug and coat!), untacked and watched the vid. Let's just say it looks better than it felt! So feeling a little better looked and found my score to be 65.93%. Not too bad, could've been worse, but I was still fairly disheartened. In the end came joint 16th out of 22. My scoresheet was all 7's and 6's, the 6s were when he was tense, and it was nice to see there were still plenty of 7s when it felt so bad! But just annoyed as if some of the 6s were 7s, or even the 7s were 8s, I would've been in the top 10- very close scores, so many in the top 10 were just a few points ahead! :(

However, it was lovely to have made it there, but I'd set my heart on going all out and it didn't really work! I'm thinking maybe the relaxation wasn't there before I started asking for more? I don't know.

Vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLsuZ5XqJ5U

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Is it just me or does he not look very engaged behind here?

Thanks if you took the time to read! Thought it would be better to wait for the champs and do an all-in-one report :) xx
 
Well done! Don't be too disheartened - it is a great achievement to get there in the first place. The first year my daughter went up there she didn't do brilliantly, but lots of people said that you need to go the first year just for the experience, and then the next year you will do better. She went back the following year and came second in her arena and got into the ride-off.

You sound like you got a very respectable score, so I'm sure if you have another go next year you will do even better! I haven't had time to watch the video, but in the photo the contact looks to be a bit strong as the bit is pulling through his mouth, so I suspect that is related to the tension you mention - so something to work on for the next time!
 
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Thankyou, well I never expected to get there, and I think sometimes I get a little ahead of myself when I want to do well, and lose feeling and relaxation a little, which is what I expect happened today. Will try to qualify again next year! As to the bit, it could have easily been what you mentioned, but it was borrowed from my instructor so is 1/2" too big for him, so this could also be why! Couldn't decide if his tension was because of a different bit, but I'd had a lesson in it and he seemed to go more soft through his neck with it and less gobby, so to speak! Will try to hire one on trial for a month and see how we get on at home- don't want to splash out on £50 of my hard saved money for a bit which we don't get on with! xx
 
Well done on getting there. Just wondering if his tension could have been partly because you were trying so hard and it meant so much to you that you were tense. I ask because I know that happens sometimes with my daughter - from the ground I can see the tesion hit!
 
Hey well done!! its hard the first time you qualify for the champs :)!I qual for the areas in both classes but kept coming 2nd so never qualified for the champs. Last year I did what I thought were 2 awfull tests,but I managed to win the 1st and 2nd open rounds. The champs are daunting and didnt do a warm up test so we did another awful test to come 10th :). Do have another go, even if you win another numnah it makes it worth it !x
 
Well done!! Big pat on the back for you and sweetie for him!

Just enjoy the experience first time round, think you need to relax and recognize what you've achieved, because that is a massive achievement!!

You have a lovely boy, who moves very sweetly. Like him lots and I'm jealous of all your goodies!! :)
 
Don't be too hard on yourself! Massive well done for qualifying, that is quite an achievement in itself and from what you say it was a good test. It may be that you were a bit wound up by the ocassion and he felt your tension.
 
Wow thank you everyone, was expecting a slating haha! He is very sweet and I'm very lucky to have him, he'll be 16 this year, bless him.

ml122, I have a feeling this was probably the case! Even though I told myself I *had* to relax or he wouldn't, I think maybe the whole thing of being there for the first time was quite an experience- some people were warming up twice I think, perfectly understandable, but I was like :eep:!

Event rider, will be back with a vengance next winter so watch out area 14! Maybe have a go at open, depending on how this summer goes. If not I may play it safe and have another crack at the thermatex rug!! :D

only_me, thank you- I think he was extra shiny because he'd had a bath a couple of days ago for the ODE we never made it to, just a shame that my relentless grooming STILL didn't get all his winter coat out!

nikkimariet, thank you very much he is such a good chap to put up with me!! I was rather awestruck by the whole thing if I'm honest, so hopefully come next winter I'll qualify again if I'm lucky and ride rather than being bowled over by the experience..

:)
 
Yey! Well done you! So glad you made it and got to have a shot. I think sometimes you put too much pressure on yourself, I did it at regionals this year. You should be really proud :)
 
Thanks, it's just annoying as I know we could have produced a much better test! But then again, we didn't, and I think the perhaps my head was off in the clouds.. But it did cheer me up that even when I thought it felt awful we still got 7s, and if I'd have ridden some parts more they would've been 8s. I'm deffo one for putting pressure on myself! However recently I've discovered with dressage that if I really relax in the warmup and pretend we're at home, we relaxes/becomes softer and our marks improve.

My mum was watching the girl before me, and when she came out she said to her parents "I think I'll stick with eventing!" Hahah!
 
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