Annie has come a long way from refusing to move forward at the trot and having zero canter a year ago.
She was a little grumpy for our dressage test, I'm not sure if she has memorized the test and the arena we do it in and she's anticipating the test, or if all the work taking contact in the canter transition is making her grumpy. I got a buck into canter warming up when I asked for contact. I'm still not getting the quality of contact and trot that I've been getting at home, but she's easier to warm up at shows, especially considering it was chilly this morning and she's not used to warming up on grass. She was a little behind the leg and bucked a few times when I whacked her, so we have some more dressage to work on! I need to focus on making her confident that she can go forward into contact into the canter and obedient enough that she doesn't buck when I insist.
I was pleased that she was more grumpy with me then spooky at trotting into a new place!
We're still working some kinks out when we trot into the show arena, she gets looky and then suddenly there's a fence in front of her and she doesn't want to jump it. I really noticed a difference in my riding in our Green as Grass Derby course, where I was alert enough to make her go over her second scary fence and then brave enough to pilot her zig zagging body out into the XC field and over the fences all by herself. We zigged and zagged and walked over a couple of the fences but I made her go. I think it gave her a lot of confidence in herself and a lot of respect in me.
I decided to add a second round for the derby and boy was I glad I did! We hit the grass and she trotted boldly over her first two fences, then kept her canter and I let her roll. She got STRONG but she was having so much fun going FAST!!!! I wrestled her back to the trot to go up and down the bank and she was royally pissed, having planned to gallop down it so she let out some I WANNA GO FASTER bucks. I was so excited that I forgot where my last fence was. Oooops. She looks fantastic in the video and so confident.
She was hit or miss for our Starter course, the first fence was bigger and there were a bunch of horses to look at so she ran out. I didn't do a very good job of keeping between the funnel of aids and was more of a passenger then a pilot. The next several fences were awesome. Then we came into fence 7 which was near the judge's truck so she wanted to look at them and not jump the fence. I didn't add enough leg, didn't add enough right rein, AND got ahead with my shoulders so I hit the sand.
I was SO mad I smacked the ground with my hand! LAZ came right up and boosted me back up into the saddle. I remember thinking "heck yes I want a leg up!" and I finished my course dead on. I was madder then a wet cat.
I got talked into doing a second round, and once again boy was I glad I did! Annie was on fire! I was determined! What a brave little horse!!
The weather was in the 70s, the show was well run, and the food was fantastic! Very excited to see what we do over the winter and where we come out in the spring. BN here we come?!
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