MDHT Dressage

For well over a month now, getting close to two months, we've had hardly any rain at all. I know some parts of the country are like "take our rainfall PLEASE," and believe me, we'd love it if y'all would share (Florida, I'm looking at you). The grass is dead, I don't want to take Mo cross country schooling because the ground is concrete, it's awful.

So what day does the rain come back to this region of the country?

Saturday! Of course!

The rain didn't really start until I was just about to go in for dressage, and even then it wasn't so bad. Then it poured between dressage and jumping, but that's a story for another day.

I put Mo on the lunge line for a couple minutes to see what kind of horse I had, and he was super chill the whole time. My mom fed him carrots while I got on and then I got brave and rode him down the very narrow path past people and dogs and other horses to the warmup area. This was going to be the first time Mo had to canter in the dressage warmup, but lucky for me, it was quiet in there, just one or two other riders when I was warming up. He was a very good boy. We had an abbreviated version of our discussion about contact, but then he came through for me and his trot work in the warmup was great. The canter was about what I'd expect to get out of him at home--inverted in the transition, then inconsistent in the contact. No big deal. Honestly, the reason I needed to go back to Loch Moy was to see if he'd jump around XC this time (and I'd entered him at a higher level than last time, because I'm brilliant like that).

When it was our turn to head to the ring, he was being good and listening until the judge's car's windshield wipers moved just as we were approaching to say hello. He was like WHAT THE FUCK and the judge stuck her head out the window to apologize which also scared him. I was giggling at him and assured her it was fine, he needs to see stuff like that, but we didn't go back up there again. On some horses I would have, but Mo just needed to calm back down before we went in, so we circled at A until she rang the bell.

I'll post video of the test when I can, but for now, screen shots.

A enter working trot rising

I mean, for an intro horse, what's not to love?

X halt salute

Yay...

Check to make sure your buddies up the hill saw your good halt

Woops.

Right 20m trot circle

I liked this trot circle. It was balanced and relaxed and accurate.

Right "20m" canter circle

Someone who may or may not have a PhD got so worried about getting the correct canter lead that they forgot to ride the circle accurately. Just, like, totally forgot what a 20m circle looks like. Instead I rode a 10m egg. Well done.

KXM change the rein

Forget the canter circle, try to get the horse across the diagonal like a gentleman.

Aw, look who can change his bend without inverting!

Heading into the best trot circle of his life

E circle left 20m

This left trot circle was GREAT. The only thing that would have made it better was a little more forwardness, but unless this is the very first post of mine you've ever read, you know that forwardness is The Thing We Deal With.

Buy a racehorse and KICK IT, that's what I say.

A circle left 20m

This canter circle was MUCH better because I remembered where to go. He was in and out of the connection, which is fine. I don't expect anything different right now. But no one watching would have thought I was near death, and isn't that really the goal?

Medium walk transition

His transition down to medium walk was great, but then the gait just died under me. Not a huge shock. I tried to kick him into a bigger step and he took like half a step of trot. Oh well.

Free walk

Consider the speed of continental drift...

Taking the loooooong trip back to the centerline

The judge liked this part, called it "straight."

Back up the centerline we go

G shuffle around and put your head up and eventually stand still for one second

I was pleased with it (except my idiocy in the right lead canter circle, won't make that mistake again). He'll get better, I'll get better, but this is MILES from where we were last time we came to Loch Moy in May.

But enough about what I have to say, here's what the judge thought:

34%, fine for this month

And here's the best part:

I love this entire thing. I like her compliment of my horse, I like his score on gaits (which will get better as he goes more forward), and it cracks me up that she called me brave. I'm not sure why, he was a good boy! Maybe the windshield wiper thing?

Anyway, I still have a big smile on my face after that I'm looking forward to our continued improvement in this phase. We have a dressage lesson tomorrow so hopefully we'll get those halts ironed out a little bit before Morningside next weekend. Stay tuned for Part 2: The Jumpening.