Was a miner...

[glenatron]

Now if you look at my previous post, my forecast was "hilarious fiasco" so lets see what we achieved, shall we?


Iris was not entirely impressed with the idea of going out for a dressage instead of having her tea, but she tolerated it with her usual gentle demeanour as we hustled her into the box and chugged our way to Guildford. We pulled up next to another box almost exactly the same as ours but in a different colour. I had hoped to talk to them and ask if they had ever run into any problems with the wheel falling off but they were gone by the time I had picked up my number.

Iris was quite snorty and understandably keen to look at everything while we got ready. Sari was essential for this, as she knew how to pin a stock tie together and also helped me put my number on then pointed out that I had put the noseband on the bridle totally wrong and it looked ridiculous. Unfortunately we had five minutes before my start time by this point and I figured we needed to get warmed up so off we went.

As soon as I was on my horse was fantastic - her anxiety manifested as being a bit lively and light under me, but that meant that we also had lovely upward transitions and she was really steady considering the new and alien situation. It was only a matter of minutes before the steward called my number and we made our way into the indoor. We had a couple of minutes to look around ( I spent most of this time getting Iris brave about the big letter markers ) and then we were buzzed for the test to start.


We entered at A, the test starting with a long trot up the school turning left at the end and back right around the outside of the arena past where we had entered. This part went pretty well up to where this picture was taken. You can see that Iris was looking forward and I thought that we were going to get our usual attempt to stop ( this is how we finish sessions usually, so she likes to stop at G ) but no, the slight balkiness I could feel was that she had never in her life seen a big judge's box and she was now encountering one for the first time. She was most definitely not going to go near it now she did see one. We stopped and boggled and then I kind of pushed her forward and around, but the scene was set...


This was actually the closest we got to the box at any point. My attempt to have correct, low, dressagey hands has already gone out the window and I am working on having any steering at all.


We should be cantering around the top of the arena, but as you can see, we're not tremendously close. We were, however, as close as Iris was prepared to get to that box of terrifying... boxness. She could probably feel the judgement pouring out of it.

Also you can see how the stupid misplaced noseband has pulled the bridle around. Stupid unnecessary riding equipment you have to stick on because of stupid competition rules. My fault.


At this point Iris thought the best way to get us back on track might be to try a properly avant garde move, so we briefly fell out of the arena. We found our way back in, though, and apparently didn't get disqualified - I think we might, technically, have deserved it.

Shortly afterwards on the canter transition right beside the box ( or as "beside" as we could get ) I lost my left stirrup and spent most of the rest of that circuit trying to get it back, which rather took my eye off the ball as regarded what was going on with our general performance.


Halt and immobility- possibly the only part of the test that we really had spot on, but hey, that is one thing at least.

So that was our first dressage test. The results are actually available online but suffice to say that we would be well in the lead if this was a three day event. As it isn't, we are the only pair to come in below 50%, which puts us in last place.

The strange thing is that I actually really enjoyed it and I would like to try again and do better. Iris was a total star throughout and with a bit of work on accepting judging boxes, we could probably get things figured out and working much more nicely. Also, given that we scored 49%, better should be quite achievable.

Comments

[wldhrsjen3.livejournal.com]

I think it is awesome that you leaped in for the experience, and that you handled it with such humor and patience. She really sounds like a sweetheart - I bet next time you two will do really well.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

She is the best horse I could possibly wish for and she will always give everything she can. I'm very lucky to have found her.

[serennig]

Hurray for going off and doing stuff with horses just because why not!

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

Precisely. Also my horsebox needs it's MOT test ( to declare it road legal ) shortly, and I'm not sure how long it will take to pass or how much it will cost so I might as well get use out of it for now :)

[joycemocha.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a good first show! Work on the judging boxes, and it will come!

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

Precisely. Also I could have got to a place where she is really soft in the bridle and looks like a real dressage horse and if we hadn't tried this I would have got into that arena and still had the spookiness about the judge box but by that point it would have been a disappointment. This was a great way to feel out the terrain.

[joycemocha.livejournal.com]

Better to get the exposure out now, get her seasoned while you're training.

[quietann.livejournal.com]

Good for you for going!

This sounds better than the first test off the farm that my buddy Pat had with Jamila, where the judges were sitting in a trailer, and Jamila spent 80% of the test looking at the trailer and spooking, and every trot or canter turned into a mad gallop away from the evil trailer!

(Feronia and I had our issues, too. Here is the slideshow: https://plus.google.com/photos/103634878102801472104/albums/5739859016485136209/5740725216155273810?banner=pwa&pid=5740725216155273810&oid=103634878102801472104)

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

In fairness to Feronia, the letter B is quite intimidating. A lot of people are afraid of my name for exactly that reason.

[serennig]

LOL!

Maybe that's it then. Every time we stacked the dressage letters in a different order in the corner of that arena in Saskatoon, the horses had to spook. We always wondered if we had been inadvertently spelling rude things in horse language, but maybe it was just all about the letter B.

[herecirm.livejournal.com]

Haha, those are some amazing action shots of Feronia!

[siberian-angel.livejournal.com]

Wow! Competitions can be terrifying, for both horse and rider. I love your attitude about it, really!

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

This was more ridiculous than terrifying I think, but I'm really glad we did it.

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

Oh, bless! I'm glad you managed to enjoy it anyway. And yeah, nosebands, why?

And this is why I never got around to taking Charm to the local BD competitions... I would have had to hire transport and hire the arena to work on the whole judge-in-a-box thing, demi-pirouettes and extended canter not being part of the Prelim test.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

I'm making use of my box while I have it- needs tax at the end of the month and that might mean an MOT ( need to check the documents ) and that might mean a while with no box while I get a new exhaust for it...

[kate sandel (from livejournal.com)]

When I entered my newly purchased, working equitation trained Lusitano in a local Trec competition (working equitation all done at canter, Trec barely out of walk), we came last in the more-novice-than-is-possible class. We were sent a rosette with 'Special' on it. We were both pleased with ourselves, as should you and Iris be.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

Zorro and I got a "Special" rosette for our first dressage show. I told him it was because he was a very special horse.

That was the test where he attacked the polypipes that were being used to mark out the arena.

[ellie-equus.livejournal.com]

Well at least you had fun! Haha. Honestly though what a good mare. Not wanting to go near something big and scary is the least she could have done in that situation. The fact she still listened enough to do the test is great. Sounds like it was definitely a good experience. Can't wait until Chester and I can start doing some little shows! Seems like a lot of fun if you have the right attitude.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

It was fun! I think if I had been really expecting to excel I would have been disappointed, but given that I anticipated mayhem, it actually wasn't as bad as it might have been...

[makoiyi.livejournal.com]

Glad you had so much fun. That's what it is all about. But perhaps you and Iris should have watched this first? http://vimeo.com/77197729

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

I like that a lot. One of the things I take from it is actually that the things that came across as "natural horsemanship" in the last few years will soon be an accepted part of dressage.

[gnapp.livejournal.com]

A good start! Go make friends with some letters and say hi to a few more scary things and you'll do great next time! (Which doesn't mean you didn't this time, I should probably point out. Scary things are scary; well done handling them in a nice way!)

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

I actually could probably have got a better test if I'd given up on the first movement altogether and let her look at the box for a while, then picked up the test from there. Easy to think of in retrospect, totally non-obvious at the time.

[re-vised.livejournal.com]

This is great! I think for your first go 'round it was a flying color success! The best way to get horses used to things is to just go do it. I think she responded very well.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

I totally agree. I'm all about getting out and acting, rather than sitting around thinking about acting. I'd rather have tried too early than to miss out.

[re-vised.livejournal.com]

Right. Waiting and waiting and hemming and hawing doesn't do the horse any good. As we know, doing things when they're young is much preferred to when they're older and bit more set in their ways.

[penella22.livejournal.com]

Catching up on old LJ...I am so so so glad you have Iris, and think she is quite a wonderful horse for you. Also, I suspect she was really just trying to save *you* from the judge's box. It was clearly a threat!

I do hope you guys go out and do loads more dressagey things.

Also, this post was hilarious and made me laugh quite a lot, especially the part where you briefly fell out of the arena...and laughter is a much needed thing right now, so thanks.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

She really is the best I could possibly wish for. Something that can generally be said of the women in my life, actually.