We went to another show today and did the Training level tests 2 & 3. Brigit was really settled & calm and behaved really well.
We only had one hiccup in the first test (test 2) - in our poor attempt at a stretchy circle, we broke into a canter accidently, the judge gave us a "4".... Ooops! I think that's the worst mark I've gotten on a movement thus far. We still managed to score 69% and get 2nd place out of 14 people though! Just imagine if we would have been more successful on that movement!
Test 3 we nailed that stretchy circle and got an "8" on it (Boo yah! lol) and I felt like the test overall went WAY better than the first one, it was smooth, consistent and I thought our transitions were pretty bang on. However I guess it didn't look like it to the judge! We got 3rd place and a 68%. Still really good considering there was 16 people in the class. She commented a bunch of times that Brigit's poll was too low, which she does tend to do a lot, mostly when she's upset. But I really didn't think she looked or felt that bad. Ah well! I'm still really happy with our ride!
Here's the video from our 2nd test today, what do you think? (Also, Robin if you're reading this, any thoughts on the poll too low thing? How can I fix/improve that?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMJA_mo8rHg
We got lots of nice compliments on our turnout, I'm so glad the weather was a decent temperature, not too warm & with a nice breeze. I was still pretty hot in the wool habit with the wool vest underneat but hey, the price of lookin good!
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Well done!!!! Can't see the video though :)
ReplyDeleteI can't see the video or the video link either.. but Hurahhh for you!!!
ReplyDeleteYou two make a lovely elegant pair.
ReplyDeleteUsually when the horse drops the poll and comes behind the bit it is because there is a lack of impulsion. It is a common evasion, and the remedy for an experienced trained horse is a good nudge or even a boot if necessary to bring her back up, but it's a good idea to give a bit with your hands when you do this. I know people don't like to give a strong correction in the test, but you can use the outside leg (or stick) so the judge doesn't see it, and, anyway, proper and well timed corrections are part of dressage training so a knowlegable judge shouldn't score you too harshly for it. Better to give a clear signal to the horse early on in the test and have higher gait and movement quality for the remainder of the ride than to muddle through and get mediocre scores (not that you ever get mediocre scores!).
Some riders use a throw away test, knowing that they may have to really correct the horse and that the scores may suffer; there are a lot of horses out there that have learned that they can get away with quite a bit of naughtiness in the dressage ring since the rider won't risk discipline in front of the judge.
Brigit's not that sort of horse...just squeeze out a tad more energy.
It can be challenging when riding aside to gauge whether or not the horse is carrying her head correctly since you are sitting a few inches higher than when riding astride, so a good ground person is essential.
I have the bad habit of taking my leg off when I get nervous, such as in a test, so while I can get Owen to track up at home, frequently at shows he tapers off the gait energy...and I let him!