Baby Brag from our 1st League Show!

[Heinz 57]

We took my green bean and the pony we're trying to sell to a League show this last weekend, along with my BO and her mare, and I just have to share. :)

My green bean is a four year old TB mare that I've had since February; I bought her unbroke out a field, so she's got about six months of under saddle time now. She's been to quite a few open (pleasure) schoolings shows, just for the exposure factor, and has quite a few ribbons from halter and walk/trot classes. She also went to a dressage schooling show about two months ago, and while I was proud of her, the judge wasn't too impressed. I think we scored in the mid-50's, with comments on the test suggesting that I should 'put hands low and wide to encourage roundness' (on an Intro A test, mind you). It was an un-sanctioned schooling show, after all, with a judge I didn't recognize. I didn't take most of her comments to heart. At the show this last weekend, we again did Intro A. She warmed up just about perfect - even throwing in some really NICE canter work, although was just a bit more tense during our actual test. She received 1st place, with a 69%, and some VERY complimentary remarks at the bottom.

The pony is a sort of unknown, my BO got him on a trade a few months ago and was told he could jump and had done some basic dressage. Both have proven true, and I've been riding him in addition to my mare off an on since he arrived; BO does not jump and does not wish to learn, and is only just getting into dressage herself. He's an adorable little thing, and really jumps and moves like a horse, just a very short one. He's come a long way in a short time, and put in a VERY respectable Training 4 test this weekend - ending up tied for 2nd with a 71.6%. Ironically, we tied with my BO and her mare; however, she edged us out with a 9 on her freewalk, whereas the pony only received an 8. ;) Our collective marks were the same. I rode my tail off for that score - for some reason, the poor pony ran out of gas, and I was pushing for every last stride. I was a-huffin' and a-puffin' by the end, and I'm not out of shape (I'm an eventer!).


I'm over the moon! I didn't expect either test to go nearly as well as it did. And I have to say that all those open shows for exposure TRULY paid off - my four year old, TB mare no less, is quiet as a mouse and more well behaved and relaxed than over half the horses there. We've got another League show on the calendar for October 11th, and one at the end of October - if all goes well again on the 11th, we may shoot for Training 1 at our last show of the season. :)

For you PNW'ers, the judge at our show this last weekend was Kathy Casey.

[slc2]

"...the judge wasn't too impressed...scored in the mid-50's... 'put hands low and wide to encourage roundness' (on an Intro A test, mind you)....judge I didn't recognize. I didn't take most of her comments to heart...."

What I tried to do, is instead of discarding what the judge says, try to see it from his/her point of view. What did it look like to them, and why. If I had a video of the test, I'd go right down through the test 'with the judge', looking at each movement and what they scored it and their comments. WHY would someone say to put hands down? What are they seeing?

Perhaps the horse was so stiff and inverted that day, or tense, that EVEN for an intro test, you needed to somehow get him not so stiff and high in his neck. Perhaps you didn't realize your hands were too high, or that you could have done it a little differently. Perhaps the horse was a little tight and tense, and simply went better at the next show. That isn't impossible...

It's very important to be able to see what the judge is seeing, and understand their point of view. Horses are different every single day when they come out, and every test is different. We react differently too, each time. It isn't so impossible that the judge had something of value to say.

Even a less experienced judge - they're seeing something and reacting to it in their way. I wouldn't put my hands 'low and wide' - I'd put my hands down only if they were too high, but not wide.

But just because she gave THAT advice doesn't mean she didn't see what she saw. The trick is in seeing what she saw.

Besides, people here will argue with particular vehemence that it's GREAT to put their hands wide, it's MARVELOUS, so it's a very common thing for people to say that. Instead of focusing on that focus on getting some other value out of it...and think, ok, WHY would someone say that. What do they see?

What I did was try to see what they are seeing, and understand what they're seeing, instead of just discounting the low scores and the judges who give them, try to get something of value from them.

As far as the horse getting behind the leg and needing a lot of riding. He may have been getting distracted, or he may need more fitness work.

Or... most young horses go forward at a show til they get a little bit settled in and not so frisky, then they can abruptly change for the next test or in the middle of the test. In fact as i recall it's very routine for a young horse to do a couple shows very tight and looky, and then abruptly sigh, let down, and go hard sided and need a lot of leg in the middle of a subsequent test.