In a dressage test, you have to focus on both the choreography of the test—the movements and patterns—and your horse—the self-carriage, the half-halts, the preparation for each movement and the work in between them.
In a freestyle, you have to think about the choreography, the horse, AND the music. And alas, I can only focus on two of the three at a time!
Cleo was a SUPER good girl, went around, did everything like I asked. I may have spent my best horse in schooling on Friday, where she was a pistol in the big, scary, beautiful coliseum, and I had to school it out of her a little.
In the competition itself, we hit all our marks, stayed with the music, and ultimately just weren’t brilliant, though everything was basically a 7 or 8 except for the movements where we made mistakes (missed a two-tempi, our right pirouette was the size of Omaha), and a couple of bland movements (a flat canter half-pass, didn’t go for it in the collected walk). We ended up fourth, but most importantly we raised a LOT of money for breast cancer research, and had a GRAND time. Huzzah!
Back at home now, and I’ll maybe, possibly get around to enjoying a much needed break. Of course, I haven’t done any laundry in about a month, and I have to go to the store, and take Cleo to the repro clinic to start getting bred, and take the trailer in for a once-over, and… well, you get the idea. Life gets in the way of all the fun stuff, like watching CSI reruns and eating peanut butter out of the container with a spoon. Not that I do that. Ever.
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Next on my calendar is a clinic for the junior riders of CDCTA, our local GMO. Then it’s our first Fix-A-Test Sunday; we’re hosting fix-a-test events a few Sundays a month all summer long, which I think will be really fun. In Northern Virginia our dressage community is strong, but we’re really in Eventing World; I’m hoping that lots of both groups come out and enjoy the day.
Next weekend I’m off to Lexington, Va., one of my favorite venues, for a BIG show–Ella will do her first real Prix St. Georges, and Midgey his first third level freestyle; my mom is riding her wonderful, perfect Andalusian stallion, and I’ve got three clients going too. Then it’s the Region 1 Junior Team Championships, the Region 1 Adult Championships…
Yeah. If I’m going to enjoy this day off, I’d better get to it!
