Day 3 at Michael’s had some ups and downs. I walked in the barn in the morning to find the left side of Ella’s neck big and puffy and sore. Bee sting? Bug bite? Who knows, but my poor girl was a little grumpy.
Temp and eating were normal, so I wanted to ride her at least to let some of that swelling work its way out, and she actually felt pretty good once I got on, so we ran through the whole Grand Prix test, but it wasn’t the most amazing effort we’d ever made. She just backed off a little, and combined with my amazing Dressage Test Brain—where I am unable to focus on riding the pattern and riding the horse’s body simultaneously, something I thought I’d outgrown; apparently not—the first half was pretty blah. I switched on in the second half, and the last centerline was really quite good. And so I have hope!
The “up” was Mr. Tres. He too ran through the whole Grand Prix test, start to finish, without so much as a stumble. Beautiful, fluid half-passes; soft, organized transitions to piaffe; nicely sized, rideable pirouettes; and for the grand finale, 15 SUPER ones, easy as pie. Wahoo!!
I have no idea how he’ll score, but I can tell you that not only can he put in an accurate and steady Grand Prix test, but he can do it with the biggest little heart in the world and a giant smile on his face. Now THAT’s dressage.
ADVERTISEMENT
I zipped home—as much as you can zip a five hour drive—went for a run, and then ran to the airport to grab saddle fitter Colleen, who is doing fittings for my clients for a few days. And naturally, that means it’s suddenly 90*. But all the horses are coping fine, and Ella has returned 100 percent to normal. We switched them all over to night turnout, so they’re not standing out in the heat of the day.
But you know what? I’m eager for the heat, because the heat means it’s summertime, and summertime means horse shows. Bring ’em on. We’re ready!
