I did wuss out and scratch everyone today, though I feel like a dolt because the weather was bad for about 2 seconds before turning into a pretty glorious day. I almost wish I had given 4-1 a whirl with Midge, because he’s ready for it, and it would have been fun. Alas.

Cleo and I had a very nice hack around, and Midge did the same but with a lot more spooking and snorting.

Ella and I had a really useful school with Scott, and I realized that I warm her up for the shows differently than I school her at home.

In schooling, I do short bursts of stuff, with walk breaks inbetween. At shows I make longer sessions without breaks, and I don’t get after specific movements, instead just trying to do everything before she gets tired. This is probably not helpful—I think my strategy may be faulty, because the more I think about it, the more I bet she gets more muscle fatigued this way.

But she’s a horse who benefits greatly from routine, and the more things I change, the more insecure she gets. So for tomorrow’s Championship class I’m going to warm her up like a schooling session, leave a little more time, and take more breaks. If she poops out in the test because I spent all my horse in the warm-up, whatever. She needs to just stay confident and breathe. Here’s hoping.

The real point of this entry: to share some photos from Friday’s Epic Championship Day. Enjoy!

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