Loaded up at 09:50 and arrived at Hunters 10:40, parked up and went to say hello to Yvonnne who I spied in the distance and parked next to her was Sue Baker so lovely to see them both.
Tacked up the boy and was in the warm up for 11:30 (test at 12:04) warm up started well then warm up filled up and C spent most of it with his ears back, feeling 'humpy' over the back and just not himself. Decided to go ahead anyway and see how he felt in test. Didn't feel as per normal wasn't convinced he was right, but equally not convinced he was wrong.
Asked Tony to hold him and trotted over to judge's car asked steward if I could approach the judge. Spoke to judge (Maggie Copus) who was wonderful as she was between tests and could have quite rightly asked me to come back at break. Anyway her opinion was that he wasn't lame but was unbalanced and was I aware I was holding onto right rein on left turns *bangs head*.
So that pretty much explained why left rein was worse. Buggering stress habit!
Back to lorry, offered him water which he refused so offered apple juice which went down in one :-) loosed girth and loaded him up for half an hour or so, quick look at video decided he wasn't lame and set about learning novice test.
Clare and Katherine arrived :-) lovely to see them walking to lorry, tacked boy up and back into warm up. Husband bravely agreeing to call test. Warm up quiet so walked boy on loose rein (that would NOT have been possible last year!) did a bit of trot and into indoor.
Indoor looking very smart having been painted and C became a pocket rocket. Was so pleased he was joyful just decided to go with it and just let him enjoy. So test was a bit whizzy and he was not over the back but he was listening.
AND I wasn't hanging onto the front end and was enjoying his being happy; playing the long game with this one! Free walk on a long rein was a little scenic but rider woke up before we we landed at B as opposed to F.
Collected novice sheet comments spot on had quick glance at prelim sheet again comments spot on but couldn't collect prelimn sheet as was at that point lying second (!) suspect scorer confused and didn't realise class was mixed test prelim to elementary.
Lovely lovely day :-)
Sounds like a good day out, and I do like a venue with good loos after once having been to a dressage competition at a venue without a loo, and having been to a RC show where they did have a loo but it was grim enough to rate as worse than no loo!
ReplyDelete