BD Report - Cockshot Dressage

I have been concentrating on getting Hannah forwards and more elastic for the past month, so we have backed off the competing side of things. However, I have felt that she has been much more consistent in her work and decided to book in for a BD competition at the weekend.

It was the first time I have taken her on my own, so I had to make sure I knew the tests to avoid ‘panic’ moments which usually occur when I go completely blank! However, I felt as though I knew them quite well by Sunday morning, and set off feeling confident.

We got to the venue and the classes were enormous! I tacked Hannah up but she had two rubs on her sides which I believe to be a combination of my old boots and my spurs... so I felt a bit lost without my spurs as I always wear them out competing.

I started to warm her up for the first test, P15 and I could feel she was a bit behind the leg and very spooky! It is quite an open venue with a lot of electric fencing flapping around which she took a serious dislike to. Perhaps it was my though, as I seem to get a mental block about Preliminary tests, I do not ride her the same way as I ride a Novice or Elementary test!

We went into the arena and she was boggling at everything, but even through this I could kick her into a contact which is not usually something you can do with her when out competing. I felt that she could have done a lot better, but was pleased with the 65.8% and 3rd place that we received.

There were almost three hours in between the classes so I grabbed 30 minutes sleep and then some sandwiches and the most gorgeous butterfly cakes (they were for charity so I HAD to have some!)

With an hour to go, I tacked up Hannah decided to ride her as I would in my lessons or at home. I am always worried that people will think I use the whip/spurs/leg too much, but I just went for it in the warm up and she was the best she has ever been at a competition. I still left the spurs off because of her sides, but with them she would have been even better. However, we went into the test and I felt she was really up in the shoulder, in front of the leg and willing to work with me rather than trying to find a way of ducking out.

The beginning of the test went quite well, and the canter transitions were the best she has done. She stayed round into them (if a little deep at times) but it is so much better than her hollowing into the transition. Her first medium canter was a little weak and did not show enough change in my opinion, and the first medium trot was a bit shaky because it headed straight to the entrance and Hannah decided out was better than this!

However, her second medium canter felt great and the second medium trot (off her best rein) really moved up and forwards straight away rather than gradually. I was so pleased with her and have to admit I was a little disappointed with her result of 63.something% But the small arguments we had were nothing and quickly rectified, I used my whip to flick her up more in the test which normally I tend to forget about, and all in all I felt she was much better and we were more prepared than we have been in the past.

We have two more competitions booked for the next few weeks, so hopefully I can start getting her results up a little and she has already qualified for the Areas!

Hannah is back from boot camp!

I went to pick her up yesterday morning...

Jo showed me how she has been lunging her before riding to get her more forwards, and encouraging her into the outside rein. She looks quite different, she has muscle in her bottom that she certainly did not have when she went.

Jo then got on her, and I could see that she looked much easier and forwards into the contact. She will never be an easy ride or straight forwards, but the arguments were manageable because she was not backing off, and she was trying to please.

I then got on (God, I am unfit after a week off riding... it's amazing how quickly you lose it) and could feel how soft she was through her jaw and neck, and more over her back and through from behind.

This morning I lunged her as Jo has been and she was really working hard through her hind legs... I couldn't stop smiling when I was watching her because it is great seeing such an improvement. She is more stuffy on the right rein, but when I put her onto the left rein on the lunge she was much looser and actually loose through her shoulders.I then got on and worked her as Jo instructed... using the shoulder in on the right rein to get her hinds working underneath her (she tends to throw them out) and leg yielding from the track into the centre on the left rein. She found it all so easy!

To finish, I had put a little jump up. She has not jumped since she was four months in foal, so July 2006. She absolutely loved it today. We started with a little cross pole and trotting into it, but she jumps so much better out of the canter. I put it up to a straight about half way up the wings (so not huge but big enough for me) and she gets so excited. She tries taking over a bit and then gets too close into it, so I got her together and tried really watching for the stride and she was great!So, I am a very happy bunny this morning