And All the Pretty Ribbons

I've learned a lot from my boy.  I love him to the ends of the world and back; he's been a wonderful partner and teacher. 

This weekend I learned that I don't just have 1 horse in him and really, I shouldn't treat him like I do or expect him to be just the same horse all the time. 

Ponoka once again hosted the Silver Dressage Championships for the PAADA show series we've been attending this season.  I entered Ritchie and I in the first-level classes, a regular silver test and the same championship test each day, plus the freestyle on Saturday evening.  This weekend I had 3 distinct horses to ride.

Horse #1.  Yeehaw!  This horse came out a humpy backed and ready to rip.  This horse is the first horse I rode on Saturday (note, not the horse I rode in warmup on Friday evening...)  He was not interested in partnership, focus, or very much try.  I had a few crow hops, and no bend.  A very stiff horse and not at all a fun horse.  We rode, though, we got through that test and I didn't see horse #1 again that weekend.  (I didn't miss him either!)

Horse #2.  This is the horse I'm so proud to own.  I love this horse.  He lets me be the pilot, he bends, he works and he goes in that arena like he owns it.  This is the horse I had for my championship test on Saturday.  I liked that test much better.

Horse #3.  This is the spoiled little boy with a pout on.  After completing a dressage test, the ritual is always the same: go get checked out by the steward and get off, go to the barn.  After the championship test on Saturday, we were only a short time before being back in for the freestyle, so we stayed on and stayed in.  The steward saw him not just once, but TWICE and I still did not get off!  I had the gall to put him back to work!  Suddenly we had a right kick-out every canter depart to the left.  Made for a "dynamic" freestyle as he was quite certain I'd lost my mind when I put him back in the arena.  It was not a fun ride, he was not giving me anything extra.  But we got through, one more lesson learned. 

Sunday we had a little lunge and worked a nice warm up.  Horse #3 was back although not nearly as naughty.  The kick-out was back but it was less work to have him go.  The test was much more smooth with a pair of 7.5 (one for a coefficient!!) I took him back to the stall and left his saddle on, halter on but plenty of room to eat hay and drink.  An hour and a half later, I came back for him with only about 5 minutes before we went in for our test.  We walked and did one trot transition before going in for our test.  Guess which horse I had?  Horse #3!  He loved the test because he knew it well, he'd ridden it every time we'd been to Ponoka.  He felt confident and willing.

What am I most proud of?  The fact that I took my horse and rode every single test we'd entered. No matter the horse that came out, we went in the arena, rode the test and came back out in the right order.  That's the first time I'd done this solo without my friend and Ritchie's Aunty there to help my confidence.  I'd planned a coach to warm us up on Saturday and I'm so glad I had that foresight.  Beyond that, I did not engage if he tried to fight, I simply kept riding. When he cooperated, I praised him. It worked.  It worked a treat!  And, in the end? 

I did good, yes?

Another pair of first-place ribbons for his tests, Provincial Reserve Champion, Provincial Champion (freestlyle), Show Reserve Champion, and Series High-Point Champion. 

Ride the horse you have, ride forward and look up and happy horseing.