This show was the first show in a few years that I've had to ride the BN Test B. Normally it's Test A so I have that memorized and I could ride it blindfolded. Well despite practicing it over and over again, I forgot the second trot circle at C and earned a few error points. Meanwhile Smash was being very looky and distracted the entire time and I was struggling with her. She wouldn't go straight, she almost stepped out of the ring, she kept peeping out the open doors... it was a major struggle to ride her and remember the test. Then when she stopped short of G for the final halt and I kicked her a step or 2 up and the judge told me not to do that and just accept a lower score of an early halt. *sigh* I cannot win. Here's the dressage test but the lighting was terrible and they wouldn't allow Nick to stand anywhere with decent light so it's kind of a crappy video.
Needless to say it was the worst dressage test I've ever ridden. I was very discouraged and upset with myself. I've never forgotten part of my test before! But I didn't have much time to dwell on it since Stadium was right around the corner. I decided to just learn from the dressage test and focus on the rest of the day since I had 2 disciplines left.
Stadium was iffy. I got into the ring and felt like I was doing ok until jump 3 when she stopped. I wasn't exactly sure why but I think my leg wasn't 100% on and I was looking down. We got over jump 3. Then she was super sticky to 4 knocking the rail and we refused 5 three strides later. After that happened I was so done with her shenanigans and turned up the heat. The crop came out and from 5-11 she cleared them all without much hesitation and with my "encouragement". I was feeling a little defeated but realized I wasn't eliminated so now I had to refocus once again for XC. Another stadium video can be seen here (camcorder view)
When I walked the XC course I saw 2 jumps I thought I needed to really ride Smash to - jump 4 because of the approach and jump 10 because it was a downhill ditch. Well we start off and jumps 1-3 were shaky but since I was already in no tolerance mode and using my crop she got over them all. The approach to 4 was supposed to be a big loop but they forgot to mow that path out. When I asked someone what the correct path was they explained the forgotten mowed path and said to just go whichever route I wanted and all was a correct route. So I took the mowed route that had me actually ride past 5 & 6 then back around to 4 since the non-mowed "correct" route was very tall and full of thistles. I didn't want to worry about her tripping in a hole I couldn't see. The route I took was not only safer in my eyes but less steep of a downhill approach. Smash had no problem over 4 a black and red feeder, 5/6 the up and down bank, 7 a black roll top, 8 the bench, 9 the hilsinki, and didn't blink an eye at 10 the ditch! We galloped to 11 and she was fine there and as we were coming to the water I was feeling elated we were in the home stretch. Of course that equals a stop at the water. Then a step forward and another stop and sideways stepping until FINALLY going through. Those stops cost me 60 points in penalties! And over an element Smash has never had issues with! grrr. I was not happy with that but it's life. We got over 13 and 14 to finish. Here is the 2 part video Nick took of my cross country course: Part 1 Part 2
Obviously we did not place. With 123.2 penalty points that's far from any sort of ribbon but I don't feel like the day was a total failure. First of all, we got Smash onto the trailer and had this been last summer I would've gotten so defeated by dressage and my first stadium refusal (if I got past jump 1 at all) that I would've gotten eliminated. Second, I learned how to cope with disappointment and how to refocus what to do when things didn't go as I planned. I learned how to deal with my nerves in a productive way, too, and remember all of the new habits I've been working on with Steph. It might not have been proactive but at least I corrected myself and my riding to have some really successful and great moments. Unfortunately the not so great moments really counted against me. My error and crappy dressage ride earned me a score of 47.2 - all time high
So to recap the things I learned:
* Do not try and halt again if the horse halts near X or G or where ever you're supposed to halt at the end of your test.
* Remember your dressage test!
* 1 refusal (or as you feel her start to back off) = crop time for the rest of the course no matter what!
* Ride every element as if Smash has never seen it before despite previous schoolings *coughwatercough*
* I CAN conquer my nerves and I AM a good rider!
* Asking for help when things aren't working (aka trailer issues) is not the end of the world
* I can complete the whole event without falling off or getting eliminated! (some people in all of the levels were not so lucky and I know last year I was one of those people)
* A positive attitude goes a LONG way!
Next on our list - the MD Dressage Association show at Liberty View Farm. As long as we get Smash on the trailer, I'm considering this another victory.
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