A Study in Forward 3: Dressage Phase

FIRST DRESSAGE EVER

Sunday morning bright and early, we hauled in to the show facility. Courage has always been a great hauler and I wasn't at all concerned about how he'd react. I was still thinking I was on life plan A, wherein we were prepping to ride with Hawley Bennett and had been hitting every little show all spring, plus done two more clinic days by now.

Unfortunately, I'm living life plan B, wherein my car exploded and I bought a new one which sucked up my show budget I then I was kind of depressed about that (and poor) and haven't really done anything other than a trail ride recently.

Teeny tiny strides

So there's that. Courage came off the trailer like a giraffe on crack, complete with screaming and jigging and acting like a loon. I hand walked him out to the grass dressage warm up, thinking that he'd stop and eat.

Or you know, rear and paw the air and scream like the freaking black stallion. I practiced my good old fashioned race track skills and got him back on the ground without escalating the situation, but it was sort of a subtle clue that things might not go the way I planned.

Once he settled in on the ground, more or less, I took him back to the trailer and tacked up. I hopped on, rode out to warm up and then I had this almost clairvoyant moment where I was like "Oh. Um. He's about to starting running sideways and spinning."

I WAS TOTALLY RIGHT.

What he looks like with something to do

The spinning progressed to half rears and leaping as I passively sat there thinking "this is really bad".

And then redheadlins was like "KICK HIM FORWARD AND GIVE HIM SOMETHING TO DO YOU DINGLE BRAIN"

Oh right.

She talked us through warm up and he was actually quite lovely. The longer I stayed focused and rode well, the better he did.

ALERT WE ARE IN NEW PLACE

We even had to ride out on to the gallop track, around a scary hedge, and into the arena filled with big XC jumps right before we went in. Again, lins coached us through the worst of it and by the time we went into the arena, both of us were pretty much keeping it together.

Courage didn't spook at the trees or the judge or the dressage arena and he actually gave me a solid effort in the sandbox that only improved as he went along.

I'd give me a 5, but I haven't been watching intro tests all day

Not bad for his first test ever. I had nothing to complain about. (well, except for getting a 4 on what I thought was a great free walk effort. I thought our overall score was fine, but 4? He put his head down and walked forward. What else do you want in a walk/trot test?)

Can't complain about this

That aside. I stuck Courage in his stall and reflected on the fact that when I put leg on and rode forward, he was actually giving me very honest efforts.

You'd think that would sink in a little, but don't hold your breath. The jumping phase was coming right up...

Final salute