Showing Solo

MEGAN: Day two of showing. We got up a little bit later but were still at the fairgrounds by 6:20. After doing all the waters, hand walking Simba, and doing his stall, I then began to braid. This was my first time braiding a horse all by myself, and for those of you who have never braided, it is hard. I ended up putting 16 braids into his mane, with the total effort taking an hour and 15 minutes. He did look beautiful, if I do say so myself (see the picture above- I am soooo proud!)! After a grooming and getting myself changed (I did my own hair and stock tie with the help of a mirror, also for the first time) I tacked him up and got on. Getting yourself ready with no help (no one to hand you something, make sure your hair is good, stock tie straight, etc.) is amazingly difficult. I now have a new amount of respect for those who show totally on their own! Anyway, we warmed up very forward and simply did some movements from the test. As long as Simba is in front of my leg, the test goes well. It is not difficult for us as long as I am assertive and he is listening. Our ride time was 11:31 and we went into the arena on time and had a good test. I was really happy, and Lendon clapped after the test! I took Simba back to the barn and sponged him off because out next ride was at 1:57, so I didn’t want to bathe him totally. After he was settled in his stall in front of a fan I walked to the show office to get my test. We received a 61% and a red ribbon (second) and I was a bit confused. Looking at the test helped; the judge wanted to see more engagement and uphill balance throughout the test. So, I decided to ride the test more as a Third Level test, and really improve my canter lengthenings because those had received low scores. We tacked up again and had another quick warm up, then did our test. This time it felt good, but not amazing. I think Simba was a bit tired after two days of showing in the hot sun, or maybe I was not assertive enough. The trot lacked a little power, but overall it was a solid performance. After a bath (for Simba), wash with liniment, and getting me out of my coat and breeches, another trip to the show office ensued. This time we received a 68% and won the class! A beautiful hand painted mug was my prize; what a nice way to end my very first recognized dressage show! Even more important than my ribbon or score was that I think (finally) I understand how I have to ride this horse. I must get on with the expectation that I will have to get after Simba and make him go- not hope that the problem has magically disappeared and I won’t have to discipline my wonderful horse. This change in my mentality will hopefully remove the last of our forward problem (which essentially was my problem anyway) and allow us to get the most out of our (almost) last month at Gleneden. After all the classes were done for the day I went back to the hotel and ran, meeting everyone at Applebee’s at 7:30. Ingrid, Brooke, Clair, Peter (Clair’s friend), Jackie, Victoria (Clair’s sweet groom), Mica, and I all had a great time. Apparently they knew the waiter from a past encounter which made for a very interesting evening. When I asked for a pop, the waiter asked me where I was from. Embarrassed, I admitted that I was from Michigan, and vowed not to make the same mistake again. That is a sure way to get teased about being from the Midwest! Upon returning to the room, I took a quick shower and fell asleep immediately- exhausted after only two days of showing!

SIMBA: What a day. Two more classes, another day of having to enjoy, er, put up with all of this pampering and braiding, and the heat- what a day! I am tired. Mom just cleaned my stall before she left, so I think that I will lie down and go to bed for the night. What a day- though Mom is learning how to ride a warm up. She lets me get loose, then goes in, gets moving, and is ready for the show ring in 25 minutes. At least she isn’t one of those hour-long-warmer-uppers. Yeesh. What a weekend this would have been if that had been the case. I can’t even imagine…