Flintridge Show

I am very apologetic for the late post. I did not have access to the internet on the show grounds and we did not have a rental car to zip off to Starbucks for a couple of hours. So, I am sorry for the delay!

Overall the Flintridge show went alright. Highlights were Oslo and I being Reserve Champion to Jan Ebeling in the Intermediaire 1 test, along with the Freestyle. It was pretty special for Oslo and I to be standing beside Jan in the presentations! Scores were generally low at this show though, so Oslo only ended up with 66.7% in the I1 and a 66.8% in the Freestyle. The weird thing about this show was that Oslo was LAZY! We used our new warm-up approach of going out a few hours before and taking 10-15 minutes to just stretch and focus on getting through the right side. Then Oslo gets to go back to his stall and relax before going out about 15 minutes before our ride time to get him fully in front of the leg and collected. It seems to conserve his energy and help him relax. Apparently on Friday he was too relaxed though (this is when the saying “be careful what you wish for” comes into play!). We went into the ring and he fell so behind the leg and he kept wanting to walk! Therefore, our trot work was a bit unsteady and we had two mistakes in the PSG test because he wasn’t in front and therefore not supple. He cantered out of the first halt (instead of trotting – definitely a suppleness issue!) and his rider went crazy on the extended canter and didn’t collect soon enough at the end, so Oslo swapped behind early. I just couldn’t get over his lack of energy in the test. I asked mom if him and Skippy had been switched on me or something. Bizarre for Oslo! Consequently our score in the PSG was only 64.6% which Lientje and mom thought was a bit low, but the very conservative Linda Zang was on the judging panel so all the scores were low. Our I1 test was a bit more energetic since we did even less warm-up and really focused on in front of the leg. It was still very “blah” for Oslo though. Our test was clean though and we felt the score of 66.7% was fair (Linda wasn’t on the panel that day, haha!). And, like I said before, it was special to be in the same ranks as Jan!

The freestyle was a serious disappointment for me. We had a clean ride, but for some reason, I got considerably ahead of my music. Consequently, I felt our quality of movements was not as good as it could have been. Being ahead of your music sucks! That is the bottom line. Of course afterwards, I had all these brilliant ideas of how to get back on with the timing, but unfortunately those didn’t come to me in the ring. Therefore, I am still frustrated with myself. The freestyle is special to me and I feel like I wasn’t on my A-game. Oslo, on the other hand, was better for the freestyle. He was much more in front and with me that day. The combination of his extra forward and my focus on the forward I suspect got us in trouble. Dressage is all about partnership, and unfortunately I feel like I was the one who didn’t do my part. Although, I feel like I have learned a lesson (yet again!) and am now prepared for such a situation again. There are so many things to learn in this sport!

Skippy had some better tests this weekend and with Lientje’s help on Friday we got him considerably more in front of the leg again. He still likes to lean against the left leg and not step into the right rein, but we are still happy with his progress, especially with him carrying more behind. I could really sense this weekend that Skippy was tired of this whole showing and travelling thing though. It is starting to get to all the horses and us too. Skippy misses green grass, pastures, and all his friends back home! The last day I took him out early and just let him walk on a long rein for about 20 minutes. We have decided that although Skippy only needs a 15 minute warm-up, he needs time before to relax and have time to get his head in the game. So, we gave him extra attention and just let him chill on a lone rein before our warm-up. As a result, he seemed much happier and we ended with a good test. He won his class and a nice wine glass for his owner Claudia! I know she will appreciate that! =) From now on, I will make sure Skippy gets his “chill out time” before starting out warm-up, because I don’t think the happiness of your horse should be underestimated.

Cashew has been great and I even took her in the big show ring (the ring where all the CDI tests were ridden) on Thursday for schooling. She went down centreline with confidence and I felt like we owned the place! Past the flowers, judges’ booths, announcer’s booth, and stands without the blink of an eye. FEI 4 year old here we come!

Linds