Well I will admit to my reservations at 6.30am, wandering out to the paddock in the dark (and freezing cold!) trying to distinguish Molly from Jasmine with no torch when they are both the same size with the same blaze. I ended up counting white socks in the muted moonlight to make sure I had the right horse! lol
And dispite the apprehension I had, that there might be a bit of a fuss, the show organisers, judges and competitors were lovely. I had heaps of hands to hold Molly while I got my apron organised and people were just so supportive and interested. Not at all what I expected from the serious DQs and the registered judges (who can be terribly harsh in their judging).
I didn't warm in for long, my saddle is seriously sliding to the left now, the panel looks quite deflated, and I didn't want to risk going too far over. So we did about 15 mins w/t/c and then chilled out waiting our turn.
Molly put in an average performance, probably much the same as how we go at home. However she was obedient and is actually starting to listen to me now, so I was thrilled with both tests and finished up with a big smile on my face. It just "feels" so much better sidesaddle!
We came away middle of the field in both classes (6th & 7th out of 15) and scored 60% and 62%.
Her trot is still tense & rushy and our canter departs were muddled and need to be a lot snappier. So we have heaps to work on at home through winter and there is scope for us to make some big improvements.
Can I call myself a SSDQ now? :)
Wonderful!!!
ReplyDeleteJust think how much better it will be when you get your saddle reflocked.
The choppiness and muddled transitions are likely due to tension, which simply take time to resolve. But they will improve, and with that comes better gaits and movement...and an even better ride aside!