Flatlands schooling HT-July 3rd

The show went great!
My warm up for dressage felt and probably was very short. Our test felt nice besides him being slightly distracted and not always pusing into the bridle consitstantly. Our score, marks and comments were our best ever though! We got a 27% which is our best score yet and we got all 7's and 8's besides one 6 on my last halt because I halted a little before G instead of at G...opps! We got great comments from the judge and were the only negative feedback was drift of outside shoulder and needs to improve quality of walk which I know since those are our most difficult issues we have been continueing to work on at home. We placed first after dressage which was great to see we finally got our dressage back.

XC was great as well. Warm up he was a little tight and trying to have me hold him up to balance but our last few fences were great. Carino got his nice canter right out of the box and jumped the first 7 perfect..we ran into a little trouble after I pushed him for the distance over the ditch at 7 and then we just never got the canter back through the corner and then the brush fence came and he just wasnt balanced or knew he was jumping. We had a refusal but my fault for not getting/keeping the canter. I represented him and no issue. We then had a stop at 8 which was the down bank but I was very happy about this actually. Yes, I was HAPPY about a refusal! He never said no and he didn't just leap off and then take off to try to get away from it. He trotted up said wait, I can do this just give me time to process and then politley jumped off. I was very happy he did this. He has never jumped off a bank in a show and has only jumped off the banks at home. He was very brave and rememberd what we worked on at our last xc school at didn't leap but steped/jumped off. This was a sign to me that he is getting it and really learning. Very proud moment for me. The rest of the course was great.

By the time it was SJ Carino was so relaxed. He walked right into warmup in the indoor and despite the crazyiness of many horses and horses refusing he was totally calm. He walk, trot and cnaterd great and by the time we were ready to jump the indoor pretty much cleared. We hopped over the verical and oxer both twice and he was great so we went to the ring. The course was great and clear. He got a little unblanced and 'hoppy' between fences due to some cross cantering but the fences were good. I was very happy since the course had a lot of new and big solid things to look at that he has never seen before.

Too bad about the 4o points. Oh, well, I came into the show with the mindset I was just going for a school and thats what I did. I pushed him on through the wiggles in dressage and got the big bolg trot and with a score to proove. I pushed him in xc with some questions that he tends to find big and challenging and he took them great. He was bold in stadium and could tell he was enjoying himself. Overall it was a very successful show. And it served it's purpose as a way to get him ready for championsips. He was pushed but not over faced and he really impressed me.

Scarlet Hill XC schooling show

A large group from Valinor attended the Scarlet Hill XC schooling show. I was looking forward to get Carino on an off farm xc course. When I walked the course nothing really seemed to jump out as an issue..but thought he might take a look at the half ditch since he might not understand wether it is a ditch or a bank. But I wasn't really worried about the course. Our warm up started a little tense with many horses and in a large indoor with all the big doors open, LOTS TO LOOK AT! However, he settled down quite nice and we got some nice jumps in. The times however were moving quite slow, a few of us hacked around a little but still there was a long wait. We waited about 20 min before I finally was able to go.
He refused fence one, once or twice but I believe it was he jsut thought he was done from standing there so long and just chilling out watching all the other horses. We had a stop at the half ditch but he did a little launch over it the second of aproach and was fine. We then had to go in the woods and we had to trot since when we walked the course early that morning we already saw that some horses took some bad slides. He trotted into the woods great, over a log great however when we were heading out of the woods the footing turned into a huge black muck hole and then you could see the super bright field. Carino stopped dead in his tracks and shut down just like he did at the Mystic Water crossing. I used all my strength and the same tactics I knew but he was just shut down. Eventually Dana and Boo came and just stood in front of the opening and Carino went OH? It really isn't a mud monster trying to eat me and jumped right out of the woods. We then had a spot on rest of the course which was another 8 fences.
I am happy and frustrated with the ride. The good parts were so great that they almost over come the bad and I was happy he just got off property and saw some new things. Also, I talked a lot about these little mental things Carino has with Erin in my lesson the following day and it really helped and was looked as more of a learning expierence and a lesson about how my horse thinks and how I need to think to respond.

Pictures from Valinor HT

And suddenly things go down hill...

Since our first show resulted in a blue ribbon I thought he was right back into show mode..however apparently that is not the case. At Mystic we had a great dressage warm up but a disaterous test however we still managed a score of 35% and was put in 5th place. Our show jumping was great besides one weird distance that led to a little barreling around a corner. However our xc was the worst thing of my life; refused a tiny log at one, jumped a max table at two and then bolted right turning to a crossing that was over a stream that he flew so fast right I stayed put and next thing I new I was standing on my feet with reins in hand. Since the fall was not related to a fence I got back on and asked "can i go?" but jump judge at two told me no. But then start and jum judges at 4 were screaming GO! However, then a lady with a clipboard and walky talky who was apparently the owner of the place comes running and screaming to get off the course. So I go back to start get the TD and they allow me to start over but still with the 20 penalties from one. We restart with no problems all the way until after jump 7 were there was then a water crossing which was a running rocky stream in the words. I tried everything I could do but he just would not go in so I retired. I was so upset after the show and it took me days to be able to talk about it without crying and to begain to look ahead and to what was next but I got over it and was on to the next.

We then had the Valinor HT which was at home and he ushaly always does his best at home. We had a great dressage warmup and I was very excited for my test. However, we get in the ring and Carino wont even go forward all he did was spook, hop and bolt and that is exactly what our test consisted of. It was the worst ride of my entire life. However, after the awful expierence at Mystic I kept trying to just push in the back of my mind and get ready for jumping. Ww had a very quick warm up for SJ but he was spot on so we went right in the ring. We was great a little strong but he was just excited. However, he got a little to excited and began to scoot and even give a few little hops and leaps after some of the fences but I just laughed cus hey? what did I have to loose? I wasn't getting a ribbon and we were having fun. We went double clear stadium and headed right to xc. He was very good xc but strong and not ground covering with his stride but more up and collected and filled with enrgy. He pulled some simillar leaps and such xc like he did stadium but nothing I couldn't handle or get him back before a fence. We had no refusals but a good amount of time penalties because he wasn't covering the ground. But now I know if he gets balled up like that to try to push him on and forward.

I took him on a xc school of the courses and he was great jumping BN, N and even some T fences and questions no problem. Next for us is Scarlet Hill XC Schooling Show and Flatlands Schooling HT to get some more practice in before Area 1 Championships. Hopefully, things will began to click again.

Videos of the show are on my youtube page.

Valinor Two Phase Photos

2011 show season has begun!

Show season has officially begun! and it kicked off with a wonderful start adding another blue ribbon to Carino and I's collection! Carino and I did our first show of the season at home (Valinor Farm) it was a two phase and we competed at Beginner Novice. I was very curious to how he was going to be since it was a long winter inside and we haven't had many lessons. However, he came into dressage warm up very relaxed even with the awful sloppy footing from the down poor that night and the misty showers during our warm up. He was very good in warm up and our test was great too! Our test was in the indoor which I find difficult to warm up in one setting and show in an other..however he was way more relaxed that I expected and didn't spook only gave a little turn of the head as we walked by the judge. I was so proud of the test..it felt like my best yet because he was so relaxed! He could have been more into the contact and he had a little feet confusion on our left lead up transtion but made a great recovery. Despite me feeling like it was our best test our scores did not match the feeling...I was the only one in my division that scored in the 30's all the others were in the 40's. We got a 39 which is uncommon for us we usually get a 35 and sometimes high 20's. But since all the scores were like this I assumed the judge was just tough and I couldn't complain we were first after dressage again! Its a nice feeling to consistently come out on top after dressage, work is paying off.
Jump warm up was just as great! Very relaxed and spot on! After having to wait until SJ judge and everyone was ready to go we finally got to go! I was very confident after dressage and our SJ warm up..he just was on it. When we picked up the canter in the ring he became a little more tense but much better and more controlled than last years season. We had a clear and beautiful round...best yet! I still realize that talking to him and telling him how good he is really helps him when he is uneasy and uncertain about certain questions.
Carino put in a perfect day and got his well deserved blue ribbon. It was the perfect way to start off the season..he started this year even better than the last. Now I am even more excited for this season!