Rocking Horse Recap

FINALLY
I have learned to sit the trot on my horse, and it has paid off! Donald was proudly tied for 4^th after dressage.. Top 5.. Something I never thought I would see on that horse until AFTER all 3 phases. We are not a hot mess anymore.. We’re hot.. Well… ya know ;)
I’d like to think it is just all my hard work paying off, but maybe it is because I threatened Donald on the way to the show. I told him that if we were still bad at dressage, I was going to pack everything up and leave for Maryland straight from Rocking Horse. He would be back in his paddock at home with 8 inches of snow. I don’t think he liked that idea.
At any rate, things are shaping up for us not to be a total embarrassment in the ring at Rolex.
Donald and I bumped down a few places after show jumping where I made a rookie mistake. Running at the long spot tends not to work above Training level.. Oops. On the plus side, I did get to ride with a bit and spurs this time and he jumped very well.
On to Cross Country! It was Donald’s playground and he was foot perfect. I think he was so happy to be back out there. I tried him in the snaffle but I think I would like my gag bit back for the next go. Donald has a special bit that I rigged up for him. It is like that fairy tale.. Goldilocks and the Three Bears.. The snaffle bit is too small, the gag is too big, but the PONY GAG is just right! I found these perfect pony sized gag ropes and put them on his full cheek bit, perfection, it’s “Just Enough”. I think Goldilocks is right? Or is it Little Red Riding Hood? Who was that chick that went into the woods and ate porridge? Or was it the bears that ate the porridge? What is porridge?
Hewie’s day was good and bad. He was good in the dressage but got a little nervous and curly. I struggle to make Donald round enough, Hewie is almost TOO round. Hewie jumped his big ole heart out in show jumping, he had the last rail down with his back tippy toes. I think he jumped so hard he wore himself out. I’m very pleased.
Sunday. Cross Country. Poor Hewie, he was doomed from the start. As we biked the XC I knew the exact moment where he would lose it. The course started in the middle of the field, then worked its way back around to the front of the venue.. Right.. By.. The.. TRAILERS. Ugh, I knew it, and there was nothing I could do about it. We jumped 1, and 2 and 3, and headed towards the first combination. Then it happened, a piercing scream… DONALD. He saw us! He screamed at us! He SABOTAGED us! Hewie’s head flew up in the air, started screeching back, and peeled out. The turbo kicked in and we were a screaming, wild orange lightning bolt. Eyewitness accounts described it as “Shocking” and “Very Fast”. I like to call these episodes his “Zig Zag”. I barely got him back under control enough to jump 4, a table, but there was no hope for us, I was still riding an emotional lunatic and there was no way I could keep him focused enough to jump 5 B, the corner after the skinny. Being the rational one of the two, I simply circled around and picked off the corner in fine fashion, settled the nervous wreck and we went on our way. He jumped spectacularly around the rest of the course. At that point my technical 20 put us so far behind, I just took it slow and carefully guided him around, he is so green at the Intermediate level that even when he makes mistakes I want to make sure he is safe and gains confidence.
Next time we go XC… Tell Hewie to leave the Zig Zags at home!