We arrived early at the show at Tomora Training Center in Greeley, CO. The indoor show arena was open for hand walking from 7-8am and Highboy definitely needed to check it all out and see himself in the mirrors before we tried to ride a dressage test in it, so we were there bright and early.
Blurry-eyed Highboy said it was REALLY early.
Since we were there so far in advance of our scheduled ride time, I was able to do a good long warmup for Highboy. He can be fickle, so it's hard to know how much time he will need to put his brain back in his head after the excitement of arrival. For example, it's not uncommon to go 8 miles on the trails at a strong trot before he settles down. Other times he walks calmly from the start. Given that the previous day's practice for the dressage show included this display of athleticism when cantering to the left:
I wanted to make sure we had sufficient time to get Highboy into a cooperative mindset at the show grounds.
He actually rode very well in the warmup. I was really pleased with his forward trot and how he was looking to stretch his back and topline. His canter work had some spring to it, though picking up the left lead needed some careful setup to do it correctly.
We rode Training Level Tests 1 and 2, which are basic walk/trot/canter tests and include a free walk and a stretchy trot circle.
This photo with the K in the background is the beginning of Highboy's stretchy trot circle, you can see him starting to reach forward and down with his head as his back comes up.
The cantering went very well, other than the difficulty picking up the left lead and some balance challenges in the transitions. Just more stuff to work on and gives me some good direction on where we go from here.
I am certainly a perfectionist, and in some ways that is a help when training for dressage competitions because of my attention to detail. After my tests are finished, however, my perfectionist nature is a terrible stress. Dressage tests are scored against an impossible ideal, the perfect (imaginary) ride. A perfect score on a movement is a 10, though no one ever earns that mark. If you consistently score 6s on your movements you're doing well, 7's are really good and 8's are incredible. If the judge gives you a mark lower than an 8 they put a comment in the test regarding why they scored you that way.
Over the years I've established a routine for assessing my day at the show. When each test's ride is complete, I make a mental note of the things that went well and the things I know we need to work on. I take a moment to compare how well we rode the test compared to the last dressage show, and remind myself that THAT comparison is the significant one, not comparing to how he rides at home. Apples to apples and that sort of thing.
Because of the scoring being held against (impossible) perfection, if I allow myself detailed examination of the scores and comments after receiving the score sheet I get incredibly frustrated and become hypercritical of how my rides went. I begin to disregard the impressions I had when I finished the ride, no matter how positive they were, and then I begin to harp on any and all mistakes and inadequacies. So I've developed a routine to help myself remain positive about myself, my day, and my horses.
After receiving my test sheet I read through the scores and comments twice. The first time I scan the test looking for good marks and positive comments. The second time through I read more carefully, noting problem areas and things to improve. Then I throw the test away. This allows me to be pleased with any color ribbons I may have gotten, and helps me to be proud of myself and the horse.
Today we got some good scores, and the best part of the comments was the first thing written by the judge: "quiet horse." Everyone at the show who knew Highboy was startled by those two little words, and then we all cheered!
Progress is satisfying. Thank you to Kimberly Hale Photography for documenting the experience!
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