first show of the year.

Yesterday, we went to our first show of the year. It was "just" a schooling dressage show but I think schooling opportunities are just as important as recognized shows. For us, this set a baseline for the season to come.

After a 3am wakeup, my show partner Sara P and I fed all the horses who looked hungrily (albeit confusedly) at us before groggily prepping our two mares.

With Rue, I like to do a quick lunge session in the morning before we trailer out. I'm not sure if we need to do this anymore as she's sort of grown up and gotten a brain, but as an OTTB mare who is prone to having anxious/tense moments, I think it helps to let her stretch and relax some before a show.  It hasn't hurt us yet, so I keep doing it.

After two hours in the truck with BFF-trainer Sarah and show companion Sara P, and then Sara S following behind with her own rig (why so many Sara(h)s!?) with our awesome barn buddy Kaitlin (who got up at the asscrack of dawn just to help in the cold <3), we arrived at the horse park ready and raring to go.  The first people there. Before the show crew.

Barn fam is the best fam.

Luckily my tests were early.. I had the second and sixth rides of the day. Because I tend to get hella nervous, I prefer this low-prep, go-and-be-done type of scenario. #stressage

Surprisingly, I held it together today, even as Rue was a little looky to start with in the big, open indoor.  Last year, I probably would have tightened up and pulled, or jammed my leg on her.. but I just walked around and let her relax.  Trainer reminded me to still have some contact ("soft" is not "not there" - oops, still figuring that out) and little Ruebear settled down. Once we started actually schooling, she was pretty on her game.

Dressage will always be our struggling point. It requires softness, feel, and relaxation that doesn't come easily to a tense OTTB and an anxious-minded redhead.  But it has gotten remarkably better from last season to this one as evidenced by our quiet - a-little-boring, somewhat-crooked, not-quite-through, oy-you-need-to-work-on-transitions-and-suppleness, um-that's-not-a-circle - tests.

My hands are NOT in my crotch #win

Truly no surprises or terrible moments, a lot of what we expected to hear, but really a better experience than I had anticipated. In our Novice A test, we scored a 33 which, to many, is not amazing, but we got two 7.5s and some lovely remarks about our trotwork so I consider this our best novice test to date. We also made a first attempt at Novice B, in which we got a respectable 37. Not awesome, but it's a tougher test and Rue was as good as I could have asked for. I'll take it!

They grouped all the eventing tests together, so we got a 3rd and 6th, but I always contest that the ribbon matters little to me compared to the ride.

That said, I did make our show crew wait around so I could see if we won the TIP (Thoroughbred Incentive Program) award because it was a pretty blue neck ribbon and I really wanted it. (Rue did too).

Fun fact, we did win it :)

Rue in blue.

But again, neck ribbon aside, we came home with a lot of homework:

1. Transitions - "thousands of them" per the judge
2. Geometry - "circles instead of amoebas" per the trainer
3. Suppleness and consistency - per both

We're also talking about hock injections before the season begins which is a story for another time, but for now, very proud of my little bay mare for giving her all and proud of myself for not losing my shit and having FUN at a show.

As an aside, Sara and Sara also did amazingly! Sara S took home a 4th and 5th in her BN tests, and Sara P won all of her intro classes! Overall a fabulous day for everyone!

The three Sara(h)s and.. me.  // Our loot.

<3 A