Lance has show #2 under his girth now. For the second time in two weeks, we were blessed with a dry day; a wonderful gift for someone like me who shows out of her trailer!
Once again we were able to arrive early enough to school in the competition arena, so Lance could get a good look at the surroundings and realize it was a safe place. When it came time to enter at A, he was more calm and relaxed than many show veterans; what a boy!
Speaking of boys, my husband and son came to watch this time, so I handed my digital camera off to them to record our rides (Rick recorded the first one and Brian the second).
As you can see, I didn't get Lance's mane braided. I was running short on time and it wasn't worth stressing over.
Our scores and placings didn't indicate the improvement I'd hoped for over our first show; we got a 69.375% for second place in Intro A, and a 65.313% for third place in Intro B. But I felt better after watching the videos; I think Lance is moving with more energy, and I am maintaining better contact. (I welcome your input!)
Regardless; onward and forward. I will continue to work on developing Lance's strength, condition, and suppleness while keeping him enthusiastically responsive to my "go" aids and promptly responding to my "whoa" aids. This should improve his canter slowly but surely, so Lance can debut at Training Level at our next show, whenever that may be.
Lance will be getting something of a Spring Break, though. My dad is scheduled for cancer surgery on the 19th, so I'm going to fly to Houston, TX to be with my folks for a week.
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14 comments:
Congratulations to team Lance! Please tell Brian I think he did a great job on your video. So handy to have a kid big enough to help you!! Stop worrying about how you are doing. You are the only rider I know who would worry about scores in the UPPER 60's not being good enough for their horse's second show ever. Lance's mane is really pretty. He will be in braids soon enough. Enjoy his 'baby' years. Good Job to all!!!
Congrats! I think even without a big improvement in score, the real feat is just getting a mustang to be more comfortable showing! I know from experience!
He looks so happy and relaxed! That alone is worth everything, and having videos of his first 4 rides is so great. Yay team Lance!
You two really look great! He has such a steady tempo to his trot in both videos. The only differences I saw in the videos were in the transitions and the halt. The transitions seemed smoother and the halt more square in the first test. Impressive!
Agree with the comments--69+% is second? (!) I think Lance is "getting this" dressage stuff and so are you. Keep up the good work. And best wishes for your father's surgery.
Lance is pretty laid back. He was domestically bred so never wild, but his sire was rounded up at age four and is just as laid back, so I do think Lance has good genes!
Sylvia, it's Horton's fault that I hope/expect to break 70% at Intro!
Thanks; that relaxation really is the best part, isn't it?
Thank-you, Wendy. Yes, that last halt felt pretty bad – like he got his legs all crossed up. :-) I probably didn't set him up for success, deciding to ride the second test immediately after the first because there was a scratch, rather than waiting 45 minutes for our scheduled ride time. But I was afraid he would lose too much steam if we waited, so it was a judgement call.
Introductory level often garners scores in the 70s because it's just walk/trot. The winning score to our second place was 75%!
And thank-you so much for the good wishes for my dad. I really appreciate them!
Well done on a second solid show. I remember my first one involved entering the ring, and refusing to go past X because the judge was sat inside a scary looking trailer with flowers all over the ramp. Not our best moment. Keep up with the good work, he's maturing very nicely.
Michelle,
Oh my, second show, give it some time. You two as a couple are in your infancy! You both look great.
Best wishes and prayers for your Dad. You'll be in our thoughts at Runamuck.
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