#25 Dressage Debrief
In the New Year, I set myself a(n albeit small) goal of trying to become marginally less shit at dressage.
This afternoon was our third ever -and final, for a while- pure dressage outing. And even though we haven’t come home bedecked in ribbons, I do think we can tick 
✅ the box of ‘getting better’ 
☺️.
✅ the box of ‘getting better’ ☺️.
...
Neither Flora nor I will ever be dressage stars. We are neither talented enough at this discipline, nor enjoy it enough.
Flora especially can’t seem to find it in herself to be less tense when we are in the test situation itself, even though she’s come on in leaps and bounds at home in our lessons and schooling sessions and will happily flop round beautifully in the warm up! Even on our hacks, leg yielding and transitions have become the order of the day and have replaced our usual pottering or galloping about
🙈.
Alas, the judge’s comments are always the same: 6s and 7s, a “lovely little horse with correct paces” who is “well/kindly/carefully/sympathetically ridden” but who, in short, isn’t working to her full potential because she’s not completely relaxed, and therefore, not supple or consistent enough. We’ve never tried a calmer, but to tell the truth, I’m not sure how I feel about that anyway.
The key word here though is ‘enough’. Because, last year, I thought she would never be any of those things where dressage was concerned, and with the advent of her 15th birthday this year, I’d almost washed my hands of trying. But over the course of a mere handful of months, a change in work, in feed, even in clipping and rugging, and she is coming out of winter looking more well, more muscular and more ‘dressagey’ than ever.
I’m so, so proud and pleased with her
♥️.
We have improved incrementally from 60% to 65% at Prelim level over three outings since the end of January, and although it would be lovely to be hanging more than the one rosette outside her stable, I’m most happy that I can ride her on the flat now and be able to say, with confidence, that we are better than we were last year
💪🏼.
A break from dressage is called for now, while we absorb what we’ve learned. Some jumpety jumping is next, and I can’t promise not to be shit at that either
🤣, but watch this space...
Flora especially can’t seem to find it in herself to be less tense when we are in the test situation itself, even though she’s come on in leaps and bounds at home in our lessons and schooling sessions and will happily flop round beautifully in the warm up! Even on our hacks, leg yielding and transitions have become the order of the day and have replaced our usual pottering or galloping about
🙈.Alas, the judge’s comments are always the same: 6s and 7s, a “lovely little horse with correct paces” who is “well/kindly/carefully/sympathetically ridden” but who, in short, isn’t working to her full potential because she’s not completely relaxed, and therefore, not supple or consistent enough. We’ve never tried a calmer, but to tell the truth, I’m not sure how I feel about that anyway.
The key word here though is ‘enough’. Because, last year, I thought she would never be any of those things where dressage was concerned, and with the advent of her 15th birthday this year, I’d almost washed my hands of trying. But over the course of a mere handful of months, a change in work, in feed, even in clipping and rugging, and she is coming out of winter looking more well, more muscular and more ‘dressagey’ than ever.
I’m so, so proud and pleased with her
♥️.
We have improved incrementally from 60% to 65% at Prelim level over three outings since the end of January, and although it would be lovely to be hanging more than the one rosette outside her stable, I’m most happy that I can ride her on the flat now and be able to say, with confidence, that we are better than we were last year
💪🏼.A break from dressage is called for now, while we absorb what we’ve learned. Some jumpety jumping is next, and I can’t promise not to be shit at that either
🤣, but watch this space...
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