We brought Acorn and Tater Tot over to Suddenly first, and walked both of the ponies around to let them relax. Acorn was immediately relaxed and didn't care about a thing. We hung out for a while before it was time for me to tack up, and Corn was alert but seemed really comfortable despite being in a new place with lots of things going on.
He warmed up well in both directions, but about five minutes before our test, a lightbulb went off between his ears, and we had this conversation:
A: O! We are at a show?!?! I'm gonna BUCK AT THE CANTER wheee!
K: Uh... no? Why?
A: Because, duh, it's a SHOW!! Wheeee!
K: You don't ever do this at home. Let's just run around a bit and get that whole pogo stick bucky canter thing out of your little brian.
A: HOME is not SHOW and at SHOW we buck! Wheeee!
and so at the canter in both tests, he wasn't really moving out. At one point, he threw a series of tiny pony hop-bucks and the comment for that move is just "Hopping.", which I find amusing. I do think it's just a matter of show nerves for both of us, and that with experience, he'll get less tense about being away from home. Our second test went WAY better, and Tom pointed out that I had an ear to ear grin from centerline to centerline.
Gali was trailered over once the ponies were ready to leave, and when he stepped off the trailer, Acorn neighed super loudly and dragged whomever was holding him over to Gali, and they both nosed for a while. It was adorable, and one of those things you see in horse movies and think "haha, clearly the writers have never seen a horse! Horses don't do that!". I'm glad both of my boys get along so well.
Gali had some time to stand around and relax before our tests, and he was super well behaved. We waited up amongst all the commotion until Acorn's scores were posted and he barely flicked an ear towards the screaming kids on bikes and the golf cart, so, good pony.
He warmed up super well for our tests, and was immediately forward-thinking and reaching down into contact. Both tests went VERY well, and the only real mistake we made was that we weren't prompt enough into the halts. However, on our last centerline and halt, we got our first 8!!! I'm thrilled, because last year, we always scored lousy on our centerlines and constantly got comments like "anticipates move off" and "crooked on CL"
All four of my tests were above 60%, which is a HUGE goal of mine and one that I rarely accomplish. Acorn scored at 65% on Training 1 and a 64% on Training 2, coming in 1st and 3rd. Gali scored a 67.7% (!!!!!!!) on Training 2 and a 65% on Training 3, coming in 2nd in both classes.
I am SO proud of them both! All of my collective marks were 6.5s or 7s, which makes me really happy with myself, too. The judge's comments about Acorn were just that he needs to get more off of his shoulder, relax and be willing to move out, but she seemed to understand that he was green, because she said she thought that it would come together nicely in time. With Gali, she basically said that he's a tank and that I need to get his balance a little farther back, because he's a big powerful horse and he needs to appear lighter overall.
Overall, it was a super productive show, and a great experience for Acorn - which we desperately needed. I have a good idea of what he and I need to work on, and I've been spending some time this week getting his brain to relax and cross training him with trail rides, hill work, and jumping (no spoilers, but post coming soon on that topic). He's so levelheaded and makes everything so easy - and I can really tell he's enjoying some time outside of the schooling arena and loves being out and about on the farm. Lynn and I took him and Dory on a long trail ride on Saturday, and I think both of the ponies enjoyed doing something new. The bugs were pretty bad, so we spent most of the time on neighborhood roads, and to their credit they both barely looked at the brand new sights. I was particularly proud of Acorn for not even looking at the giant dam on one of the roads. I'm also really glad Lynn took Dory out, because she was able to stop the pony from being a butthead and powering back to the barn, like all the other riders allow. Both of the pones were good, and Acorn was so happy to not be in the ring! Maybe I've got more of an event pony than I want to admit... or maybe a CTR horse, haha. I know he's 10, and I need to stop treating him like a five year old, though, so I'm going to start upping his work schedule and adding trot sets to our hill work and getting him in the shape he should be in.
I also have a good picture of where Gali and I stand in terms of moving up to first level. All of the ingredients are there, and he's getting strong enough to hold it together. It's hard for him because of how long he is and how large of a moose he is, but I'm confident that once I get myself together, he'll follow suit.
Gali was trailered over once the ponies were ready to leave, and when he stepped off the trailer, Acorn neighed super loudly and dragged whomever was holding him over to Gali, and they both nosed for a while. It was adorable, and one of those things you see in horse movies and think "haha, clearly the writers have never seen a horse! Horses don't do that!". I'm glad both of my boys get along so well.
Gali had some time to stand around and relax before our tests, and he was super well behaved. We waited up amongst all the commotion until Acorn's scores were posted and he barely flicked an ear towards the screaming kids on bikes and the golf cart, so, good pony.
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| Gali showing off and wearing his brother's ribbons, too. |
All four of my tests were above 60%, which is a HUGE goal of mine and one that I rarely accomplish. Acorn scored at 65% on Training 1 and a 64% on Training 2, coming in 1st and 3rd. Gali scored a 67.7% (!!!!!!!) on Training 2 and a 65% on Training 3, coming in 2nd in both classes.
I am SO proud of them both! All of my collective marks were 6.5s or 7s, which makes me really happy with myself, too. The judge's comments about Acorn were just that he needs to get more off of his shoulder, relax and be willing to move out, but she seemed to understand that he was green, because she said she thought that it would come together nicely in time. With Gali, she basically said that he's a tank and that I need to get his balance a little farther back, because he's a big powerful horse and he needs to appear lighter overall.
Overall, it was a super productive show, and a great experience for Acorn - which we desperately needed. I have a good idea of what he and I need to work on, and I've been spending some time this week getting his brain to relax and cross training him with trail rides, hill work, and jumping (no spoilers, but post coming soon on that topic). He's so levelheaded and makes everything so easy - and I can really tell he's enjoying some time outside of the schooling arena and loves being out and about on the farm. Lynn and I took him and Dory on a long trail ride on Saturday, and I think both of the ponies enjoyed doing something new. The bugs were pretty bad, so we spent most of the time on neighborhood roads, and to their credit they both barely looked at the brand new sights. I was particularly proud of Acorn for not even looking at the giant dam on one of the roads. I'm also really glad Lynn took Dory out, because she was able to stop the pony from being a butthead and powering back to the barn, like all the other riders allow. Both of the pones were good, and Acorn was so happy to not be in the ring! Maybe I've got more of an event pony than I want to admit... or maybe a CTR horse, haha. I know he's 10, and I need to stop treating him like a five year old, though, so I'm going to start upping his work schedule and adding trot sets to our hill work and getting him in the shape he should be in.I also have a good picture of where Gali and I stand in terms of moving up to first level. All of the ingredients are there, and he's getting strong enough to hold it together. It's hard for him because of how long he is and how large of a moose he is, but I'm confident that once I get myself together, he'll follow suit.
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