SFHJA Show June and General Life Recap

Its too hot here…

After the last post, I was pretty hungry to get another show under my belt.  Once I got the funds in order, I decided to do one of the C rated one day shows here.  It was under the huge covered ring, a major plus in what has been almost a straight month of 90+ degrees. 

Schooling at home right before show

Got to the show on Thursday and schooled around.  Libby was quiet, and to be honest I was off my game.  I kept pushing her past the right distance, and I chipped, like double chocolate chipped, to a big wide oxer right in front of my old trainer from high school.  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t completely embarrassed, but it didn’t matter since I went right around and fixed it the second time.  Overall I was really pleased with Libby, and I felt like if we landed all our leads, lead changes are still a work in progress, we’d be golden. 

Such a sweet face :-*

Show day was ridiculously long, which I know sounds like a whine but my first class didn’t go until 5:30.  My mom came to watch, although I didn’t want her nervous energy to wash over me, so I told her to come over after the hack.  We warmed up, she was super quiet, did our two warm up jumps and went in.

Schooling day was hard

My warm up was lovely.  All the distances were just there.  The one jump that I thought would give us trouble didn’t.  She landed all her leads, and aside from a weird course design, the course rode really well.  I got us close to our diagonal, whoops, but other then that it went really well.  I came out with a huge grin on, and got a well done from the trainer. 

My second trip didn’t go as well.  Mostly just because I didn’t make the turn to the diagonal early enough, and kind of jumped it on an angle making it very hard for Libby to land the correct lead, which she didn’t.  I trotted the change, but other then that the course still rode really well.  My least favorite of the three, but still ok.

My last trip, the same as the warm up, was good.  Libby was getting a little tired at this point, and a little on the forehand.  She dragged me a little bit to our diagonal going home, but landed every lead, and aside from making a turn very hard for me because of the scary footing, she was great.  I came out thinking what a good girl she was, and how great an experience the show was.  But my small moment of self reflection was short lived, since I had to run back in for the hack. 

Hack was pretty uneventful.  I was tired, and Libby was tired, which actually helped us in the end.  She was quiet and my brain was quiet so we just went around the ring like the little hunter princesses we are.  For the lineup I just immediately started scratching and loving on her, for being so good.  Then the judge announced the results, and we walked out of the ring first with our little blue ribbon.  Not only that, but we got grand, with one first over fences one third, and a first in the hack.  I was ecstatic, all smiles and totally on cloud nine.  I didn’t care that it was a low adult class, and I didn’t give a crap that there were only 6 other people in my class.  I was so happy at how far we’ve come and that my mom was able to watch just how happy I really am with her. 

Oh the satin 😛

After that high, we took a week off and now have dived headfirst into really working on our changes.  I’m actually mentally handicapped at this, especially the teaching Libby part, and much to my (and my trainers’, frustration, I still need the pole and the timing help and the reminder to not lean like I’m riding a motorcycle.  You’d think after teaching multiple horse prior to this I’d have it down pat but NO.  Libby’s definitely one that’s only going to change if you have her set up perfectly and ask her correctly.   All in good time, hopefully.  (Crosses fingers in the hopes that some magical entity will just bestow clean changes upon on us.)

No shows on the schedule for July, as were actually hopefully going to be doing a clinic with Judy Grayson, my trainers trainer.  Really excited to hear what she has to say and see if she has any other cool ideas to bring the most out of Loo.