So, how was the schooling show?
Jun. 9th, 2025 08:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
which_chickIt was fine, which I am not saying in a mean or sarcastic way. Remember, we went in with lowered expectations and the actual target goals were totally unrelated to helping the horse be the best version of himself or Riding A Decent Test.
To refresh your memory, the goals for this outing were as follows:
1. Ride both tests more or less correctly without forgetting or omitting any of the directives.
-- ACHIEVED!!
2. Remember to breathe during the tests.
-- ACHIEVED!!
3. Do not cry or meltdown like an overtired toddler.
-- ACHIEVED*!!
*There was a small amount of heat-related puking, but it was minimal and after we got mostly-home.
So, it was a successful outing. I paid the nice photographer lady for pictures and cleaned Bird up to an Aw, at least you tried! level of relative cleanliness so that he'd look slightly less grubby than usual for the pictures of his fraughtness and my dumpy middle-aged self. Those should be out a little later this week and I will be sure to share what sixty-five dollars has purchased on that front.
But... but... how were the scores? Well, here we're gonna shift to the sort of middle-aged adult ammie thinking that leads to Legend in My Own Mind status because the poor dressage judge had no idea that the above goals were the point. Poor dressage judge had to judge the test like as if what we were doing was Trying To Ride A Good Test, when actually the legit goals I was working on were the three listed above... none of which have to do with riding the horse effectively.
(Those goals are toddler goals. How are you still a toddler? Does oo need a cookie?)
STFU. They are the things I need to work on, so I'm working on them. I am doing me and I can only do where I am. It'd be great if things were different but they are not. If I'd like to do this thing, there has to be some remedial WORKING ON ME stuff happening before we can get to the "rider has the wherewithal to provide useful support and guidance to the horse" part. Fuck off with your negative waves.
It's a fucking schooling show. People are there doing all kinds of shit besides "Trying to Ride a Good Test". Putting mileage on the squirrely 4 yr old. Adjusting the ottb to New Job Lyfe. Getting your students out to a "show" without breaking the bank. Trying to get some scores and a nice video for your sale project. Sneakily practicing your move-up tests where people can't see you "for real" yet. In this environment, working on rider's horrible show nerves and inability to ride productively in a judged situation... fits right in with the general vibe of the thing.
The scores, fwiw, were shit. I've previously talked about dressage scoring, but it was a while ago and you may enjoy a refresher.
Training 1: 58.85% (As I said in the linked page: 56-60 -- This is not good work. You might be in the right test but today is totally not your day. You are not going to place AT ALL but we are not trying to shame you fiercely. Perhaps you just moved up or your horse is not overcoming the wind up his ass with a sufficient amount of philosophical detachment. This is just a little shameful but you are to be aware that this is CLEARLY not your best work. A letter grade D.) I was quite happy with this absolute shit score because I wasn't WORKING ON THE HORSE. I was trying to somewhat steer and remember to breathe and not be all fraught.
Training 3: 55.40% (50-55 -- You should not be riding this test. Srsly. This test is too hard for you or your horse is totally losing his shit or something. This is not the test for you. You are overfaced by the demands of the test on this day, please be sufficiently embarrassed by this score to go home and fix yer shit before you try again at this test. Perhaps an F.) I wasn't thrilled about this but also Bird wasn't getting many directives or support from me, so it's kind of ... yeah. Legit.
The other thing is that it's the judge's opinion on that day. The scores for the entire day ran from 54.06 to 71.25. We were on the shittier half of that but I was not particularly focused on riding the horse, a fact that the judge had no way of knowing and for which she could not have given me a break even if she had known about it.
Bird loaded nicely on the ramp 2 horse of Nicki's. He unloaded in a sedate and gentlemanly way even though the last time he had to back off a trailer onto a ramp was like 2019. He stood nicely to be tacked up. He walked politely to the (tiny) warm up ring where trainer was lunging a 4 yr old POA. And then he stood three inches taller and blew-snorted with the huge flared nostrils and super-pricked ears and worried face typical of the uncertain Arabian. Apparently he looked pretty damn wired, to the point where the trainer lunging the POA was moved to ask "Is he going to be OK with us here?", a very kind way of saying Adult ammie, you don't seem to realize it, but you are GOING TO DIE if you throw a leg over that keg o' dynamite before he settles down a little. I get her concern but I know my boy.
Bird has a ton of fucking feelings but he's pretty solid and having to settle down and do work will actually help him be less worried. So, I replied that he'd be fine, despite all evidence to the contrary, pulled out his stirrups, lined him up to the mounting block, hopped on without incident, and walked four somewhat elevated laps of the very small warmup (2 each way). Then he blew out, deflated, and moved right along to workmanlike. Let me be clear, he was just... elevated walking, not rearing, not bolting, not spooking, not piaffing, nothing weird, just an elevated and worried walk with a lot of looking. Meh. And he did some of those blow-y snorts of worry that sound like he's going to explode but he's not. It makes for a good show -- bystanders think I am an oblivious Captain Queeg (in that I have stainless steel balls that do not denote bravery, in case you are at sea on that reference) about to die. I am not about to die.
Also at the outing, my not-great-at-tying boy stood politely at the trailer, even when Gracie went to do her tests. He didn't paw or call or untie himself. He didn't spook at anything in the dressage arena, not the judge stand or the letters. Honestly, it could have gone a lot worse.
We should probably do another one. Frederick MD has some low-key schooling shows this summer that are still open. Maybe we'll go do one of those.
To refresh your memory, the goals for this outing were as follows:
1. Ride both tests more or less correctly without forgetting or omitting any of the directives.
-- ACHIEVED!!
2. Remember to breathe during the tests.
-- ACHIEVED!!
3. Do not cry or meltdown like an overtired toddler.
-- ACHIEVED*!!
*There was a small amount of heat-related puking, but it was minimal and after we got mostly-home.
So, it was a successful outing. I paid the nice photographer lady for pictures and cleaned Bird up to an Aw, at least you tried! level of relative cleanliness so that he'd look slightly less grubby than usual for the pictures of his fraughtness and my dumpy middle-aged self. Those should be out a little later this week and I will be sure to share what sixty-five dollars has purchased on that front.
But... but... how were the scores? Well, here we're gonna shift to the sort of middle-aged adult ammie thinking that leads to Legend in My Own Mind status because the poor dressage judge had no idea that the above goals were the point. Poor dressage judge had to judge the test like as if what we were doing was Trying To Ride A Good Test, when actually the legit goals I was working on were the three listed above... none of which have to do with riding the horse effectively.
(Those goals are toddler goals. How are you still a toddler? Does oo need a cookie?)
STFU. They are the things I need to work on, so I'm working on them. I am doing me and I can only do where I am. It'd be great if things were different but they are not. If I'd like to do this thing, there has to be some remedial WORKING ON ME stuff happening before we can get to the "rider has the wherewithal to provide useful support and guidance to the horse" part. Fuck off with your negative waves.
It's a fucking schooling show. People are there doing all kinds of shit besides "Trying to Ride a Good Test". Putting mileage on the squirrely 4 yr old. Adjusting the ottb to New Job Lyfe. Getting your students out to a "show" without breaking the bank. Trying to get some scores and a nice video for your sale project. Sneakily practicing your move-up tests where people can't see you "for real" yet. In this environment, working on rider's horrible show nerves and inability to ride productively in a judged situation... fits right in with the general vibe of the thing.
The scores, fwiw, were shit. I've previously talked about dressage scoring, but it was a while ago and you may enjoy a refresher.
Training 1: 58.85% (As I said in the linked page: 56-60 -- This is not good work. You might be in the right test but today is totally not your day. You are not going to place AT ALL but we are not trying to shame you fiercely. Perhaps you just moved up or your horse is not overcoming the wind up his ass with a sufficient amount of philosophical detachment. This is just a little shameful but you are to be aware that this is CLEARLY not your best work. A letter grade D.) I was quite happy with this absolute shit score because I wasn't WORKING ON THE HORSE. I was trying to somewhat steer and remember to breathe and not be all fraught.
Training 3: 55.40% (50-55 -- You should not be riding this test. Srsly. This test is too hard for you or your horse is totally losing his shit or something. This is not the test for you. You are overfaced by the demands of the test on this day, please be sufficiently embarrassed by this score to go home and fix yer shit before you try again at this test. Perhaps an F.) I wasn't thrilled about this but also Bird wasn't getting many directives or support from me, so it's kind of ... yeah. Legit.
The other thing is that it's the judge's opinion on that day. The scores for the entire day ran from 54.06 to 71.25. We were on the shittier half of that but I was not particularly focused on riding the horse, a fact that the judge had no way of knowing and for which she could not have given me a break even if she had known about it.
Bird loaded nicely on the ramp 2 horse of Nicki's. He unloaded in a sedate and gentlemanly way even though the last time he had to back off a trailer onto a ramp was like 2019. He stood nicely to be tacked up. He walked politely to the (tiny) warm up ring where trainer was lunging a 4 yr old POA. And then he stood three inches taller and blew-snorted with the huge flared nostrils and super-pricked ears and worried face typical of the uncertain Arabian. Apparently he looked pretty damn wired, to the point where the trainer lunging the POA was moved to ask "Is he going to be OK with us here?", a very kind way of saying Adult ammie, you don't seem to realize it, but you are GOING TO DIE if you throw a leg over that keg o' dynamite before he settles down a little. I get her concern but I know my boy.
Bird has a ton of fucking feelings but he's pretty solid and having to settle down and do work will actually help him be less worried. So, I replied that he'd be fine, despite all evidence to the contrary, pulled out his stirrups, lined him up to the mounting block, hopped on without incident, and walked four somewhat elevated laps of the very small warmup (2 each way). Then he blew out, deflated, and moved right along to workmanlike. Let me be clear, he was just... elevated walking, not rearing, not bolting, not spooking, not piaffing, nothing weird, just an elevated and worried walk with a lot of looking. Meh. And he did some of those blow-y snorts of worry that sound like he's going to explode but he's not. It makes for a good show -- bystanders think I am an oblivious Captain Queeg (in that I have stainless steel balls that do not denote bravery, in case you are at sea on that reference) about to die. I am not about to die.
Also at the outing, my not-great-at-tying boy stood politely at the trailer, even when Gracie went to do her tests. He didn't paw or call or untie himself. He didn't spook at anything in the dressage arena, not the judge stand or the letters. Honestly, it could have gone a lot worse.
We should probably do another one. Frederick MD has some low-key schooling shows this summer that are still open. Maybe we'll go do one of those.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-10 09:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-10 12:28 pm (UTC)I do know from experience that if there isn't breathing and a significant non-frantic effort from me, there is absolutely no hope of anything from him. I still need to do a thorough read-through of the score sheets (lols will abound, I am sure) but I am waiting for pictures so that I can enliven that post with clean-adjacent, vaguely competent photographs of the horse.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-12 02:09 am (UTC)Glad you met your goals. :D
no subject
Date: 2025-06-13 03:34 am (UTC)