It's been a while. I have some updates.

[which_chick]

In the wonderful world of updates, DLB is not dead and has been discharged from hospital to rehab to regain strength, etc. So that's good.



I've been to yet another dressage schooling show outing, this one part of FADS at By Chance Farm (lovely venue, runs like a well-oiled machine, easily accessible off of I-70) down south of Fredneck. And that went much as expected, scores in the high 50's (58.something and 59.something) but along with the usual Submission of 5.5 and rider focus on more effective use of aids, I got some judge commentary that was unexpected. (Yes, we will go over the humiliating score sheets. I promise. Just not today. I need time.)

See, in dressage, the judge gives you a few verbal remarks (typically) after your ride, mostly to encourage you or whatever. And they try to be helpful and give you useful directives in these verbal remarks. Or they tell you your horse is cute. It's a small element of humanity before you get to see a ton of 5's and 6's indicating that you are barely competent.

So, in my efforts over the past weekend, the dressage judge starts with how him is so cyuuuute wif a boopsnoot, which he totally is so cyuuuute wif a boopsnoot, I can't even argue that. But then she kinda shuts down the adorability chat and in a far more workmanlike comment, she goes... "I am not sure you realize how good a horse this is. I'm not saying that in jest, he is really quite lovely and covers ground well. I didn't see anything glaringly wrong in your riding, but he was blowing your aids off for bend and tempo. When you get that sorted out, he's going to drop some jaws."

I thanked her for the compliment and added that I was still working on rider nerves. I didn't share details, but I'm still working on the basic stuff like rider remembers to breathe and rider does not cry in the dressage court and rider attempts to do a more-or-less correct test pattern, time and attention permitting. Making it look nice isn't really on my agenda yet. I'm trying and it's getting better with the breathing and the not crying and the steering. Maybe I will be able to work on "looking nice" next time.

And judge was "well, that's what schooling shows are for." and I was "Yep."

But I wasn't really expecting a this horse is nicer than I think you realize comment. I don't usually get that. I usually get "aww, he's adorable!" and "wow, is he an Arabian?" which are both very reasonable comments.

I did not say I knew exactly how lovely he was. That would sound rude and judge sees us for like two minutes. She does not know the backstory.

But Imma say it here.

Yes, helpful and kind judge. I do know how nice a horse he is. I have known since he was a pink and weedy two year old.



I have known since he was four and doing his level best at learning to be a riding horse.



I know how nice a horse he is now, with his middle-aged potato rider, his clean-adjacent grooming, and his inattentive but square halt.



I know full well how nice a horse this is. I built him, slowly and carefully, over the course of many years. See?



Now if I could just... manage to ride him like I do at home only... in a ring, in front of other people, that'd be nice. I'm working on it.