USDF First Level - here we are!

Mia and I worked hard to get ready for this show because I really needed a "win". Not a ribbon win, but a "we did the thing, we can still do the thing, we aren't old and broken" thing. I really wanted to challenge ourselves as well. I could have done Training level, and we probably would have gotten a pretty good score. But we were working at second level back in 2021 and we were working so hard now, I felt like why not. Let's try first level and see what happens.

 

Originally my plan was to show First level Test 3, however that test has counter canter as an element and that is not a movement Mia and I have been practicing of late. The opposite, in fact, we have been doing simple to flying changes and I didn't want to throw a counter canter back in with a week to prepare. I also figured we should take the slightly easier route and so I entered us in First 1 and 2 for our first level debut. Would it have been smarter to go Training 3 and First 1? Probably. Do I always make good decisions? Well....I mean, I did enter First 1 and 2. Case closed.

The week leading up to the show was nerve wracking because I kept waiting on Mia to come up lame. Apparently I have some serious PTSD and I can attest that it isn't pleasant. I do think Mia was still slightly off in her hind where the abscess had been, but it was so slight, it is also maybe in my head (which is what the farrier said today when they saw Mia). I do think I can see it in the video though, especially at the walk.

In preparation for the show, I took two lessons and I did get some good feedback which helped. One big  takeaway one is that Mia really likes to quicken her tempo in the trot lengthening and I really need to work on getting bigger, not faster. If anything in a lengthening, Mia needs to go slower because she has no problem going faster. The other takeaway is that I need to give just a touch of rein in the canter because at this stage of our development, Mia can't stay balanced in the contact with shorter reins. Which is fair.

Our show was last Sunday and while I am a little disappointed in the scores, I am very happy in our accomplishment of Doing The Thing. Mia and I had a much better Test 1 than Test 2, I think a big part was because it was so hot and humid. By by the time Test 2 came around, Mia was completely over the day and I was fighting heat exhaustion due nary shade or clouds in sight for the prior 2.5 hours. The judge loved our entrances down centerline but hated Mia's canter. I can't fault her for that, Mia's canter is not great. We were nailed on Mia not being round enough, Mia's cadence being too fast, and her canter being too lateral, but you know what? I am still happy. Coming up? The test breakdowns. 

Let's get restarted - again

Started this post back in *cough* early June. Let's get this updated....

You haz Carot, I LOVE CAROT!

With summer starting to peek into life, things are moving in better directions. We moved to a new barn last week in June and I am cautiously quite optimistic that this will be "the" barn. Mia has been there almost a week a couple of months and every day I have been happy when I go and visit her. The people I have seen have been friendly, chatty, and I am optimistic that I will enjoy myself as the summer progresses. I have moved to an eventing barn again, so if nothing else, it is going to kick my butt to really get me to do all of the things.

A pasture. With GRASS! 

Mia has been no worse for wear excellent through it all, taking it in stride. She walked into the new pasture without a care in the world, no drama with the other horses, and tucked herself into some hay that had been thrown out. One of the best parts of the new place is that Mia can be on grass again. Both barns here in MI have kept her on, essentially, dry lots and she doesn't need to be in a dry lot. She does very well on grass and loves having space to roam. She has both at this new barn, so fingers crossed!

Haz you more treats?

I was finally able to start having lessons again, which is huge, and they have been are going fairly quite well. I am optimistic happy to report that I am seeing benefits from the lessons, and while group lessons in dressage is not my preference, they are working for us. The lessons aren't nearly as intense as the ones I was getting in PA back in 2020/2021, but they are productive and much better than the ones I had back in July/August of last year. Mia and I need lots of dressage work to get back to where we were, but slowly and surely I think we are getting there.

She is looking GOOD!

We had hoped to go to a jumper show last month, but no big surprise, Mia came up lame the day before with an abscess in her hind. Because of course she did. That took her down for 2 weeks. Then SO and I went on vacation for 10 days. Then Mia and I had to work ourselves back up, because now we had been out of work for almost a month. *sigh* But that's okay. Because I made the rash and maybe unwise decision to enter a dressage show. Just how would that go? Well....