An Eventful Dressage Show

I originally didn't have any shows scheduled for July, so I decided at the last minute to enter the dressage show put on by the Standardbred Pleasure Horse Organization of Maine. This show was also affiliated with the Southern Maine Dressage Association. It was going to be a really hot day, so I was glad my ride times for both tests were early, and I would be done by 9:30am. 

Once I got Otis tacked up and myself dressed, I walked him around the grounds and to the warm up ring, it was empty so I figured I would take advantage. Once we got in there, Otis started acting like a brat, and then I heard my name announced as next! The show was running quite a bit ahead of schedule because of a few scratches. Instead of waiting until my actual ride time, I decided to just go ahead in, and do my Intro B test. That turned out to be a really good decision because Otis was AWESOME! No bratty attitude, no naughty behavior, he just went to work, and we did our test! I was so proud of him, and felt so good about our ride!

Usually I would have let Otis have a break before our next test, but they were running so ahead of schedule that I just stayed on, I needed to finish warming up and get ready for Intro C. Well.. while we were trotting around the warm up, Otis decided he had been far to good in our Intro B test. He spooked big time (at nothing of course) and I fell off!! I couldn't believe it, I was sitting in the dirt watching him buck and run away!! Luckily there were some really nice people standing near the entry of the warm up, and they caught him before he escaped. They were even nice enough to dust me off and help be back on. It was so nice of them to help me out. I was not impressed at Otis' behavior, so back to work we went. I took him over the trailer to grab a drink, and let him get a drink as well, and back to the warm up we went. I got some nice trot and canter circles out of him, and decided to call it good and walk him around the grounds until it was time for Into C. 

Otis was just as good, if not better in Intro C! His trot felt really good, much more extended and forward than it usually is, and his trot to canter transitions were much improved from last month in both directions. His walk is still way too slow, but that is something that I am working hard on at home. I exited the ring and went back to the trailer feeling really good about both of our tests. 

After getting Otis untacked and hosed off, and myself in some more comfortable clothes, it was time to wait for the results. I ended up with a  score of 62.5% and a fifth place ribbon in Intro B, and a score of 58.5% and a third place ribbon in Intro C. I was very disappointed in our scores to say the least. I felt so good about both of our rides, and was kind of deflated when I saw the score sheets. I just reminded myself to be proud of my horse, and to know that even if the scores weren't as good as last month, the rides felt better. Each judge has different opinions, and they aren't always going to match mine. 

I am just so happy that Otis has improved so much these last two shows (even if I did end up on my butt in the warm up arena). It reminds me that my hard work is finally paying off!

SMDA June Dressage Show

June 10th was the second show for the Southern Maine Dressage Association, and I entered Otis and I in the Intro B and Intro C tests again. I woke up that morning with a sore throat, and was not impressed that it seemed I had acquired my husband's cold on the morning of a horse show :( Despite the looming sickness, I loaded Otis into the trailer, and off we went.

Once I tacked Otis up and walked him around the show grounds for a bit, I decided to try the warm up arena, since there were only a few horses in there. Otis was being a bit naughty, but I was actually able to work him out of it, which was awesome! Usually once he decides to be naughty, he commits! I was very happy to be able to get some nice warm up work out of him before our first test. Wanting to end that on a good note, I left the warm up, and just walked around the outside of the show arena until it was our turn.

When we were next up for Intro B, we entered the ring and walked and trotted around the outside of the dressage arena, waiting for the judge to ring the bell. This is usually when Otis starts to get wound up, because we are suddenly all by ourselves, but this time he stayed relatively quiet :) We entered the ring at A, once the judge rang her bell, and Otis was AWESOME for the whole test!! He was calm, and willing and was just such good boy, I was so happy that he finally realized that this whole showing thing isn't really something to get so worked up about, it was like something clicked and he was just awesome! I couldn't have been happier with that test!

We had a little while before our Intro C test, so I brought Otis back to the trailer so we could both get a drink.

While we were in the ring waiting for the judge to ring the bell for our Intro C test, they announced the placings for Intro B, and we had gotten FIRST PLACE with a score of 67.2%!! I was so excited!

Here we are with our Blue Ribbon :)

As we were entering the ring to start our test for Intro C, a bicycle went by, and Otis thought it was going to eat him, and he had a mini melt down. Much to my surprise, I was able to calm him down, and get him back to normal before we entered at A and started being judged. Otis was very good for Intro C as well, we had a few little baubles in our canter transitions, which is something I have been working on at home anyways. There was even somebody just outside the arena, flapping a huge piece of plastic, trying to get their horse's ears up so they could take a picture (totally rude!) and Otis could have cared less! I was so proud of him, he usually would have used that as an excuse to act up. We ended up with a second place ribbon with a score of 65.8% for Intro C!


Otis and I had such a good day at the SMDA June show. He was such a good boy, and made SO much progress over the last show, not only in our scores, but in his attitude as well.

Green Acres Two-Phase

Otis and I went to Green Acres Stables in Madbury, NH on Saturday May 26th. I was excited to try another event, and I didn't have to leave until 9:00 am! I got there in plenty of time to find Liz, and luckily I was even able to park next to her (she had been there for quite a while before I got there).

I got Otis ready for dressage a couple of hours before our test, since we had never been to Green Acres before, I wanted plenty of time to ride him, just in case he decided to be naughty. I also wanted to ride over so I could watch part of Liz's cross country. Otis seemed pretty level headed for the amount of commotion that was going on at the show grounds. All phases of the event were in full swing by the time we got there, and there were horses and people every where. I walked him around the grounds a bit, and then decided to try the warm up arena, since there weren't many horses in there. He was doing pretty well, but there was another horse in there that would spook and bolt every time the horses on the cross country course would gallop towards the arena, and Otis decided to mirror it's reaction every time it did it. I decided to leave the warm up and rode him in the pasture area by the trailer for a few minutes. Once things calmed down in the warm up arena, I brought him back in, and I was very impressed with his behavior! I was able to get a really good warm up ride on him, so I brought him back to the trailer to chill out until it was closer to our ride time.

Otis was still being pretty good when I got back on him for our dressage test. I brought him into the dressage arena to wait for the judge to ring her bell. This was a bit different, usually we walk around the outside of the arena, but there wasn't room around the outside of this one, so we went in, and when the judge rang her bell, we went out, and then back in to start the test. I don't know whether it was the horses banging around in the trailer next to the area, or the fact that he didn't think we needed to back in the ring, but Otis completely changed his attitude when we went to start the test. When we halted at X, he start to do a little half rear! I did my best to calm him down, and the rest of our test went pretty well!

After cooling off for a bit (it was really hot out), I got changed and tacked Otis up for Stadium. I took him into the practice ring for a few minutes, then headed over to the jumping warm up. Otis was doing his normal leap over the fences, which was really frustrating, because we have been practicing a lot at home, and he hasn't been doing it there. Luckily, Liz was done for the day so she was there to talk me through it, and remind me to look up, not down at the fences. I finally got a good relaxed jump out of him, and my position was good, so I headed over to wait for my turn. We had to wait a lot longer than I thought because they let the younger kids walk the course before it was time to jump.

Finally it was our turn, we entered the ring, and did a warm up circle at the trot, Otis felt pretty good, and I was doing my best to stay relaxed, and think positive thoughts. He hesitated at the first jump, but went over it at this jarring leap. Fence number two was a bit better, but he was still doing his weird hoppy thing. Fence number three was the worst, it was a VERY small cross rail, and Otis came to a complete stop, it was so small, so I just kicked him forward, well he launched him self over the fence, causing me to lose my stirrup when we landed. I managed to get it back before fence four, which was pretty close. Things got progressively better after that, he started to relax a bit and jump more like he should. We still have a LONG WAY to go, but it was better then our stadium at UNH because I was more conscious of looking up.

Here is a video that Liz took of our stadium round, not pretty, but it's actually progress ;)

We ended up placing out of 8 riders, so I was pretty happy with that. Again, my biggest goal this year is to make progress with Otis at horse shows. I think we made really good progress in the warm up ring a this show. I was able to take him into the warm up ring, and actually do a good warm up with him, with out him giving me his bratty little attitude he has. Even though I had hoped for a better, more relaxed stadium round, we still made progress there as well.

First Dressage Show of the Year

Otis and I went to the Hollis Equestrian Park on Sunday May 6th for the first Southern Maine Dressage Association show of the season. This year I signed up as a member, not only to support the club, but to try and earn some points as well.

Otis was pretty chill when we got there, which was good. I pulled him off the trailer and immediately started getting him ready, I wanted plenty of time for warm up just in case his chill mood decided to wear off. Otis kept pretty much the same attitude after I got on him. I walked him around the show grounds for a while, and then decided to take him into the warm up arena, there weren't that many horses in there, and I wanted to see how he would act. He was really good! We walked and trotted for a while, and I decided to end it on a good note, and just walk him around outside of the arena until it was time for our first test.

Our first test was Intro B, which we have done four times now, so I wasn't too nervous, especially since Otis was being so good. As we entered the ring to wait for the judge's bell, he started acting up. I think it was a combination of my nerves, and a trailer that had just pulled in with three big horses stomping around inside. He was pretty tense through out the whole test. When we halted at X for the beginning of the test, he took a step sideways, and he cantered a few times, which is not good, there is no cantering in Intro B! So we ended up with third place out of three, and a score of 56.9% So we definitely have a lot of room to improve our score on that test this summer!


Our next test was Intro C, which I have never done before, and involves a partial canter circle in each direction. I was a bit nervous for this one, because it has a lot more movements to remember and I didn't want to forget my test! I had studying it quite a bit in the weeks leading up to the show, and Liz tested me on it just before my ride time, so I was ready. Otis was a bit tense for this test as well, he did a weird rear/hop/jump thing just before we entered at A, so that was a great start :-/ As the test progressed, he relaxed a little more. In the first few strides of our fist canter circle, he did what felt like a buck, but in the judges comments, it said he swapped his lead behind. After he got that out of his system our test went much better. I left the ring feeling really good about our ride, especially considering we have never done that test before. We ended up placing fourth out of six with a score of 62.3%

Enter at A...with attitude!

Overall I felt really good about this show, even though we didn't get that great of scores, Otis made process with his naughty horse show attitude. He stayed calm most of the day, and we were even able to got into the warm up arena successfully!

Looking a bit Better in this photo :)

UNH Two Phase

This past Sunday, the 15th, Otis and I traveled to The University of New Hampshire with Liz and Dreamy for a two phase put on by the students of the UNH equine program. This was our first show for 2012, and it was a bit earlier in the season than I was planning on, but when Liz mentioned that she was going, I figured why not?! I had planned on doing a few two phases this summer anways, so why not start the season with one?

After wathcing Liz and Dreamy do their dressage test, I started getting Otis and myself ready for our dressage test. The dressage arenas are down the road from where the trailer was parked, and Otis seemed to think I was taking him to the land of horsey torture! He kept whinnying for Dreamy, or any horse that would listen, and the farther down the road we got, the louder and longer his calls became. This wasn't looking good. Once we reached the dressage area, I decided to just let Oits stand around a bit to see if he would calm down. This didn't seem like it was going to happen, so I brought him across the street into a dirt parking lot, where we were farther away from all the horses and commotion. He seemed to calm down a little bit, but not much... After a few minutes I took him into the warm up arena.. big mistake... He wouldn't even walk.. he was just a big ball of nervous energy, and would only jog/prance. I decided to take him out of the warm up arena, and just let him stand around until it was time for our test. When it was our turn, I walked him over to the arena and walked him around the outside while I waited for the judge's bell. He was still being naughty, and not paying attention, so I was just hoping we could make it through our test without him bucking or exploding! The judge range his bell and down the center line we went. When I asked for the halt at X, Otis decided that he would start backing up! NOT GOOD! He was very tense through the whole test, and only relaxed a bit during the free walk. I wasn't very impressed with our ride, but had to keep telling myself that it is only April, and it was our first show of the season.

We had a little bit of time before stadium, so I had some lunch and watched Liz and Dreamy do a clean round in stadium and win their division! By then the dressage scores for my division were posted, and much to my surprise, we were in second place!

I got Otis tacked up for stadium and walked him down to the arena. He was much calmer, so I decided to skip taking him into the indoor to warm him up, I figured I would risk getting him all round up again, and the our jumps were very small cross rails, so it wasn't like I was going to risk him getting injured by not warmning him up. When it was our turn, we went into the arena, and did a small trot circle before we started the course. He was a bit excited, but not nearly as bad as the dressage. When we approached our fist jump, he started to refuse, but then jumped it, quite a bit bigger than he needed to. Our statium round wasn't pretty, due to the fact that I have a terrible habit of looking down at the jump, which throws both Otis and I off balance. Despite my bad habbits, (that I am working on) we made a clean round, and kept our second place standing!!

I was so excited that we placed, because the last two events I did, we got eliminated, so my main goal for the day was to just not get eliminiated, and we did it!!My long term goals for this summer are to get Otis so that he can deal with the warm up arena. I want to be able to get on him and warm him up at a show, instead of just standing around to keep him calm. Overall I had a really good time at the UNH two phase, and I can't wait to do more this summer!!

Otis and I with our ribbon 

Otis and I do Dressage!

On Sunday, September 18th, Otis and I went to the Hollis Equestrian Park for the Southern Maine Dressage Association's last schooling show of the year. I was excited for my first dressage show! I have done dressage two other times, once at the Hilltop Equestrian Center horse trial, and once at the Stepping Stone Farm two phase (I don't think that one really counts though), but this was our first time doing dressage only.

Liz showed up just as I was getting on Otis to warm up. She was nice enough to get there three hours before her tests so she could watch and support me! She is so awesome! So I started walking Otis around the grounds, I wanted to try and keep things as low key as possible because for some reason Otis is always extra nervous/naughty at the Hollis Equestrian Park. As I walked past the ring steward she informed me that I was next! I panicked and walked Otis into the warm up arena, he sensed my nerves and started acting up. Liz told me that I didn't have to go until the time they gave me, which wasn't for another half hour or so. This made me feel better not only because I needed more time to calm Otis down, but because my Mom and Gram weren't there yet. They were coming to watch me and I didn't want them to miss it. I decided the warm up arena was a bit too busy for Otis to be able to calm down, so I decided to just walk him around the outside of the show arena instead. This worked and he calmed down enough for me to attempt my first test. I entered the arena to warm up in there and wait for the judge's bell, all the while looking for my Mom's car to pull in. The judge rang her bell and Mom pulled in just as I was headed up the center line.

Intro A - You can see how "fresh" he was feeling!

The first test we entered was Intro A, a test we have never done before. Otis was still feeling a bit naughty, so our circles weren't as round as they could have been, and he was a bit stronger than I would have liked. Overall I felt pretty good about our ride. I walked back over to my trailer to wait with Mom, Gram, and Liz. I was one of the last riders in the Intro A division so they placed the class shortly after I finished. I was listening for name, not expecting to place well, since Otis was kind of naughty and I was competing against people who have been doing this all summer. Boy was a surprised when they called my name for First Place with score of 66.3%!!



Our next test was Intro B which we have done before at Hilltop, and started to do at Stepping Stone. Otis was much calmer for this test, although still a bit strong. Our circles were better, but they are something we need to work on, along with his walk. He has such a poky western walk, not so good for dressage :)

Intro B - Looking a bit better

Our Halt in Intro B we got a 9 for a score on that!

Otis and I were done for the day, but I stayed on him to wait for the placings of Intro B so we could get a picture with both of our ribbons. We all waited impatiently for the results of Intro B, and much to my excitement we won that one as well with a score of 65%! I was so proud of us! We have been working so hard, and after being eliminated the first two times we tried dressage/eventing, it felt SO good to not only do well, but to win!! Don't get me wrong, winning isn't everything, but it is still an amazing feeling.

Showing off our hard earned ribbons!!

Otis and I were done for the day so I untacked him filled his hay net and water bucket and changed my clothes so I could watch Liz do the three tests she came to do. I have only been able to watch Liz do dressage while I was also trying to get myself and my horse ready at other events, so it was nice to be all done and just be able to relax and watch her ride. Liz did great in her tests as well, she ended up with a First in Prix Caprilli (dressage with jumps!), Second in Training 3 and Third in First 1. We both had a very good day! 

Otis waiting at the trailer while I watch Liz & Dreamy

I had an awesome time at the SMDA show, it was very well run, and the people were very friendly. It was such a relief to have a good experience after what had happened the weekend before. I joked with Liz that I had post traumatic stress disorder because I kept having dreams the night before that I was being rung of course over and over again. Well this show definitely canceled out the bad experience from the week before. I had a lot of fun, and plan on joining the SMDA and doing as many of their shows as I can next summer! Thanks to Liz I have discovered a great sport, something I didn't think I would ever do, or even be good at. 

A 2-Phase in Northern Maine

Otis and I tried our hand at eventing for the second time yesterday, September 11, 2011, at a 2-Phase. I trailered Otis over to my friend Liz's house in Cornish bright and early. We loaded my stuff into Liz's trailer and we were off to Stepping Stone Farm in Carmel, ME. I had really been looking forward to this event, I had so much fun at the horse trial in New Hampshire, despite our cross country mishap. I thought a two phase would be a good confidence booster for us, since there is no cross country. 

We arrived at our destination at around 9:30, and found that we had to park across the street from the venue, in a field that probably hadn't been mowed all summer long. We left the horses on the trailer and went across the street to sign in, and found that there wasn't really a place to sign in, just a box with our packets in it, sitting on the ground. This wasn't really that big of a deal, we found our packets and decided to check out the warm up area, and find out where the dressage and jumping would take place. The warm up area for dressage was a very small grassy area, that we found out was actually a pasture for one of the horses that lives at the farm. With I-95 right next to it, it was less than ideal. The warm up for jumping was even more cramped, with the indoor very close to one side, and a very steep hill on the other. Liz and I tried to stay optimistic and make the best out of the situation, we traveled quite a ways, we wanted to have a good experience no matter what. We found out that the dressage would take place in their indoor, which worried me a little because Otis is not always on his best behavior in indoor arenas, there are horse eating creatures in them you know! We then made our way down to the stadium course so we could walk it before we went back to unload the horses. The arena was small, and the course was tight, but given the low height that my jumps would be set at, I wasn't too worried about it.

I watched Liz do her dressage test, and then went back across the street to start getting Otis and myself ready for dressage. I didn't really do much of a warm up with him, because I figure with the size of the warm up area, and its close proximity to I-95 I was more likely to wind him up and start a fight, than to get anything accomplished. So I opted to walk and trot him a bit in front of the indoor where we were waiting for dressage. This worked out fine, because Otis was being a good boy. Liz went over to do her stadium course, and came back just in time for my test, the girl before me was in the arena doing hers. I was having a hard time figuring out what was going on in there because she started her test, and then the judge stopped her, and she started going again. She had two numbers on her back, so Liz and I thought maybe she was doing two tests back to back.

Finally it was my turn, I entered the indoor and discovered that it was a particularly "scary" indoor. It was very dark inside, the ceiling seemed very low, and the noise from I-95 was vibrating off the walls. I walked and trotted Otis around trying to keep him calm until the judge rang the bell. We started our test, and not a minute into it, the judge rang the bell again. I couldn't figure out why they were ringing the bell, it usually means you are off course, and I knew that I wasn't. Then I thought maybe I was hearing things the first time, and shouldn't have started yet. That's when the judged called me over to talk to her. She started to tell me that I had made the same mistake as the girl before me, and then she started looking at her scoring sheets, that's when she realized that she had scoring sheets for the 2007 Intro B test, not the new 2011 test. There was a moment of awkward silence that seemed to last forever while the judge and her assistant tried to figure out what to do. Then the judge told me that she was going to explain the test to me, and then give me the sheet to look over. My heart sank! There was no way I was going to be able to memorize a brand new test under such pressure. I usually use my handy USDF iPhone App to memorize my test, as I am a visual learner, I can't just read a list of instructions and know what I need to do. I did my best to try and interpret it, and the judge assured me that I would be okay, so off I went. I had no confidence it what I was doing, and tried my best to do what I thought I was supposed to do, at one point the judge called to me that I was off course and directed me back to where I was supposed to go. By the time I finished I was almost in tears, I was so frustrated, and felt so cheated. Liz asked me what happened and I told her that I was doing the wrong test, at first she thought I meant I had memorized the wrong test, but when she found out they were using old tests she was just as upset as I was. It wasn't listed anywhere what year the test was coming from, they aren't even supposed to use the old tests, so there was no way for me to know that was going to happen, there was nothing I could have done to prevent it.

I was so discouraged, but headed back across the street to the trailer to get ready for the stadium phase anyways. I went over the practice jump a few times and Otis was being very good, so I headed down to wait my turn, I didn't have to wait long because the girl before me was just finishing up when I got down there. That is another thing that wasn't very good about this venue, there was no announcement system, and the warm up area and the stadium jumping area were very far apart so you had no way of knowing if you were next, or if you had an hour to wait. I waited outside of the arena while a girl fixed the jumps. I looked around to see if could see an official to make sure they were ready for me, I didn't see anybody, so I just went in. Then I heard somebody say "wait wait wait" so I stopped and looked at her, and she said, "aren't you going to salute me?" Don't you know that you are supposed to salute me?" I said nope, this is only my second event, (I was thinking, this isn't dressage, why should I salute you?!) but I did it and off I went. Otis was good over the first and second fences, a little strong but good. At the third fence he was going along nicely and then at the last second he stopped, this took me by surprise because I really thought he was going to go over it. It was a very small cross rail so I just walked him over it. The fifth jump was a larger vertical and he refused that too. At this point I was so frazzled and my confidence was so shot, that instead of circling, and going back to the jump for a second attempt, I just went around it and moved on to the next jump. We finished the course with out anymore issues, and the same lady that wanted to me to salute her was waiting for me at the rail, she said "you know you just eliminated yourself?" I said I know, I am very well aware of that, and just kept walking. Then she had the nerve to ask me if I had an instructor! I felt like telling her that it was her fault I did so poorly, because she used old dressage tests without telling anyone, and made me feel like an idiot just before starting my stadium course, but instead I just ignored her and left the arena. I felt so defeated. The best instructor in the world couldn't have prepared me for the day's events. I walked up to where Liz was waiting with Dreamy and told her that I knew I shouldn't have gone around that fence, but in the moment my brain was just fried and my knee jerk reaction was to just move on to the next fence. 

So needless to say this event wasn't the confidence booster that I had planned for it to be, but it wasn't my fault, and it wasn't anything that I had control over. It was still an experience, and it definitely didn't deter me from eventing, I just won't EVER return to Stepping Stone Farm. Otis was very well behaved, we did the best we could, and Liz and I had fun and lots of laughs, despite the terrible and unfair way the event was run.