Riding A Dressage Bomb!

Moon again has been growing up, ish.

The recent weeks have seen us out and about places and acting more like a 4 year old and less like a laid back lad we’ve come  to know and love.

In an effort to calm him down more trips have been arranged, a lesson with Paul in which the first 10mins was spent leaping around DEATH eating dressage boards and almost unseating a ride whose stirrups despite being just right for dressage and not ‘just right’ for staying on leaping 4yr olds!
A second trip to Kirklevington riding centre in their beautiful big indoor led to more broncing around like a mustang including a rather embarrassing incident in which another horse dares to canter over a pole, which is enough of an excuse to canter but then had the indecency to hit the pole sending Moon into a series of squealing broncs till we arrived on the track at the opposite wall quite close behind the offending horse. Luckily by the time the rider realised and turned around (deep in concentration) I had yanked his head off the floor and was able  flash a beaming smile looking mostly in control, if a little close!

And with this in my mind we set off for our long overdue first dressage. . . .

The unicorn centre was chosen for its lack of dressage boards and quiet setting good job) and a request to go very early in the class was duly granted by the very helpful lady.  And did I mention I was away for 3 days before the competition! Eek! Luckily I had gone to visit Nupafeed maestros the Nobles and had advised my ever trusty helper to feed him the Nupafeed liquid twice a day till I returned.

The Monday arrived and being the day before the competition and a serious training session was set off for. However when we reached the arena a couple of younger riders were experimenting with their ones so in the spirit of training I rode with them. Ever easily swayed I trotted round a bit wondering why my pony was so slow and quiet. Then as he was so very slow I let Sophie the 16yr old 5ft nothing have a spin. He was beautifully behaved for her and looked pretty smart! So our serious training sesh turned into a random trot about! H seemed fine so the nest day a shattered rider had to have a nap after teaching before bathing a hairy greasy baby pony, whom to the joy of his rider is VERY good at standing, just standing.

Somehow we managed to get there on time and an hour early ready for some antics. Massively stressed I unloaded and managed to undo all the gates into the warm up without getting off. After a little look around warm up was going beautifully, a whole 30mins of it.

Our time was nearing; things were gearing up and two small ponies’ cam to be led around their tests before us. Fine, fine, fine. Until the first pony went in for his test. The second pony rider had dismounted, for a reason I was about to discover. Pony one a bay pony on a lead rein always lived with pony two – a small grey (not your perfect old grey PC pony) and grey pony got separation anxiety when he couldn’t see him. So his leader let him run around in circles on the end of a lead rope in the middle of the warm-up. Not clever. Moon has never seen strange small creatures behave in such a way and thought it was necessary to show them what proper horses do and leap around. And leap, and leap.

I must add in here that while he was being a good boy I had removed his bandages and breastplate (Handle) and had my stirrups at ‘proper dressage’ length so leaping wasn’t appreciated. When a few more horses came to join the ‘party’ he decided that he had had enough of being perfect and that he should show people that he was worthy of more than a walk /trot test and that really he should be in the Spanish riding school. Even if he isn’t white. So some leaping off his hind legs then throwing out every other leg at random angles whilst in the air demonstrated this quite nicely and his wowed audience watched appreciatively wondering how long before someone fell off.

Luckily it was time for my test so I dubiously took a deep breath and kicked like billy o to get into the arena. A few more deep breaths and I assessed the space. The RDA mounting block at foot height was enough for Moon and he stopped in the middle of the arena and promptly pooed himself. “No thanks” he said and I silently replied “but that’s HALF of the arena down there you have to go past K and A!” more deep breaths and gentle encouragement mean the second time round he went past with only his eyes sticking out past the track.

A patient judge let us walk round for a while and the bell rang and we set off, and bless him was he good. He felt like a bomb, ready to explode at any moment, but trying so hard to contain himself. He tried and tried to concentrate and held on by a knife edge to his composure and did a lovely test. Rider error meant his foot hit the wall once and he got a bot distracted in free walk (how DARE some horse whinny from the car park!) but aside from that he tried so hard. I was over the Moon! Outside I hugged and patted and hugged some more while he just walked and looked at me as if to say “I don’t know what all the fuss is about- I just trotted around a bit”

My beautiful baby is blossoming! Not so much that he can stand still in the lorry park for a while and eat grass, No, no! This dressage pro was now so important he had to go and say hi to all the other horses who were standing quietly by their trailers. So he just ran off from my mum across the car park. Twice. No sniffing squealing or running round, just went to see another bay gelding to keep him company.

We waited for the results and much to my delight he had won! 71% and won by a large margin! I was so proud; it made my very busy and tiring day.

Until next time Moon-ster followers, stay safe and enjoy August!

******** Honourable mentions go to Rupert in his first dressage finishing 3^rd behind Moon, who also terrorised the collecting ring by kicking out every time I used my leg. (These people are never going to want me back!)  And poor Big Ginger horse who unfortunately lost his life the same evening at a yard along the road from ours. May we all realise how lucky we are when we have high points.