After a week of mostly lazy riding and reflecting on our horse trial, I think I have gotten enough distance from ER MAH GAWD I LOOOOVE my PONY to actually review the goals I had set ahead of time. (Honestly though, OMG I LOVE HER.)
Dressage Goal: Score below a 35
Done! We scored a 29, which is higher then the 24.2 we got at our last horse trail. Again though, that was from a soft judge, in an outdoor arena, and for a test we had done a few times before. I am super happy about the 29, and the consistent 7s & 7.5s in the collectives.
Show Jumping Goal: Ride Forward!
Is anyone surprised that riding forward led to a clear round? Anyone? How about any of my current and past trainers that have been telling me to do this for YEARS? Nope. Didn’t think so. We definitely had some bobbles and less-than-ideal distances, but since we were riding forward, May was easily able to sort through things.
Cross Country Goal: School the Water
The water was way more spooky then I was expecting. Half in the shade, deeper than expected, a bit of algae, and surrounded by other jumps that made it feel a bit claustrophobic. I kept my leg on, and we went into it without incurring penalties. May got lots of pats and love (and then tried to walk into the drain, and I had to hustle her away from it).
Overall Goals:
- No Negative Self Talk: SUCCESS. Created a plan for the water and SJ with my trainer and executed without hesitation.
- Utilize visualization: I probably rode through the SJ course in my mind about 5 times. Did it go exactly as well as my visualized course? Nope. But it definitely helped me stay focused on what mattered (Balance, pace, line instead of the perfect distance)
- Stay Positive: This was easy because each phase went really well. It was a long day, but an unbelievably fun one.
And the Cuteness
One of the girl’s from my barn was featured in Eventing Nation for her adorable helmet cam footage. Before her round, I helped her put on her new galloping boots. During her round, you can hear the whole team cheering her on. Mind you, her round went at nearly 4PM, after we had all been at the show since about 8AM. Did that matter for the riders, parents, and people that came to help? Nope, and that is part of what makes eventing so much fun.
I thought May’s ears were too cute to handle, but this takes it to a whole other level.
The Video
Eventing Nation Article
Is there anything better then a girl and her pony?
okay I am one of May’s biggest fans (and yay on you hitting your goals) BUT BUT BUT Barbie has stolen my heart. OMG. SO CUTE. and what a story. AWWW thanks for sharing that i needed that on a grumpy Tuesday am 🙂
And just cause it goes without saying…YAY MAY! 🙂
Barbie is perfect and May loves her too. She even escaped her stall one day to hang out with Barbie
aw congrats again on following through with all your goals and producing a foot perfect day!!
So many congrats! You and May really killed it, and congrats again on hitting all those goals! I showed that video of Barbie to my mom. She had so many “how cute!”s going on haha! So so adorable <3
It is an adorable video. From the “Thank you” at the start gate to the “Hi Ms. Phyllis!” as she passed our trailer. Just too adorable.
ohmygoodness!! the adorableness of Barbie!! I love it!!
And super-awesome to not only have had a great outing, but to meet all of your personal goals as well. I think I could bask in the glow of that for quite some time! lol
Barbie is the absolute best hahaha. <3 her
Barbie is the cutest and it makes me laugh when she is a little SHIT and leaves the arena!
She’s so good at horse trials. And so naughty at home. Love her ?
Hooray for knocking your goals out of the park!