Well, the National Championships are over for another year and, for the first time in ages, I was actually taking part! While we didn’t make it into the placings, I thought it was a really useful show for Freya.
The weekend didn’t start off so well when we got stuck in traffic on pretty much every road! By the time we got there, we had missed the chance to exercise her. Given that she was on fairly early the next day, I thanked my lucky stars that I had given her a quick exercise before we left home. I could have ridden her first thing on Saturday, but the arena walk was on at that time and I know that being surrounded by lots of other excitable horses would only wind her up.
As anticipated, she was pretty fresh in the warm up for the Medium, but she settled really quickly. I was pleased with our working in and feeling confident as we started our test. Unfortunately, the combination in the arena next to us finished midway through our trot work and some very enthusiastic supporters decided to cheer as well as applaud! Freya kept it together for a few strides but then shot off, which I couldn’t blame her for. She was so good to come back to me and carry on with the next movement but she was definitely on high alert for the rest of the test. We still finished on 67.8% but I knew we could do better.
On Sunday, Freya came out feeling really focused. We were in the other arena and she didn’t bat an eyelid. Overall, I was very pleased with the test – she was completely on side the whole way through and we just had one mistake in the flying change at the end of the extended canter. If I had to nit-pick, she could have had a bit more energy and spark, but I was really pleased to get the relaxation. The judges were pretty divided on us – some rewarded the smoothness and confidence, while others were looking for more expression. We ended up on 67.7%, which was disappointing – but that does come with the territory when you choose to compete in dressage!
There are so many positives from our trip to Stoneleigh. Whenever I compete, I always have three aims: the most important is a goal (or two or three!) for our own performance; next is the goal for the score, and finally, least important is the placing. This is my way of not letting my natural competitiveness get in the way of my training and progression. My performance goals were to keep her focused throughout, keep the quarters in the half-passes, and have a smooth four-loop serpentine with flying changes in the Advanced Medium. With the exception of the clapping incident – which was totally out of our control – we achieved all of these.
The big positive going forward is that it has concentrated my mind on what we need to focus on now. Freya is naturally forward-going and very supple through her neck and poll, so I have had to work really hard on being able to half-halt without her shortening the neck. In the last few weeks and months, this basic principle has become much more established, so I am able to put in more power. It’s clear from the feedback that I’ve had recently that this is what is needed next to pull our marks up, and we are in a position to work on it now. My focus over the winter will be to increase the engagement and expression, without affecting the way of going. It’s so exciting to be at this stage with her and I’m really looking forward to pushing on to the next level!
