Sunday 8 May 2011

Rewarding Day

My little horse Pearl who has taken so long to produce is finally proving herself and growing up.
Today Gail Stephens and I both went to Mattingly unaffiliated to do the Intro. Considering this was only her second event and first intro of the season I was a little concerned about the Show jumping and the Cross Country.
She was so relaxed when we got there I thought there was something wrong with her (usually she has ants in her pants when we first arrive).  I tacked her up and went to warm up for the dressage, she was fooling me, there was nothing wrong with her at all! She put in a few bucks and then bronked and galloped off with me up to the dressage arena, nearly knocking Mum over in the process! I couldn't get any sense out of her at all, she was so very excited, but then 5 mins before I went in, I got some awesome work out of her and she preformed a stunning test - I mean there were still blips like canter transitions being a bit exuberant and  sometimes she wasn't quite acive enough behind, but next time I am going to try the test in sitting trot so I can wrap my legs around her and have some smother transitions, she does seem to go better when I am sitting.
Show jumping was up to height and had lots of fillers in - she had a pole, but I tell you what I was chuffed, she was totally listening to me and even though she had that pole she didn't freak out because she knocked it, she just stayed totally focused.
On the cross country I had an awesome ride it was a a big course for Pearly and she has been having confidence problems and won't take me forward, I am constantly pushing her to go on and she is very wobbly, that was how she started today. She had a stop at the second fence,  but she didn't spook, she just didn't lock onto it so I re-presented her and she popped it. But after that fence, she got told to focus, she gave me a little buck and I knew I had got through to her and from then she took me all the way around, for once I was having to pull her up before the fence to set her up which is exactly what I wanted. She was fantastic I don't mind about the stop or the pole, I was just chuffed with the fact she has improved So much!!!!!
http://www.johnbritterphotography.com/eventpics/matt11/8/images/thumbs/thumb44.jpg

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