Nothing Ventured…Nothing Gained

This post could be titled “I was robbed!”, but I didn’t want to alarm anyone.  Read further to

understand more.

If one has mottos, then this is one of mine.  At the March show, I produced consistent and credible rides at Second Level (albeit at the least demanding test for this level).  See pics of Barry from that show; he has turned into the equine equivalent of a heartthrob/beekcake.  After the show, I asked Laura what she thought about me trying to ride Third Level (again the lowest level test for the level) before the season ended.  Barry has the moves.  It would be very cool for Laura to be able to advertise Barry next season as a horse that let an adult amateur earn her USDF bronze medal in one season.  She liked the proposal and so we set out to see what we could produce. Mind you, there were just three weeks to the next recognized show and before Barry was scheduled to return to Pennsylvania. This test introduces several more complex movements including trot half passes, walk pirouettes, and flying lead changes on the short diagonal. Did I really appreciate the reach?  No, but my goal for the season had been to return home with the ability to ride a credible Third Level test.  I had expected to do that on Galatea when I went down, but it wasn’t going to happen.  So, there was a lot to gain learning wise and very little to lose. 

The drill sergeant (see photo) appeared ringside every.single.day.  I won’t go into the gory details other than to say (1) mastering half passes at the walk is hard because there is no impulsion (and you don’t get to do it in trot until you have the mechanics at the walk) and (2) walk pirouettes done properly are a thing of beauty (but if you lose control of the hindquarters, lose the forward march, or haul the shoulders around it gets ugly).  And because Barry was more than willing to do flying lead changes, we had to keep that to a minimum or he would start offering them here…there…anywhere?  Oh, and we weren’t riding for 6’s (satisfactory).  We were riding for scores of 8 and the feedback was tough.  If you can ride 75% of what you produce at home at a show you are doing really well.  0.75 x 8 = 6.  To get my bronze, I had to get an average score of 6’s for all the movements in the test on two occasions with different judges.

Did I manage to pull it off?  No.  Did I come damn close?  You bet.  58.6 for the first ride and 59.0 for the second ride.  Was I robbed on the second ride?  Review of the video showed that my first change on the diagonal was clean (both front and hind legs swap position simultaneously), but the judge scored it as a late change.  Correctly scored, I would have achieved a 60%.  However, unlike football, there is no review of the play on the sidelines. And sometimes the error is in your favor. Do I care about my scores in the USDF database?  Not really, I am not a professional.  And the scores say nothing about the learning experience, which was huge. 

Although I am homesick and miss all of you, I am excited that the next few weeks will be focused solely on Galatea and confirming my ability to correctly feel and differentiate between First, Second and Third Level with respect to connection, collection and impulsion.  Laura is excited, too, because I haven’t been able to resist working in her gardens when I am not riding. And, with only one horse there will be more time for that. Besides, I still have to get through all the Ted Lasso series before I head back on the 29th.