El Sueno - Part 5

We're cabin bound tonight so you won't hear from me again until Monday, which is probably a good thing as I have been a bit long-winded this week. I am nearly done; I swear. When I first start writing about a show, I get all excited and have a ton to say. By the time I get to the third test, I begin to get bored and don't really care anymore. By the fourth test, of which this is, I really don't care, especially since there was no grand finale. I am just trying, by this time, to get the thing written so I can move on to a new topic. 

Since this test was ridden at the show's end, my photographer was busy so you don't even get pictures. Here are the tests. Some explanation follows ...

Still over 60% ...

2 point error for going off course - I HATE when I do that.

ASK - I am not asking him for what I want.

This test was judged by a different judge. Even so, the scores were consistent. I am not surprised that we scored a little lower as I was mentally  tired, as usual. I need to find a way to keep my enthusiasm up for the duration of the show.

Not as an excuse, and I am not complaining, but simply as an explanation: I load the trailer alone. I drive alone, I unload everything alone, I camp alone, I warm up alone, and I ride alone. I reload everything alone and then drive home alone. It is tiring to do so much work with no help. I didn't pull into my barn until nearly 6:00 p.m on Sunday evening. Once there, I unloaded everything alone and then drove home where I still had to unload all of my personal stuff.

I don't mind the aloneness; I am a confident person and find it easy to meet new people. The drawback to being alone is that it can wear you out with all of the work. So ... by the time the fourth test rolls around, my enthusiasm is usually waning, and I am definitely not as sharp as I am for the first few tests. Speedy is a very smart boy and naturally picks up on my mood; he's not tired for the last test, but he gets bored easily. Throw in my fatigue, and you've got a less than sparkly performance.

If you looked the test over, you saw we had more 5.5s than earlier in the day, 4 of them to be exact,  but the 7s still made an appearance. We had three of those with the added bonus of a 7.5. There were still plenty of 6s and even one 6.5 to carry the score above 60%. And while I am delighted with four tests of over 60%, a first for me, I can see that the way to really raise my scores is to eliminate the 5s.

And of course, it must be noted that the off course error is just a stupid way to give points away. Sheesh. I know that test backwards and forwards. I just lost focus for a moment and paid the penalty. That's what being tired does. I clearly need a ground crew!

So that's it. Well almost. If I have the energy, I want to write one more post about a few things that I learned - some about riding and some of the more nuts and bolts variety. Until then, thanks for letting me share!