El Sueno Saturday - Part 2

When I saw my score from Second Level Test 1, I was quite pleased; it's my highest Second Level score yet. Not that 64% is fabulous or anything, but improvement is worth celebrating.

Track left at C.

Test 3 started out fairly well with a 6.5 for our entry and halt and progressed well, if not quite as solidly as test 1. Where we had 6.5s for test 1, our score was 6.0 for test 3. In total, we earned only a pair of 7.0s, eleven 6.5s, twelve 6.0s, and two scores below 6.0 - we earned a 5.5 for the first simple change across the diagonal and a 5.0 for the second one. The simple change is definitely our weakest moment right now.

Shoulder in left 6.0 "over-bent left for angle but this energy better."

Not only did we miss my goal of no scores under 6.0, I didn't help myself any by giving away two points in an error at the walk. Yes, you read that correctly. How do you go off course when YOU'RE WALKING?!?!?  If you walk from M to V instead of R to V, you lose two points - that's how. Rats. That mistake cost me half a percent. Without the error I would have had a 62% which just feels better than a 61%. My final score was 61.585%.

Free walk - 6.0 with the comment "Should be from R not M. Has stride needs energy."

The overall score was still above 60%, which is my goal for now. And while there are definitely plenty of things to improve, there were some really good moments. The 10-meter canter circle to the left earned a 6.5 with the comment, "Balanced." Both turns on the haunches, which carry a double coefficient, earned scores of 7.0 - we made up a lot of points there. Both medium canters earned the comment, "bold." 

Medium canter - It feels like we're going a million miles an hour. Watching the video, we're not.

When I got home and started looking at my scores and analyzing what needs to be improved upon, I realized that I had completely forgotten about earning the third score toward our Second Level Rider Performance Award. The award is earned with four scores of 60% or better from four different judges from at least two different shows. We only need one more score. At our next show, this show's judge and Hilda Gurney will be judging. I hope I get to ride at least once for Hilda, otherwise we won't even have a chance to earn that last score.

Final centerline - 6.5 "Straight centerline, balance backwards."

As painful as it is to watch, here's the video with Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, narrating.