There's Video!

You know that it is very hard for me to give myself credit for a job well done. When I earn "good" scores, I usually discount them as inflated or given at a generous moment by a kind judge. When my scores are low, I invariably applaud the judge's well trained eye. For yesterday's show, I am feeling a teensy, tiny bit shorted. We weren't brilliant, but I thought we were a wee bit better than what the scores say, especially in the second test (shown tomorrow).

As you watch the video, please remember that I have seen it as well and can see exactly what I need to fix. I am well aware of my shortcomings as a rider and am, in fact, far more critical of what I see than you will be. There are some nicer moments, however, and even I can see that we are showing improvement.

I borrowed a technique from Kelly over at Ride Groom Feed, so you'll see the movements written out as well as the score given and the judge's comments. The score sheet follows.

I didn't white it out; I swear!

I didn't eliminate the 5s, but I bumped up the 6s and 7s to include .5s!

Ouch - these collective marks are lower than I am used to seeing.

I see Speedy G every day. Of course. I look at past photos and review old score sheets, but he looks exactly the same to me as he did as a three or four year old. Apparently, I need new glasses! I was shocked to hear so many positive comments from the many local people who have been watching us as we moved from an endurance team to a dressage team.

The number one comment was that Speedy's neck has really turned into something special. After complimenting his neck, the comments continued regarding his topline overall. What a proud, but surprised, Momma I was! I just can't see how his body has changed, but those who haven't seen him in a while clearly could. 

A local trainer, with whom I used to ride, pointed out that his neck looks so nice as a result of him learning how to carry himself correctly. Sweeter words could not have been spoken. Doing things the "right" way, meaning agonizingly slowly and steadily, is paying off. We may not advance much farther, but at least we're putting on a correct base.

I don't know what we "won" for our effort, but apparently we earned the award for the top scoring Arabian for the show. This show is put on by the Golden Empire Arabian Horse Society. It's an open show, but they like to give a nod to participating Arabians. This year, there were only two Arabians competing, but it was nice to see Speedy recognized.  

Go, Speedy G, go! (photo by Edyta)

And here are the results for the day. It's a pretty small list.

Photo by Edyta

Several people took photos, a very rare treat. Here are two of them.

Photo by Edyta

Photo by Gordon Walter