Third Level Time Shortage

2/11/2019

I had a funny "recall" moment the other day. I'll get to my point, but first ...

Endurance races were grueling, gritty, and hard-core affairs. If your horse crossed the finish line in last place hungrily looking for his hay bag, the day was a success. If the rider could make it to the awards dinner with only a few scratches and some seriously smelly clothes, the entire weekend was worth the multiple tanks of gas to get there. Endurance racing is an extreme sport for sure; it's raw, it's bone crushing, and it will wear you out. I loved it though.

Riding Montoya DSA at the Eastern High Sierra Classic 50 Miler in 2009.

When I first started showing dressage, I thought it was just a big party. White pants? A coat in the summer? Weird, but let's do this! Instead of being mounted for 10 - 20 hours, I rode for an hour. Maybe. Instead of looking for the ubiquitous neon pink trail ribbons, I watched for letters. I tried to get everyone I knew to come and show. It's fun. It's cheap. You'll love it. The most common "no" that I heard was My horse isn't ready.

Upon hearing the scores from my first show ever. The "trainer" I had just lessoned with warned me not to tell anyone that I had ridden with her. She predicted I'd earn a 36% and didn't want my scores to reflect on her. The joke was on her as we earned two scores of 63.5%. You can bet I didn't mention her name.

I wondered how a horse couldn't be ready. Can he walk, trot, and canter? Then he's ready. This was of course as I was making my way through Introductory Level and then Training Level. I honestly believed that any horse who was sound and could stay in the ring was ready. I still felt this way at First Level. So maybe a lengthening of stride wasn't there, but come on, it's just basic stuff.

Who wasn't quite ready for Second Level? Still one of my favorite show photos.

And now I get it. Third Level. We're just not ready, and I don't see how we will get ready. There simply isn't enough time to get everything show ready by March or April. We have a chunk of the Third Level stuff good to go. I can get a nice bouncy collected trot. Speedy loves the medium trot even if he can't really show utmost ground cover. We have a show-worthy turn on the haunches, and the 10-meter stuff is pretty easy for him.

I am pretty sure that's NOT how it's supposed to look either.

What we don't have is a reliable flying change, especially after being off for more than a month due to those two abscesses. The half pass isn't that great either. Unlike a trainer from eons ago, Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, isn't (too) worried about me embarrassing her. It's really the other way around. I don't want to get out there and make her look bad.

I've made her promise not to let me show if I am going to go out there and look stupid. She always laughs, but I am dead serious. I don't want to end up on some YouTube video or on a COTH thread about riders who are idiots.

Um? That's still a no ...

On the other hand, I refuse to succumb to the we're not ready excuse. I don't think I am ever going to feel ready for Third Level. I am going to have to settle for at least we're trying.

Besides that, we've already looked like idiots plenty of times. What's one more?

jenj

2/11/2019 08:18:41 am

It took us the better part of a year to get from Second to solid Third (with a sketchy change). It's a big step in collection that takes A LOT of time to build the strength for. So don't wait till it's perfect, but also don't rush yourself - go out when you're feeling confident in the movements and your ability to string them all together. Good luck!

Bakersfield Dressage link

2/18/2019 05:57:05 am

That's been my thinking. Once Speedy is well, we'll start showing. Fortunately, I have to miss the nearby March show (we're REALLY not ready now) due to a conflict, and then we're going to the Lio Fore clinic in April. Another conflict forces me to miss an early April show. That puts us showing in May. By then, we should have things more under control. :0)

Tracy link

2/11/2019 11:26:32 am

I never really feel READY for the first show of the year or to move up. I guess that's just sort of... part of it? Going and doing the thing, even though it's a little bit (or a lot bit) uncomfortable.

2/18/2019 05:58:18 am

Exactly! If I had a super fancy horse, I'd probably feel super ready. But I don't, so I always struggle at the beginning of the season. We're a learn as we go kind of team. LOL

Olivia link

2/12/2019 01:33:17 pm

Love it! I'm a huge proponent of showing "before you're ready." So many people get caught up in needing to be perfect before showing, but I think showing is part of the journey, not the pinnacle to be only reached when you're perfect.

2/18/2019 05:59:43 am

Yep! We definitely learn as we go. I always laugh when I read that I should be schooling a level above where we're showing. If I had done that, we'd never have made it to Introductory Level! :0)

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Not-So-Speedy Dressage