Training Level Test 3

The 68% got me kind of distracted. I knew the ride was trouble-free, but I didn't feel it was that good. Fortunately, I had an hour to let the giddiness subside so that I could focus on test 3, the harder test.

For my first warm up, I pretty much did serpentines. TMC's warm up ring is GIGANTIC so there is plenty of room to do whatever you want for a warm up. The serpentines really helped for the first test, so I did a few more before my second test.

My biggest concern for test 3 was staying on course and performing the single loops with enough bend. There is also that canter-trot transition at X that has been tricky in the past. As I approached that transition, I was so focused on getting a good downward that I accidentally did the transition at C. 

Right before the judge could ring the bell, I realized my mistake and quickly re-cued for the canter. The downward at X was a bit awkward as Speedy had only just picked up the canter. Even though the judge hadn't yet rung me off course, she did deduct 2 points. Nothing like lowering your own score through stupidity. :0)

Our final score was a 62.200% - respectable for sure. I was pleased with the score and felt the judge's comments and scores were accurate and fair. When I saw the photos though, I was HORRIFIED; they were worse than the video. My hands are a mess and I need to sit up!!!!! The judge was either kind (my go-to explanation) or it's not nearly as bad as it looks to my eyes. She gave me 7s on Rider Position and seat for both tests.

When I talked it over with my trainer, she felt that I was disappointed because I know more this spring than I did last summer; I know what I want to look like and what I need to get there. So without further ado, here are some photos ...

Enter at A and fuss with his mouth. Score: 6.0

Add leg, darn it, and and get your elbows back!

I think I could pull that inside rein a little harder. And if I just let go of the outside rein altogether, we could spin circles … sheesh

While he is behind the vertical, who could not love how deeply that inside leg is reaching. How'd we get that?

A few strides later: at least I am sitting back.

Go, Speedy, go! He loves to trot across the diagonal. Could I hunch over any more?

He's not happy, but I am at least sitting up. That left hand just won't stay thumbs up.

This is one of the worst shots: how much more on the forehand can he be without falling on his nose? His hind end is totally camped out behind him with zero reach. Yikes. ADD LEG!!!!

But then we turned the corner and cantered. Too much inside hand, but at least he's not going to fall down.

The end of that same 20 meter canter circle … still relatively uphill. Score: 6.5

That same canter sequence, but now heading down the long side to C. Look at my inside hand. Seriously?

That inside hand … very deep sigh.

My trainer wants me to ride with a crop in my hand (bridged) for a little while to see if I can fix this.

The stretchy trot: not too bad, and we at least have some kind of stretch. Last year we had nothing. The judge gave us a 7.0 with the comment. "needs to lift right shoulder more to get better."

From C, the halt probably looked straight. The judge gave us a 6.

Fotunately, a lot of this stuff will be fixed if I can sit up and keep my hands even. I clearly need more outside rein to control the bend and less tugging on that inside rein. But I knew that in yesterday's post, too.

Many, many thanks to CT for taking the time shoot the video from yesterday and these photos. They were very helpful.