We went to our first show on Friday!
The pony was good, rider mediocre and it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good either. I think we started with a too high of a height and we’re just over faced and struggling the whole time. We did the .7-.75 and we just have to be so perfect at that height and I just couldn’t do for that many jumps in a row. It didn’t help that there was a lot of confusion about when to go schooling first and then going back and then being told oh you’re going soon oh just kidding it’s still like an hour. So I think I had a tired and sleepy and over it pony even before we started.
She still listened super well and tried her best for me and I’m very proud of her. I was tense and scared and sucked back at all of the jumps especially on the first round. So we had a refusal in the first round, but we’re able to get it the second times
The second round was longer but I did my best to really push her around although we fell more to the running side than the forward and energetic side. And we had two rails. But still our best one.
And then for our third course we had another refusal at that same jump from the first round. And then didn’t get it on the second time and so we’re eliminated. Which was a really bad way to end the day and made me feel like I set my pony up for failure.
There were still some good jumps in there and she really did try her best for me. It was just a long tiring day at a height that’s challenging for us and I really should have started with the .6s. I had asked my trainer the week before if I should do the .6 or .7s and she said if just do the .7s, .6 is so so small. But then when she would talk about who was what doing what she kept saying I was doing the .6s. So idk maybe that got in my head a bit. Andy friend kept being like oh you should just do the .7s. That’s what we’ve been doing in lessons. And lesson course had been going well.
But you should really jump lower at shows especially your first together so I’m feeling bad about my choices. Not the actual riding so much because I think me and my horse both have our best efforts. But the height decision and all of the warm up and schooling decisions. So hard to feel good about that. And it means we didn’t place in any of the classes. Which is fine, but I did really want a ribbon to commemorate the day. And it’s just nice to have something to take home to show for your work. I wish they gave out score sheets. I’d feel better about a last place score sheet than nothing.
But it’s a multi day show and Sunday we dropped down to the .6m and I feel good about that. I just want to give me and the 13.3h pony a little bit more room for error and a hopefully a better round. And if it goes really well we can add one .7-.75 m class. And tomorrow I know that I don’t want to school before hand, I’ll just do a short warm up and hopefully all of that will result in a better day
