I'm not going to launch into all the tedious reasons as to why I've been AWOL for so long. Trust me when I say my summer was a whirlwind of chaos. Busy doesn't even come close!
Therefore, I am going to restart this disclosure of my adventures by recapping my Florida stint. A lot was good, there was some bad, and more than a fair share of ugly, but it was all so incredibly educational, and I am beyond thrilled with my growth.
It would take pages to recount all the things that happened while staying in White Fences. I'll stick with the highlights:
my very first show on Clever happened to be at Global Dressage Festival. Did you catch that? my DEBUT SHOW on this sometimes CRAZY ANIMAL took place at GLOBBAL DRESSAGE FESTIVAL IN WELLINGTON, FL. in laymen's terms, this is like getting drafted for the MLB from middle school. I had no experience whatsoever, having never competed in any recognized show before. These were the big leagues. I was a little nervous-the week prior to our debut I almost tossed my cookies in the tack room, had a total meltdown (complete with crying, hyperventilating and having to breathe in a paper bag). I literally told my coach at the time i was scratching, there was no way i was doing it, she couldn't make me-it was a rather dramatic prelude.
thankfully, Jane, being the calm and logical woman she is, handed me said paper bag, rubbed my back, and told me to suck it up. we had out in the time and entry fees and she was damned if she was going to watch me wuss out.
The day was bright and comfortably warm. i decided to just not care, and go in with just the intention to remember my test. that was all. i figured if i was going to bomb it, i'd fail with style, so i put on my best makeup, got accessorized with plenty of bling and said let's go. the horse was cool and unfazed coming off at Global. she looked around with the air of a bored model who's seen ten thousand catwalks, and didn't anyone have anything that could IMPRESS her for once? i was relieved that when i got on she didn't feel electric. just forward and relaxed. i let out a deep breath.
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| our first show together |
we warmed up with Jane standing ringside, and Clever obeyed everything. My biggest concern was that she'd swap from left to right lead canter during the test (now we know that habit was formed out of pain, which breaks my heart). but i wash't worried about her taking off with me. the warmup ended and i was signaled over to the ring. Jane told me to trot around the perimeter several times and show off with a huge smile in front of the judge's-common practice in dressage-so off we went. Clever felt sound and swingy. i was starting to breath easier. then the bell rang and i almost galloped away in the other direction. may have peed my breeches a tiny bit. but i was committed at that point so i just plastered a cheesy smile on my face and went down centerline. it was a clean test actually. no errors, although it must be said that we accidentally did the dreaded lead change right before my down transition at M..i'm 95% sure my Sagittarius luck popped up and caused the judge to blink, sneeze, or write something at that exact minute, because i wasn't faulted. i walked out of the ring with the HUGEST weight lifted off. i was beaming in earnest at that point.
then Jane came over and told me she could not be more proud of the performance, and where had that confidence come from all of a sudden (i told her it was fake) and she'd be appalled if that didn't earn over a 60%. i was pleased with the praise, but tried not to think of what my marks would be.
jane watched the leaderboard till my class was posted, and wouldn't you know, I got a 2nd place with a 68.4%!! a way better outcome than i had expected! i was elated. it was a para-test-of-choice class, meaning instead of the riders only competing against their own grade, we all went in the same class and performed a test from our own grades. the first place went to a walk only test, so i was very proud.
wouldn't you know, sometimes you truly can fake it till ya make it!
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