Before I went away on vacation, I put myself out there and participated in a dressage riding clinic. And it wasn’t a complete disaster!
If you didn’t know, I am an avid horseback rider. I’ve been riding since I was 7, and over the past 5 years recently switched to the lovely discipline of dressage. While most days it feels like I have no idea what I’m doing, there are some days where it all clicks.
Unfortunately, the clinic was not one of those days. It started off fine, but quickly deteriorated. I got there bright and early, and since I was the last rider that day, I had plenty of time to bath my guy, Buddy, and get him braided up. He looked so pretty! Even though he stepped on my foot so hard that it’s still bruised. Not that that was an indicator of how my ride was going to go…
This clinic was a mock show clinic. I’ve never shown dressage before, so we got a test pattern which we completed and Justin would judge us. He then would work with us for about 40 minutes before we retook the test. Buddy was a super star during the first test! We got both leads correct, and it was good. And then we had to work. Which we could not for the life of me get that left lead again. So we worked, and worked, and worked to get it. And then I got way into my head, and couldn’t get out. Such a headgame with me! I overanalzye and then I lose the “feel” of the movement and I can’t get it back.
Luckily we got the lead, and then we ended it there. I didn’t retake the test because we didn’t want to risk not getting the lead and then having to work all over again to get it. And honestly, I was so tired and so hot, that I was perfectly fine with that. So much to think about!
Sadly, I wasn’t able to work on it immediately after since I hurt my finger the Wednesday earlier, so had to cancel my lesson (since it was pretty swollen, and I thought I broke it). And then I went on vacation for 2 weeks. But I’m back at it again, and this week’s ride went so, so well. It’s so good to be back in the saddle again, and I can’t wait until next week!
