Back in the boards.... We qualified for round 2, but it wasn't pretty

Fred and I got back in the dressage ring last Friday after five months out.

Yes. Five.

And remember… I ride a feral ginger.

I could say - hey first one back we went straight in at elementary and won! Qualifying for Trailblazers too - go us! And do the whole social post where I hide the scores with my rosette and omit that I was the only one in my section. It's true but that's not quite how it all went down.

We “warmed up” in an ice-cold downpour. Now, since we've been spoilt lucky-duckies at Badgworth with an indoor school, we don’t really ‘do’ rain — we retreat indoors like sensible people. I mean interesting I choose the word duck there! Given a duck would like the wet and we do not. However, as Fred arrived in the outdoor arena and the rain began to hammer, he was not just questioning my sanity and this torture I was clearly putting him through. He was incandescent.

And whilst he did actually warm up without killing me, or another competitor and without busting any extra moves - a couple of threats to do leaping bucks during canter, which I managed to prevent and then change the subject before cantering on the other rein... his kept his neck rigid, often in the air like a giraffe in a full-blown rage and moved like his entire body was one solid cylinder. No bend. No subtlety. Just… tube horse.

Since he never relaxed, he was never going to be soft and supple for the moves and maintained his rigid pose, softening the odd time in trot, throughout the whole test.

To add insult to injury as we were approaching spooky corner in walk. The next competitor arrived.

Fred had a tantrum because they didn’t enter through the Spooky Door, just hovered outside. Unfortunately, this dramatic episode coincided exactly with me asking for walk-to-canter. Instead of complying, he decided there was clearly a hidden dragon that required immediate investigation. What followed can only be described as a full-scale paddy.

Reward? A 4.....Sigh.

I knew it would be a sticky first test back. Not because of the weather (that hadn’t even crossed my mind??, but because we haven’t been between the boards since August. There were always going to be whoopsies. My accuracy? Questionable at best....

We collected a cheerful mix of 4s and 5s, mostly 6s, and the occasional double-scoring 7 🙄🙈 Just to keep me emotionally invested. Fred also received a 5 in the double marks at the bottom for what was essentially “compliance of horse” 🤣🤣

Painfully correct. Painfully fair. Painfully accurate.

There will be no pictures of this shocker, they will be ceremonially burned, and the video hurled in to the depths of the deepest, darkest deletion hole on the internet. Where sadly, it belongs.

However…I suppose the only good comment I have is - at least we were forward throughout the test, no stoned beach donkey today.🤣

PLUS We scraped just over 60% — which means we’ve qualified for the second round of Trailblazers! 🎉 So now we have until June to remind ourselves what dressage actually is, in order to qualify through the second round for the championships.

We will. (She says. Manifesting. Loudly.)

Honestly, the first one back is always like kids returning to school after the summer holidays. Slightly feral. Slightly confused. Questioning authority.

On the plus side — and this is big — for the first time ever in winter, we warmed up in the actual dedicated warm-up arena WITH other horses and WITHOUT being politely asked to relocate for the safety of others 🤣🤣🤣 Progress. Growth. Personal development.

To make it even more character-building, although we were unaffiliated, we were in with the affiliated BD class. So the judge marked as if we were BD. I imagine they were wondering if I’d ever even ridden an Intro test before 🤣🤣 Meanwhile, everyone else has been out competing all winter (and summer!) — am I the only person who gives their horse time off?!

Fred is still a superstar. Ironically, he is going so well at the moment. Friday just wasn’t our day.

We’ll have another bash at the end of Feb... And pray for better weather...