Chatt Hills: We DID it!!!

Oh I am so so so proud of Lyric. And of me too! I was really wanting to go show... not sure why really... maybe because I figured since Dan and Funny weren't showing, now is a good time. Maybe because we had such a good time at the jumper show. I don't know. But no one wanted to show soon! I was originally going to aim for Poplar because I happened to have that Friday off, but then... Caroline said she was going to Chatt the weekend before. And Chatt is closer. And I wouldn't have to spend the night, so.. I opted for that instead. Except then I couldn't go school on Friday with them because I was working at UGA and they couldn't swap dates. So, a friend had showed their recognized show the weekend before and posted photos of the course. And... it was HUGE! In my opinion anyways. Lots of big tables, the stupid v wing jump, the open oxer... ackkkkk!!! So I started to panic about not schooling. I thought about trying to go Thursday but I couldn't really find anyone and then I ended up having the lesson on Tuesday, which went well. Sure, it was Ashland, but.. it still went well. 

Anyways.. point is.. I was not feeling it and starting to really freak out about it. Our dressage has also been rough lately. I'm actually starting to worry that the saddle is really bothering her, despite the fact that it appears to fit her well. But... I had signed up and paid, so.... we went. 

I left early and we made good time. I was able to get there, bike over and pick up my packet and then I unloaded her off the trailer. We grazed a tiny bit and then tacked up. We hacked fairly calmly over to warm up and headed in. She started out pretty good but was a bit anxious. Our warm up was fairly decent and we had some good moments. She was definitely her usual self, with lots of inverting and bracing and chomping and twisting, but... we also had her usual good moments too. They called us in so we headed down. Well, she did not want to go down to those arenas. (Down the hill??? Or to the arenas???). I got her down though and we headed to the middle ring. I tried to warm up and get her soft again but she was much tenser and tighter and bracing. Tracking right was NOT good. She was so tipped and falling in and icky. I couldn't get her off my inside leg by leg yielding or anything. Oh well. In we went and it was okay at first. Definitely not our best test. Then when we picked up the second canter, she cross cantered. I pulled her back and then we picked it up okay but then... because it's the circle and a half test.. I got lost. I didn't know if I still had a half circle left... a whole circle.... a circle and a half..  so I broke early and was on the wrong side of the arena. I caught it before the judge could tell me. So we went back and picked up the canter to carry on. I should have just started from the beginning of the movement instead of where she broke...but I was frazzled and started from where we broke as that's where I was in the arena, so.. then I had to bring her back down fairly quickly again and of course that made us both even tenser. We had a pretty nice free walk after considering though! But yeah definitely not our best test. We scored a 39 and change, which I thought was pretty generous. That put is in 8th out of 8 I think. Doh. Oh well. 

  

We grazed a tiny bit and then I put her back in the trailer and rode the ebike down to cross country. Yep... of course... the exact same course as the recognized. And it was big. And had some terrain! Although, I did think it maybe looked a little less big than I had remembered. And most of the course looked like fun but there werea few I was worried about. Then I watched stadium and it looked fine. Of course it was set for tadpole, but it looked tiny. Before I unloaded her I took my air vest up to Joanne's booth and got the air cannister replaced, and got a spare. 

 

I went back and let her graze some more. I tried to tie her up for a bit but she was pretty anxious all day. She wasn't exactly pacing but she never really settled and just ate. I was starting to let the devil get into my head... maybe her stifle was bothering her... we weren't ready... this wasn't fun... I was going to undo all the confidence we had worked so hard to build... Sigh...  I decided to walk her around again a bit and we ran into Dawn. HI!!! She asked how things were going and I told her I was freakin' out. So she offered to help me. Yes please!

 

Finally it was time to tack up to jump. Apparently they were 30 minutes behind though, so... we walked around a bit... and then walked some more. And then we trotted and cantered and then trotted the cross rail twice. It was fine and then we jumped the vertical from the canter and it was okay. Dawn reminded me to get the canter first. Oh yeah. So then I did some alternating half halts and balanced the canter better and it was magical! She was jumping so nicely!! Okay.. Yes ma'am!!! We took another breather as we still had 20 minutes or so before our turn. I picked her up again and jumped two more jumps and the big oxer and... she was still lovely! Yahooo!! I LOVE this ride! So in we went. 

 

It was a pretty good round. We had some not so great fences but we got through them all. She wasn't looky or spooky at anything, although I apparently gunned her a bit at the big column fence so she ran past her distance and got a rail. And we got a bit crooked to another one, but... again, overall.. not bad! Not bad at all. And the height wasn't scary or anything but I don't think they maxed anything out. 

So.. afterwards I told Dawn that... I was still freaking out. She felt sooooo good but, I did feel her stifle once. And told her about that, but that I also wasn't sure if it was just the devil getting in my head. She told me to tack up and warm up and we could decide from there. 

 

So that's what I did. She still wasn't settled and barely drank anything so I was also worried a little bit about her colicking. So I tacked her up and we headed down to XC. She was squirrely although not nearly as bad as last year. Dawn met us down there and told me to just settle her down with work, so we trotted and did some circles. She finally took a breath and simmered down. And then we cantered. And then we jumped. We started with the tiny log, then the bigger log.. then finally the coop and then the cabin. She was pretty good about all of them, although a little sticky to the coop. But she went. I decided it wasn't worth trying the sharkstooth because... that would probably be too intimidating and then I'd open a can of worms. So we didn't. 

It was our turn and off we went. The first fence wasn't a big deal but it was pretty close to the start box. And, she came out wiggly and drunk. And I tried to keep her to the trot but then I couldn't get her in front of my leg, so.. we had a stop. Ugh... really?! It's okay.. the girl right before me did too. So we came back a second time and she jumped it. Mostly cause I squashed her over it. Then we cantered along to the stone wall. Sigh... the stone wall that shut her down last year and we decided not to do the 3 phase and just do a CT. And, same thing... she was so wiggly and drunk to it that I knew she wasn't going to be able to do it. I should have circled, but I didn't. So another stop. But then we circled and I was braver and I cantered her up to it and we did it! So then... the rest of the course went pretty darn well. She did the open oxer well and then she did the two cabins in the little ditchy/glen area which I thought would freak her out. But she didn't! Then we did the brushy flat hanging log thing.. and then... the big table. And she jumped it! She may have hit the backside of it but she did it. Then the easy little coop.. the water... the boat... and then I think we were over all the big tables without realizing where the other big table was! And then the dreaded V jump. She just jumped it! No more hesitation than with anything else! Good girl!! So then I let her gallop up the steep hill up to the cabin combo. Unfortunately she got a bit strung out and on her forehand so she was super honest and jumped the first one, but couldn't jump the second. Fair girl.. fair. That was my bad. So we circled and because I'm dumb, we jumped both A and B again. (On cross country you only have to jump the B). It wasn't a 2 stride... it might have even been 4.. ha, I think it was 3, but we did it. Then we cantered down the hill, rebalanced and jumped the final fence. WE DID IT!!! We survived... we actually got through the whole course... the big tables... the V jump... we didn't have to do the walk of shame. I was so excited and proud and worried about her stifles that I thought... I'm gonna jump off and not make her walk me home. And I did. Jumped right off... and forgot my stupid air vest was on and of course.. it deflated!! Scared the tar out of both of us. I almost lost her. Oh man... poor girl! I was trying to reward you and instead of scared the tar out of you! And ... there was some poor lady trying to video her kid and I was clearly in her way and I couldn't get out of the way because Lyric was trying to get away from me and bolt. SORRY!! Luckily Dawn walked up and rescued us so I could get my pinny off and deflate. That thing was choking me! 

 

So then we walked all the way home. Dude... that's a LONG walk. She got a rinse and then I gave her some treats and then put her back in the trailer so I could get food. And then I had to go buy another freakin' cartridge for my air vest. Joanne laughed with me. 

I let her graze a bit more and then she finally settled down and was just eating her hay quietly. I poulticed her and we headed home. 

I let them graze a bit and then fed them dinner later. I had put her blanket on and had the front fastened when Mike left to go get pizza. I don't know why but his car made a weird sound and they all bolted out of their stalls. Her blanket was on and staying on at first, but then apparently it slipped and was around her chest like a bib. Of course she freaked out and basically attacked it. And ended up with a necklace and the rest of her blanket on the ground. Sigh.. poor girl. First attacked by the air vest and then the blanket.  Good thing you get the day off tomorrow!

So yeah... not the best show on paper. But we conquered the BN olympics at Chatt. Ha ha! And, we even came home with a 6th place ribbon! The other two people in my division didn't finish, so.. we were still last, but we got a ribbon. :) I'm very proud of what did happen though... we got less tense in dressage and braver about those arenas. We had a much improved stadium round and we're really syncing up with our jumping. And then we were less naughty getting down to cross country and I didn't think I was actually going to get dumped or bolted with in warm up. We had some great warm up fences. And... while our course wasn't great...we did it. Watching the videos.. I definitely need to be a bit more supportive and encouraging, but.. it's hard because if I push too much, I tip past supportive and don't allow her to process. And when she can't process, she gets freaked out. But we'll get there. She's coming along... slowly, but surely, and.. we are making progress. And she's kind of fun!!