Octoberfest - The Low Adults

Between the abscesses, injections and other sprinkles of life thrown in, I haven't had time to recap my divisions at the last show.  And given that pretty much all the courses are configured with a line-diagonal-line-diagonal-line-single-single... The details have... blurred.

I can remember that there was the course where we went too slow (shocking, really), the course where I lost my reins and nearly fell off but the judge didn't see, the course where we chipped the first fence, and the course where we zoomed around way too fast. 

I know there were other courses, but those are the only moments that still stand out in my brain.

I also know Prair got lots of pats.

All in all, Prairie was a really, really good girl.  I took her around in the chunky KK snaffle and we had moments of really nice relaxation with a few moments of not so nice tension/bobbles/whatever thrown in.

I really can't complain though, our Hunter division was a respectable 8 entries and we won every class.  I wasn't really too sure how, but in watching the videos back - the rounds (once again) look much smoother and more even than they felt. 

Not such a bad outing for our first time out at 2'9". 

This is my favorite round, which was our second hunter round in the division (last ride on Saturday).  I actually even like the course design in this one... there's almost a rollback.  In a hunter course! (almost)



Eq was a slightly different story.  I feel like my equitation has gotten worse over the summer.  I'm not sure why, but I think I look more tense, and more braced than I did this time last year.  It makes little to no sense since last year I had plenty of good reasons to be braced, but this year the mare is significantly more trustworthy and responds well to me softening...

It's something S has me working on more at home, and I'd like to say is improving, but I'm not actually sure it is.  Hopefully it does eventually (sigh).

Anyway, we placed... 3rd over fences, 3rd on the flat and 2nd over fences? I think? I should maybe look that up.  Whatever it was we ended up Reserve Ch.

Here's the first over fences round. I just look so... braced! I do need to adjust my spur, the angle makes it look like my heel is creeping up more than it actually is.  I don't need visual illusions hurting me any more than I hurt myself, lol.




All in all it was a really fun outing.  A few too many rounds compressed into two days, but now with the subtle Kissing Spine diagnosis I wonder how much was a factor of discomfort from that...

Who knows.  All I know is that 2013 was a great shows season.  Lots of learning, lots of improving, and more than our fair share of big pretty ribbons to hang on the wall.