Apparently I never actually posted this from back in April - I am starting to write up a Derby Summary post, but might as well toss this up in the meantime.
We are planning to spend *most* of our season up at Thunderbird this year, so I'll have to start naming posts something other than "thunderbird."
But I gotta say, it's hard not to show there. The facilities are impeccable, the rings are big and beautiful and well maintained. The jumps are built to the hilt, and the staff are all NICE and accessible. It's hard to fault them for much.
Oh, and everything is in CAD, which means its showing at a 20% (ish) discount. Sold.
Our April outing was one for the books. Quiz nearly swept his Green Division and was Champion. I was WAY better on Winds and managed to not only lead my first jog ever, but snagged my first championship at 3'. Quiz had his Derby debut and won it. And Winds galloped around the Big(ger) Derby track for the first time with a respectable 4th place finish.
Also, somehow a week of supposedly very rainy weather, turned into pleasant sun and clouds and we didn't get a raindrop on us once.
Quiz is looking like an entirely different horse than he did down in Cali. It's like we came home, schooled some gymnastics and all the sudden he figured out how to Hunter. He's lifting his shoulders, following the rein over jumps and keeping his balance and collection with minimal effort. It's so cool to see, and so gorgeous to watch. He's a good egg.
Winds made it clear I need to work on stay straight and really coming forward through my corners. But he gets credit for rewarding me with a great adjustable canter and solid rhythm when I do.
In the name of archival integrity, I need to get some actual evidence of how Winds and I are marching around the ring.
why do these always look so small in pictures??
All in all, I am really happy with how we handled the Equitation ring at Thunderbird both weeks of August. While I didn't have the big open gallop that I had in the field at Milner - I felt like we were as consistent as we have ever been and able to make (mostly) good choices when necessary.
Let's start with the first week:
Nothing was very equitation-y, but we rode well and overcame some of our goblins, namely staying straight on the left lead and stepping up to our distances then falling back.
Pretty great for us! We ended up 2nd out of 20.
Our second round was much the same, but they turned on the BIG sprinklers in the ring next door. I didn't think twice about it because Winds doesn't care about such things, but toward the end as we came into the Judge's line, the wind shifted and blew the sprinkler mist over into our faces. It was weird, and although you can't see Winds do much, he sorta fell in away from the mystery rain, and I lost his inside shoulder. That set us up for a borderline late change and then I never really got him back up and balanced before the two stride. We didn't chip in, but I didn't have him straight and he sorta jumped over his shoulder. Somehow we won the class - but in watching the video, the tension isn't nearly as visible as it felt.
Week two, the course design was a tad more interesting. Lots more singles and omg, a rollback.
Winds was not intrigued by the jumps AT ALL and I felt like I was beating him around the ring. This horse is so much easier to ride when he cares even just a little bit about what's in the ring, but it's hard to fabricate that the second week of a show.
I made the mistake of enjoying my coffee while I watched some early rounds go in my ring - and managed to totally freak myself out. Of the 8 rounds I let myself watch, 4 people fell off, two had refusals and only 2 got through clean. Never in my life have I seen such a bloodbath at 2'9", and it did nothing to help my brain calm down as I went to get ready. Usually I watch rounds so that my self talk is "see, it's fine. Everyone is fine, just ride the lines, it's fine. YOURE FINE.". Didn't work out that way this time, instead I saw all the nightmare scenarios I had been dreaming up come true.
Our first round was relatively uneventful (praise Jesus), I lost his shoulder in the rollback and had to add a stride. In a perfect world if I held my track, I think there would have been one less and looked a bit better - but not tragic - we worked it out. Even with the wonky rollback we ended up first out of 22.
The second round was FUN. There were some end jumps that are really hard to see on the video, but we basically got to clover leaf around them which had me a touch worried given the fact that Mr. Casual was all but sleeping on the job.
Turns out, it was exactly what we needed, and as soon as we turned up the centerline to a new fence Winds woke up, sat up and felt like a very rideable sports car.
The difference in his interest and balance was SO tangible it's hard to discount. This horse legit hates line/diagonal/line/diagonal. Well, maybe hate is a strong word, but he sure doesn't care about it at all.
We ended up 5th in this round - but fences 4,5,6 were hands down them most fun I had all week. (that sounds sorta sad when I type it, other things were fun too..). But as I look forward at my goals with Winds, I'm starting to shift them a bit. I think maybe (horse gods allowing), this is the horse I take in whatever Medals I can find, and let him play in the derbies.
I also have to note that we were 2nd on the flat both weeks - and in a division of 20 that is something I am really proud of. I've been working a LOT on my ability to stretch and stay tall without getting stiff and I think maybe, just maybe I'm making progress. The same girl beat me both weeks (damn teenagers), but I had her pinned as the winner even out in warm up. Gorgeous rider, lovely look on a horse and really, really soft. I'm totally ok riding behind someone like that. There is no world where I beat her on the flat.
It was a great way to finish the Summer, and really a testament to how much I am starting to gel with Winds. Love this horse.
Holy no blog. I wish I had been inspired to write the last couple weeks because lots of fun things have been happening, plus a few cute things (LEADLINE) and one not so fun (MRI). BOOOOOO
But let's do the 60 second rundown, shall we?
Thunderbird. Both boys went up to Tbird in August for both weeks of showing. Windsor was a superstar. He did one warm up class with the pro, looked bored, and then didn't come out again until the Derby, which was in a different ring and in hindsight, he was WAY TOO FRESH.
Bored, but also fresh? V V Confusing
Whelp, lesson learned. He overjumped everything, and while it wasn't his most fluid course ever, the 72.5 base score drew confused gasps from bystanders who aren't as biased as I am. It's the first time he hasn't made the handy... had to happen sometime!
Then it was my turn. We did our equitation and managed to win a round and get second on the flat out of about 22. I was thrilled.
Turns out Pilates actually works.
Winds was awesome, and our courses were actually interesting. We were champion.
All of my ribbons have been chewed on.
Quiz made his debut in the Baby Greens and won his first class each day and was SO TIRED in his second that some baby mistake usually came out. But he is a DUDE. Didn't bat an eye at anything. No lunge, no extra rides, prep, voodoo, nothing. He's just a solid citizen. He peeked at the flower boxes exactly once as he hopped over and never batted an eye after that.
Best. Baby.
Week two was much the same repeat. Quiz rocked the Baby Greens again, Windsy packed me around the Eq and the Hunters.
We repeated our performance in the Eq - and had a nice finish to the show in our Hunters, winning one round, nabbing a ribbon in a HUGE flat class and getting our proverbial shit together in the classic to get 2nd (due to an 85 in our second round).
Also, I fell slightly in love with a Nations Cup rider, who I may have stalked a teeny tiny bit (equal interest in his horse, let's be real), bought a new show shirt, oh and débuted my new Burgundy show coat from AA. It was a good show.
(He's 20 and decidedly NOT single, but a middle aged girl can dream)
At home, Quiz has continued to be a total stud. He learns every ride, has yet to get grumpy or say no, and even with a lot of rides by yours truly - is finding his balance and fitness. I have yet to really fault him for something.
Winds was stepping a bit short at the end of the show, so Paranoid Polly over here had the vet out once we were home. She confirmed that he was looking slightly off on the LF again, and that it did block out in the foot. So we headed south for ANOTHER MRI to see what's up.
Are things continuing to heal? Did he re-injure it? Is this the new status quo and I need adjust his management and schedule accordingly? Who knows.
Well, Hopefully, I'll know - as soon as my vet calls. Still waiting for the official report...
OH, and the kid did her first deadline class. It was insanely adorable and there are so many photos that I need to do a separate post on that. Hopefully I'll get around to that before she turns 16.
Almost two weeks ago, Winds got loaded up and made his way back to Thunderbird for our first (!!) show of 2017. The plan was mostly to get him out to stretch his legs (literally) and keep me from going stir crazy at home in the indoor (also, literally) - and I think we accomplished both.
Winds was reportedly quite fresh for schooling day, and in lieu of spinning on the lunge line he had two a day hacks with a decent canter set to help get the wiggles out.
I was there for the first day of showing, which saw Windsy entered in a Hi/Low 2'9" round. His warm up looked honestly a bit stiff, but in the ring he looked loose and a bit more forward thinking than I am used to the Gray Prince being. (you can tell because his ears are pinned forward and he's using his shoulders well... otherwise it only *feels* like a powder keg and looks like a lazy Hunter).
Canada now does red/blue rankings for their Low classes, so they don't get traditionally pinned, but a ribbon gets assigned based on how good your score is. (Winds got a Red, which is first in Canada). I like this system as a way to handle the huge Low classes, but it sorta sucks they all show up as. "DNP" on the USEF record...
Anyway, that was it for Wednesday. Thursday I got early to hack Winds around the rings and loosen him up. He felt great, and it was so, so, so, so nice to be on a horse, in a warm summer breeze taking in the bustle of a show before classes got underway. SO nice.
A couple hours later Winds had another Low 2'9" round. This warm up looked a bit smoother, he was stepping under more, and using his back a bit better. I breathed a small sigh of relief that his body seemed to feel good and watched him head for the ring.
The course looked a lot like the day before. Totally chill and quiet from my perspective, powder keg on hooves according to the trainer. So.... another early hack was scheduled for Friday before my magnificent return to the equitation (cough, 2'6", cough) ring.
Friday, I had two rounds and a flat. And it was hot. That actually worked in my favor since Winds decided to blow a furry coat out in mid June and was a bit... well... wilted in the sunshine.
Our warm up was blissfully short as I somehow found all my fences decently so we parked at the back gate and watched a couple rounds.
I will say that for having not been in the show ring for 8 months, I feel really (really, really) good about this ride. There are some, uh, misses. But, overall, I like my hip angle more, I like Windsor's balance more, and in general it feels more thoughtful that our previous courses together.
I feel like it's weird to post a video of an Eq round and say "just watch the part between the fences" but that's what I'm doing, so just focus on the ride between the fences.
He looks sexy. (I, on the other hand am in the only hunt coat that currently fits, WHOOPS).
I actually felt ok about most of the fences, including the first one (YAY!). But, I was particularly bummed about the single oxer - couldn't make a decision, then when Winds made one for me, I thought that not staying with him would somehow be a good idea (it wasn't).
Then the rest worked out ok, I kept his balance up and that saved most of it until I chipped the crap out of the bending line at the end. Lost his mouth, fought for a change, then got out ok.
I got 5th. And that ribbon is going ON THE WALL, because we made it to a show, made it around and all is right with the world again.
Anyway, second round. Started with the bending line I ended with before and threw in a rollback (what is this, medal finals??? I'm old and hot and tired...).
sorry for blurry stills, pro photos on order!
Winds was amping up a bit, but we fixed a few mistakes - namely the bending line. Then I got tight into the diagonal, but recovered. Into the Judge's line Winds locked on HARD and started dragging me, so I choked him back and got a little weak. I almost couldn't pull him out of the line (whoops), but I finally got him to let go of the oxer out and pay attention to the rollback. I actually really liked how I finished the rollback, given how we started....
Then, Winds was thinking this must be a jumper course and he tried to switch gears. I over compensated and we crawled to the last line, but finished ok.
Oh, also, the video is sideways. I have no idea how it got sideways, and even less of an idea of how to get it un-sideways, so...sorry
We got 2nd. In a nice division of 12. So I was pretty stoked. (plus, 2nd is blue, so... that's always a plus).
The flat was toasty and a bit brutal. Winds was good, but apparently I looked a bit droopy (sidenote: I am a bit droopy these days). My sitting trot is not where it should be, but all else was fine. Winds couldn't care less about traffic and that's a great feeling when you are nose to tail and fighting for space down the quarterlines.
Somehow our 3rd place on the flat was enough for Reserve, so Winds and I managed to maintain our weird streak of getting Reserve in every division we enter at Tbird. (it's great for the ribbon wall).
His neck is somehow 2" long in this pic.. but RIBBON
I stuck around to watch the Juniors do their thing, but then I hit the road to join the family for the 4th. Winds enjoyed some down days and turnout (I LOVE the turnouts at Tbird. #grass).
So now we are home and gearing up for Milner Downs, which you may recall is where I got all my lovely pictures of Windsor galloping across a big grass field. They also have a really fun Derby. I'm not sure we'll be ready for it, but I'm not-so-secretly hoping we can enter.
He's been feeling great at home, and I'm really hoping we hold the trend. This horse is so incredibly fun to ride and learn on, I just want to ride him forever.
My actual Windsor updates have been a bit sparse the last few months (well, all of my updates have been a bit sparse I guess), but things have been plugging along quite nicely.
Aside from being perhaps a tad too chubby, Winds looks great. He's feeling strong, supple and eager to work. We've been slowly building up fitness and increasing his jump load, typically bouncing around ten to twelve 2'6" jumps a few times a week.
His changes are light, he's loading his hind end beautifully at the base, and it feels like he's landing and carrying through better than has. Mind you, the jumps are tiny, so all this should be easier - but still...
It all means that I can finally justify a field trip to get off the farm a bit - So we are headed to Tbird (for one week only) to see how Winds' brain is off the property and see how he does opening up on a bigger stride and jumping around a tad.
Expectations are... non-existent, and I don't even know what exactly we'll be entering. Probably something at 2'6" or maaaaybe 2'9" but I'm not certain. the idea is to do a course (possibly two) for a couple days, then he'll just hack out easily over the weekend without any classes.
I think we're both ready for a change of scenery though, and I'm eager to see if he looks as good as he feels!
The slow winter and spring have been great for our skills though, and while I know at this point we'll take the rest of the season relatively easy - everything just feels a bit more polished and put together than it did this time last year.
Finally - I uh.... have been shopping a little and there may or may not be a few new possible "Brads."
Things are cooking, and I'm hoping to share some pics/deets soon!
Man, my blogging voice has just dropped off the face of the earth. I do have some fun updates (uh... like another call to the pet psychic!), but since I have a few moments, I wanted to sit down and do a year in review post since I'm feeling festive and reflective.
Jan 2016
January saw an onslaught of gear for the new horse. We bought, we oiled, we reviewed, we used. It was fun. I set some goals for Windsor and myself and we started making plans.
I also realized that in the first two months of riding, Windsor had yet to be a jerk. He was even, polite and proving himself to be a trustworthy amateur partner, something I had never really experienced. Such. A. Dude.
Feb 2016
We start working on our foundation. Lots of lateral work, lots of small courses. Lots of adjustments for yours truly. Windsor gets stronger and seems to enjoy the work (even if there were no 1.40m fences in sight..)
March 2016
March saw the start of show season. Windsor was prepped, I realize we have a nearly entirely new wardrobe for the show ring, and we get ready for California.
Prairie found a new home as a mama.
love you. miss you.
We dig into Windy's holes in his training and explain that yes he really does have to carry a 12' stride even if we were going slower than he was used to, but all the work paid off well when we got to Blenheim and had a great first show out together.
April 2016
We start off with another week down at Blenheim. I move up to the 2'9" and Winds kept marching around the 3' Pre Green Ring.
We figure out he is NOT spooky or silly (while cantering through a herd of geese on course). In fact, he's a really, really easy horse to show. I still feel like I am driving on the wrong side of the road, but I get some confidence.
At home we rest, enjoy some cold rainy days and formulate the rest of our season.
May 2016
We continue on quest to strengthen Winds' topline and get me to stop bracing my g*d d*mn hands. It's a struggle.
We go North to show for one week at Thunderbird. Windsy moves up to the 3'3" Pre Greens, I show the 2'9". He gets reserve in everything. Points for consistency?
.
And it rains.
Like 6"
So rainy.
It takes me a week to dry out and warm up again - and a month for my tack to recover.
June 2016
(Apparently I only blogged about shows... huh).
June it felt like everything started coming together. We show two weeks up in the mountains, and Winds was a stud. He claimed his first championship in the 3'3" Pre Greens, won my Classic in the 2'9" and entered his first derby, and WON IT.
I nearly died. All of my horsey dreams came true in one show. All of them.
The second week, he managed reserve in the combined Pre Greens, Champion in my division and another blue in another Derby. We probably should have retired right then and there.
I start to realize that Winds is maybe part unicorn.
July 2016
Windsy gets some down time, enjoys the big, grassy field all day and gets ready for a week of showing up at Milner Downs.
Milner is fun. It feels like camp. Everyone is nice, the field is gorgeous and the staff is so welcoming.
Oh, and Windsy goes Champion in the Pre Green and Champion with me in the 2'9". We skip our Eq and enter the Canadian Derby. He pulls down a score of 100 and claims second place.
Somehow we end up winning more money than the show cost and I go home with MONEY IN MY POCKET. I didn't know that was a thing that could happen. (It doesn't happen again)
August 2016
I lose my brain and add an extra show in August. We show two days at Evergreen Classic in the PG and the Derby. Winds is TOTALLY off his game in his division and just looks bored and blah.
Cutest Trot fence ever.
But, true to form he perked up for the Derby and pulled down a 3rd in a large field.
Then he had a week off to enjoy grass before hauling back to Thunderbird for two more weeks. We get lots of reserves (again) both in the Pre Greens and my divisions. but the Headliner is definitely another 2nd in another Canadian Derby, and another 3rd in another USHJA Derby.
Dude has some Derby Chops. September 2016
September we (again) took it easy until Zone Finals, which we hauled into for two days only. Windsor told us he didn't mind showing indoors, and once again, got a little casual about his job at 3'3". He had two GREAT rounds, and two crap rounds which sort of blew up the division.
October 2016
We spend ALL of October at home, which is the first month without a show since February. I realize this is INSANE and we relish our routine at home. Not a lot happens. I'm traveling, Winds rests and we lose a bit of our fitness (or at least I do). November 2016
We head to Cali for two weeks
in Paso Robles. Gorgeous show park (aside from the tarantulas), great
footing and lovely weather made for a really nice capstone to the year.
Winds and I put in some really solid rounds and I feel totally ready for the
move to the AA's in 2017.
Winds manages to win the USHJA Pre
Green Challenge as well as snags 3rd a big National Derby.
December 2016
Life plays catch up with us and
Winds isn't the center of attention for a few weeks. We've been working
on lots of flat work, poles and extra carrots. Nothing too exciting, but that's
fine by me.
Points lock in for USEF and WSHJA,
and it looks like Winds will be the Zone 9 HOTY 3'3" Pre Green as well as
Zone Reserve for National Derbies.
Also, Champion Supermodel
For our local org, he is the Grand
Champion for 3'3" Pre Green, 2'9" Low AA and Low AA Equitation.
Definitely a fairy tale year full of
lots of learning and great opportunities to show. I'm not sure our
schedule will ever allow us to be on the road so much again, so I'm glad I've
got lots of ribbons and pictures and videos to commemorate such a rare and
uninterrupted season!
I finally caved and bought the folder of pro pics from Thunderbird... because... well, it doesn't take long for me to start going through horse show withdrawals and having some new pics to flip through is just the sort of dopamine hit I need to keep me going (even if we are literally in the middle of another show as we speak....).
In theory it would have been helpful to purchase said photos prior to blogging about Thunderbird so that I had some, you know, pictures.... but oh well.
I assure you that the rest of them will surface - and that there are some really cute ones (cause.. it's Windsor). But I just HAVE to share this one snap that cracks me up:
Legit - it looks like my trainer is riding a boatload of magic-flying-ferns instead of a horse. And I can only see enough of Winds to tell that he is super round and his ears are forward and it would have been an AWESOME pic of the derby...
If you could see him.
I'm still sort of tempted to blow it up and frame it for the barn tack room though.
I should say that to the photographer's credit, they got lots of other good shots and as hysterical as this photo is - it's not indicative of their general competence. I'm always grateful to have awesome pro shots, so I hope they keep shooting my guy ;)
Well I've lost all sense of what happened week two of tbird. Thank god for videos and ribbons to remind me of what happened. I definitely recall a delicious signature cocktail that involved apricots and vinegar.... and I also remember that the temp finally dropped to something reasonable... so that was nice too.
The Pre-Greens wee frustrating. Winds jumped out of his skin and scored a 89 and 88 in his first two rounds. He was consistent everywhere. Basically, all he had to do to clinch the division was place high enough to score ONE point in the last round. But of course, that's when he decides to sit on a rail and drop one in the judge's line.... Ghosts of Stakes-Past seem to haunt us...
The Derby the second week was a full USHJA two rounder-er and was scheduled for Thursday, which meant he had already gone around twice for the PG.
We drew a reasonably late spot in the order (which I like) and the track was set nicely. I do forget that the USHJA jumps are set to only 3' with 3'5"(ish) options - and Winds just doesn't really give a rip about 3'. It's hard to show him off or get much style out of him at that height...
The trip was smooth. Good pace, decent jumps and overall a nice flowing rounds. He was rewarded with a 86+4 for a total first round score of 90.
That was good enough to return second or third, (can't remember), but he was up there.
The trip was good - especially since I could tell that Winds was a bit stiff in the bridle. Trot fence was soft and lovely, inside turns worked out well, and they were able to take a bold pace between high options and still come back nicely for the two stride at the end.
Very happy with the boy. Two small rubs probably took some of the shimmer off the score and we ended up with an 85+4 for an 89, which ultimately slid us into third overall.
So, that means Winds has been in six derbies this summer and come away with six top three finishes - with matched pairs of firsts, seconds and thirds. He's been so consistent in these classes, I think the Derby ring is really where he shines.
At some point I'll get to my Eq and Hunter divisions. But they aren't quite as exciting....
The first week of Thunderbird, there was a Canadian Derby offered on Saturday. If you recall from Milner, the Canadian Derbies run in a one round format with a traditional base score, plus up to 10 points for high options (2 points each), and up to 10 points awarded for Handiness displayed on course.
I've been having so much fun watching Winds in the Derbies, that I opted to not show my Hunter division over Saturday and Sunday and instead give him a light weekend with only the one Derby round Saturday night.
Happy Derby Day!
Friday afternoon we had the aforementioned vet take a peek as Winds. He didn't find anything alarming (whew, big sigh) and just spent some time adjusting his shoulders and back and stretching him out every which way.
The nugget of useful information was that Winds' right hip doesn't want to abduct (is that moving out? I mean the one where your hip rolls out) as much as his left. BUT his right hip rolls under easier than his left hip does.
Windsor wasn't sore to palpation, just unevenly stiff and very happy to have some massage and stretching time. He also got some B6 shots in the trouble areas and that was it.
The vet told us to let him know how he felt and that we'd see improvement anywhere from 1 to 5 days out. If we didn't feel any change, a more traditional lameness exam might be appropriate if we wanted to go looking for an explanation.
I hacked Winds out early on Saturday and he felt a bit looser to me. Changes were lighter, better balanced and I wasn't feeling like he wanted off the right lead. So I did some stretchy-trot figure eights then went for a long walk on a loose rein around the grounds.
Winds went towards the end of the order-of-go, which meant he didn't even start warming up until about 6:30pm. By that time we had seem enough spooks and stops from shadows and horses who would rather be eating their dinner, that I was starting to question my decision to enter him.
But, as soon as he started warming up I could tell he was feeling great and trainer was happy with his way of going and if nothing else - I wanted to see him jump a round to compare to earlier in the week.
The course was nicely designed, options for some handy turns, etc. But I was disappointed the class was taking place in a normal arena. No combined rings, no change in venue. Just the same ring we'd been in all week.
But he went in bright, and jumped around well. He got a tad strong in a few places, which really only shows itself as him getting stiff in the bridle. N was able to take the high options and the planned inside turns.
I don't have a ton of fascinating commentary. He was jumping straighter, staying lighter and using his back more than he was earlier in the week and that was the big win.
Of course a base score of 83 plus 10 points for all 5 high options and a 7 for hardiness wasn't bad either. Winds finished on another 100 and that was good enough for second place. We were two points behind the winner - and honestly, they had a lovely, very polished trip and deserved the win.
With such a nice trip, we decided that Winds was ok to stay for the second week of the show. We had rented a grass paddock that the horses were all taking turns in, and between that and three days to be off aside from long walks - I figured his schedule was lighter than normal.
I did show my equitation on Friday, but I'll recap that along with my hunter rounds form the second week at the same time.... On to week two!
I adore showing at Thunderbird. There's a post brewing about what makes some venues so much nicer to be at than others... but for now I can say with conviction that given the back-to-back comparison with the Evergreen Classic - Tbird wins. Hands down.
I was a bit timid about Tbird after I felt like Winds wasn't jumping his best at Evergreen, but the bigger rings and fabulous footing seemed to make a difference. He still wasn't blooming over the fences how I like him to, but he was soft and correct and a very obedient boy.
Those of you living through insane heat waves will giggle, but two weeks of 85+ is not our normal here and everyone, including the horses were a bit droopy.
So Hot. But so cute.
But the grounds were lovely, jumps were beautifully built, and Windsor is unquestioningly adorable when he does his job.
First Round was great. No warm up classes, no lunge, nothing. He was pretty chill aside from getting a bit quick through the two stride at the end.
He ended up Second in a nicely competitive 3'3" division of 10.
Second round was also great. A bit more pace (in a good way), but a bit stiffer in the judge's line. We were 3rd.
We came back for the jog and under saddle (omg. So sweaty). And Winds was a good sport. He was a bit sluggish, but he uses his shoulder significantly better on the nice GGT footing than he does in sand. It's really fun to hack him on that surface because it feels like you can actually push his stride out a bit. We snagged a 3rd on the flat which is a *really* nice ribbon for us in that company. The two (also gray) horses ahead of us are super adorable Huntery-Hunters that we aren't likely to finish ahead of Under Saddle, ever.
The second day Winds was definitely jumping a bit stiff. He maintained a nice balance and pace, but he was wanting to lean a bit and pop off his right lead - which is a new trick. A hard rub at the first fence and a swap into he judge's line kept us out of the ribbons in this trip.
The last round was a bit of a recovery. Whether Winds was just looser after jumping a round or what - I'm not sure, but he seemed to work out of it a bit. He snagged a second place in this, even with a bit of a rub in the 5 to 2 stride (love 5 to 2 strides, so fun).
The 2nd was great because not only did it clinch Reserve in the division, but it was a Stake class, so he earned some money too.
Hoever the stiffness was a tad alarming. Even with his crazy schedule I never like to think my horse is sore or compensating somewhere, so we booked an appointment with an FEI vet who was on the grounds and specializes in bodywork and acupuncture.
I always love the idea of having a practitioner who is capable of catching potentially bigger issues (and exploring them if necessary).
If Winds still wasn't feeling good after his session - I could haul him home early and start his time off a bit earlier than planned.
So that's the start to the first week of Third (spoiler alert, he felt great after the bodywork and we stayed....).
on to the next!
