An update on how Rocking II went is finally here! It's only taken me all week. I'll start by saying that with how the entire week leading up to Rocking II went, I did not in any way expect to finish in second place and as well as I did. With a frustrating week, I embraced the coming weekend with as much optimism as I had left (which wasn't all that much).
It rained yet again on Friday when I did dressage and show jumping. Before Mike got to warm up, I'd already practically warmed myself up (mostly because I am always on way earlier than I should be). I told him I didn't want to do much more until right before I went in. Knowing how Stoney gets very worried and tense with the more I do with him, he agreed and trusted my judgment. After walking for about ten minutes, I picked up my trot just as the girl before me was finishing up her test and entered the ring, pulling out a consistent and nice test. Yes, it lacked a little enthusiasm, but I chose to have the laziness and flopping ears over the tenseness and explosions. Both Mike and I were quite happy with my test even if it was scored higher than the one at Ocala. We both knew it had improved since then, and all the scores in my division were quite high. Later that weekend, I got my test back, and I couldn't help but laugh a little when I read the judge's comment saying, "needs more energy." If she had only seen us at Ocala... He's a thoroughbred. That's enough explanation in itself. Like I said, I'll take the flopping ears any day. Even towards the end of our test, his last two movements were quite quick and tense, and I knew that two movements being that way verses the entire test was definitely the better call.
Earlier that week we worked a lot with just trotting down center line. Yes. Quite an easy movement... or so you think. For Stoney, it is always a challenge after he has performed leg yeilds, counter canters, etc. It's incredibly interesting how our first time coming down center line is flawless, but when finishing up our test, I can't get my horse to trot down center line and halt without swinging his haunches out every which way. He just gets so amplified on my aids.The more I do with him, the more of a wiggling worm he becomes under me. I can't describe it in a better way.
This, along with the tension, was also what we were hoping to prevent from happening at Rocking II, and thankfully we did. Seriously, less is more with this horse. In every phase.
Going into show jumping, I was not too impressed with our warm up. He kept hitting rails and not trying all that hard. Heather said not to worry because he always jumps better when he gets in the ring, and apprehensively I took her word for it. Once we got in there, he was fantastic. Even with jumping a vertical on an angle and getting him in deep to a few other verticles (all of which substantially increased our chances of hitting rails), he tried his heart out for me and managed to leave all the rails in place. I can honestly say that was the first time since owning that horse these past two years that we have managed to have a clear show jumping round without knocking rails. How exciting is that?
After show jumping, I realized I was in eighth place. Going into cross country, my goal was to not only get around clean (which I'd been successful with our other two prelims), but also get around in the time allowed (something we were not yet successful with).
The cross country course had some difficult questions for prelim, and Stoney handled them all with ease. Even the water (which was a difficult water for prelim and had quite a big drop into water) rode perfectly. It truly amazes me how each time out this horse just gets more and more confident with his job.
Once I finally grasped my head around the fact we actually had to gallop between fences instead of cruising in our twenty foot stride, it was quite easy for us to make the time. I mentally made myself gallop on between every fence, even if the next one wasn't too far away in my eyes. It also helped that I was beginning to pull up and balance 3 strides away from the fence instead of 6 or 8 strides out. No wonder I was so slow. I just wasn't comfortable galloping up to a fence like that because I wasn't quite sure I'd have such adjustability. Go me for undermining my horse's ability and maturity.
Coming in ten seconds before optimum, we managed to finish on our dressage score for the first time ever. This put Stoney and I in second place. Thrilled doesn't even begin to describe it.
Now that we have our three qualifying prelims, we are entered to do the CIC* at Poplar at the end of March. I think I am more nervous than excited at this point. You can't blame me when I've never done an FEI event. There are many things different with an FEI event verses a regular competition, so it's no surprise I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I'm just happy we have another prelim (Rocking III) this next weekend to put under our belts before competing at Poplar.
Even with my mishaps this past week with my truck having problems and a few of my items having gone missing at the barn, I'm still trucking on... barely. My horse is literally the only thing keeping me going right now. If it wasn't for his improvements he's made in our lessons this week, I don't think I'd be able to get myself through the week.
With only 8 more days left here in Florida, I will definitely make the best of it. I myself still can't believe I'm leaving in a little over a week because it seems like we haven't been here all that long. Although I'm excited to compete at Rocking III, I am definitely more than ready to get back home and live with my "second family." It's been a little stressful at times being here by myself (even with everyone looking out for me), and I can't wait to get back to the Ehlers' and for them to come back from Florida as well. They definitely feel like my second set of parents...or technically my third in this case.
I guess the only word to describe my life at this point would be surreal. I still can't seem to accept it all. Even out hacking earlier this week, I looked at the cross country questions from the weekend before and couldn't wrap my head around the fact that we did them and we did them effortlessly. With others who's horses have done more than they themselves have, it may not come off feeling the same way. However, having a horse who has come from ground zero and only has the amount of experience and miles on him that I've put forth, I find is extremely difficult to wrap my head around it all and how far he has come. It's a feeling I don't think I'll ever get used to for as long as I keep riding this horse.
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