Horse Show Re-cap

So, Mort and I showed this past weekend.  It was filled with both good and bad things but not a lot in between. 

The Good:

This was Mort’s first show alone.  He’s been to two clinics alone, but we got stalls for those.  Saturday he tied quietly to the trailer and was 100% trustworthy munching hay. 

He warmed-up lovely.  He had some energy, but still had half-halts and was very attentive to me.  The warm-up was outside and it was both hot and very windy; in spite of these conditions he came to play. 

He’s really starting to understand lengthenings.  He’s still uneven in the trot and they can’t be considered a medium yet, but he is understanding the task. 

He was not dumpy and on the forehand in the canter lengthens like he was last show. 

Our second test was better than our first. 

I actually had to really ride him.  This is good for me, because sometimes I forget to be proactive while I’m riding tests. 

The Bad:

Tension and looking were very prevalent in both of our tests.  For some reason Mort decided that he didn’t like the indoor.  He was very hard to focus, especially near any of the open doors or near the judge. 

Much of our trot work was very tight over the topline and his stride was about two inches long. 

He was against my hands a lot (because I was rudely asking him to not gawk at everything). 

I definitely ‘lost’ him a few times.  He spooked a few times at the judge’s table.  He spooked at a poop pile along the rail (he always complains about having to step in poop). 

Inconsistent was our middle name.  We did have good moments in with the bad, but they were all mixed in every few strides. 

The Reality:

I have a horse who I can throw in a trailer and hop on with no lunging.  In spite of a lot of tension, we still pulled a 64% and a 65% our second time showing first level.  I should have planned to get there over the lunch break and walked him in the show arena (I thought we’d be fine because we didn’t have any problems here last year).  He’s a horse, and even though we walked up to the judge with loose reins and talked to her after the first test the judge was still terrifying every time we passed in the second test. 

These disappointments are frustrating.  It’s embarrassing to show up and not look like I’ve put in the time and effort that showing requires.  It’s no fun to get someplace new and look like you’re asking too much of your horse.  But in the end of the day horses are horses.  Mort is a good boy and this was only our fourth show together over the last 1.75 years.  He gave me solid work outside and stayed with me as best as his brain would allow inside.  That’s all I can ask and I’ll continue to work on building our trust and focus slowly at home.