It is somehow turning into the most glorious fall already. We’ve still had some warm days — but that cool crisp kinda warm that makes you want to bring layers
just in case.
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| everybody is snuggly and sweet when it gets cold out! |
It’s also been properly chilly on a couple days, and naturally a little rainy at times too. So all the nice cozy categories of weather. Only real bummer is the increasingly early sunset, I guess!
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| even doozy! in her new rain sheet! |
Doozy, for her part, has been great. We had some really nice schooling rides in the last couple weeks, including a good dressage lesson, good schools at home, and that properly pleasant jump school I wrote about — plus one more after that wherein we basically just repeated exactly the same set of exercises with exactly the same properly pleasant results. Who doesn’t love that?
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the sheet came in handy, bc it’s been rainy!
(also, yes, that is a whole ass flake of hay just sittin loose on the trailer floor LOL) |
It was a good feeling too, bc we actually already had an entry in for Loch Moy’s final recognized HT of the year. Tho… Truth be told, legit one of my first thoughts after falling off at the starter trial was to check to see if it was too late to withdraw. Alas, it was.
It was a good aspirational bold plan when I sent all those entries in all at once — instead of my usual conservative / pessimistic approach of waiting to enter each thing until after the last thing, just in case.
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“you can’t be serious” — doozy, so sweet she melts down in the rain |
But, eh, that’s how it goes, right? I decided I’d still go to the recognized show since it was paid for and all, and we’d give it a good shot. Mostly I was curious to see if we could replicate some of those really good moments from the starter trial — esp in the dressage warm up.
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| proof we sorta kinda tried to do a thing! got some pro pics too bc #whynot, but you’ll have to wait for them to come in the mail |
Idk, tho. The vibe was kinda off the whole day — and not just bc of the persistently damp chilly rain. We parked way down in timbuktu bc the place was a ZOO for area champs. They rearranged a lot of stuff from how they’d done it last year, including adding a second show jump competition ring and moving sj warm up to a whole new location (conveniently right above where we parked so we got to walk through all that** on our way to dressage).
(**All that being inclusive of the frequent victory gallops as each champs division concluded)
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| “i’ll take my snacks to go, pls!” — doozy, ready to be done |
That’s all a long way to say: No, our dressage was
not representative of any good work or improvements or whatever. It was, as they say,
quite bad. Siiiiiigh.
I’d originally determined to stick around at least for show jumping, bad vibes be damned, but… eh. XC seemed out of the question with increasingly slippy torn up tracks (something like 40 BN horses had already jumped our track over the course of the weekend) and especially the warm up zone, and I don’t think I’d have forgiven myself if we had a repeat (or worse) of our last outing.
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| anyway. cats!! cats in paper bags!!! <3 <3 |
Ultimately tho, I opted to just pack up after dressage. Some other time it’ll feel appropriate and necessary to push through the cold wet chaos to go jump our jumps. It just didn’t have to be this particular day LOL.
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| speaking of creature comforts… my farrier started bringing his puppy on the road omg |
And obvi Doozy certainly didn’t mind!! She doesn’t know she didn’t jump lol. Honestly, aside from being absolutely
unable to cope the second she enters at A…. honestly aside from all that, she’s been an extremely happy camper lately!
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| doozy was obsessed, to say the least! |
Nice rides, relaxed, pleasant and happy in the barn. Low key creepy in love with my farrier’s puppy. Ya know. Normal happy horse stuff!
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| ooooh and more horse shows — this time on the administrative side of things: drafting maps! |
So we’ll see what the season brings. Perhaps going back to the drawing board entirely re: test riding + ring craft. Or perhaps shifting focus to other activities that don’t involve dressage courts at all. Or ya know. Maybe just continuing to work as we have been, trusting that the progress is happening even if it’s hard to tell? Idk! We’ll see!
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| making plans for all these pretties!!!! |
In the meantime, tho, we’re kicking back into high gear with all things Shawan Downs, as the local riding club’s fall starter event is rapidly approaching!
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| get on the bus, lil’ table!! |
There’s something so satisfying about being a part of that process, watching all the plans and pieces come together as the event takes shape.
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| so exciting to see things start taking shape! and look at those hints of crimson in the foliage!!!! |
Fingers crossed the weather cooperates too bc while I’m undecided about entering the show, I’m
very hopeful to at least make it to the xc schooling days. A girl can dream, right?
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| doozy, don’t you wanna go play too??? |
Right. It’s a tricky time of year to get too attached to any one specific plan or activity, with the weather being what it is. But honestly after having been on the sidelines for so much of the summer, it’s nice to even just have the choice!
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| perhaps haha. i think perhaps she does! |
If the weather *DOES* play nice, we might have a few other upcoming activities planned too that require
zero dressage (or even flatwork). More galloping hill and dale, less messy stressy contact on 20m circles. Doesn’t sound half bad, right?
Cross your fingers the weather agrees LOL. And in the meantime, hope y’all have a nice weekend too!
