Pipestave 3 phase

Would you believe we won our division on our ultra-lousy dressage score of 51.5%. Sad but true. I took Clover in the modified beginner novice division—we ride Novice test A, but the jumps are only 2', good for introducing green horses to the horse trial experience.

Dressage was once again a nightmare for me. I get worried about all the details, it's total performance anxiety. Warm up was tense—I could feel my arms stiffen up and I started grabbing with my seat again. Clover was in heat, so our first centerline was more like a haunches in, she put her butt towards the trailers to the right of the ring. We got through the test, it was ok for our third time out. The judge scored tough. Even with our high score we were in second after dressage.

I love the Pipestave cross country course, perfect for green horses, just run and jump, no water, no ditches, no tricky questions. By the sixth fence, we were having a pretty good ride—Clover was taking me to the fences, aside from taking some glances at a flower or two. They don't time the jumping courses—less pressure and less chance to mess up.

I was really worried about stadium, that's where our downfall was back in August our first time out. My lovely trainer warned me that I'd better get my horse over the fences like I meant it this time, or I'd be doomed to a forever balky, behind the leg horse. Naturally, that scared me into riding like a crazed monkey. We went clean, I mostly rode the lines I intended to when I had initially walked the course. We did have one stop and pop moment, Clover spooked at a brightly painted panel outside the course, so I popped her with the stick and said, “You're ok! It's nothing!” We got through the rest of the course fine, even that damn ducky fence. I'm still grinning.

I'm also still in shock at placing first—it doesn't feel like we earned it because of that lousy score. Mostly I'm proud of my little tank horse and excited for next season when we move up to “real” events. We're going to Senator Bell's schooling event next weekend, just the walk-trot division, but we get to encounter water on cross country for the first time in competition.