There is a lovely local show held every year by the Tedworth Hunt and even though I’m not a big fan of showing I usually go to do the odd class and a dressage test because it’s such a friendly and well run local event. My other half came along to take pics, and my friend took her young horse too for the experience. Here we are getting ready searching for the correct studs, and meticulously applying my quarter marks! Check out my Mountain Horse togs, very snazzy, but far too ‘look at me’ for the show ring!
Into the ring…
There was a pretty large turn out for the ex-racehorse class all different shapes, sizes, and levels of obedience! Soap was being a bit ‘fruity’ because he had decided he was now desperately in love with my friend’s mare who travelled with us, and should keep one eye on her at all times if possible! We walk, trot, and cantered round the arena, and the judges pulled us in 4th. We then did our show, unsaddled and trotted them up and went back out large. Happily we got pulled into the final line up in 3rd, and were given 2 lovely rosettes one from the venue and one from ‘the ex-racers club’ and £5 prize money!
Off for some dressage…
They were calling for dressage competitors so I came straight out my class and started to make my way to the dressage arenas. Soap had other ideas and decided to try and nap, he got swifty told that I would have no such behaviour, and off we went! He was really naughty warming up bucking, hollowing, and rushing off, falling out on the left rein in canter. I was sure something was wrong as he had been fine in his earlier class, and having put his studs in myself I had a pretty good idea of what it was. I hopped off and checked his left fore and as I guessed his stud had gone awol. I always put studs in for him to work on grass as he isn’t happy otherwise , and he was finding the missing stud too much. I walked over to the judge and asked if it was ok if we omitted the left rein canter due to the stud loss and he said it was fine he would just give us 0 for that movement, I agreed that was fine and just wanted to let him know what we were doing so he didn’t beep us. Soap did an ok test with some really nice bits of trot and canter but with one gopping transition! He was very distracted and wound up by the absence of his new love interest so I just did the best I could to get some decent work out of him as I couldn’t really expect too much from him with only 3 studs and a thumping great crush hindering his performance! The black clouds were on their way, and it didn’t look like the sjing was going up much bigger any time soon so I left an envelope for my test sheet, and we set off home, just in time to catch some Wimbledon action on the telly!
