POP fun!

Ben and I made it out to jump around the POP schooling show this past Sunday. We XC schooled at Majestic on Friday, the first time since April. That was when I discovered that completely neglecting your stud holes only works when you're using them every couple of weeks. And I couldn't get his hind studs in. Womp womp. We also were seriously dodging some sketch weather and in fact ended the school by popping through the novice water line, taking the last two of the novice course, and then trotting back to the trailers. Fortunately though, no one got struck by lightning, and we all got done what we needed to. He was super good, but there was long grass and it had already down poured once that morning, so it was SLICK. He slipped once behind, in spite of my best efforts to make long gentle curves, and was conservative off the ground. 

My saintly husband and my very patient horse and I spent an hour on Friday afternoon carefully using the blanks to clear the sand out of the stud holes, and so I had usable holes behind and sorta usable holes up front. My husband was game to continue, but I was DONE after an hour of holding up the hind feet. Compressed air was also involved, and Ben was being very good, but I think our quarter would've run out soon. LESSON LEARNED YA'LL, take care of your stud holes. 

Anyways, back to the show: 

Dressage: Ben was DELIGHTFUL. He is pretty horrified by the rings there, he doesn't like the banners and then there were some irrigation things at the other end that were also frightening. He warmed up beautifully though and we got that relaxation back about halfway through the test. We ended with a 27.2 and might've done better, but yet another dressage judge hates his tongue, and ended with a comment that sounds like a follow up to a bad date. It definitely made me laugh. 

I was still quite pleased though, he held it together so well and I managed to stay soft, slow, and light. He didn't forge at all, the tell tale for when he gets heavy in front, and he softened beautifully for the whole second half. It was really nice to be doing novice where we had more time to focus on those basics and I felt less pressure to continually be prepping for the next movement. 

Stadium: He warmed up really well and then we went in the ring and did our thing. We did trot several circles through the MoveX standards that they had left up before #7, so he was less shocked when we had to canter through them later. He also did a couple look and chips, but then when he considered doing something other than two strides in the 9AB two stride, I put my spurs in, and he stepped up really nicely. Another layer of rust knocked off. It was far from perfect, but it felt solid. 

Cross Country: I couldn't walk the day before, so I walked twice after I got there in the morning. The course flowed really well, so I figured if I couldn't remember where the next jump was, I could just look around and find it. 

#1 roll top - get going, jump it, don't do anything weird 

#2 - cabin

#3 - wagon - then through the tree line and a left hand curve to #4

#4 - roll top - pointed you through the water

Unflagged water

#5 - brush - I was standing almost in the water though, so you had about 5 strides after the water to this one

#6 - log pile

#7AB - down bank to wedge - if you angled the down bank ever so slightly it sent you straight to the wedge

#8 - cut out table

#9 - Faux ditch wall

#10 - another cut out table then a right hand turn through a crater with some larger jumps

#11- corner and then right hand turn to the half coffin

#12ab - half coffin on a bit of a bending line

Then a left hand U-turn back through the tree line that the ditch is set in

#13 - peach thing

#14 log - then through the water which was a bit mucky at the edge

#15 - brush - basically 14-15 was a repeat of 4-5 with an unflagged water between two jumps

#16 - ramp

#17 - bench - and the finish! 

I was a bit concerned about the down bank because Ben was VERY surprised by one at Magnolia Sands one time schooling; he just didn't see it until the last second and then he slammed on the brakes. We also just haven't done one in competition ever, surprisingly. I planned to trot it so he had time to see it and process. The rest of it seemed quite straightforward. 

After stadium, we had some help from the barn family getting studs in and getting bit changed out and boots on. Then we were off. We looped over a few of the warmup jumps and then headed out! He was a bit of the Ben of last spring and early fall for the first half of the course. Way less wiggly, but definitely squatting to the base and chipping a bit. Never in doubt that he was GOING though. We did trot the down bank, but he definitely saw it and got the question just fine. Then the second half of the course, it felt like he remembered what we were doing, noticed that he wasn't slipping behind, and got his groove back. He picked up the pace all of his own accord, and we finished 40 seconds under OT. 

He only chipped the second table because I was staring at the disturbed flower pot in the cut out wondering if someone had slid into it earlier in the day. He was dead honest over the corner and powered through the second water like it wasn't mucky at all. He did skitter sideways near 16, but it was NOTHING to do with the jump and everything to do with a giant mound of sand they have built for the competitive driving folks. Once I got him focused on the actual jump, he was fine. He is who he is as a person! 

I left in the audio on the videos because it makes me laugh listening to JT narrate our jump round. 

Overall I was super happy with the day. It felt GREAT to get back out there and gallop around on my friend. And for the second half of the course, it felt like HE was happy about it too. There's no better feeling than that combined enjoyment! We ended up with a pretty purple ribbon too! Our 28 had put us in 9th to start, so a clear stadium round would've only moved us up to 6th. 

He got to trailer with Toby, a 19 YO OTTB, who is living at the GY's now. Toby has done 2*, but is now on a lease with a friend who is taking him around BN (and novice soon because they won the open beginner novice on their dressage score of 18.4!!!!!!!) Toby and Ben ADORE each other and thoroughly enjoyed chilling together. Maybe a tiny bit too much because I did have to hand walk Ben back from dressage since trying to ride him back to the trailer was resulting in a fussy, sideways, barely contained jig. To his credit, he gave zero indication of how much he was thinking about Toby in warm up or during the test. The flip side of that bond though is that he stood completely happy next to Toby, lead rope on the ground, while I put on his ice boots. I held him, but really didn't need to, while he iced and then got poulticed and wrapped up for the drive home. Still carefully guarding that cellulitis leg, since unfortunately there's some residual swelling around the fetlock and pastern. He's still wearing a silver sock on that leg other than when he is working. I thought it wasn't doing anything, but the night I left it off the leg was definitely puffier the next morning. 

Two dudes, hanging out

Ben's vet came out and adjusted him Monday morning and said he had his usual lumbar/pelvis things, but he felt great in his thoracic spine and adjusted the best he ever has. We're entered in Stable View at the end of September for another run at novice. Then we'll do his hocks in early October with steroids and Arthramid to get him ready for the fall/winter season and a hopeful move back up to training in November at Rocking Horse.