Dream Big: 9/2/2017 - PVDA @ Loch Moy 1, Part 2

After my 3-1 test, we scurried back to stabling and I pulled Penn's tack and started a second round of miniPhaser massage. We only had about an hour, but I wanted to get as much soreness out of him as I could. Not sure how successful I was with that, but the horse still enjoyed it!

Well, he used to have tall hind socks.

Walking down to warm up (this was walking down the first time).
PC: Austen

We went back down to warm up and I made sure to hit my 3 loop serpentine several times, especially on the right lead, to make sure I squashed any flying change ideas Penn might have. I shouldn't have worried; Penn has become quite honest about the changes. 90% of the time he waits for some kind of cue from me, and I've been schooling the 2-3 canter pattern at home with flying changes instead of simple changes to keep him guessing about what's happening.

PC: Austen

Sassy tail wants to do a flying change.
PC: Austen

PC: Austen

Unfortunately this test was not the Dover Medal winning test I wanted it to be, instead it became a thing to try to salvage.

Link to YouTube

Simply, Penn was tired and didn't have much to give and he wanted to be a bit looky at the stuff outside the ring. The medium trot lacked, the SI right wasn't enough, the travers right was bridle lame. Medium trot lacked again, he had a coughing fit that went across the short side and into the SI left, which wasn't enough, and he fought me in travers left. I didn't think the halt rein back was all that bad though. For the TOH left, the judge noted that he has a tendency to cross the hind legs. I thought in TOH that was ok? It's not a walk pirouette. Penn didn't come to play for the free walk either.

Medium canter was ok, then I completely botched the geometry of the first 3 loop. Remember how I said in my last post that I liked schooling in the show ring because it let me work on my geometry? Well I need more practice. I think I was fighting Penn's fatigue or flying change tendencies and just didn't get the 3-loop started right, so then the middle was bad, and I missed the final loop start. Bad, just bad.

Simple change was ok, another ok medium, and another shitty 3 loop (but with better geometry). The next simple change I apparently took too many walk steps, even though I've seen people walk on for even longer. The final few movements were better than the rest of the test... I wonder if the judge was thrilled to see us go?

Hoping for a 60.
PC: Austen

I came out of the ring just hoping we had salvaged a 60. I really didn't want to add a sub-60 score to his record. On our way back up to stabling, Austen pulled my 3-1 test and we rejoiced over the bronze score and second place! Once we were back up to stabling, we checked the scores online and Penn and I had scored a 60.854%, albeit for 7th place, and there was more rejoicing! While it's not a winning score, it was: over 60, and counts as on of 4 required 2-3 tests for Penn's 2nd level performance award.

We walked back down to collect the test, and I walked Penn around the show ring because he was being looky before and a little during my test near the judge. Of course the horse didn't bat an eye at anything, but we did get this great set of pictures of us looking at the test: