Mission Accomplished!!

We made it through our first Training level!! Regal was a superstar :)

My team and I got to the event (Hiskens Summer Moon) on Friday afternoon and settled the horses in and set up our camp. Regal had an awesome hack that day, totally relaxed and happy. He always settles right in eating and drinking like a champ. My ride time for dressage Saturday morning was 7:42 am, so I was up by 5 so I could feed, clean, and braid. Regal is sure catching on!! He can now tell the difference between my regular clothes and show clothes. The instant I came out of the trailer changed into my whites he stopped eating, started watching me, and stood by his gate waiting to be tacked up. He did that before every phase once he saw me change!! I was hoping for a dressage warm up exactly like my hack the day before...but of course I got the opposite. Regal was pumped up and shooting around like a firecracker. To say the least it was a very forward warm up. My trainer and I made the best of it and I headed for my dressage court. I'm not sure what happened, but when Reg and I stepped into the court he was all business. He still felt like a ticking time bomb, but he was much more together. My major goals for our test this time was not to break gaits and to have a smoother ride, both accomplished!! He was a little tense into some of his upward transitions and his halt, but we ended up with a 36.4 on our first Training dressage test- not bad!! Me, being the competitive person I am, was bummed that our score still landed us in 8th after dressage. But my team mates and trainer cheered me up and I got my mind off of being too competitive.

Since this was a horse trial, we had show jumping in the afternoon; usually where Reg and I shine. I had the warm up I wished I could have gotten for my dressage, and I think our ride time must have been when Regal usually naps. The fences didn't look overly challenging, and the course was fun! We had two unfortunate rails, which was pretty upsetting to me only because I know we can do better. Between the heat, Regal being a little lazy, my eye being off, and me trying to over-correct, it wasn't exactly the ride I wanted. After a talk with my trainer I once again shrugged off my negative vibe. We ended Saturday in 9th place.

Sunday...cross country!! By this time I'd metered my course once, and walked it 4 times. I was excited. Like in stadium, I hadn't seen anything that looked overwhelming, always a good feeling. We had a good warm up, and I could tell Reg and I were on the same page. We left the start box, he picked up his ground eating gallop and flew over the first log like it was nothing. I was already smiling. I am still so excited about how he rode that course. Second log to the coop, easy. Jump four was a full coffin, which he had never seen before. Bounced on through. Big log to trakenner to log cabin, turn to down bank two stride to coop. Like a pro!! I am so glad we schooled those down banks, he dropped off exactly how he should, no more baby launches!! A friend came by and told me before I went to the start box that jump 17, the log down into water was getting a lot of people, so when I came to that one I sat Reg up and drove him forward. Without a second thought he leapt down, but I think he was surprised to see the water on the other side! He did a funny little bobble which made me lose my stirrup, I rode out over a log without it and was trying to get it back as we headed for another big coop. In my effort to grab my stirrup back Regal didn't get a clear look at the fence and breezed past it, so I circled him back and he jumped it easily. Last fence over a litte wooden truck, down through a ravine (where we almost ran a lady over who was standing right in the way. She somehow didn't hear my screaming at her and Regal galloping towards her!) We finished with just 7.5 time faults, which put us up to finish 6th place at our first Training!!!

My Regal was a proud boy, but I was an even more proud horse mommy :) As always, so many lessons learned. You can only be so competitive, because really your competing against yourself and doing the best you and your horse can do. And I was once again reminded of the simple goal to just finish. Though we had faults all weekend, we still ended up 6th because we made it through every question. Just goes to show the craziness of this sport.

We're going back home knowing exactly what we need to work on, and already trying to plan the next outing. Woodside is 2 weeks away, and I'm trying with all my might to scrape some money together for it. My camera decided to die this weekend, but I'll get some pictures up that my team and trainer took!! Everyone had a fun, safe weekend...couldn't ask for more!!