Piaffe/Passage

I orginally recorded this for the person who is helping put together my musical freestyle but think it's good enough to share. Me & Gosh playing with our party tricks... Enjoy!

And so it goes...

Yesterday saw Gosh in his first ever official Inter II start and we're thrilled with the outcome. Too many mistakes in the changes let us down somewhat in the final score but still we came away with a very respectable 59.43% and the class win. OK, so there were only two of us in it, but always nice to come home with another red ribbon to add to the collection! The work we produced was good enough for consistent 6's & 7's throughout our p/p tour, half passes, extensions, pirouettes and zig-zags. Very happy with that as a springboard to greater things and I'm confident the changes will come right soon enough. Gosh proved he was happy with that level of work, finishing off the test with a lovely energetic passage centre line.

We will be based at home now for a couple of months solid work with his next definate outing the Auckland/Manukau Champs in Clevedon on the 13th & 14th of December. We may head to Ashburton in the interim if I feel our work at home warrants another outing.

Photos...

Here are some pictures from last weekend - thanks to photographer Annie Studhome for her brilliant work once again...

Warming up

And again...

Working trot in the test.

Good Boy!

Happy it's done.

Two from two!!

Well we had the perfect start to the season over the weekend with Da Vinci taking out both classes he was entered in. It was a big ask for a not quite 5yo at his first ever show to be competing in two Level 2 tests, including the ‘Challenge’ class, but he rose to the occasion. The first test he won convincingly on a score of 71.923%. In the second he was noticeably tired – it was a two hour trip to the show and I think it was probably the first time he had ever been ridden twice in a day – certainly the look on his face when I saddled him up again was less than impressed. Despite this and not being forward enough, his class won through and he scored a 66.538% which was just enough to take out the win. He handled the trip with ease, and performed impeccably at all times which convinces me he will be a true competitor. Not only that but in his very first outing he has easily qualified for the Young Dressage Horse finals. This gives me the opportunity to select our shows and classes with care for the rest of the season, competing only to gain mileage and confidence and develop him into the top level athlete I know he will become. So excited!

Apologies!

To all my keen followers out there! I know it has been far too long.

It’s been a slow start to our season in Canterbury with the strangles outbreak cancelling what was to be our first graded day for the year. I was especially disappointed as Da Vinci is schooling so well and is now just in need of some mileage. This now means our first start will be at South Canterbury/North Otago’s qualifying show on the 5th of October at Winchester. I’m only taking Da Vinci with me as Gosh is not quite ready for the Grand Prix and I would like to concentrate on Da Vinci for his first day out. I have to confess to being a little nervous! His work is certainly good enough to compete in the two Level 2 classes I have entered him in, but the unknown entity is just how he will behave at a show. I guess we will know soon enough and I hope we do enough to qualify for the Young Dressage Horse class (at least 63% in 2.6) to take the pressure off for the rest of the season. I have both horses entered in the Canterbury Dressage Group All Grades Day the following weekend – Gosh in the Intermediate II and Da Vinci in the Level 2, but will only take Da Vinci if I feel he needs the extra day out. It will be Gosh’s first official start at Level 8/9 and I can’t wait! I will post a full report after the shows – wish us luck!