Earlier this week, we took a day out of the office and headed to our first competition of 2019. As you'll have seen, we've spent A LOT of our arena time over Christmas and in January trying to work on our showjumping, including riding a totally different way. I've felt, even at home and on hack, that Louie isn't enjoying the new way, but does respond positively to it when the jumps are in front of him. As such, I've felt him become a little resistant to the contact, slightly less supple and willingness to bend, and overall just waiting for me to really get a hold of him. Even at home in the arena, this has led to him feeling much more tense and less willing to reach forward and through his frame.
A few days before, I went back to our old way of schooling on the flat, and all of the above symptoms started to disappear, but I could still feel hints of them, ready and waiting to rear their heads! I finished our last schooling session a few days before we headed out, and it became more harmonious as it went on and felt just like before Christmas, but I knew at the competition, I'd have more tension at play...
Competition Day
A lovely luxury time of 11.17am for our first test. Great news! I could plait on the morning and leave the yard after any possibility of rush hour traffic. I even got an hour's lie in compared to a working day... It's all about the small wins!