First Dressage of the season

We got 55% and fairly straightforward comments (by which I mean that I am not using the word 'harsh', but there weren't many positives) about our performance. I am not good enough rider yet to concentrate on getting the horse to go prettily AND do the correct route, so yesterday I reverted into my default settings and didn't collect Rainbow but just tried to ride her around with an even contact and go the right route. 

Rainbow could sense my nervousness and decided that, at one point, the arena white boards were scary, so we had a little spook. I obviously wasn't nervous about the white boards but in Rainbow's little horse brain, she had to find a reason for 'mummy' being on edge – and nothing else was different in the arena except the addition of the boards... I got her back on track but, admittedly, after that I didn't ride her into the corners properly and made a 20-metre circle something between 10 and 15 metres. So my standard stuff – haphazard and half-hearted.

Now I am surfing horse blogs and trying to read about getting horse to listen to my leg aids. I am not upset about my score, as we didn't practise. Also discussed the scoresheet with Tim last night and he was wondering about the scoring, wondering if anyone ever got higher than 8 for a movement and, if not, how does anyone ever get 100%? I said I don't know and I have never seen a judge give better than 8 in the competitions I've witnessed and where I've written for the judge... It's silly really, as if you, for example, do perform a perfect circle, and tempo is good and horse looks good, why wouldn't you be able to get 9 or 10?! I said to Tim to think of it as university grading (here in the UK), no one ever gets better than 70%... Perhaps the readers of this blog could tell me if they know. I know the judging is subjective, but still, how can anyone ever achieve 'perfection'?

So I guess after the little come down from last week's victory, I am having thoughts of incompetence. I also feel I can never get Rainbow to work off my legs effectively, hence never truly achieving collection; I can pump away with my legs and pull the reins to bring her nose down, but she's not really doing it for 'pleasure' or from wanting to do it. So I guess the dressage score and the comments hit home... Generally, I am a very average rider and not sure my horse enjoys her time with me sitting on her. (*Get the violins out!)

I am also fed up with instructors (various instructors) all in their own way saying, do this, do that, don't sit like that, keep your leg there, not there, THERE, do that, Result! But no result! We have a result on our dressage lesson if I give Rainbow a few swipes from the stick, but I don't enjoy that. I don't particularly want to even have to have a stick with me. I don't want to use spurs, as I have never used them and I think that's just upping the ante, and not really improving me as a rider, but just a short-cut to a 'desired' result. Not something I am interested in.

So, this morning, I am wondering why I bother. Maybe I should just hack and let my horse run around in the school nose up in the air. Who cares!

The plaiter and the plaitee.

Last pose before turning the 'grand prix' dressage horse out to paddock and owner off for a cup of tea.