Thank you for posting more often here, I really enjoy watching. Congratulations on that nice show, I'm so eager to see how you are developing and learning together.
I so much appreciate you talking us through your headspace even while grooming! I thought I was overthinking it, but it gives me ease to know that many people process the situation this way!
You are so hard on yourself! This 'next test' was just one little step forward in your journey with her, there are so many more to come and not all of them will feel like steps in the right direction at the time. Just going out again and in different not very pleasurable conditions is such a positive :)
Its OK to coast between tests. I always used to say to myself, tests are a means to an end, not an end it itself. Consistency is better than inconsistency. You are too hard on yourself. Well done to you.
When you said you were disappointed in the mark I thought it was going to be much lower! 65% is a good mark! Especially for a young horse that doesn't have a lot of experience yet and in the rain. You should be proud of yourself! Congrats on your third place.
Sometimes we (the rider) need a calming cookie as much or more than the horse, LOL. Zora is beautiful & she is still a youngster. I think she has a wonderful future in front of her. You are so aware of both your behaviours & Zora's. It takes a lot of time to achieve that. I would say Well Done.
I just LOVE your long beautiful hair! Reminds me on my youth. Practice Practice Practice and you will get better with your scoring. Beautiful exquisite Zora and rider, hang in there and don't beat yourself up on your progress. For a second ride, I'd say GREAT JOB!
As previously said, third is a really good placing and your score is incredibly good! I know it's so, so easy to be hard on yourself, especially when you feel you need to do good, but I think that's just the standards we have in our minds. We've been through so much over the past 2+ years, our horses have probably felt that too, and you haven't been able to compete for a long time, or regularly, so you have done seriously well! Like you have said, this is the time to focus on doing tests. The result doesn't matter. It's the experience. Just take things in steps, no matter how small. Also, how good is Zora looking! Her body looks so different to when I last saw her😍 Additionally, I hope you don't mind me saying, but I was wondering if the Winderen Ported bit may be a good thing to try? Some horses, especially those with bigger/thicker tongues, don't like the pressure of the bit on their tongue and the port allows some space for them. This may be why she sucks back and resists the contact a little. That may be her attempting to escape the pressure? I don't know, only you know. But I thought it might be worth a mention just incase this may help😊 I'm sure your bit fitter/specialist and/or the people at Winderen may be able to help you with this.
You & Zora have come soooooo far!!! She’s a lovely girl that is so willing to be your partner ❤️ I haven’t shown in years, but do they fault you for taking “too long” to halt & salute? It seems a bit rushed, but I’m not sure how quickly you need to get in your salute & begin. I’d like to see an extra second for you to inhale/exhale, so both of you are synced❤️ All that being said, love you & all you do to the moon & back😁😁
Is the side door for the equipment area of your horse trailer the right sort of metal for magnets? I do think you might benefit from putting some sort of checklist magnetic/white board/chalk paint area on the trailer door. I find the physical process of marking off lists of things reassuring and confirming. It seems to annoy/disappoint you when you forget important items. Maybe just having a checklist you can physical cross through will give you a bit more ease of process? I don't know, but it is really clear that you are always trying to improve yourself. You are so busy, and you work very hard. Maybe a simple thing like that could help some?
The important thing to remember is that you changed somethings and still came 3rd, so did not go back over. You and Zora are doing well, she is still quite young and inexperienced. She will carry on improving. Can I ask what happened to Obi.
