Well, I think everyone knows by now that Windy is MY SWEETHEART!, but I am fully aware that I am one lucky gal that Chuck flew to FL to be apart of the action at our second show in FL.....yup, my hubby sure ranks up there!!! After an awesome week of training with Windy, I knew she was ready to shine at her second show. But, I also knew that her high accolades and scores from the first show were not any excuse for me to get a big head!! After all, dressage is so subjective and judge's opinions do vary widely. On Friday's schooling, Windy acted like an old pro. Even though Chuck had camera in hand, he took not a single picture because he loved just watching us. On Sat am we arrived to the stabling (it was frigid!) and were like soldiers preparing for my early first ride with Windy. She warmed up like an old-pro and I thought, 'that may not be good news for me', as she can sometimes be a "sleeper." But, my sweetheart prevailed and her 1st level test was wonderful -- I was met with may smiling faces after the ride. As is often par for the course with dressage -- I expected a score, at least close, if not, in the 70's, but judge thought it was only a 61%!! Yikes, this is the lowest score my Windy has gotten in 1st level. I just was floored and anxiously awaited the test sheet to see what went wrong!? As it turns out, judge's comments in nearly every box indicated "irregular".....hmmm, I did not feel her gaits to be irregular nor did any of our crew view that to be the case!? I struggled with the decision to ride 1st 3 under the same judge later in the day -- I like to show good sportsmanship but I also know that if judge cannot correctly evaluate Windy's innately active movement correctly that my AHHA All Breeds Standings will be compromised. So, still feeling very internally guilty, I chose to scratch second ride of day....ugh, that was tortuous decision for me!! Then on Sunday, the cold weather and high winds met me for my early am ride. I have to admit, I was concerned when Windy left her stall all tacked up SHIVERING! I know, all too well, how she can get extra excitable in cool temps. But, we headed off to warmup...Windy in a cooler and me in a winter jacket over my show coat...what happened to FL weather? Windy was wonderfully "up," yet still focused and she entered the test with the same attitude. Our ride was exactly the same as the day before and we ended up missing 1st place by .2% points shy of winning score of 70%. All right!! Finally a judge that at this show that recognizes her gaits as an 8, "active and balanced!" After scores came back, I was back into my grove and was game faced for the last ride of the day. Easily, we won 1st 3 with another 69% ride and received our second score for the USDF/GAIG Championships 2012. Ahhh, and, my belief that the Sat's judge was crazed was confirmed. It is a very good reality that I find my worth as a rider from what I feel not from what a judge interprets. I have always been a believer that a test is great when it accomplishes my goals at hand. I had several goals with Windy as I headed into the FL show season-- to find her grove again after being mentally challenged at the 2011 Champs, to qualify for GAIG Champs at 1st level, and to advance her training in (warmer temps). Yeah....my goals have already been reached, so now I am onto new ones, so stay posted.
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