It's commonly known between all my friends, both dressage and none dressage, that I mother Ziggy quite a lot. If there's scary situations I'll almost carry him through it and I've been apprehensive of pushing him to do bigger and better things through fear of ending up back at square one with him. Our lessons have been going superb and I haven't been able to fault him home at all. A couple of weeks ago we took him to a local Equestrian Centre for some Riding Club Flatwork training and despite being a little tense he never put a hoof out of line.
My instructor has been pestering me for weeks to start stepping him up in the training and begin to concentrate on him more than I have been, but in all honesty I haven't wanted to. No, let me rephrase that...I have wanted to but have been too apprehensive for what's 'on the other side'.
After a few really good weeks with Ziggy I realised I can't keep him locked away at home forever and it was time to get him out into the big bad wide world. And so, I booked him into a local competition to do two Intro tests.
I tried not to think about what was approaching in the week leading up to the competition, I had so much other stuff going on though that I didn't have time to even think about it and before I knew it, Saturday was upon us and it was time to get Ziggy out there.
It's been so easy keeping him locked away at home. I've been able to just show the good mostly and in all honesty I've also shared the bad, but there's been times when it's been particularly hard and everyone's thought it's been rosy. He's such an amazing pony when he gets it, but he's so nervous that sometimes the smallest of things makes him shoot across the arena. At first he had me off, but slowly I'm learning to sit to it and recognise the warning signs that's he's spotted something he doesn't like. However, it was time to show everyone my work. It was time to show everyone what I had done with him and just how far we had come in just 10 months. In all honesty I didn't care what others thought and I still don't, but those on the outside won't know what he was like when I got him and how long it's taken me just to get here. I can say he was nervous when I got him, I can tell the story of just how jumpy he was, but people believing me is a different story.
Anyway, we arrived at the venue in plenty of time to make use of the Arena free time before the competition started. This is something so new to me, something I've never had to do with Ceaser and often wondered why others have to do it. Like I said though, Ziggy teaches me new things every day and whilst it's a journey of learning for him, it's the very same for me.
He went into the indoor arena at about 17 hands high and when I got on felt very tense and almost ready to explode. The key with him is to sit quietly and reward the good, but simply ignore the bad - which can sometimes be hard to do when you know he's not scared of something but insists on being. So, we set off around the arena, doing lots of transitions and circles, changes of reins and basically everything to try and take his mind off what was going on around him. The cafe door was slamming, there were people running in and out around the arena, but my little superstar didn't bat an eyelid, he just focused on me.
Soon enough he relaxed and we picked up the trot when my instructor arrived. She said I'm still not pushing him forward enough into the contact and told me to try opening my hands and for now to over exaggerate the inside hand opening to try and encourage him to come round a little more, albeit the outline is coming.
After 10 minutes he really started to produce some fantastic work so we decided to stop whilst we were ahead, give him a break and then warm up normally closer to our start time. He's not 100% fit yet and does tire quite easily, so I needed to be careful not to push too much too soon and burn all the energy we did have.
Fiona, a lovely friend of mine that has supported both Ziggy and me from the moment he walked off the lorry ramp also arrived to come and support us. She has always been the one to tell me that I'd be stupid to give up on Ziggy when things get a bit tough and right from the day he arrived told me he was something special. She noticed before I did, so I owe her such a lot for making me see it when I was blinded by blinkers that he "wasn't Ceaser".
Both my mum and step-dad had decided to come and support us too which was lovely. I didn't honestly realise I have so many people behind both mine and Ziggy's journey. It's quite easy to go through all the tough stuff alone and forget that if you asked for help you would realise people are there for you to help support. When Ziggy first arrived Mum told me I wasn't keeping him and I had merely got him out of a situation to find him home, however she soon fell in love with him declaring it "was just his eyes" and now can't wait to see just how far we can go together.
Soon enough it was time to get back on board and warm up outside. It was a very different atmosphere outside to what it had been inside. There were ponies trotting around the car park, people mucking out the stables which runs parallel to the outdoor arena and various other exciting but potentially scary things to catch Ziggy's eye. By this point he was a little more tense and Mum noticed he was looking everywhere and anywhere ensuring he had his eye on what was going on around him all the time. I suppose this was to be expected though with it being his first competition and we were allowing any baby behaviour.
My instructor reiterated to reward the good but ignore the spookiness and simply just push on if he did spook and act like nothing had happened. He warmed up super and finally we were called into the arena to strut our stuff.
The indoor arena was quite busy by now, with people everywhere but surprisingly Ziggy didn't seem phased and entered the arena like he'd been doing this all his life. In places things got a little tense and I had to quickly push him on and just remind him down the rein that it was time to listen and concentrate but in all honesty I couldn't fault him. He was forward, engaged, off my leg and surprisingly taking it all into his stride which I really didn't expect. I honestly thought we would have some spooking but maybe this just proves that I need to trust him more and allow myself to ask more of him and be confident in realising that he can do it rather than thinking he can't or things are too scary for him to deal with.
After a quick break it was time to hop on and do it all again. As I was wandering into the indoor arena my friend Fiona stopped me with a huge smile on her face and said "YOU WON the first class!". I couldn't believe it! I didn't know how much by, but honestly I'd commented there was some lovely horses in the previous class so I didn't expect that and it was well subscribed.
The second test was also lovely and Ziggy felt much more relaxed this time round, however also a little tired and this reflected in the test. I do have to remember he's only young and will use all of his energy up at the beginning finding various bits and bobs to look and react at. Despite this it was a huge learning curve as I always found Ceaser goes much better if I just do one test, so this may be the case with Ziggy too.
Finally it was time to put him away and check out the scores. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw he had won the first class on 68.27%, a clear margin above 2nd place and the rosette for best youngster; I was gobsmacked! We also finished 2nd in his second test on just short of 68% with the comment "beginning to tire" which is a fair and reasonable comment to make I think! The judge came up to me afterwards and asked if he was mine and commented that he's going to have a very bright future ahead of him. I was speechless and emotional, all rolled in to one. I honestly couldn't believe how well he did for his first competition, and to think this time last year we couldn't even get on him. We may not be pushing him to go out and compete as often as other 5 year olds and I might not be pushing him up through the levels quickly, but I'd rather take my time and get it right as I'm positive it'll pay off more in the long run.
We all had a fabulous day and the support team around us was fantastic, however I hate to end this blog on a low, but I do want to say something. There were a couple of people watching both Ziggy and I warm up and then sat next to my Mum and watched our test, without realising it was my Mum and step-dad they were sat next to. Several comments were made and although we ignored all of them as clearly to some it's hard to grasp that I have two such fantastic boys to compete in 2015, but I will say, the comments that were made about Ziggy chomping on his bit......he's a youngster. I know the roller coaster journey we've been on to get Ziggy where he is today and all that shall ever matter to me is that he's happy, healthy, knows he is loved and the rest is a bonus along our journey.
The plan with Ziggy is to now start working towards Prelim and hopefully attend the championships we have qualified for as a result of his 1st place! I asked my instructor if she thought he would cope in a championship situation and she said I should go just to give it a bash and anything else is an added extra. I can't wait to get him back out again - watch this space!
Enjoy your week folks!
P.s: Thank you Fiona for the photos! =)
Soon enough he relaxed and we picked up the trot when my instructor arrived. She said I'm still not pushing him forward enough into the contact and told me to try opening my hands and for now to over exaggerate the inside hand opening to try and encourage him to come round a little more, albeit the outline is coming.
After 10 minutes he really started to produce some fantastic work so we decided to stop whilst we were ahead, give him a break and then warm up normally closer to our start time. He's not 100% fit yet and does tire quite easily, so I needed to be careful not to push too much too soon and burn all the energy we did have.
Fiona, a lovely friend of mine that has supported both Ziggy and me from the moment he walked off the lorry ramp also arrived to come and support us. She has always been the one to tell me that I'd be stupid to give up on Ziggy when things get a bit tough and right from the day he arrived told me he was something special. She noticed before I did, so I owe her such a lot for making me see it when I was blinded by blinkers that he "wasn't Ceaser".Both my mum and step-dad had decided to come and support us too which was lovely. I didn't honestly realise I have so many people behind both mine and Ziggy's journey. It's quite easy to go through all the tough stuff alone and forget that if you asked for help you would realise people are there for you to help support. When Ziggy first arrived Mum told me I wasn't keeping him and I had merely got him out of a situation to find him home, however she soon fell in love with him declaring it "was just his eyes" and now can't wait to see just how far we can go together.
Soon enough it was time to get back on board and warm up outside. It was a very different atmosphere outside to what it had been inside. There were ponies trotting around the car park, people mucking out the stables which runs parallel to the outdoor arena and various other exciting but potentially scary things to catch Ziggy's eye. By this point he was a little more tense and Mum noticed he was looking everywhere and anywhere ensuring he had his eye on what was going on around him all the time. I suppose this was to be expected though with it being his first competition and we were allowing any baby behaviour.
My instructor reiterated to reward the good but ignore the spookiness and simply just push on if he did spook and act like nothing had happened. He warmed up super and finally we were called into the arena to strut our stuff. The indoor arena was quite busy by now, with people everywhere but surprisingly Ziggy didn't seem phased and entered the arena like he'd been doing this all his life. In places things got a little tense and I had to quickly push him on and just remind him down the rein that it was time to listen and concentrate but in all honesty I couldn't fault him. He was forward, engaged, off my leg and surprisingly taking it all into his stride which I really didn't expect. I honestly thought we would have some spooking but maybe this just proves that I need to trust him more and allow myself to ask more of him and be confident in realising that he can do it rather than thinking he can't or things are too scary for him to deal with.
After a quick break it was time to hop on and do it all again. As I was wandering into the indoor arena my friend Fiona stopped me with a huge smile on her face and said "YOU WON the first class!". I couldn't believe it! I didn't know how much by, but honestly I'd commented there was some lovely horses in the previous class so I didn't expect that and it was well subscribed.
The second test was also lovely and Ziggy felt much more relaxed this time round, however also a little tired and this reflected in the test. I do have to remember he's only young and will use all of his energy up at the beginning finding various bits and bobs to look and react at. Despite this it was a huge learning curve as I always found Ceaser goes much better if I just do one test, so this may be the case with Ziggy too.
Finally it was time to put him away and check out the scores. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw he had won the first class on 68.27%, a clear margin above 2nd place and the rosette for best youngster; I was gobsmacked! We also finished 2nd in his second test on just short of 68% with the comment "beginning to tire" which is a fair and reasonable comment to make I think! The judge came up to me afterwards and asked if he was mine and commented that he's going to have a very bright future ahead of him. I was speechless and emotional, all rolled in to one. I honestly couldn't believe how well he did for his first competition, and to think this time last year we couldn't even get on him. We may not be pushing him to go out and compete as often as other 5 year olds and I might not be pushing him up through the levels quickly, but I'd rather take my time and get it right as I'm positive it'll pay off more in the long run.
We all had a fabulous day and the support team around us was fantastic, however I hate to end this blog on a low, but I do want to say something. There were a couple of people watching both Ziggy and I warm up and then sat next to my Mum and watched our test, without realising it was my Mum and step-dad they were sat next to. Several comments were made and although we ignored all of them as clearly to some it's hard to grasp that I have two such fantastic boys to compete in 2015, but I will say, the comments that were made about Ziggy chomping on his bit......he's a youngster. I know the roller coaster journey we've been on to get Ziggy where he is today and all that shall ever matter to me is that he's happy, healthy, knows he is loved and the rest is a bonus along our journey.
The plan with Ziggy is to now start working towards Prelim and hopefully attend the championships we have qualified for as a result of his 1st place! I asked my instructor if she thought he would cope in a championship situation and she said I should go just to give it a bash and anything else is an added extra. I can't wait to get him back out again - watch this space!
Enjoy your week folks!
P.s: Thank you Fiona for the photos! =)
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