When you know the right thing to do...

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say for weeks, if not months I wondered whether the decisions I've made lately have been the right ones. I've pondered whether the choices have been correct, or if I'm about to make the biggest mistake of my life.

A few months ago when life got a little bit tough and stressful I decided I needed to eliminate some of the stress from my everyday life and I made the decision to take some time away from competing Ceaser in his affiliated dressage. There's a reason dressage takes the nickname 'stressage' and I was fed up of score chasing, wondering what I needed to qualify for next and fed up of putting pressure on both myself and Ceaser.

The decision didn't come easy and for days after I'd pulled out of one of the biggest competitions of the year I sat and pondered whether I'd ever get the chance to do that with Ceaser again or if I'd regret this decision for the rest of my life. However the pros of doing so outweighed the cons. I was starting to loose my temper at this horse that had been there throughout everything for me, and for no apparent reason. He'd been the one that was always there for me, cheered me up when I was feeling down in the dumps and he was my life. But, with things a little difficult I was starting to ride, train for a competition and was putting an immense amount of pressure on us both. If things didn't go right I got snappy and I didn't want to be THAT person. I didn't want to be THAT rider.

So one night, I decided it was time to take a step back. I decided to give up the dressage dream for a bit and focused my attention on hacking Ceaser, having some lessons, jumping him, taking him to the beach and having fun. I was enjoying showjumping Ziggy and in doing so my passion for this sport was returning. Not once did I miss what I wasn't doing and not once did I envy seeing my friends photos of them competing in dressage, because I was finding the reason I did all this again... I was having fun.

After not really putting much thought into it all I found myself booking Ceaser into the Tack & Togs BD Championships. Without thinking about it I realised I wanted to do it and for the first time in a while was looking forward to it.

He warmed up beautifully; possibly the best he had in months and months of competing. Maybe because I wasn't there to score chase, but rather to have some enjoyment and have a change of scenery. Warming up I wasn't thinking what I needed to do to get a good score, I was having a laugh with a good friend who had come to watch me and before I knew it we were due to go in.

Novice 38 is a favourite of mine, I feel its one of those tests that just rides well and flows nicely. Ceaser felt fantastic and much better than I'd expected to say he hadn't really done much schooling of late. I was half expecting to feel like I was riding a wooden horse that didn't want to bend around corners, but he didn't.

I didn't want the test to end, I wanted this feeling to last forever and I wanted to soak every second of it in as much as I could. His medium trots were actually existent and to me it felt like I was riding Valegro.

For a long time I'd gotten used to the idea that Ceaser would never hit the elusive 70% at novice affiliated level. I'm constantly being told "needs to be more uphill" but the question is, how do you make a 24-year-old cob cross become uphill? You can't. We try and we make the best of what we've got and for me that's always been and will be enough. Last year when I hit 68% at an area festival in the novice I was over the moon and thought "this is it, this is the highest it will ever be".

Yet today not only marked the moment that I realised all those decisions I'd made, all that time I'd spent wondering if I was doing the right thing with taking some time out from competing Ceaser had been the right choice. It also marked the moment my horse of a lifetime proved that despite the stigma that comes with those unconventional dressage horses, that if you want it and work towards it, good things can happen. My horse with the heart of a lion absolutely smashed his previous personal best score of 68% and hit almost 71% with 70.98%.

Thrilled? Over the moon? Happy? Emotional? Quite honestly, I was all of them...

It just goes to show that usually our instincts are right and in our hearts we know the best thing to do and when a decision is worth making. I'm glad I followed my heart because it looks like the change and rest has done us both the world of good.

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Dressage Championships

Last weekend saw Ceaser and I heading to Boston for the Tack & Togs Championships, which I had qualified for months earlier but completely forgotten about. After the usual, "Do I, Don't I?" scenario when it came to entering I decided to man up and just do it. It's not the championship setting I don't like, it's remembering my tests - and stupid as it may sound, it petrifies me having to remember them. I know, I really should get over it.

The championships was set over two days, so I had a test to ride on the Sunday and then the same test again on the Monday. Depending on our placings we were given marks, from 1st gaining 10 points, down to 10th place gaining 1 point. The person with the highest marks over the two days won the championship.

Sunday went well - Overall I think I was most nervous about Sunday. I was riding Prelim 17 first thing - a test I had never ridden before. Our warm up went well. Again I suffered the "the warm up is too busy" nerves which always seem to hit me when the warm up is swarming, but I just tried to keep everything steady and stay out of peoples way. Lets face it, they were bigger than me!

The judge was one I had never heard of before so was quite looking forward to being judged by someone new, which is what I have wanted for so long now, just to get a different perspective on Ceaser. They were reading scores over the speakers and everything was online within seconds because it was a championship, so it was a little nerve-wracking hearing how well others had done whilst I was trotting around the arena. There was some good scores and I was adamant we wouldn't fair well against them.

Overall the test went nicely. To be critical I rushed it again, but maybe one day i'll get in that arena, slow down and breathe. For now, maybe not.

As we headed back to the lorry to untack Ceaser and wait for Amy who was coming to help me warm up for the Championship class later on I had a quick flick on my phone to see if the scores were up. I honestly could not believe my eyes, we were leading the class with 70.38%! Unfortunately the last rider pipped me to the post with 73%, but I was still over the moon with that - what a score! Once I got my sheet I honestly could have fainted, there, standing out like a sore thumb was three 8's and a NINE!! A 9 on a double pointer….!! Lots of big pats for CP and on to concentrate on my second test.

Before warming up for the next test, Amy and I went down to the arena where she wanted me to focus on imagining where and how I would ride the test. She told me to go in that arena and not be sorry for being there, but to aim for that red rosette and ride like I wanted it. She then also got me to talk through the test, explaining what I would do within each movement, what I needed to ensure he was doing and how I could gain 8's.

When warming up for my second we then focused a lot on doing lots of transitions within the paces, so lots of trot to walk, walk to trot and then collecting and lengthening the trot and canter. It worked quite well and I felt I had him more than the morning so was quite confident.

All too soon it was my name being called and Amy and Mark took their place in the seating area. This was it. Being critical I rushed again, but I was really pleased with myself for remembering the test and having the balls to come out and do it - which 12 months ago I wouldn't have had because of my self confidence. Overall I was pleased with how it went and thought just under 67% was a fair score, which put us into 8th place.

*

Monday saw an even earlier start for us as my first test was at 9am and the next at 9:30! However it worked out that the earlier the start, the more chance I had of the warm up being empty. I tried to remember everything Amy had said and put it into practice. I visualised where I wanted to be, what I wanted to do and what marks I wanted to gain from that movement. Judge who was judging hasn't always given us great marks, so was quite sceptical of what we would get. I just knew I needed to ride it like the day before and we would be fine.

It felt much nicer than the day before as I made a big point of half halting and slowing down when needed, using my corners to my advantage and generally remembering to breathe and enjoy being there. Quick check of my phone once I had dismounted and was thrilled to see another 70.38% on our results - the exact same score as the day before, but this time with higher collectives for my riding! With two great scores like that under our belt we had definitely qualified for regionals - so I had every reason to celebrate.

With barely any time until my next time I took Ceaser back into the warm up which was becoming busy now. Again I focused on transitions in the paces and tried to get him just to lift a little so he was working more from behind. Once again it was my turn all too quickly and Mark took his place in the seating area. I made a big point this time of just slowing down, which really seemed to have an effect. The test felt much slower, more together and generally better. I was really disappointed that Ceaser dropped off my leg a little in the canter transition so just backed off a little - however once he realised what I was asking he switched back on for the rest of the test. I must work on slowing down, but keeping him with me and active.

Unfortunately judge wasn't over impressed and gave us just short of 65%. Very harsh marker I thought - and not just on my behalf but also other tests I watched seemed to get harsh marks. We were all roughly in the same region and I was left in 10th place after this.

Overall was thrilled with Ceaser - took him home and put him in the field. Couldn't believe it when I phoned Sheepgate to see where we had been placed and they said 10th and we needed to come back for prize-giving! Was absolutely chuffed to bits. With roughly 25 entrants in the class I didn't expect a placing, but 1st-10th were asked to attend, so we rushed back.

Couldn't have asked for anything more from Ceaser and it was a learning curve for both of us. Our success of late is making me strive for me and I don't want to stop yet. This weekend we're at the BD Senior camp where I'm hoping we'll pick up lots of handy tips and then it's time to give the debut of our Dressage to Music floor plan - but more on that another time.

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BD Elementary debut - a good weekend!

After a small confidence knock in the previous weeks test I needed something to lift me back to cloud nine and what better way than to go out and attempt our first affiliated Elementary test.

I knew I would't get much time to ride during the week because of a hectic week with work and then I was filming and interviewing Saturday in Leicester so it was a big risk booking in for our first Elementary. My logic behind the madness was compared to the previous week I wouldn't get the opportunity to ride and over think things, so maybe little practice was what I needed.

I have no idea if it was the weather or the different venue, but Ceaser warmed up 1000 times better. He was much more relaxed, willing and forward. Every movement I asked for I got. I started by warming up on a long rein, then slowly increasing the pressure and asking for some shoulder in and traver on both reins. To get him stepping through and working from behind I applied what Tracey had said the previous week. So, I slowed down, almost "grabbed" his hind leg with my outside right leg, lifted my hands and asked him to come up a little more to get that more uphill feeling and appearance. When I felt I had got it I started to work on the counter canter which Amy feels really helps to give him that "lift". I love the feeling I get from his medium trot once we've done some counter canter - it's like something clicks and everything feels amazing once I have 'got it'.

My times were only roughly 25 minutes apart which I think suites Ceaser better than a large break where I have time to untack. Novice 34 was up first and we finished on 65%. The medium trot didn't feel good enough and our scores reflected this. I can't remember the precise movement which came up before the medium, but instead of using the corner properly and preparing for it I rushed. Complete rider error and had I set him up better we probably would have got something more worthy. However overall I was pleased with the result and I know we still have more work to do on getting him uphill but we're getting there. We had some lovely comments as we were leaving the arena from spectators which was nice and really positive.

Next up was Elementary 42; a test we have ridden a few times at unaffiliated, but never at affiliated. I felt it was a nice way to break us into the affiliated Elementary's with something I was familiar with. The mediums felt better this time, although I don't feel he is strong enough to change the rein in medium trot yet. From my point of view he's right there with showing some medium trot strides, but we tend to lose balance at the end if I'm not careful so this test was very testing of whether I could keep him between my hand and legs to stop him from running. Our medium canters were spot on and I felt the lift on both reins from working to medium canter. The powerful feeling he gives when he really starts to use his backend properly is amazing - I'll never grow tired of it. I feel we were judged fairly and went on to score a respectable 63%. I was over the moon as it was an achievement to go out and do an affiliated Elementary test for me. A mere 12 months ago we were only thinking of doing affiliated prelims, now I feel there's no stopping us. Really, really pleased with him as if my calculations are right we have roughly 20 something BD points now and must be almost (if not already) qualified for regionals. To say we had 0 BD points in January, I don't think we have done too badly!

This week has been spent jumping as I have promised to take one of the liveries to a cross country event. I think Ceaser has secretly enjoyed a change as he has been flying over the jumps and enjoying an excuse to lift all four feet of the ground!

Our next BD event is in a couple of weeks time and until then we have a number of lessons and clinics booked in. I am thrilled to say my place on the senior camp in May has been confirmed too! One of the instructors for the weekend is my riding instructor from University who has heard so much about Ceaser but never met him - so I cannot wait to see what she has to say about him! I've told him he has to be on his best behaviour!

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Neigh Nomination #

A couple of weeks ago a simple hashtag took over the Equestrian world. That hashtag is Neigh Nomination. A chance for all Facebook users who are involved within the equestrian world one way or another to post about their horse(s) of a lifetime. But why keep it to Facebook? I thought I would share mine on here!

Sara: The pony that I grew up with, shared all my childhood secrets with and the pony that allowed me to create memories with my Granddad I will never forget. The Pony who taught me to sit to a buck because she simply loved to use two feet instead of four! Sara taught me if you don't have enough leg on before a fence don't expect the pony to go over. I have two broken arm x-rays in my hospital records to prove that. She gave me my first experience of a hospital stay after breaking my arm so badly I had to have it pulled straight. She taught me to ride for my life and if I did she'd be right there with me. The pony that was given to me as a present and showed me to way into the competition circuit. We won every Handy Pony class we entered, we won almost every Workers class we entered and she took me right up to County Level.

 The pony that frustrated me many of times as a child because she wasn't the cuddly type - in fact she was a moody mare that liked to do her own thing. The only pony I have ever jumped 3ft 6 on - and probably the only equine I will ever do it on because she I trust her with my life. The pony that gave me my love for Gymkhana games - she would get so wound up at the starting line she'd start behind everyone else because she was too busy bucking, but she soon caught up and we went on to win various trophies in games classes. The pony that threw me off a total of 5 times at my first ever show, but soon gave me confidence to believe she could jump the moon. The pony that took me to my first hunt - and bucked her way around - the Pony that would stop in the middle of EVERY dressage test to go to the toilet. The pony that took me to my first Cross-Country event. Sara is the pony that taught me if you sit on your bum and ride forward there is no stopping you but most importantly she has always been my best friend through school.

 Ceaser: The pony that came to me a spindly, gangly 3-year-old having been rescued with a whole bunch of other horses. The pony that would barge, drag and stand on my tiny toes more times than anyone could count. The pony that was described by vets at age 10 as having "serious behavioural issues" and the Pony that would simply stand on his two hind legs, with his front legs over the stable door just so he could see out. The Pony that when I got my confidence back enough to ride him showed me deep down and underneath all the hair there was something special. The pony that taught me to sit an even bigger buck, this time with a rear thrown in after it and showed me all over again, if you don't have enough leg into a fence you simply aren't going over it and that's a fact! The Pony that soon taught me patience is virtue and if you have enough time to preserver then it all becomes worth it. The Pony that gave me my first success in a dressage test. The Pony that has the heart of a lion and proves that no two days of owning a pony are the same.

Ceaser is the once-in-a-lifetime Pony that has taken me right from unaffiliated prelim level Dressage to affiliated Elementary - and we aren't stopping there. The Pony that when he jumps it feels like you're capable of flying and that moment could last forever. The Pony that loves to have a camera in his face, just so he can do the whole 'nod his head, blink his eyes and prick his ears forward' so the photographer catches him. The Pony that gave me my first ever experience of galloping under a spotlight after coming 3rd in a huge Veteran championship class. The Pony that tries his hardest every time we enter that arena at A, and then tries some more. Ceaser gave me my first ever ride at an Area Festival but is also the Pony that taught me to sit deep, ride forward and react quick if he bucks, rears or decides something is spooky. Without a doubt I owe it to him for my sticky bum and quick reflexes when it comes to riding naughty little ponies. He never fails to please and is simply the Pony that every kid needs.

Dougie: The Pony that gave me my first ever experience of riding a Dressage Pony. The Pony that taught me what it's like to ride something that worked in a natural outline and had the heart of gold. The Pony that was purchased to build my confidence up after some horrible falls and the one that got me back jumping and enjoying it. The Pony that got me told off for over-taking the hunt master at a local hunt - despite having no choice! The Pony that gave kisses upon command and loved his owner to the moon and back. The Pony that taught me to see a stride, but also the Pony that hated sharing his food so put me in hospital with a rather large hoof print on my head! The Pony that knew if you were a confident rider or not and depending which one his attitude and mood would change. The Pony that was difficult for everyone else but easy for me.

Dougie was the Pony that taught me no matter how hard and long you held onto the lead rope for, he'd still always run off and he didn't mind if you were skiing behind him. Dougie was the Pony that we fought so hard to save but sadly broke my heart when I had to have him put to sleep in March 2013. The first Pony I had to make the awful decision with and the first Pony to make me be aware of what responsibilities come with being an adult. The Pony that I owe all my confidence to - the Pony that should still be here.



Do your #NeighNomination now :)

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When the going gets tough..

Phew - what a weekend it has been. My muscles are still screaming out at me that it was a tough weekend so I doubt I am about to forget it any time soon.

For those who are avid readers of my blog will already know I try to go for a lesson with Tracey Woodhead over in Grimsby at least once a month. It's great to get feedback from both her and Amy about Ceaser and I and get an insight into different tips on how to get the very best from him. Quite honestly they both usually say the same, which is always a good thing!

Before - warming up

Mark was booked in to work Saturday early evening at a gig it meant we could go for a lesson with Tracey, but it had to be early. So, this resulted in our alarms set for 7am on Saturday and us both reluctant to move from our warm, comfy bed. But, no pain, no gain and I intend to have a blooming good year. By 8:30 we were on the road and on our way.

Tracey was running slightly behind schedule so she told us to go for a walk around the park and have a think about what I wanted to go through. I already knew what I wanted to work on and was really looking forward to telling her about our recent scores at Novice which she had encouraged me to go out and do.

As usual she told me to do a quick, simple warm up and then tell her what aims I had for the lesson. I explained I wanted to get the understanding and feeling of Ceaser working more uphill. Whilst I know what I'm looking for I am so used to him not working like that for all these years, that I wanted to know just when he was right and what it felt like. I also explained that Amy wanted me to go and do an Elementary soon, so I wanted to prepare for this.

Tracey said she had noticed Ceaser has a tendency to not use his right hind like he does his left and we needed to correct this. She also said I was slouching a little and my left arm (we call it my spazzy hand at home!) sticks out - something I hadn't noticed until now! She also thinks with his right hind and my left arm it's causing him to nod a little which is losing us marks occasionally. She said once he works correctly, I sit evenly and his right is working correctly and underneath him he stops nodding.

After - the difference is amazing!

So, we focused a lot on getting me to sit up, shorten my reins - which Tracey thinks is something I need to do - and slow the trot down. She said it's almost like waiting for his hind leg to catch up, catching it, then taking a hold and then asking him to work more uphill. She also said I have to stop carrying him round and let him carry himself correctly, so we focused a lot on getting him where I wanted him and then letting go of the contact a little and letting him do the work. She said I need to keep my left hand next to his neck, with both hands raised more than usual and be very wary that my left elbow doesn't stick out. She also said if I sit up more it will help him work correctly.  Additionally I need to keep my right leg on to encourage his right hind to come underneath him more, which once I had got myself sorted it did. The difference was amazing and I can see what she means when I look at the photos Mark first took and then the photos he took towards the end. I will try to post a before and after shot.

Like Amy, Tracey feels lots of counter canter will help him and once I have done this the medium trot feels much more powerful. Once Tracey had got us just where she wanted us she asked me to try lengthening and shortening his strides so asking for the medium, then back to collected. I couldn't believe the medium trot after this and the power I felt I had underneath me. I didn't realise some simple exercised like Tracey had been getting us to do could benefit his medium so much! What a difference!

All too soon the session was over again and Tracey commented on how well he looks and encouraged me to follow Amy's advice of doing an Elementary as there is no reason he couldn't be scoring 8's looking at the work he had done today. Although, more importantly she said "Do you know what Sian, he really loves his job". Which to me, is a comment worth a thousand "He could score 8's."

*


Sunday saw Mark and I moaning again as our alarms went off at 7am. This time it was to go competing and probably wasn't the best idea after two lessons the day before. My whole body screamed in pain as I got out of bed!

I was booked in to do Prelim 19 and Novice 38, two long arena tests. Ideally I needed to get a good Prelim score as so far to date my Novices have been by far better than my Prelims - how that works I don't know, but I'm not complaining!

Sadly, I didn't feel quite up to it and I think this really reflected in my riding. I was tired, achey, felt run down and which ever leg I moved screamed at me that it hurt and Ceaser didn't quite feel as supple as he did the day before - so I am sure he ached too! However, he did an obedient Prelim 19 test and it was accurate, not rushed, steady and although he was slow off my leg at one canter transition he was great. Sadly the judge didn't think so and gave him a rather harsh 65% which just didn't figure as it rode much nicer than that.

With a long break until our next test, Novice 38 I decided to take some tablets, have some food and try to liven myself up a little. I toyed with going home as it felt like both of us were just not up to it, but I am not one for giving up, so I carried on. Wanting to give us a fairer chance for this test I popped the massage pad on full for 30 minutes and then got on an hour before our time and allowed him to do 20 minutes walking on a long rein to loosen up. This seemed to help and he felt much better than he had in the morning. However everything I had gone through in my lesson on him the day before and the lesson I had on Amy's horse in the afternoon was just going round and around in my head and I was over thinking things far too much.

Our time came for Novice and I was determined to ride a nice test. His counter canter was spot on and his mediums felt fantastic - much better than what they did a mere 6 months ago. Everything was accurate and spot on from what I could tell. I did make a slight silly rider error and circled near E rather than at V so I did a rather large 15 metre circle. However (and this leaves a lot to consider about what the judges thought to us yesterday) oddly enough on my test it said "Circle too small". I have no idea where she was looking but it was too big and not in the right place, but still…. I say no more!

Anyway, we were given a fair 67% for this and although it wasn't the 68% we gained in our last Novice test I thought it was fair. I think potentially where I wouldn't class the day as a bad day, I just don't think my heart was in it as much as it should have been as I just didn't feel all too well. The venue kindly gave me my test sheet back and I said I would check for my placings later on in the evening. I took Ceaser home, gave him a brush down, put him to bed, fed etc and then was in bed myself by 4pm and woke up at 7 ready for dinner feeling slightly better. I think I just needed some sleep and probably exhausted myself the day before.

So, the plan now is to go out again this weekend and try to not over think things before I get on. I am working Saturday so I will not have the chance to ride the day before, which probably isn't a bad thing. I just now can't decide whether to do a Novice and an Elementary or two Novices. Maybe because my Novice scores are better than Prelims, I should try that Elementary after all…. I will let you know!

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Last two affiliated events of the season

I had it firmly set in my mind that I wanted to get my first affiliated Novice test in before this year was officially "over" so I set about entering one at two different venues, but the same test - just so I could look at my progress over the course of the two weeks.

Firstly we went to Sheepgates 3-day show at the end of November. I had decided to use a Prelim to warm up and then do a Novice to finish us off for the day. Unfortunately though the times got published and we realised I had a huge almost 3 hour gap between my tests which wouldn't bode well for Ceaser.

He warmed up tremendously for the Prelim 19 test and felt right on form and exactly where I wanted him to be. Warming up with big, powerful warmbloods is always off-putting and as always I let it distract me, but nevertheless he felt amazing and I was ready before my allocated time to go in and do my test. We had pulled the short straw and I found out our test was going to be in the dreaded arena 3, but where I would usually let it bother me I tried to turn it into a positive and thought it would give us more experience of riding in the usually spooky arena.

The test felt foot perfect and although I seemed to have a brain freeze where I couldn't remember how to do a 15 meter circle at S, I think it went okay. On reflection my circle wasn't too bad and I was given a 6 which was appropriate for how it felt. Ceaser felt fantastic which to be honest has been how he has felt quite a lot lately. Whether it's the additional schooling I am investing in, his superb supplements from NAF or the feed he is on, I don't know, but I like to think they are all playing an important factor.

Unfortunately there was a 3 hour gap between the prelim and our novice test. I would have ideally liked the opportunity to go almost straight into the novice as that was what I was using the prelim as; a warm up.

We were given 67.05% for our prelim test which stood us in good steed of gaining points for the summer championships. That put us into a respectable 2nd place which I was thrilled with as it was one of our better scores in the last few months.

After what seemed like eternity due to the very cold weather it was finally time to start tacking up and plan the warm up for the novice test. I don't know what changed but the happy relaxed partnership that we had in the morning seemed to have evaporated and I was tense, which led Ceaser to be tense and we did one of our worst warm up sessions to date. As soon as I walked in I was told by one rider not to go near her horse as he disliked others coming towards him! Right...ok. Add that to a mix of rather huge warmbloods and then a small Ceaser trying to all warm up together, it turned into an absolute disaster. After spending plenty of our warm up time on two legs I was rather thankful to say the least when they called my name to go and do my novice test.

I think my negative attitude from the moment I got on was reflected throughout the whole test and everything Amy and I had worked on in the last few weeks just went out the side door. I rushed, I pushed him forward too much and I completely lost all sense of direction - no, really. I was supposed to canter straight off a diagonal, but instead I carried on trotting until I realise sugar I should be cantering and as I pushed on to canter the judge beeped her horn. Thankfully she realised I had just remembered what I should be doing and allowed me to continue. Silly rider error! Once that happened I got myself together and bucked up and I rode a not bad test afterwards.

I was adamant I had just mucked up our first affiliated novice up and I spent the next half an hour ranting to everyone that would listen that I would now have a shocking score on my record for the rest of my life. I text Amy to say I had just rode the most shocking test and what the hell was I doing. Oh I do like to dramatise. Anyway, thankfully the judge was nice and gave us 66.45%, to which Amy replied with a "Stop moaning, that's a bloody good score". Okay, I deserved that. So, our first 4 BD points and we had gained them in one sitting - I was on cloud 9 and also on the naughty step for having a brat moment that I "couldn't do it".

**

Next up was Elms farm the following weekend and what a blooming drama that was! First of all we arrived to find silly Ceaser had gotten his leg stuck in the lorry partition. How, I will never know, because he isn't a bad traveller so god only knows what he had done! Anyway, after further inspection we realised he was fine, not lame and it was a tiny graze that had caused some bleeding. Phew. Definitely needed a corner to rock in after that though.

I had a really long wait until my tests as my yard manager had come along to take part in the unaffiliated dressage which was being ran in the morning. I wasn't on until 2pm and we had gotten there at 10! Thankfully Mc Donalds isn't far away and Mark fetched me one to gear me up before it was my time to start tacking up. It also gave me plenty of time to fuss over Ceaser that he'd potentially nearly tried to break his flipping leg! There is never a dull moment when you own a Ceaser Pony, I promise you!

When it was time to hop on and start warming up I was thrilled with how he felt. He warmed up just perfect. Everything felt smooth and not rushed. Transitions were bang on perfect and I had a good feeling. When it was our turn to go in I told myself to remain calm and I think I can hands down say the test we produced was our best ever. Everything just felt spot on and despite the wind howling around us at nearly 80MPH Ceaser wasn't phased and took everything in his stride. We went on to win the class with 67.50% which is fantastic and another 4/5 points to add towards our summer qualification in Prelim.

Thankfully there wasn't long to wait until the novice and with just 30 minutes to go I kept Ceaser ticking by adding some lateral work into our warm up to get him really thinking and working uphill. He felt on fire and really powerful behind, which is a feeling I admit is a new one from him! His medium trots are really coming along and instead of just pulling himself along I can really feel his hind end working.

With reflection of the week before I just wanted to go into this novice and enjoy it - which is another reason I had booked in to do the same test. As it was another summer qualifier I went in with the idea that any BD points would just add towards our regional qualification but I wanted to come out with a smile on my face. It was really windy and I struggled to hear anything Mark said but it was a much better test. Everything went smoothly and thankfully there were no rider errors! My circles resembled circles this time and I made sure there was nothing but coolness, calmness and collection (apart from in the mediums of course!). I only nearly made one tiny error where I forgot to circle but thankfully I managed to pull it off and circled just in time. Phew! Before I knew it, the test was over and I was trotting down the centreline.

I had not been judged by this particular judge before so was keen to see what she scored us like. A respectable 2nd place and 66.50% put us .5% ahead of the week before and some much more positive comments. Maybe a little on the harsh side of judging, but a fair and accurately marked test. So, another 4 British Dressage points to add to our record and of course to our summer regional qualification!

I cannot believe how well Ceaser has done in the last two competitions of the season and I am thrilled to have ended it on a such a high like that. He is a remarkable pony that I am so lucky to own and compete. I cannot wait to see what 2014 brings and am sure what we are experiencing now is only a taste for the future.

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Dare I might say we could be getting there...

Before I started having lessons again I was struggling to cope with Ceaser's ever-changing moods. One day he would work perfectly, the next I would struggle to get him focused and instead he would be looking at what was going on around us rather than concentrating on work. I've mentioned before he has always been like this and as a 10-year-old was branded simply a "naughty pony" when we got him checked over by the vet to ensure nothing was causing his behaviour. Not many can say they have a big fat "naughty pony" written in red on their vet's records.

Right from day 1 of owning him we had good days and bad days. Some days he would be an absolute darling for me, others it seemed he had devil horns rather than ears. I went through instructors like they were going out of fashion, none of them seemed to listen to me that he wasn't "naughty", he just needed to do something that kept his brain ticking all the time. Every time I tried a new instructor we ended up doing the same thing of trotting around the arena, doing the occasional circle and then going large. I knew it wasn't enough to keep his mind busy. If I incoporated changes of reins, some leg yield, lots of halts and transitions then he behaved. It's almost as if he didn't have time to even think about being naughty because he was too 'busy'. If I schooled at home he could be a nightmare, if I went out and did a competition he was perfect. Why? Because he had to be focused. Before moving to Lincolnshire an old riding instructor told me he was a horse trapped in a ponies body and when riding him I should be more sensitive towards him, like many would be when riding a big fizzy 16.2h rather than a 14.1h pony - okay so that made sense.

Last winter

After a particularly bad winter last year of struggling to keep four feet on the ground I was beginning to feel my confidence taking a knock. I tried bit changes, various nosebands, lowering feed, everything. My saddle fitter suggested I look at changing my dressage saddle as she felt that could be causing a problem but it wasn't definite. I also contacted my feed company and we decided to lower Ceaser's feed and then a livery offered me a trial of her Neue Schule bit. I needed something to work as I wanted to be well prepared for this winter where he wouldn't get out too much due to the weather.

So, when someone suggested I try Amy I was looking forward to finally seeing if there was someone local that could help and give me weekly tasks to keep him focused. When Amy first met him he did an impressive show of bucking and spooking a few times, but as soon as we got working he stopped. She told me she didn't think he was naughty, but I always needed to be one step ahead of him and keep his mind on work rather than what is going on the other side of the arena fence. If he spooked or tried to buck she told me to simply do nothing but kick on and keep him going forward. For the first time in quite a long time my lesson was filled with lots of different things to focus and work on. Maybe mentally I was kept occupied as well, so it took my mind off the attitude that "was he going to behave or not?".

Amy commented that he appeared stiffer on one rein quite a lot compared to the other which could be why he bucked so much, so recommended I get him checked out by a physio. She said there was lots to like about him but we just needed to keep him busy rather than allow him to get bored.

Slowly, but surely after a few lessons I began to notice improvements. If Ceaser tried to misbehave I kicked on and changed what we were doing so he didn't have time to think. Before long the bucking almost stopped and for the first time in 6 months I was able to use the whole of the arena without having to worry that he would get to the top end and bolt back down because he had noticed something out the corner of his eye.

I like that at the beginning of a lesson we give ourselves objectives and if I tell Amy there is something I want to get right she addresses this. I have noticed a small improvement in our dressage scores and up to now they are a lot more consistent than last year.

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This week was the first lesson I had since going to the BD clinic. I spent a few minutes telling Amy what we had gone through and once again we looked at my aims for the spring time and what level I want to qualify at and what for.

A much happier pony!

When warming up she said she couldn't believe the change in our work and as an overall picture we looked much more in tune and like we were working together. Additionally she said the trot seemed a lot better and he looked to be relaxing into the contact much better rather than being a little reluctant or stiff. He now works almost evenly on both reins and barely struggles on one rein more than the other.

We worked on the counter canter a little more ready for my first BD novice test next week and although we
had a buck initially due to dad working on some fencing in the next field, he was fabulous. Amy feels the counter canter really helps lift our correct canter lead and makes it more bouncy.

Next we worked on some traver and shoulder in, flipping between the two. Initially we struggled to get either correct and I got a little annoyed that last week we had got it first time. Amy suggested using my arena mirrors to help and working towards them to do the lateral work rather up the long side. Funnily enough upon doing this we did shoulder in and traver first time, so she then said try using the quarter line to do the lateral work as he may pin himself against the arena fence and struggle to bend correctly. Again, this worked perfect and he did some lovely work. It's funny how a simple change of where you ask for something can make all the difference. Of course we will go back to doing this on the track, but for now if it all feels easier on the quarter line then that is not a problem. We worked on some of the movements that may come up in my Novice test next week and before long it was time to finish again.

Looking back at the videos Mark took I can see a huge difference in our way of going if we compare back to June time. Mark also agrees every thing seems to look more fluent and 100 times better. This week I will be hacking him twice and then schooling Friday and Saturday before our two tests on Sunday. Can we get our first BD point? I'll let you know!

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BD Northern Region Tracey Woodhead Clinic

Last Saturday we made the 50 minute journey to Grimsby to attend a riding lesson hosted by the BD Northern Region and given by Tracey Woodhead.

Tracey has ridden up to international level as well as trained her daughters through ponies, juniors and young riders in dressage and eventing.

The week leading up to the lesson with Tracey I had two really disappointing rides on Ceaser that made me think again about what I am doing and where I am trying to aim him for. With the pressure of trying to get it right in front of all the riding school kids at the yard I feel I probably put too much pressure on him and quite rightly he just said "stuff you mum!" and decided to do the opposite of everything I asked. Right from the beginning of owning Ceaser we have found that he has a strong mind; if he doesn't want to do something he won't and if you tell him to do something he'll do the opposite. I have always found it's best to ask him nicely, if he doesn't respond you ask again, this time a little firmer. If I fight, he fights harder. If I then fight harder, he fights even more and it's not a case of keeping going until I win, it's best to always say "ok, look just chill out" and try again after a few minutes. It may sound like I am giving in and many have often told me to just give him a slap, jab in the mouth and make him get on with it. Yeah, I'd like to see them try, and plus, I don't work that way. I want us to understand one another and I want him to work nicely for me because he wants to, not because he's forced to.

In the two times I rode last week he was a nightmare. Spooking, bucking, bolting and basically doing everything opposite. Dad started a strimmer up in the neighbouring field which usually doesn't faze him, but this time it cued an almighty buck, rear and then him taking off with me bucking his way down the menage. How I stayed on I don't know, but I suppose I'm used to it. Only a few days before I'd had a lesson with Amy and she had commented on how behaved he was despite Dad hammering away at a door opposite the menage, so I don't know what had gotten in to him but I did have an idea.

That Sunday I didn't have time to ride because I was clipping all the riding school ponies, so I allowed one of the kids at the yard to have her lesson him - I knew he would behave. She was over the moon and part of me broke into two watching him behave and work foot perfect for her. But, as always, it was because she wasn't putting the pressure on him to get things perfect and correct. So, I knew what I needed to do and instead of schooling for the rest of the week I scrapped the idea of riding in the arena and took him hacking every day before work, allowing him to have a long rein with barely any contact and go in a nice forward trot. He seemed to love the freedom and was brilliantly behaved. I think he knows me far too well and keeps a check on me at times. It's like he is telling me he's bored and ready for a change and then almost rewarding me for giving him a change.

So, having done no schooling for 7 days we went to meet Tracey. Firstly she asked me what my aims and goals were over the coming year and what we had achieved this year. I told her I wanted to be picked for the teams in 2014 and hopefully move up to Elementary affiliated. She then asked me to move off and show her a quick warm up, showing walk, trot and canter on both reins. Tracey said my warm up was brilliant and needed barely any alterations. She liked how I added lots of transitions, circles and changes of rein into it and this is something she likes to see. She also said because of his age it would benefit him to get everything loosened up.

Next up she said I just needed to get his hind legs underneath him a little more to help give him that uphill look which we struggle with. To do this she had us trotting around the arena and then doing travers all the way up the long side. In the beginning he was reluctant to give but when he did it felt amazing. Tracey noticed I seemed to push and push him too much, instead of sitting back, enjoying the ride and allowing him to get on with it. She said in pushing him constantly I'm never going to get that uphill look and it causes him to nod. So, she made me focus a lot on slowing down and then asking for travers up the long sides. It sounds cliche but I could really feel the difference and could for once feel his hind legs underneath me. Once we got it she asked me to lift my hands slightly and give him his head. When she told me I had it and he looked 100 times better I couldn't believe it, but the pictures really do show the difference!

We then tried this in canter and added 20 metre circles in to get him thinking a little more. After a quick breather we then knocked it up a notch and did simple exercises like trotting up the long side in travers, circling a half 10 metres to the centreline and then half passing back to the track. The first was a shambles and I completely lost my bearings, but on the second attempt I got myself together and Tracey said we had it! Fantastic! We did this on both reins ensuring to change the flexions and work him evenly on both reins. Tracey said she wanted us to stay in travers throughout the whole circle, keeping the neck bent and then simply move off to half pass without difficulty.

There is honestly no better feeling that getting something like this right and each time I still feel the wave of emotion hit me that this pony is the one that we were told would never amount to anything...the one that was rescued as a scrawny 2 year old.

After we had finished we spent 5 minutes reflecting on how I felt the lesson had gone and whether I had any questions. Obviously my first question was "will we get to where I want us to?". Tracey said she had no doubt that he could make the teams and go against the big warmbloods. She said I needed to seriously consider moving him up to Novice and Elementary now and not waiting as he is more than capable. She also said if she was judging him she felt he would get consistent marks throughout all his tests as he is a very consistent mover. She felt his movements were worthy of 7's and so long as I kept him steady to keep him uphill and those hind legs underneath him she couldn't see why I shouldn't be aiming for 70% at Novice level and even Elementary. She also felt I should try to get to more venues if I could to experience a variety of judges.

I was thrilled to bits with Tracey's feedback and now feel more determined than ever to go and aim for those BD teams next year! I have another lesson with her in a couple of weeks so I am looking forward to what she gets us doing next!

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