Ziggy makes his entrance to the big wide world of Dressage..

You all know who Ziggy is by now. The little 14.2, 3 year old, nervous, difficult, unrideable pony. No! He's the 15h, 4-year-old, confident, little superstar which has been in my life a year now!

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! =)

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Ceaser goes to the BD Senior Camp in August and stays on for Regionals Part 1

I know I say this every time but I really don't make things easy for myself and one day I will live and learn!

The Wednesday before camp saw Mark and I returning from our holiday in Malta where we had a fantastic time, however getting back a mere two days before we were supposed to be travelling to Yorkshire for camp was cutting it a bit fine.

Once back it was all systems go to get things ready and organised to enable us to leave for camp on time. Surprisingly enough everything went to plan and we arrived at camp with plenty of time.

Upon arrival Mark and I went into typical organise mode. Mark set up the tent whilst I bedded Ceaser down for the night. Before long we were done and sitting down to have dinner - which for me was a Pot Noodle as I'm fussy….but I won't say anymore on that!

**

Saturday morning started with a Neue Schule talk which I was quite interested in listening to. I have Ceaser in a Hanging cheek Team Up bit which I have always found to be okay but I still have the feeling I cannot pick him up and collect him like I can in the pelham or double bridle.

The talk was really insightful and gave a good introduction and explanation into the science of Neue Schule and why they really are such fantastic products on the market. Company founder, Heather Hyde was on hand to answer any questions and give us some feedback about the current bit we were using and her recommendations. If we wanted her to have a closer look at our horse then we were given the chance to book afternoon one-to-one appointments with her, which I took full advantage of! But more on that later.

Before long it was time to tack up and head to my first lesson of the weekend with Jo Swain, a regular BYRDS trainer.

To start with Jo watched me doing simple movements through walk, trot and canter to enable her to assess what our strengths and weaknesses were. Within seconds she noticed my weak left hand which has a tendency to stray and go flat. Instantly she said I wouldn't be able to get the uphill feeling I desired so much if I allowed my hand to stay flat as it was blocking Ceaser's left rein and causing him to lean on me.

Jo also noticed Ceaser wasn't as sharp as he could be, so we spent a lot of time working on getting him sharper throughout all the transitions. She asked what marks I usually got for my trot to walk transitions and we discussed how I could go from a 6/7 to an 8 or 9 and made it my goal for the test riding that afternoon.

Jo also felt I ride Ceaser far too long and need to pick up my reins to help pick him up. So we spent a lot of time working on getting that connection through the reins and keeping him connected through my hand and leg - which in turn just instantly gave us a lovely uphill look. Which made it seem easy!

I came away from the lesson having felt like I had not only learnt a great deal in just 45 minutes but I also had lots of homework. The improvement I felt from beginning to end was huge and looking back at the videos the difference is noticeable in Ceaser's way of going. Jo explained everything in an easy to understand way and not once made me feel like I couldn't do it. She was very complementary of Ceaser and said he could go further if we just tweaked and fine tuned some areas, which of course made me a very happy Sian!

*

After lunch it was time for my test riding. Initially I had chosen to ride an Elementary test but after a few discussions with my instructor we decided it would be better to ride the test I would be riding at the regionals just two days after camp, so I rode Prelim 17. I was really pleased with how my test went but a little mad at myself for some rider errors, like a last minute wobble on the centre line. However for what I think is the first time we got an 8 for our downward transition. Result! We finished on 68% and were 4th overall through all the campers tests from the whole day. I was very pleased and really felt that Jo's help and advice in the morning had helped.

Once back from our test riding it was time to have a one-to-one meeting with a saddle fitter from Sue Carson saddles. I knew exactly what she was going to say and unfortunately she said it. Ceaser's saddle isn't right for him. Ideally he needs a 16.5" medium/wide, not a 17" medium/wide. So, there and then I started my Christmas wish list from Mark. A specially fitted Sue Carson saddle. Much to Mark's amusement!

Next was the Neue Schule bitting advice. Heather was fantastic and gave me some really great feedback about Ceaser's mouth and how its built, however she felt he was also in the wrong bit. Poor Mark was contemplating doing a runner at this point as my Christmas list was growing by the second. Anyway she felt that he would better off in a Verbindend hanging cheek or loose ring snaffle.

By Saturday evening I was ready to be in bed by 6pm but Sarah the RDO had organised a Dressage to Music demonstration which was open to all members. My instructor travelled over which was nice and the demonstration was fantastic. The evening finished off with a demo from Lottie Fry - which was just outstanding!

*

Sunday morning I was determined to go into my lesson feeling positive after the success of the previous day but ready to further what we had achieved and learnt.

Jo was over the moon with our score in the test riding and it gave me such a confidence boost to have some positive feedback about everything. If you're an avid follower of this blog then you will know I suffer with my self belief and I often feel I don't deserve to be in the warm up ring etc.

After we had got the walk and trot the previous day Jo said she wanted to spend some time focussing on just lifting Ceaser's canter a little more and gave me some exercises to do in the walk and trot which would get him moving off my leg a little more and feeling that bit lighter. By the time it came to canter we instantly got what we wanted and I really was in complete awe of how Jo had managed to get us to do it so quickly. Once we had then established the canter she told me to imagine riding Ceaser's knees that bit higher, so I wanted to gain the feeling that I could see his knees coming up further off the floor, whilst still looking ahead. She also said although my position is absolutely fine, I do have a tendency to look down and collapse - which I need to stop doing if we want to maintain the uphill feeling we need.

So, we spent some time doing lots of transitions from trot to canter to trot and when in the canter instead of squeezing with both legs, taking it turns and doing left leg, then right, then left, then right and so on, so Ceaser could differentiate his legs to get them to come up that bit more in order to create that uphill look we wanted.

I honestly could have squealed and cried all in one. The videos Mark captured to me look like a complete different partnership and I honestly could not believe the difference in Ceaser's way of going. It sounds all so cliche but when you try for so long to get something and one person comes along and changes something so small and then you get it - it really is just fantastic!

Jo was brilliant and gave me lots of homework to go with, but most of all the confidence to continue to the regionals and go and ride a good test. She even said to find her on Facebook and let her know how we had done which I thought was so lovely of her.

Once my lesson was over it was time for Ceaser to go on the dreaded weighbridge as Spillers were there weighing ponies and condition scoring them. Over dinner the previous night we had all joked that Ceaser should become Marks pony for the weigh in and I could hide so I didn't have to admit to how many treats he gets and just how fat he is!

Thankfully, as if Ceaser was sticking two hooves up to all who said he was fat and carrying too much weight, he only weighed in at just under 400kg - the correct weight for a pony of his breeding and size! No diet for CP then - just Mark…..
In all seriousness, the lady said he was carrying a few extra fatty pockets but it was to be expected if I had just been on holiday for a week and he had spent the majority of the week in his field. The joke of it all really was that Ceaser seemed a little reluctant to go on the weigh bridge until the lovely lady pulled out a treat and on jumped Ceaser Pony. That boy really will do anything for food! She also gave me some great advice on what supplements I could feed to give Ceaser more energy if I wanted it.

Sunday afternoon then saw my test riding with Sue Carson judging. Everyone was in a major flap that Sue was judging and everyone panicked over whether or not she would like their horse and if they were wearing enough "matchy matchy" to impress. Needless to say with it all going over my head I rode into the arena on my coloured cob having gone for the smart option of white jods and white numnahs and bandages etc! I'm a little slow on the "matchy matchy" front, but don't worry it'll all be added to that Christmas list.

Overall my test felt 100% and I don't know what all the worry was about, Sue was lovely and one of the most encouraging people I've met! I think my head grew about ten times bigger as she told me Ceaser is a 70% pony providing I ride correctly. She thinks there is no excuses for us not to be getting 70% in both prelims and novices but gave me a big slap on the wrist for not using my corners enough - still! I didn't mention this bit to Amy as she has shouted at me several times for this and I thought I was using them enough now, but nope, still not! So for one corner I got a 6.0 and another movement a 6.5 so we ended up just below 70% overall again but I was pleased and most importantly everything felt much more connected and uphill.

After I had untacked I offered to write for Sue for half an hour which again gave me an incredible insight into what the judge wanted from the riders and where I thought riders should be getting 7's, Sue showed me what knocked them down to a 6.0. For anyone thinking of doing some writing for a judge I would highly recommend it.

**

And so that was the end of another fantastic camp hosted by the Northern Region and the three of us; Mark, Ceaser and I, had a fantastic time and were made to feel extremely welcome once again. Honestly, if you're thinking of joining in on a camp next year then don't hesitate to, you won't regret it!

Part 2 coming soon….Ceaser realises he can climb.

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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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200th post and a successful weekend competing!

Oh, where do I start? I am absolutely over the moon with Ceaser this weekend.

One of my very kind liveries lent me a Neue Schule hanging cheek snaffle at the end of last week to try on Ceaser after I had yet another moan that I wasn't getting anywhere with finding a suitable bit to dressage him in when we did classes under Elementary level.

After spending hours in my local tack shop and having endless discussions with people on the telephone and via twitter we reached the conclusion that if Ceaser goes so well in his 3-ring gag and show pelham, but not so well in a snaffle then maybe he needs that extra bit of poll pressure!

So, after weighing up the pro's and con's after being told by a judge she dislikes seeing horses dressaged in a hanging cheek (she judges me a lot!) I decided to bite the bullet and try the Neue Schule hanging cheek.

The results at home were fantastic, even when I popped him over a few jumps he wasn't too strong like he is in the normal snaffle.

To ensure I was choosing the right bit - and at a hefty price - I decided to look and see if there was any competitions I could take him to at the weekend as that's when he gets a little strong. I had the option of two; one, an unaffiliated dressage event where the judge could possibly be that doesn't like hanging cheeks or an affiliated dressage competition where I knew that jude wouldn't be.

So, I chose the affiliated one as I am hoping to also qualify for the Area Festival this year and need three percentages over 62% to qualify.

The venue I chose is lovely and Ceaser really seems to go well there. The arenas have plenty of room and when warming up you have the choice of a large indoor or outdoor arena, depending on what you fancy.  Mark also reckons the Bacon Butties aren't bad there too!

Ceaser has been living out quite a lot these last few weeks so he is really chilled which is nice. In fact that chilled that he had a bath and got plaited up Saturday night, all whilst not tied up and just tucking into a haynet (anything for food!).

I was hoping and preying his new, laid back attitude would carry on over to Sunday and thankfully it did!

We arrived on Sunday morning in plenty of time. My first test, prelim 14, was at 12:43 so I ensured we got there with an hour to spare so Ceaser could have his massage pad on for 30 minutes, leaving me with 20 minutes to warm up by the time we had tacked up and I had got ready.

Everything seemed to go really smoothly which I like. He warmed up well and despite the heat seemed rather switched on and listening to my every move. His canter was relaxed and he felt very free moving and like he was eating up the ground with every movement. I stuck to warming up outdoors as I thought that he would have to endure the heat during the test so I may as well stay out there instead of taking him away from it and warming up indoors in the shade.

Prelim 14 seemed to go well. The outside track in the arena was rather deep and I think he struggled a little compared to when warming up, but it wasn't a problem and no one noticed - I think I am just too picky! My entry down the centre line was a little rushed but I soon gathered my thoughts back to the job and ensured I slowed down - something I tell one of my liveries to do time and time again but am guilty of rushing myself!

My first 20 meter circle was a little on the square side but in all honesty I was too busy enjoying the trot and thinking to myself how fantastic it felt that I forgot to worry about my circle shape. Quick telling off in my head and I went back to concentrating.

The canter was lovely and relaxed, no pulling and no leaning on my left hand which he has a tendency to do - however I think the lovely massage Kelly gave him 2 weeks ago has helped sort this. She is a miracle worker!

I say it every time and all too soon I was trotting down the centre line and halting between X and G. This time though, with a huge smile on my face and a big pat and hug for Ceaser.

My score sheet was spot on and the judge picked up on my "odd shaped circle" and "hurrying down the centre line", but apart from that the comments were very positive and stated "much to like and enjoy".

There was no time to stop and think though as my next test was 1:03, so a quick read through prelim 13, breather and it was time to do it all again. The track was getting deeper and I must admit I am a born worrier so was a little nervy about him pulling a tendon in the uneven and deep surface. However, I tried to get on with it and this time made sure my entry down the centre line was much slower.

There isn't anything testing in this test for Ceaser so I made sure I concentrated on relaxing my hands, slowing him down and asking him to work from behind and carry himself. The give and retake of the reins showed he is getting there with a much more positive comment than some previous ones we have received for this movement.

Our marks and score really reflected the hard work I have put in lately on getting Ceaser working properly and carrying himself properly without me giving him a helping hand. I was quite pleased with the canter work as for once there was no pulling when it came to cantering along the long side.

The judge was most pleasant about Ceaser and I as a partnership and stated there was much to like about him and he was a joy to watch. My boy never fails to amaze me.

In fact, as I was walking back to the lorry and waiting for my scores I had two separate people stop me in my tracks to ask me if I was the girl who "rode the little coloured". They had both wanted to find me to tell me what a pleasure it was to watch Ceaser throughout his tests and what a very mannerly and lovely pony he was. What can I say, I was speechless, it almost brought a tear to my eye. There are some lovely people out there and for them to want to find me to tell me Ceaser looks as gorgeous as I think he does is really lovely and positive.

Anyway after not much for a wait we were awarded 3rd for Prelim 14 with 65% and I was shocked to find I had WON Prelim 14 with just short of 65%! Again, it was an encouraging outing with us being yet again the smallest in the classes and the only cob competing! We are now well on our way qualifying for the Area Finals as well!

I have been so nervous about getting him out and doing an affiliated Novice test but this weekends success has made me hungrier than ever to go and do it. I know he competes at Elementary at unaffiliated and rarely comes home without a red or blue ribbon but at affiliated the game is so much higher and the level of horses is so much more. Can my little cob do it? I'm more than sure he can. He has the heart of gold and together we can achieve anything.

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At A enter in working trot....and avoid heavy rainfall!

I must be the most unluckiest person on earth when it comes to book in for dressage tests. Every time I book in for a dressage competition, the date comes around and once again this awful English weather decides to go against me and throw some rain or heavy snow in.

We had it all yesterday. Hail, sleet, rain and snow - just like we did a few weeks back at our affiliated dressage debut for 2013! Luckily Ceaser is quite well behaved in weather like this so we fortunately had no problems. I am sure if it had have been high winds then this could well have been quite a different story!

Arriving at the venue in pouring rain and sleet wasn't what I had in mind as one thing Ceaser will not do is stand on the lorry patiently and let me tack him up inside. Thankfully I seem to have quite a following of supporters coming with me to competitions at the moment, so whilst I put his massage pad on, we had one person holding Ceaser, one taking his travel boots off, one standing on the ramp in case he did decide to panic and two people watching! Ceaser is very people orientated which means so long as lots of people are about and fussing him he will quite happily stand on the lorry - posh pony!

Due to the rain I decided to wait until 10 minutes before my first test to hop on, which in turn allowed Ceaser to have the massage pad on for a little longer. The warm up arena was rather boggy and must have been a little tough going but nevertheless Ceaser warmed up lovely and did everything I asked promptly. I decided to go without my spurs again as I am finding of late I'm not needing them.

First up was Novice 28 which is a lovely, easy going test and great to use as a warm up for an Elementary test. It is quite symmetrical which also always makes riding it much nicer!

Once we had entered at A and proceeded in working trot I think I must have forgotten to breath as all too soon it was over. In my opinion it went nicely, despite falling in to one of the trot to walk transitions a little too abruptly. That was probably my fault though as it's something Ceaser doesn't usually do!

After watching bits of other peoples tests I was rather surprised to say the least to find out I had won the Novice section with a whopping 66.67%, qualified for the Veteran dressage finals as well as the UK Riders Challenge! Clever pony!!

Next up was Elementary 42 which has a few difficult movements in that requires rather a lot of concentration. I always find it off putting to find Ceaser is the smallest pony in the section as well and this time it was by about 3 hands!

Before going in to do my test I had quickly changed from my snaffle bit to the double bridle as Elementary 42 has a few medium movements in which I struggle to get Ceaser back from. Usually it is only the medium canter to working canter which he struggles with - and simply only because of excitement he gets to stretch his legs! However, after having a quick canter in the warm up ring with my double bridle on, he didn't feel right and not as relaxed as he had with the snaffle in. With a quick run back to the lorry we fetched the snaffle again, quickly changed again and trotted off into the arena!

Apart from breaking in to trot a little too early when I asked for the working canter from the medium canter it all went well. The counter canters were spot on, as was the walk to canter transitions.

Again, rather too quickly the test was over and we were running back to the lorry in awful hail to quickly load Ceaser on to the lorry out of the rain!

Getting my results for the Elementary test was nerve-wracking, but I was over the moon to find we had got a respectable 3rd place and 62.81%, with the yard owner taking the top two spots on a rather huge, gorgeous warmblood. Being placed behind such an extravagant mover and in front of other big, well bred types was by far enough for me!

The judges comments were very fair and commented at the end of both tests what a great partnership we made and how hard Ceaser clearly tried for me.

The whole day was yet again, another successful one. Ceaser never fails to make me smile, even on the gloomiest of days. He always tries his hardest for me, despite the awful weather conditions and although he was by far the smallest in his classes, being placed above horses much bigger than him is fantastic! It really does just go to show that cobs can do dressage and you don't need something well bred to go out and do well! After all, Ceaser is only a cob cross Connemara!

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At 'A' enter in working trot and proceed down the centre line

Those that read my blog on a regular basis will know the trouble I have been having lately finding a bit suited to Ceaser and one that he works nicely in for dressage. This week has been just as difficult as I was away last weekend for a few days, which meant Ceaser had a mini 5 day holiday and was a little fresh when I returned home Wednesday to ride.

In-fact he was so fresh, that on Thursday I was wondering why on earth l I had made the 'clever' decision to book in for our first dressage competition in over 4 months for the coming Saturday; and not just any dressage, but our affiliated debut of the season!

The problem I am encountering at the moment is that because of Ceaser's repeated mud fever last year he is confined to a small turnout area this year, that has no mud and is closely monitored in terms of being regularly poo-picked. I think that because he isn't getting a large area to run around in when turned out and somewhere to burn his energy, he is attempting to do it when ridden because the arena is so big!

On Thursday evening after a quick chat with my vet I decided a day out in some mud couldn't do much harm and so whilst I was at university on Friday he spent the day in a big field and did plenty of running around!

When it came to getting him in to ride he was plastered from head to toe in mud so it was quite obvious a day out is just what he needed. Additionally, he was a lot more relaxed and worked lovely through some of my dressage test movements. A nice, promising ride after two very tense ones was just what I needed and I felt a lot more confident for the following days two tests.

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Ceaser has also been working much better since I invested in the fantastic Equilbrium Massage pad. He now has it on for 30 minutes before I ride on the medium setting and then again after I have ridden for 15 minutes on the low setting to cool him down.

So, as soon as we arrived at the competition an hour before my first test, I got him off the lorry and put the massage pad on him to warm him up whilst I got dressed.

To ensure he didn't cool down before I got on, once the pad had finished we quickly tacked up and I jumped on to get him ready for our first test.

As soon as I asked for trot I could feel a huge difference in him compared to the previous few days. He was much more relaxed and working properly rather than rushing and pulling. For once I was actually quite excited to go and ride a dressage test in a snaffle - which is a very different story to this time last year!

Prelim 13 was our first test up and quite honestly it passed by in a rather big blur. The snow was pelting down throughout the whole of our test, however not once did Ceaser rush or pull me. I'm not sure how I managed to get through the test squinting and shutting my eyes when a snowflake fell on my face, but we did! Both of our canters were spot on and the whole of the test felt like it had gone well. He was responsive to leg, hand and seat aids and all too soon we were going down the centre line to halt between X and G! A huge pat for Ceaser and grin at the judge finished off my test nicely as I squinted my way through the snow to leave the arena in a free walk on a long rein.

At that moment I didn't care what my score was, for once we had produced a lovely test and in a simple snaffle! Finally!

Our next test was Prelim 14 and with only 20 minutes to go I kept him warm by walking in the indoor arena. Despite being the smallest pony there and lots of big warmblood types cantering past him, he was an absolute angel. Not once did he spook or get tense and when it came to warming up for our second test, did so without any bother.

Our second test went just as well as the first to be quite honest. However, if I was being picky, he did rush a little in one of the canters and fell into trot for a stride, but instantly he cantered again as soon as I asked.

Again, the test passed by in a blur, but fortunately it was a nice blur! Too soon we were leaving the arena in a free walk on a long rein again and on our way back to the lorry.

As promised I untacked and put the massage pad back on him to cool him down after being such a superstar for me. The walk to the results board was agonising and as I walked towards it I couldn't believe my eyes - we had won!!

As I squinted some more and looked closely I was absolutely over the moon (and in shock) to see we had won Prelim 13 with a whopping 70.83%!!! We have only ever got 74% at unaffiliated, so to get just 4% lower at affiliated was an amazing feeling. After close inspection of my test sheet I noticed I had quite a few 8's and mostly 7's.

Not too long later Prelim 14 results were announced and although I knew it wouldn't be quite as good because we broke into trot during one canter, I was not expecting 65%! Ceaser certainly showed that your pretty "average cob" CAN do dressage and be up there with the big boys!

The judges comments were more than fair and said that Ceaser needed to work from behind more - however I know that as this is one of the issues we have been having! Apart from that she commented that my transitions were absolutely spot on where they should be and Ceaser looked a lovely, obedient little horse to ride. You can't get better than that!

What a fantastic way to start our season and it certainly was with a bang! I am over the moon and cannot wait to go out for our next affiliated tests in a couple of weeks. Usually affiliated results are published in Horse & Hound magazine so I am keeping all fingers and toes crossed they publish these results - that would be a brilliant start to the season!

Hopefully we have turned a corner now with our bit issues and on the road to better things!

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On the sixteenth day of Christmas my horse gave to me...

On the sixteenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me..

Finally - another product for us riders and not our horses! My dad got me these last year for Christmas when I asked for some nice showing and dressage boots. However, I am very hard to buy boots for as I have skinny legs but boat sized feet.

The sixteenth product I wish to recommend is the Shires Norfolk Long Leather Boots. 

These boots are both beautiful and elegant and made out of high-quality soft leather. They are finished off with a classic dressage cut at the top making them ideal for competition use. They are perfect showing and look the part in either a dressage or showing ring. 

Not only are one of the most comfortable pair of riding boots I have ever owned, but they are also the first pair to fit perfectly. I ordered mine and the variety of sizes they offered was fantastic. Although I have long skinny legs I then needed to find something to fit my size 6 boats.

Priced at roughly £130 they do not come with a hefty price tag like most dressage and showing boots but still look every bit of professional. 

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