Play Day

Yesterday, we did a play day at Circle Star Arena for anyone who wanted to come. The focus was working through obstacles (with trainer help from KM and CS, if needed) and then an opportunity to ride a course. One of my unstated goals is to get Ashke out to as many different places as possible, to work on the whole spooking-at-all-the-things. The only way I am going to be able to get him to not be reactive, is to put him in the position of riding in unfamiliar places and still expecting him to listen and be obedient. He did really well with everything except the table at C in the indoor (which is always a scary point) which was covered with bright blue plastic tablecloth. We were finally able to trot past that without a huge fuss, but it took a while.

When we got to the outside obstacle arena, There were eleven obstacles (plus the jump) set up to practice on. One of the obstacles was a fixed gate. This was a HUGE issue for us at Expo, especially in reverse. I decided to address it first, in case I deemed it necessary to get off and work it from the ground. We went through forward the first time and Ashke managed it with only a small reaction to the gate swinging toward him as we were working it closed. After that slight flinch, it was no big deal. Such a good boy.

Then we went to do it backwards. The first time, I swung the gate away from us, wide open, without trying to hold onto it, and then backed him through. Once we were through, I picked up the gate again and sidepassed him to close it. I swear to you I heard him say "oh, THAT'S what you wanted me to do? That's easy." That was the only time I had to let go of the gate. The next time we tried it in reverse, I was able to keep my hand on the gate and he did it calmly and quietly (although you can see him working his mouth as we were doing it).

Once he know what is expected, it's a no brainer for him to do.

We took a short break for lunch and then came back to ride the course. I was asked to go first, since I have the most experience and am riding at the most advanced level in the group. We located all of the obstacles, and their order, but didn't really have a lot of time to think about approaches. There were a couple of approaches I would have changed, and some questions I would have asked, if it had been a show. I thought, given the brief look I had, that we did a pretty good job of putting the course together. 

The break in the middle was due to T calling my cell in the middle of my ride. I was very pleased with the lines that we chose and found that I didn't feel panicked or rushed during the ride. Ashke listened very well, and only had two small spooks which resulted in the break in gait going behind the livestock pen and another at the end of the single slalom. Overall, he felt relaxed and engaged and really happy to be riding the obstacles. 

While I was chatting with the other riders after my ride, I was explaining that Ashke likes to be shown to a woman who thinks her horse would hate being in a show (she does WE for fun and the training experience). I realized at that moment, that Ashke was bred to be shown: he wants to be a show horse. He's resented not being shown when he was young and I think he really wants to preen under the admiration of us silly humans in a show environment. I think he is a bit relieved to know that I want to show, even if I feel nervous and timid during the process.

One of the things I can say about our ride yesterday, just like the dressage test at Expo, the ride has slowed down enough for me mentally, that I am able to think and plan. I was able to come off an obstacle, see the line for the next obstacle, plan my approach and not feel rushed or pressured. Yes, part of it is the non-show environment, but other than a score, I probably had more people watching my ride yesterday than I have ever had at a show. I just didn't feel stressed. And that allowed Ashke to move without feeling stressed. 

I'm so happy.