I had many great horsey experiences in 2019! I am really pleased with how the year went overall; nothing is ever perfect, but both horses are sound, happy, and healthy, which is really what matters to me. Some of my 2019 goals were met easily or with lots of hard work, and a few of them were utter fails haha. C'est la vie! Let's recap! Happy, health, sound Both mares are doing well in this regard! Dreamy will be 29 this year, and while she definitely shows signs of her age at times, she overall looks and acts much younger than she really is! Ellie has really matured this year, filling out as well as mentally becoming more comfortable in her own skin. As she will be eight this year, I feel like we have moved through the baby phase. having this photo shoot was definitely a highlight of 2019! Continue lessons with Beth and Babette This goal was met and then some! I took almost weekly dressage lessons with Beth and monthly jump lessons with Babette. Thanks to the
Dreamy and I had our first show of the year this past Sunday, May 15, at the Southern Maine Dressage Association (SMDA) show. We did three new tests and debuted at First Level! YAY! It was pouring rain, so not the best day (or footing) for our debut, but I was still pretty happy with our results overall. The first test of the day was Prix Caprilli Training Test 2 . I was pretty nervous to try this test. I jumped Dreamy for the first time this year the previous Thursday and she was pretty ummm...forward. And not the kind of forward you want in a dressage test. LOL! Just what is Prix Caprilli? It is a dressage test with jumps! It is not a hunter or jumper course though. It is judged just like a dressage test, so fluidity, rhythm, relaxation, connection, gaits and all those things count. There just happens to be a few jumps in the ring too. While I have practiced parts of the test, including riding up center line with jumps directly on the right, it was SO incredibly FU