Dressage at Grand Haven

We spent the weekend at Grand Haven Stable in Jefferson, OH competing three of our dressage horses.  It was a touchy start as we had to scratch three before the show even started (we were originally taking 6) for various reasons, and Mary had some car trouble, but we made it and buckled down for some early mornings.

As Goodman's rides were all in the 8 o'clock hour, we enjoyed three beautiful sunrises hacking him before sunup so that he would be relaxed and loose for his classes.  It was all worth it when he scored a 67 the second day placing third, and a 67 and change on the last day winning the class in the FEI Prix St. George!  We were so excited because this little horse just continues to surprise and amaze us!  We have a lot to work on still and the test had several mistakes (we did a lead change into the halt when I tried to get straighter!) and mistakes in the threes, but he got "7's" on his canter pirouettes! The collection and engagement for that movement is very hard and nerve wracking for him, and he kept his cool and allowed me to ride one step at a time.  I took a picture of him in his stall sleeping the day before, and it looked like he was dreaming about the pirouettes. 

His owner Angela Hambrick was very excited to see him being competitive at this level.  She had fun reminiscing with me about when she first bought him as a hunter and he had been ridden in draw reins so much that you couldn't see his neck...she joked that it was like riding the headless horse!  We can definitely see Goodman's head now, and I am so thrilled to be a part of the journey of this horse with her.  The best part of my job is seeing an owner truly enjoy their horse's progression through the highs and lows of getting to the upper levels, and revel in their horse's accomplishments and new found confidence.

 

Speaking of enjoying new found confidence, Angela herself competed her own In a New York Minute this weekend at Training Level. She came in second the first day and then won her last two classes at Training level, one with a 73.57!  It's fun to have her on a horse competing and not just watching.  York is also a repurposed hunter, who at nearly 18h, is quite a presence in the ring!  She got her qualifiers for regionals, so it looks like we will be making a trip to Chicago with at least two horses!

 

I also had the opportunity to compete a mare named Panglossian for her owner Sanae Tanebe at 2nd and 3rd level this weekend.  "Leggs" has been with us for nearly five years, teaching her owners the finer points of dressage, and recently Sanae had made the difficult decision to sell her.  We thought it would be a good idea to get a few scores at a bit higher level than Training, and Leggs did not disappoint us!  At Second Level she came in second with a 64% and fourth on a 62%, and then won the Third level test 1 on a 66%!  She has not competed at this level for probably four years, and it was a joy to see her get better and better over the course of the weekend.  This little girl LOVES to horseshow, and really turns it on when she goes in the ring.  Sanae and her daughter Utako had never seen her compete at this level, so I think it was fun for them to see what their little horse could do!  Check out her winning ride below!  She is a 12 year old Rhinelander mare, that is truly a diamond in the rough, and some lucky person will be very successful competing her in the future!