Riding Video and the "Dressage Team"

Greta has been extraordinary lately. I think we reached our climax last night at lessons. She was really working hard and our trainer continually praised her for her roundness, and even noted that she was actually taking the bit nicely, as we saw a little dribble come out her mouth. I've always noticed some moisture around her mouth since I started using the French link eggbutt but Thursday night it was quite nice, I suppose. She was visibly reaching for the bit also, creating a nice little arch in her neck and her mouth felt just like a small weight in my hand, not like she was hanging on my hands like I have felt before. It was very nice to have Miss Greta being so work(wo)manlike, and when our trainer gave us both pats on the back (well, Greta got a pat on the shoulder haha) I was very proud of my princess.

The video is from Tuesday (June 15) and shows a fairly nice ride - definitely not as nice as Thursday (I don't think I have ever heard so many "GOOD! GOOD!" from my trainer before haha! She seemed to be thoroughly impressed) but it was still very nice. Around 0:20 she is spooking, I wanted to put that in there just to show how things like that are overcome haha. But yes, that is a video of us working on serpentines and the Wolfgang Bowtie Pattern (as I like to call it, because I don't know the technical term!) and more canter work. She is counterflexed at some moments on her left lead canter, but she was trying to take a looky-loo at my dear grandfather (THANK YOU GRAMPY!) filming us from the fence, but that was quickly fixed with a little tap with my inside leg. She was like, "OH! I'm sorry. I'm supposed to be focusing. You know how me and focusing go! Like lions and antelopes!"

Yes, Greta. I've realized that ;)

AND more exiting news....

I'm on a Dressage Team! My trainer finally got enough people to regroup her "Dressage Team," as the original team slowly converted into eventing. It's just four of us, including her, and the other three girls are the girls in my lesson and we are all the same age, which makes things nice. Our trainer will be putting some "show mileage" on her Oldenburg gelding and his sister (who can Greta's occasional little spooky skitters look saintly! YES!) and the other two girls are eager to show without having be in eventing. I just want to learn dressage, to be honest, and the first shows we go to in the fall will be solely schooling trips for Greta, no competition, just to put some "mileage" on her as well.

Although I think Greta will just be too good for all of her competitors, so I'm just giving them a head start so they can win something before we strut our long-awaited stuff before the judges. And with that kind of attitude and talent, why show at all? haha ;)

But yes, the Team will be an exciting prospect for me. We'll be getting polos, shirts, ballcaps, windjackets, everything. This will probably be the first and ONLY successful "team" venture in my lifetime (soccer = fail, tennis = fail, etc.)

While this whole new world of "YAY I CAN SHOW!" does sound exciting and fun for me, first and foremost is Greta, and the whole concept of showing might give her ulcers haha. So, once again, we're going to take this one step at a time.

Besides, I'd much rather go to a million clinics and learn as much as I can than go to shows and possibly not learn much at all outside of lessons and how to handle Her Nibbs in a show environment.

Did I mention that Wolfgang May is building his own stable AND I found that there are a few FEI-level riders (Ashley Hammill and Lindy Taylor) in San Antonio at the Double Diamond Equestrian Center? Schooling with such riders at their facilities for a few days strangely sounds far more exciting than winning a blue ribbon. I'm a bit off-beat for an equestrian, aren't I?

But nonetheless at the moment I just want to enjoy how far Greta and I have come, and the future will present itself in time.