Even before my mind-block-destroying simulator ride, I was determined to return to the show ring sooner rather than later. I worked really hard to get comfortable and confident in competition, and I wasn't about to lose all that hard work by staying out of the show ring for too long if I could help it.
We showed at the beginning of August and the end of September, just a couple of nice, local training shows to let me dip my toe back in the water. Nothing to write home about, just some comfortable experiences that went just fine.
I picked Lancey for my first show back, of course, and we went to beloved Penbritte, whose pizza I had missed passionately. Mawarda and his kid scored in the mid 60s for their first ever Second Level test together, which delighted me.
I entered Lancey in the Novice because I had convinced myself that I would die if I had to sit the trot for a whole test (this was before Theodore proved me wrong). It was our first time showing in the snaffle in years and he was really angelic. Of course he was.
There's not much to say about the actual tests. It's Novice on Lancey. It was effortless, except that I got completely lost during the first one and had to ask the judge which way to go, which was embarrassing. I made a mental note that mom brain means I can't learn the test two days before anymore. Apart from that, everything was pretty great and we scored in the high 60s.
I also landed a secondhand show coat that fits the post-baby-bod in Penbritte's tack shop for like $30, so that was nice.
We took the opportunity to have a photo shoot with Chippy, who is currently obsessed with all animals, especially Lancey's squishy pink nose. We had great difficulty getting Chippy to look at the camera instead of constantly grabbing the ever-tolerant Lancey's whiskers.
The pizza was delicious, the company was excellent, and we coped, which I feared we might not. Doing everything with a baby is like doing it for the first time all over again. It gets less terrifying as you go on, thank goodness, especially since Chippy is the most easygoing baby ever (and beautiful and perfect and wonderful and amazing).
The next show was the one I actually enjoyed again instead of just coping. Arwen has been in lungeing work throughout because otherwise she would split a seam with all her fatness. After riding Theodore, I realized that actually I could ride Arwen again as well, so I did. The lungeing kept her moderately fit and she was delighted to be back to doing complicated things, even being 20.
I realized that Arwen isn't ready to be done. She's sound, she likes the mental stimulation, and she really does need to work constantly to keep her weight under control, no matter her diet. But I wanted to be realistic about how much I can achieve while Chippy is still so little, so I reached out to Mawarda's kid's parents and offered them Arwen on a half lease.
It's the biggest win-win ever. Mawarda's kid is absurdly talented and doing well in Second Level but Mawarda was never actually trained to do dressage and we taught him the lateral work in the past year. He's also 21 already, and albeit perfectly sound, I figured he'd appreciate not having to learn a whole new job right now. It didn't make sense for his kid to keep struggling to learn and teach the movements at the same time when there was a schoolmaster lolling around in a field. So his kid will keep doing showing on him---I do not trust the dragon with a child to not kick the crap out of whatever other child rides up her ass in the showing ring---and dressage on Arwen.
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| Arwen feat. kiddo, with cameo by Rene, still going strong |
The plan is for kiddo to half lease Arwen for the next 2-3 years, aiming to have her in Third Level next year, and Fourth one or two years after that. Plans go awry, obviously, but I think Arwen would enjoy that and it gives me the opportunity to still enjoy riding her a few days a week without the pressure of keeping her in full work.
Anyway, to start with, I wanted to ride her in a show myself before putting the child on her at a show just because it's been a year and she can be a little... interesting... when she's fresh in the show environment. We were doing a local showing and dressage training show at Equivest (yay!) so I signed her up for a showing class and 3-3. We'd done it so many times that I figured we could muddle through and I would probably remember it.
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| I did remember it! even the rein-back |
At home, the test felt great. She's obviously not back to her full strength and fitness yet but we did 3-3 so many times in 2024 that she can do it in her sleep. Her changes were great and everything else in that test is really easy for her. Plus, I had no trouble with the sitting trot, although to be fair, Arwen's trot is like sitting on a couch.
On the morning of the show, I realized I'd forgotten that she gets Omepracote the day before and day of. She was really good and didn't feel colicky at any point, but I do think the excitement got her tummy burning a bit, because when we went into the showing class the wheels fell off. It was a best trot class and she broke, like, every two minutes, lol. I promise she is actually schooled. (Mawarda and kiddo trit-trotted around perfectly and won).
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| photos courtesy of kiddo's mom |
The dressage test started out amazing. Her trot work was just so good and it felt like we both have totally got this again. Then we started cantering, and it was fine until the first flying change, which was good but maybe caused a bit of gastric acid splash because everything went hopelessly down the drain from there. We muddled through, but she was snorting and bucking and dragoning ferociously through the whole thing, and she did a bunch of really nice fours when she was supposed to do her second flying change, which didn't help. I also had some difficulty getting her off her forehand---I am strong and fit again but not yet strong enough to lift up an entire dragon with my seat, the way I used to. (I had only been riding her for two weeks, to be fair).
Frankly, I didn't bother looking at the test. I knew it wasn't the effort we're capable of, but I think a lot of it had to do with missing her Omepracote and just being fresh back in the ring after a break. She was, in general, an absolute pleasure, much more chill than she used to be pre-2024, so I believe her next go will be much better.
Overall, it just felt good to be out dragoning again. I told Erin that riding a Third Level test six months postpartum felt badass enough for me even if the marks weren't there.
Kiddo and Mawarda steered around 2-1 and a prix caprilli test (which is a dressage test with little jumps in it, very fun). I read their tests while babywearing, which was an interesting experience. I have accidentally woken Chippy by eating an apple too loudly but apparently bellowing "A ENTER COLLECTED TROT X HALT SALUTE" over their tiny head was the perfect lullaby.
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| this guy 💜 |
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| participation ribbon lol |
Her new kiddo will compete at SANESA on her next year, probably at Third, because they've been crushing it at home. Right now kiddo rides her twice a week, she lunges twice, and I ride her once. Maybe we'll increase that as Chippy gets a bit bigger and less Velcroed to Mommy, but for now the arrangement suits me down to the ground.
With Arwen sorted and Lancey back in action, it was time to fully turn my attention to Wynnie. But first, a random and wonderful little adventure would occur...
God is good.
