And no I’m not talking about my computer………..

or a drug………………….

I’ve heard about this memory wipe thing happening…….

You’re ready

You’re warmed up

You enter the dressage ring

and all of a sudden you have no idea what you’re supposed to do next

Pretty silly huh?

After all, it’s not like you don’t have weeks and months to memorize your test.

And then we do these silly tests for YEARS before they change them.

I know my dressage tests in my sleep.

Seriously.

My husband saw my test on the coffee table one day, and made a comment about whether I knew it, so I said

QUIZ ME!

He took the bait and said ok, “What do you do from M-K?”

And I immediately recited the answer word for word.

BUT………………

It’s a little bit different to be able to recite all the words for the test

and to actually

well

you know

ride the test.

I’m not sure what my issue was this weekend……………..

but I’m going to blame the altitude.

I’m sorry, but at 7000 feet there isn’t enough oxygen to keep a squirrel alive

let alone keep the brain cells running during a dressage test.

So, here’s what happened.

I entered the ring, I heard the judge say 8 (oh yeah, off to a good start)
I made the turn and promptly forgot what was next…………….

I knew it was a leg yield but
I thought for a second I was supposed to turn up the center line………..
but I had just passed the center line……….I started panicking and waiting for the whistle.

She didn’t blow the whistle……………………so I kept going and did the move at the next opportunity…………..still no whistle………………phew!!

Then I started my canter work, and my first counter canter was fantastic.

I got to the second counter canter, and my lovely horse did the most beautiful balanced flying change you’ve ever seen.

Needless to say, that wasn’t what the test called for

So I panicked and then completely blanked on what the hell I was supposed to do next.

I went into total melt down……………

It went something like this

My horse is so awesome…..

We are sooooo winning this………

OMG he just swapped leads…..

Shit shit shit, fix it swap back, ok, now we’re supposed to be…..oh no……I don’t know where I am……omg…….I better trot…….oh no I’m supposed to be cantering……….oh shit where do I turn…………………

Needless to say, it was a total melt down, and resulted in some 4s.

I know that test. I know that test well. But I’ve never really practiced my test with a mistake…………….. I know the next move based on the last one………So when the last one is a mistake………. 

…………..it BLEW MY MIND.

Completely.

Now I have to figure out how to remember my test when something goes wrong.

Bad Eventer does it again.