What????

Yes.

That really was the conversation.

I have this amazingly athletic horse.

He has the HOPS.

He also has the movement……

and when I can stay in the ring….. the dressage judges love him.

As a matter of fact………..

while I was slogging my way around an arena with 12 inches of mud in it, and NO I’m really not exaggerating…….

and just being grateful that we didn’t fall down………

the judge said afterwards, “When you learn the geometry you’re going to get very good scores, you were ALL over the place!”

Really????

Seriously????

A horse that normally gets a 30 dressage score………… they gave us a 50, and all the comments were things like “clearly BEFORE the letter”……..

I guess there are no brownie points for mud skating…….

Moving on………..

Earlier in the year I had this lovely horse with a professional. He was competing at Training level, and by the 5th or 6th horse trial the fancy steed got a bit full of himself and basically ran off with the pro on cross country.

And in true professional fashion he decided at the next show to move him up.

Fast forward 4 months, I’ve taken the ride back and I’m getting ready for my first training level cross country run with my athletic, cocky, and now well trained pony.

The conversation went something like this.

“You’re going to get on course and at some point you’re going to think, “This really isn’t much fun.””

Truer words have never been spoken.

I came off course, and immediately said, “You were right!! He was awful!”

The reply, “Yep, move him up!”

Bad Eventer may never understand that philosophy.

But Bad Eventer DOES follow directions.

And the most amazing thing happened. I jumped around my first Prelim with Mr.-Full-of-Himself and he was fantastic…….so much better than training level.

Who knew?!?