Without any time for a breather after Equidays, we were back to washing, packing, loading Tech up and heading to Taupo for North Island Champs on Friday! 

Day one was our Championship test, and I was running with a bit of a shortage on crew this show, which meant the fabulous Chelsea and Taya were tag-teaming getting Tech washed, plaited and tacked up, and also helping me get me ready to go too - no mean feat in itself!! 

I didn't have chance to check out where our warm up and arena was before we were ready to go, and once Jody was on board and heading to the warm up, we all realised how far away it was from the mounting block - eek! So while Jody was warming Tech up, Chelsea and I were running (well I was full-speed wheelchairing!) around trying to find a mounting block to take over to the warm up area. My amazing mounting block from GFab was at home in my garage because we're working on the bracket for my float to transport it, so I was a bit stuck! Thankfully, Aimee let me borrow her metal step, so with 10 minutes to go before my test time, Chelsea was pushing a wheelbarrow across the grounds full up with Aimee's step and my steps from the float, and I was following as fast as I could behind hoping it would be high enough to get me up onto Tech! Not the best preparation for our first test oops!

As it turns out, it was probably a good job I wasn't watching the warm up, as Tech decided to give Jody a bit of a challenge and pull out a few circus pony tricks - little bugger!! But by the time I got over there he was back to his usual self :) 

It was one of the trickiest mountings I've ever had to do with Aimee's step being quite low, but thanks to the extra pairs of hands who came to help - I made it into the saddle with a bit of heaving and shoving hehe! Thanks everyone!

So with literally 4 minutes warm up, my bell went and into the arena we went! I'm proud to say we made a good effort of our test with such a crazy lead up, and we posted 67% so a great start to our show! Tech felt really forward and active which was reflected in the judges comments, but he also felt a bit long and strung out which was also reflected in the judges comments. So in our team de-brief, we decided tomorrow would be reins shorter, focusing on keeping Tech together (while hopefully still forward!)

Sunday rolled around and we were back into competition mode again, thankfully I was much more organised today hehe! Taya and Chelsea had really found their groove and had Tech ready in plenty of time and looking amazing - you guys are awesome! And soon it was time for Jody to hop on and get to the warm up (this time we had the mounting steps all ready to go with us - thanks again Aimee for the loan!). Tech was much more settled for Jody today and was soon pulling out all his bendy suppling lateral moves with Jody at the helm :) Inspired, I decided to try my leg yields and pirouettes for the first time at a show and very pleased to say we had them going pretty well! That cemented the decision to put them into my freestyle the next day (I have two options - one with and one without the laterals!). So after a quick tune up from Jody in keeping Techy together and forward (I was riding one loop shorter than usual), our bell went and into the arena we went with my fantastic crew fanning out into their spotting positions around the arena.

Again I was pretty pleased with our efforts! I managed to keep Tech a lot more together throughout the whole test, but that did sacrifice a bit of activity unfortunately at some points, and he certainly didn't feel as swinging as he did the previous day and he definitely made me work hard for it! BUT - we managed to up our score from yesterday to post a 68% yay! Onwards and upwards!

Here's our Champs test:

Sunday night was Grand Prix freestyle night, so we spent a lovely couple of hours watching the tests with a glass of wine, and watching our faves in action of course - Jody and her gorgeous Lusitano stallion Ali Baba. Lots of inspiration there for our own freestyle the next day!

All too soon the last day of North Island Champs came around - but it was freestyle day and I was excited to ride my new floorplan, to my new music and to attempt some new moves in there too - it was my first time riding a pirouette in front of a judge and a real leg yield too! ;)

We unfortunately didn't get any arena familiarisation time, so I was hoping Tech would be ok with the 'scary Taupo music bus' that he's had problems with before. Jody was only allowed around the speakers/bus for 20mins of her warm up time, and with no music playing I was just hoping the work we'd done at home and at the RDA with music would be enough to keep Tech settled. He was pretty good - riding past the bus and speakers and generator with Jody a few times, and she was soon into his real warm up. Our arena was close to the big permanent mounting block at the end of the stables today, so thankfully it was an easy 'get on and go' once Jody had finished her warm up. We had a good warm in and it was test time!

Our music started and Tech had a quick look around, and we headed for the arena gate and in we went. The speakers were behind us going down the centreline so we had some good activity going towards the judges hehe! But he soon settled and we were into our groove... 10m circle left at X, down the cetreline a few steps, half 10m circle to the outside track then prepping for my first ever half pirouette in a test - which we pulled off yay!! Ok we had a wee bit of bum swing in the second half but it was clear that we were pirouett-ing :) And thankfully the judges noticed it too! I came  back down the outside track with the biggest smile on my face - I was really having fun now :) Then after another circle and a serpentine down the centreline, it was time for our leg yield... which again we pulled off really well if I do say so myself! It's fair to say I was pretty chuffed! ;) Techy was a bit inactive and that hit our score hard, but he didn't care about the speakers and I could enjoy dancing with my cow pony again yay!!

Here's our freestyle test:

 
All in all it was a fantastic weekend and so much fun with everyone. Thanks soooo much to my A-MAZING crew for all their hard work this weekend getting me and Tech ready, warmed up and through it all safely. I've said it before but I'll say it again - you guys totally rock mwah!!! xxx