We had a FANTASTIC time at the North Island National Champs in Taupo on labour weekend. The weather tried it's best to deter us - throwing a huge storm at us on Thursday which made for very challenging driving conditions for our trip down. I have to say I didn't enjoy that drive one bit, but my JC Trailers float was fab and handled the conditions really well, staying stable and safe on the road despite the crazy wind and rain. I did breathe a sigh of relief when we pulled up at the NEC gate though, very pleased the trip was over. That relief was short-lived however, once I realised we now had to put my Equip Outdoors tent up in the crazy wind and rain! Bex and Konni did a great job battling the elements, and managed to get it all up (the right way round!) without taking off across the field like a parachute team. I had the very important job of putting the poles together and handing them the correct colour :) (as well as trying not to get blown over in the wind!)
The competition started on Saturday so we spent Friday resting up and getting Tech familiar with the grounds despite the gale force winds howling around us. I was really pleased with how relaxed he was with everything going on. Have I ever mentioned how much I love this pony?!! ;)On Saturday we rode our team test, and Tech felt great when I got on him. We had a very quick 5 minute warm up and then we were in. (I have to time my warm ups really tightly as I can only really ride for 15 mins at a time, so need to make sure I'm not too tired by the time we go in for the test itself.) The start of the test went really well and I was really pleased with Tech. As I've mentioned before, I've had a few problems with Tech drifting out to the left on my right circles lately, so when our right circle at X came along, I was concentrating so hard on the circle itself (which incidentally turned out really well with no drift-age!) that I forgot which way I had to turn when I got to A! Unfortunately I chose the wrong option so ended up with a course error which I'm so annoyed at myself for. Tech was going so well, had a good walk, was listening well and was really responsive so it's totally my fault. We ended up on 67.5% for our team test, which would have been almost 70% (my goal for this season) if I hadn't made the stupid course error arg! But hey - you live and learn and I won't be making that mistake again!
On Sunday we rode our Championship test and once again, Tech was really responsive and I finished the test with a huge smile on my face. He did however feel quite tired, and it was hard work getting a good walk out of him which was reflected in our marks. (Another lesson learned there.) We scored 66.5% which is a good start for the season and a good base to build on.
Monday was freestyle day - our favourite test! I couldn't wait to ride to our new music. We had been moved into the sand arena because of the deluge of rain that we'd been hammered with on Saturday afternoon (and most of the night). We'd given Tech heaps of rest and Bex did a shorter warm up with him after his tiredness on Sunday. He felt nicely forward with a HUGE walk going on which was great. But the wind had picked up and after a good start (a great halt and right 10m circle at the start of our freestyle), a huge gust of wind picked up a massive cloud of sand from the horses warming up next to our arena, and blew it straight across us. Unfortunately, the one thing Tech is scared of is smoke, and the poor boy was petrified of this "smoke cloud" now chasing him across the arena at the moment we turned down the centre line. He jumped into a tiny trot (I'm sure it would have been a huge trot if anyone else but me was on board, bless him) and was half-passing towards the side of the arena trying to get away from the "smoke" that was "chasing" him. Luckily Bex was on standby at F and she could see I was in trouble, so she jumped in and got to me just at the time I fell forward onto Tech's neck. She saved me from falling off (yay!) and two seconds later, Darren appeared on my right side having sprinted across from E, followed closely by Chon and Konni in front and behind. They pushed me back up and I decided to retire. The poor boy was genuinely scared, but all credit to him for behaving like he did. He could have spun, reared, taken off at a gallop or anything like that, and I would have had no chance. But despite how scared he was, all he did was a little trot and half pass which, ok, is more than I can handle for more than a few steps, but at least it gave my awesome support crew a chance to jump in and save me. So another lesson learned today - we need to do some "smoke" desensitisation, and my support crew "spotter" roles are incredibly important. Thanks so much you guys!
So all in all, it was a very educational weekend. We learned so much, met some awesome people, caught up with the other para riders and had a great time all together. The NEC did a great job in hosting us and building a fab mounting ramp for everyone to use, and it was great to be competing alongside the BOP dressage championships and being part of such a huge show. It was an amazing experience and I can't wait to work on the feedback from the judges, hone our routines/warm ups and get out there and beat our scores at the next competition.
Once again, a huge thank you to my support crew and fantastic sponsors who make what Tech and I do possible. I couldn't do it without you and really appreciate your support and belief in us. JLT Insurance, Farmlands Te Puna, Savvy Touch, Saddlery Warehouse Cambridge, Equip Outdoors and JC Trailers.