I'm so incredibly proud of my cow pony for giving his all and stepping up to the mark this year - he felt the best he ever has! Although it all started out a bit differently than planned, with Cyclone Pam bearing down on NZ and due to hit Hawkes Bay hard on Monday, the day HOY started! Becky, Lucy and I loaded Tech up on Sunday morning in bright blue skies and not a breath of wind here in Tauranga. We decided to stick to our plan and get down there and hole up if we needed to if the weather did get as bad as predicted, and that we did. Tech spent the first two nights tucked up snug in the Hawkes Bay Racecourse stables, while we booked a cabin at the local campground. In actual fact, the wind wasn't as bad as forecast in Hastings luckily, but it did rain for 24 hours solid so we were pretty glad we were snug and dry in our cabin the first two days!
We picked Tech up on Tuesday morning and headed to the showgrounds. Although the rain had stopped, the ground was a bit of a mess and we slipped and slid sideways through the entrance way! There were trucks getting towed around by tractors and it was all looking a bit crazy. But we made it over to our yard and camping area and set up our home for the week thanks to EquipOutdoors.co.nz.
Lucy took Tech for a bit of a walk up and down the track (we weren't allowed to ride anywhere else due to the organisers trying to preserve the ground for competition) but I decided I didn't want to risk riding there with bicycles, cars and people coming from all angles, so I didn't get on.
The next day we had a ride over at the polo grounds and Lucy and I worked on our homework from Jody and Manu which went really well, and then we did a little bit of shopping after hehe!
Thursday morning I had a lesson with Jody which went really well. It was a true test of my growing confidence with Tech, because we were riding out in the open with no fences around us, and other horses working in close proximity to us at trot and canter. That's a first for me - usually I find a quiet spot that has some kind of 'barrier' to enclose us, and away from other horses. But that just wasn't possible and it was a really good exercise for us to be able to work well and focus, and me not get nervous about what's going on around me, and still get some really good work. A big fat tick in the confidence box!
Unfortunately that afternoon I was hit by a stinking cold and cough, and had to have a Nana nap before we headed over to the polo grounds for arena familiarisation later that day.
Friday afternoon was our Team test and I was feeling decidedly yuk! But the show must go on, and Lucy had Tech warmed up for me beautifully by the time I had to get on. Jody gave me a quick coaching session and soon we were on our way into the arena. Tech felt AMAZING!! We rode the best test of our lives and I came out with the biggest smile on my face (along with panting like I'd run a marathon where I'd worked so hard to balance on his big active walk!). The judge agreed and we scored a whopping 73%!! I couldn't believe it! I'd gone to HOY with the goal in my mind of hitting 70%, and we'd smashed that with our first test yahoo!! It's fair to say there was a lot if excitement in Camp Thorne that afternoon :)
Saturday brought our Champs test and again, Lucy had Tech feeling great when it was time for me to get on. After some more tweaks from Jody in my warm up, we went through the arena gate and we were off again. Today Tech didn't feel quite as active so I had to work really hard to keep him forward enough, but to my delight we scored 70%! I couldn't believe it - hitting (and breaking) our target twice!! Woo hoo!!!
Sunday was freestyle time, and it's fair to say I was quietly a tad nervous about it after our last few whoopsies in our musical tests. However I knew we'd worked on some speaker desensitisation at home over the last couple of weeks, so I hoped we would be ok. But the music started rather loudly and Tech gave his trademark 'worried' glance over at the speakers during our first halt. We set off on our floorplan but I could feel him tensing up and I shouted to Becky as I went past her to try get them to turn the music down. (I can't take my hands off my handlebar so couldn't make any 'down' gestures to the music box myself!) Thankfully they turned it down a bit and Tech settled down and we rode a conservative test but one I was quite happy with for 65%.
So all in all it was a massively successful HOY this year! Our highlights were smashing our PB's for our team and champs tests, me gaining a heap of confidence in both myself and Tech to push for those bigger movements (and not being afraid of riding out in the open with other horses around us!), and getting through our freestyle with no freak outs at the speakers!
I want to say a HUGE THANKS to Jody for all your hard work and passion both at the show and over the last few months to get us into shape. Tech has never felt better and that's all thanks to your coaching and guidance. I'm really excited to plan our next few months out! A big shout out to our sponsors who keep us in tip-top shape, looking and feeling fabulous throughout the year - SAVVY TOUCH, Big Red's Stable Snacks,Ridir Clothing, JLT Bloodstock, EquipOutdoors, Top Stock International, and Farmlands Te Puna. We couldn't do it without you guys and your continued support and belief in us! Another shout out to our fab ESNZ Para-Equestrian family - it's so great to catch up with everyone and enjoy lots of laughs and support - you guys rock! And finally a huge thanks to everyone who lent a hand/watched/cheered for us during our tests, and who have played a vital part in getting Tech and I to this point over the last year. Techy and I are incredibly lucky to have such an amazing team around us - we couldn't do any of this without you so THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Now after a couple of weeks with family here from the UK, it's back to training hard and getting ready for our last show of the season this weekend - Rotorua Dressage Championship Show. Bring it on!