Hi everyone, I hope everybody’s had a wonderful month. This month has been pretty quiet for Rabbit. After the excitement and hard work to gain our national qualification last month, I thought Rabbit deserved a small break.
So, he had an easy few days with some hacking and a bit of pole work, which he always loves. I think he would like to be a show jumper in his next life! We then, as dressage riders always do, turned our attention and focus to qualifying for the summer area festivals. This year we are definitely going to be aiming just for medium level, we’re still very new to this level, but I’m gaining confidence all the time.
We also had the pleasure of two lessons with Rui Campeao. It’s been a few months since he saw us both, so it was great to get the value of his experience as always. Rabbit was fantastic, although he did have a couple of small grumpy moments, which is very unlike him. I also noticed he was getting a little grumpy during tacking up and after a chat with Leonie we decided it was time to get his saddle checked.
The wonderful Helen Leedham came and checked it for us and confirmed our suspicions, Rabbit went into a wider tree and needed some flocking to even his saddle out. Once this was done, I got back on and was amazed at how different it felt and how much the saddle was previously tipping me backwards. It just shows that when this happens gradually, you don’t tend to notice it. The saddle now feels incredible and after a couple of rides for Rabbit to adjust he also feels stunning in it. It just shows that even when you think everything is okay, you really should stick to your routine of having saddles, teeth etc checked regularly.
Also, after thinking about it for a very long time, I have decided to take the plunge and give freestyle Dressage a go. I have been talking to Tom Hunt regarding our music, and myself and Leonie are going to put together a floor plan very soon. So, all being well, we will have a free style sorted for the next Winter Area Festivals.
We haven’t competed since the last time I spoke to you, but I’m hoping to get out in the middle of March to start a campaign to qualify for the Summer Area Festivals. It feels like it’s been a very long time since we competed, so I’m very much looking forward to it. I feel our way of going at the medium level has definitely improved, so it will be exciting to see what the judges think.
We also have another two Rui lessons lined up for this month, so I’m eagerly awaiting those, and hopefully, he can see a difference since the last time he saw us.
