Solo did his first competition of the year today. He did the open training division of the Rocking Horse Advanced HT which ran today. He was still showing attitude through the week and Selena was discouraged that she was not getting all she felt the horse has to give. She had talked to Bruce yesterday about feeling somewhat dispirited still. I don’t think she was looking forward to today.
She got there good and early so that she could lunge Solo and put him away for a rest, before getting him out a second time and tacking him up for his test. All seemed to go quite well until he got into the ring where he held his breath and tried to expand Selena’s legs off his sides so that he could shy at every letter, finally he managed to get one shy in at H which seemed to please him but not Selena…. Selena was mad at him for not focusing and although the test had been forward and energetic she felt she had not been able to keep him straight and in front of her leg….he IS seven now, he SHOULD be straight and in front of the leg.
Show jumping next – everything on one day at this particular event, just like Horse Trials in Canada. Usually in the States the horse trials are spread out over two or three days. A more appreciative report came back to us in Canada after stadium – “He was a very good boy and did a lovely clear round”….YAY, he has one more challenge left today, the one we are all waiting for – is he going to be a good boy and enjoy his cross country or is he going to carry on from where he finished last season…which was very much. NOT being a good boy!
The good news is that he had a blast. Was a tiny bit green here and there but jumped beautifully and gave Selena a lovely clear round within the time. She was thrilled with him, she phoned me to say he was “back in the game” and said he felt like he had at Plantation….PHEW!!!!
As it turned out he was fourth after the dressage and finished with the equal second score. The other second place scored rider (fellow Canadian Team member, Kyle Carter) was closer to the optimum time cross country and scooped second place with Solo and Selena taking third ribbon at Rocking Horse Open Training. Not bad for Solo’s first run this year. Next weekend he is running again at Rocking Horse, this time with his boot camp helper, James Alliston in the saddle to try and help us straighten out the last vestiges of his arguments, and he is going Prelim!!!
