First Rosette! came last!!

[Abserd]

Yes i got a special rosette (all lovely pink and purple with 'special' on it) cos i'm rubbish lol

Last lesson at RS last night before xmas, only 5 of us, RI's decided to do easy peasy dressage test, for fun:eek: But my arms were really aching and i was given the pony who leans on your hands & who i can never get to canter, have to carry a crop with her - why oh why didn't i stand up for myself and say please can i ride one of the others who doesn't need a crop as they are more forward going?. (Btw, we rarely use the crops, they're just so the horses can see them) So, i knew i'd not get her to canter and went in with that negative mindset from the start, my arms were aching, i couldn't grasp the crop properly and voila, no cantering, no flipping riding i was useless. I know the RI's did it as a fun ending to the year and we all got our stage 2 certificates for progressive riding which i know i should be happy about but i just feel really flat today. Not cos i came last - that was just a bit of fun - but because i feel that after 2 years i'm still a passenger. Stupid i know, i'm not competitive, i don't intend to be entering shows, i just want to learn more, become a more confident rider, enjoy my riding, maybe learn to jump so that on a hack i can feel better about popping over the odd log. I don't have huge dreams, after all, this is my dream, i'm finally doing the one thing that i'll drag myself out for on a cold, dark, rainy night and freeze my bits off because i love horses so much. So i just wonder why this all meant so much to me, i keep thinking i would have done better if i'd ridden one of the other ponies, i think that's because i trust them more, my mare was tripping quite a bit. Also felt a bit intimidated by everyone watching, although they were encouraging, i just felt lost, forgot how to ride and just bounced around on the poor mare who really didn't know what i wanted her to do. Our halt was ok though, and i remembered to salute!!!

As Terry Wogan would say..."is it me?" :rolleyes:

Being a tad hard on myself i think!:D

Just tell me to shut up!:o:p I should take more notice of my signature:D

ETA: CONGRATULATIONS to Izzy18 for coming 3rd!!! :D:D

[fatponee]

Well Done for taking part! :) I feel exactly the same whenever I take part in any shows. I've been riding for years but end up looking like a right numpty in front of everyone else. I figure the only way I'm going to get better is to keep doing it.

BTW, I've got a few of those 'special' rosettes too!!

[Abserd]

thanks fatponee, that has made me smile and feel better too!!

[inhs]

well done!!! :) its never easy to ride horses who are hard to ride :) sound like you did really well!! :) if you're interested in how you might go about getting horse to stop leaning (retraining) there's some info here;

http://irishnhsociety.proboards41.com/index.cgi?board=usefulinformation&action=display&thread=1193912631

well done again!!

BTW - I award rosettes too, and its only the very best people that get the special ones :)

[joey_olop]

Sounds like you did really well-well done, at least you came away with a rosette, Im usually lucky to :o :D

[Abserd]

well done!!! :) its never easy to ride horses who are hard to ride :) sound like you did really well!! :) if you're interested in how you might go about getting horse to stop leaning (retraining) there's some info here;

http://irishnhsociety.proboards41.com/index.cgi?board=usefulinformation&action=display&thread=1193912631

well done again!!

BTW - I award rosettes too, and its only the very best people that get the special ones :)

hee hee thanks inhs!!;)
ETA: just looked at the irish boards and although she is an RS pony (so i can't do much about that) relaxing my hands is something i need to try and do. I need to learn to use my seat and legs more and not rely on the reins so much. Guess that's balance and confidence too, funny how i have problems with the reins when i cannot grip very well anyway..,. that's probably the reason for my achey arms duh!!

[Abserd]

Sounds like you did really well-well done, at least you came away with a rosette, Im usually lucky to :o :D

thanks joey!

i felt a bit silly after posting this rant as it's not really about the rosette, just me feeling a bit pants - feel better now though and i'm starting to actually being quite proud of my pink special rosette!!!:rolleyes::D

[kat1]

A rosette is a rosette! My daughter only wnats pink ones! Sh hates red and blue!!!!:cool::cool:

[KateWooten]

Oh - join the 'coming last' club !! Up til last competition, I'd been last almost every time :D Don't worry. It's the journey that counts, and at this stage, there are so many variables - it's more or less luck of the draw - you get the 'wrong' pony, or you compete against someone who's been riding 5 years longer or whatever ... competition at this stage is meaningless, what matters is you learn to get whatever you can from the different horses, you stay pleased with everything they give you, and you're not too down on the ones for whom dressage is not their strong point !

ps then last time out I came second !! On my own pony what I trained myself :D Now, that starts to mean something cos he is SUCH a good boy and he's my boy, you know ?

[Abserd]

yay i'm a member of another club hurrah!! thanks all you lot :D My OH was just so pleased and impressed i'd got a rosette full stop! It's all part of the learning process...the only way is up! Poor pony, it wasn't her fault at all - she's all short legs and a big belly (bit like me ;)) and i do love her to bits really. Ah well, HOYS will have to wait a while, and Olympia, Burghley, Badminton etc etc :D

[mu0ljk]

Good for you for taking part!

I came 1st in my very first dressage test with Dylan. :cool: :o Only thing was I was the only one who turned up for it!! It was an awful test - we didn't do very well at all! :p

But each other time although i haven't been placed we have got better so like Kate says - it really is the journey that counts! Don't bother to compare yourself to others because it's true there is a wide variance of abilities in classes!


:)

[Abserd]

tis true, all the horses, ponies and riders are different so i really mustn't compare myself to them. Hey, i did complete the test, the only part i didn't do was the canter so yes, i will be proud and happy about that! Thanks for all your comments, i love this forum, i didn't expect any replies to my rant, just wanted to get it all off me chest so it's been lovely to have the support, cheers
Abs x

[izzy18]

Abserd, stop it right now, you were fabulous (and special!)! And I was there so I should know! :D And your pink rosette was much prettier than my green one!

It's the first time you and me have ever done anything like this before and you did brilliantly. Everyone knows D is a nightmare when it comes to cantering in the school and you had a bl**dy good go at trying to get her going, so don't beat yourself up! If I had to guess, I think you have been riding for the shortest length of time out of everyone there (I think I have about six months on you!!). We didn't have the 'easiest' horses and they all have their little 'quirks' anyway (just like us!). Just think how much more we are learning by doing it the hard way!!:D When I think back to a year ago, we probably wouldn't even have made it all the way through the test!

Chin up, or else! Be proud to be pink!:D:D

[Abserd]

Thanks izzy18! I'm now officially proud to be pink:p

I really didn't mean to put a downer on it, as last night was certainly an interesting experience, was just annoyed at myself for feeling so pathetic lol!! Feel much better now after venting, omg what would i do without this forum :???:

Thankyou my friend, hope you (and everyone else who posted on this thread too!) have a lovely Xmas (sent your card today :D)

[Meovcorz]

Oooohhhhhhhhh Hey, what about me what club am I in, I don't have any kind of rosette red and blue or pink :( poor me ;D.

Abserd, I really know what it is like to ride one of those horses - one that won't canter unless your holding a crop (yes, mainly only to see it, though he does feel it sometimes :rolleyes: :D). For the leaning, Jack does that one sometimes, but he does it when he is bored, you know if we are going in one direction not changing gaits or anything so I turn him, try to get really sharp turns out of him, 'cause a horse can't turn with his head down near the ground. But this could be different, I know the worse thing you can do is pull on the reins and get a 'heavy' hand.

[Rarah]

Hi Abby - well done for trying - at least you've got some experience under your belt for when you get a more suitable mount.

I always get the "special" rosettes when I attempt to jump. :p

[Abserd]

lol :D thanks Rarah!! The only way is up now!!