What to expect when showing?!

This weekend, we will be driving 150km direction north east to Graz to this season's first show. 

What do we expect from it? It should be a nice kick off for the season, Hafl should be relaxed and calm and overall, we should leave the ring with a good feeling. 

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.”
― Alexander Pope

Too cute
Hafl will not be the nervous one as he never was, just reflecting me being tense. I really need to concentrate on my seat and aids, especially when it comes to canter. Trot won’t be a big deal (it wasn’t either last year) but with the canter old -  let’s call it fears - come into my mind. 

As the canter was always our weakest point, I already now start imaging the transition from medium canter to working canter as the most terrifying part of the whole test. Or the counter canter in the second level tests. It is NOT that we are not capable of cantering - we both just need to relax! I am that much concerned that I can hardly relax and thus, make it super difficult for Hafl to perform. Whenever I have moments of confidence in training, I can literally feel the strides becoming bouncier and rounder, as soon as I start worrying they become stiff again. I really try to save the image and feeling I have of these good moments but as I have already told you before, it takes time for humans to erase old patterns in your mind and replace them with new ones.


As a beginning, we will enter a pony dressage test at first level, have another first level test and the second level to finish the day. I hope that the breaks in between are not that long such that I can keep the level of concentration and motivation.  

So let us not expect too much from the first entries, let us have a good time and introduce my new groom to the "show business" at a moderate level. 

He should not be too much afraid of coming along then the next time ;) If he still feels comfortable after our first horse show weekend together, we already won!

First show in March 2013 last year, also in Graz (other venue than this time)


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