Swallowfield EC, Novice 28, 12 February 2022

Venue:Swallowfield Equestrian Centre
Discipline:Dressage – Trailblazers First Round Qualifier
Test:Novice 28JudgeAngela Kemili
Percentage:73.75%Place:1st

Nash was really super today – I was putting into practice the learnings from my lesson with Laurence Hunt last weekend. Really engaging the hind leg by using lateral work, leg yield and shoulder in seem to help a lot!

I was very pleased with how he worked in and performed in the test, and I know I can ride better (must ask Laurence about how I improve rider scores: 7 again today); again the test was not mistake free – we got a 4 because of a jog coming from free walk to medium walk – where I overrode.

Highlight was a 9 for the entry!! I think that might be my first ever 9! The judge spoke to me after the test and said how lovely it was, but to be careful of Nash occasionally coming behind the vertical (this I am aware of and working on)! She also said I should do BD with him as she thought he was lovely – she also suggested that I should be doing elementary at unaffiliated to push us on further…..

Our best score at Novice to date – even with the mistake – very proud! We qualified for Trailblazers Championships first rounds and came out as top score of the day – getting a special mention and a photo on the Swallowfields Facebook page (see pic below).

Judge’s comments were:

“A lovely horse with a good working attitude, be careful of dropping behind the vertical. Nicely ridden”