Summer Fun Working Equitation Show, Day 1

Last weekend Cupid and I completed our first B rated working equitation ("WE") show!  It was about 2.5 hours away, at a facility I have never been to.  After much internal debate, realizing the benefit of getting there a day early to school, I nevertheless decided to drive in early on Saturday.  It's hard being away when you have a 1.5 year old(!)  Luckily our drive was uneventful and we got there with enough time not to rush, even though once I got to the giant sprawling showgrounds I had no idea where to go.  Eventually I found the right barn and where to park my trailer.  I unloaded Cupid and took him for a short walk, then let him settle in his stall briefly before we had to tack up for our dressage test. 

Enjoying some grass after a long trailer ride

The warm up for dressage was in the arena with all the obstacles already set up, so it was good to get a bit of a peek at them (you could go around, but not actually over the obstacles.) 


The dressage test for the Introductory division does not have any canter.  But it does have 5 meter half-circles at the walk, one each direction.  It tests your accuracy because you trot across the short diagonal, transition to the walk at B while simultaneously coming off the rail in a diagonal line to the quarterline, and then turn back onto the rail where you walk straight ahead to B then angle out to the quarterline again and turn the other direction (diagram below, courtesy of Kelli Paulson from WE Nebraska).  Then you pick up the trot again and halt at C, then rein back 3-5 steps.  Cupid and I haven't practiced the rein back a whole lot, though we did it several times in the past week as part of our prep.  Cupid's head comes up a bit, but at least we were fairly straight.

Cupid and I have been getting low 60s doing straight dressage (and usually the canter work is the toughest part, which we didn't have to do today), and I thought thought that WE might look more at functionality and precision.  So I was really shocked, and disappointed, when I got a 51 - but it was actually right in the middle of our division because all the amateurs were in the 50s.  WE judges pretty strictly!  Most of the comments were related to being above the bit. 

Our "Ease of Handling" (or obstacle) round was in the afternoon so we had several hours to relax.  Or suffer in the 100 degree heat.  Luckily the barn was well ventilated and it didn't feel too bad inside.  But with the heat, and having ridden once already I kept my warm up fairly brief.  For the Intro division you need to trot in between obstacles.  For some of the obstacles you have to do them at the trot (like the slalom, or weaving through poles), some you have to walk (like the bridge or the pen), and others you can choose whether you want to walk or trot (like spearing the ring).  Some of the obstacles require you to hold the reins in one hand while maneuvering the obstacle with your other, and one of the technical rules require you to always use the same hand for your reins.  Most people hold the reins in their left hand.  So they can get tricky by putting the cup you need to pick up or the bell you need to ring on the left side, meaning you need to reach over with your right hand otherwise that is an automatic elimination!  I saw someone get eliminated on the bell (you walk between two poles on the ground up to a bell, halt, ring the bell, and back out) - which was unfortunate for them but helped me remember to make sure to use my right hand!

The Ease of Handling arena

The one obstacle we totally bombed was opening and going through the gate, and then closing it behind us.  I made the mistake of backing Cupid up and opening the gate towards us, then couldn't hold onto it.  We got a 0 for that one.  Otherwise no major errors, and overall I was happy with how it went.  Cupid was good going over the bridge, and around the pen - which meant walking between a white picket fence around a roping dummy steer and a wall of white shavings bags.  The judge said we should have shown more bend, but I was happy Cupid wasn't distracted by it!  We also lost points for our circles apparently not being even sizes in both the figure eight, and "drums" which is a cloverleaf around 3 barrels, both of which I did at the trot.  We got a 50.3%, which granted is not spectacular but good enough for 3rd, which meant we were Reserve Champion for our division!

Good boy Cupid!