Where I went: Centerline Events Dressage Show I at HITS, in Saugerties, New York
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| Dressage Hair |
What I wore: Charles Owen helmet, heavy-duty hairnet under a rhinestone-decorated black crocheted net to cover the hair in back that doesn't fit up under the helmet, white performance fabric show shirt, stock-tie, pin in the shape of a riding crop and horse, black Pikeur show jacket, white full-seat Pikeur breeches, custom Vogel dress boots, Prince of Wales spurs.
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| White breeches, tall dress boots, and spurs |
What I did beforehand: put my suitcase, bootbag, and hanging bag in the car, threw my purse in the car, broke my favorite glasses with my purse, filled a five gallon water container, drove to get gas, heard glugging noise, discovered two gallons of water had spilled into the back of my car; went home to get towels, left late, drove to Saugerties without a functioning radio or GPS, hit a piece of rebar on a freeway ramp.
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| They were my favorite glasses |
Who went with me: my horse Hado, and he's really my husband's horse, and his show name is Remonta Hado which is a name that means he is a "remount," or, calvary horse. Hado came from the military breeding program in Argentina; "hado" is a Spanish word, and means, "fate."
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| Hado, napping at the show |
Why I went to this show: when you learn to ride, you spend a lot of time in a ring, going around in a circle or down the long side at the walk, trot, and canter. Not every horse and rider will go to shows, but many horses seem to enjoy it, and it is a very different experience to leave your barn and go someplace new, even if all you're doing is walk, trot, and canter. You get nervous. Your horse gets nervous. When it goes well, it makes the months of work feel worth it. When it doesn't go well, you know what you need to work on at home.
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| Show horses get a lot of baths |
Where I sat: everyone going to shows from our barn got these chairs with our names on them so we have someplace to sit in the barn area at the show. The chairs have pockets and a little table, and I will keep saying that they're for the quiz until someone actually laughs.
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| Hado getting braided |
Things that were sad: when I left the barn on Saturday, I dropped an antique pin that had been a gift from my mother. When I arrived on Sunday, someone had found the pin and put it on a table, so I decided I needed to wear it. One of the grooms noticed that it made a tiny, rattling noise and thought it might be annoying to ride in. It was somewhat annoying when I was in the ring, doing the tests, but the rest of the time I didn't notice. When I got home I noticed that I lost the other pin--the one shaped like a riding crop and horse. It, too, had been a gift from my mother (this was the sad part).
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| Hay twine on the ground at the show |
Things that were funny, or real things I heard trainers say in the warm-up area:
"Generate some magic."
"More electric! More electric!"
(Shouting) "Don't overreact! Stick! stick! GOOD!!"
"Kill it, ok? You ride. You deserve to be here."
"Now! Kick him now! And trot! And trot!!"
"Go get busy! Thaaaaaat's better."
"Inner leg! Inner leg! Inner leg! Inner leg! Inner leg! Inner leg! Inner leg!"
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| Tractor waiting to drag the warm-up ring |
Things that were not funny: over two days, I did the same two tests, and something went wrong each time. My first test I had learned incorrectly, and on my last test (when I did it a second time), the judge rang the bell to let me know I'd made an error; I was very confused because I had done the test the first day and that judge hadn't let me know about my error. The other test was slightly more interesting and exciting to Hado, so the first day I rode him tentatively because he felt like he might explode. The second day I rode him forward, and he bounced with excitement in several corners.
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| What I ate: bacon-egger, coffee, and juice |
What it is: dressage is a French word, that means "training." It is a separate discipline from other English riding competitions like showjumping, though it is one phase of eventing, but the basic techniques underlie all riding. At the high levels, riders and horses perform freestyle programs to music, so some people call it Olympic horse dancing and think it's silly.
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| Hado and Me |
Who should see it: like other equestrian sports, it is hard for non-horsey people to know what they're watching at a dressage show. If you do want to go watch, don't bring your dogs, don't make a lot of noise, and do sit down next to someone who seems to know what they're looking at, and ask them to tell you what you're seeing.
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| Graduation party: I sat on the floor |
What I saw on the way home: after my last class on Sunday, I hopped off my horse, handed him to the grooms with a hearty, "Thank you!", grabbed my bags and jumped in my car without even taking off my helmet. I took off my spurs and helmet in the parking lot, but couldn't unfasten the antique pin, so I left it on, with the tie, and made a detour from Saugerties through central Connecticut to go hug my niece who just graduated with high honors from Wesleyan University. My brother was there, and his ex-wife, and five of their college friends from their Wesleyan days, and my sister-in-law's best friend, and both of her parents, and one of her brothers, and my niece's boyfriend and his father and sister, and one other woman who I met but I have no idea who she was. I was still in my tie and white breeches and tall boots, and probably looked like George Washington.
