The show itself was very well put on, MSEDA did an awesome job of planning everything and making sure the riders were pleased with the show. I still felt that it was laid back considering the hundreds of ponies (and horses, too) that were still getting used to the new environment. The judges were very helpful in their comments and always gave me something to work towards for my next ride. Overall, it was a very nice show, I hope to see more ponies next year!
This weekend was a weekend of improvement, I was a little nervous, however, as this was the last weekend to bump up my average for year-end awards. In spite of my nervousness, I was able to push that aside to focus on my actual test and improving my ride (improvement in itself). Friday, Cody and I had a very nice Training Three test. I felt that I had ridden him very well and he had given me his all. That being said, I had come out of the arena saying that "whatever the score, it was a fantastic test". Which, I believe is something so many people should start focusing on: how the test felt vs. their score (but that is a topic for another day). Fortunately, the judge saw what I felt and scored us a 75%, being the highest score I had ever received by far.
For my Training Two ride on Saturday, Cody was a little too low in the bridle. For the first time ever, I actually had to ride his poll up, which was something I needed to learn to work with. Despite his poll being low during the test, it still felt very nice and steady, while keeping everything smooth. Are comments from the judge were very positive and gave me a good idea of what to fix in my Training Three, as I had her, again, for my second test. I fixed the poll issue and rode as accurately as I could. Coming out of the ride, I was very pleased, Cody was steady and his transitions were smooth. I was mainly proud of our ability to apply our comments so quickly, hopefully the judge saw that, as well. We came out scoring a 70.2%.
Overall, it was a more than fantastic weekend. His improvement has been so tremendous these past few months, and even from last year. It just makes me so proud when I think about how far Cody has come. To be honest, last year I was positive he would never score above a 68%, which was our highest score at the time. He just didn't seem like a 70's type of horse, and even though it was disappointing to think that, I had come to terms with it. He was so far from scoring in the 70's, he threw his head up in his transitions (rider error), he didn't use his back, he wasn't steady in the bridle. There qwere so many things that needed to be fixed. My biggest victory, to me, is finally seeing those big issues being fixed: his transitions are smooth, he stays steady in the bridle, and he reaches over his back. I couldn't be more proud of Cody. It still amazing me how wrong I was to think that this horse would never score above a 68%. I owe it all to Susan and Kristin, they've changed the both of us to be who we are.
We scored a '9' on our halt!
To think this horse didn't use his back just last year! 
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