Louise Curran – STEPPING UP!

By Admin on Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 in Blog. No Comments

Louise and Gandalf ©Jessica Atkins Photographics

Written by Louise Curran

I’m doing something a bit different with this blog. Instead of simply reflecting on what’s been happening in my world, I’m writing it in two parts. Part one has been written in the lead up to a competition and part two has been written in the aftermath – sort of a before and after deal.

So, in the lead up…

In a few weeks time, Gandalf and I will have our first start at Medium Tour level in the Intermediate A and the Intermediate B. These are the tests that introduce all the movements that are in the Grand Prix tests and they’re hard! In my case, the achievement will not just be riding the tests but this time before, where we try to master the tricky stuff and make it look like we know what we’re doing.

For the first time the “before’ is more of a challenge than the actual competition!

Gandalf has done a consistently super job at Small Tour with great scores in the Prix St Georges and the Intermediate 1. Logically it’s time to step up to the next level. Up to now, each step up a grade has been a simple progression with the tests gradually becoming more complicated and building on movements that have been mastered earlier. It’s reasonable to expect that the Medium Tour tests will do the same thing, right?

Nope! There is seriously new stuff here. Like one tempi flying changes. Like passage and piaffe. Even the stuff that’s not new is newly difficult. Like half passes so steep that they would be easier to ride on an octopus than a horse, and counter changes of hand where you need to count, accurately, the number of strides. That means that you can’t do what I usually do and drift a little bit one way, then change, then drift a sort of equal amount the other way. Nope, this time someone’s actually counting and they expect you to get it right!

The preparation process so far has gone something like this.

Step one: read through the tests. OK, they don’t look too bad – we’ve been working on all that stuff and we’re actually not too bad at most of it on our arena at home. This will be fine!

Step two: ride some of the movements, accurately, exactly as they are in the test, not wherever I feel like doing them. OK, panic time – this is not so easy! In fact, is some of that stuff even possible?!  Those super steep canter half passes in the Inter A must be a typo!

Step three: start working – hard!! Have lessons with my super coach, David Shoobridge, who insists on accuracy and excellence and is supportive, empathetic and accepts absolutely no excuses for anything not done to the highest possible standard. Work out ways to train for accuracy and excellence at home.  Put cones on the arena at key points to show where I have to be at a certain part of the test. Pick up the cones each time I knock them over. Remember to concentrate on preparation and the transitions between the movements, not just on the movements themselves. Go through the highs and lows of being fabulous one day and a total disaster the next because I can ride / can’t ride;  am fit enough / am nowhere near fit; know the test backwards / can’t remember any of it; Gandalf is beautifully on the aids and in front of the leg / Gandalf thinks he’s a donkey.

Step four: get to a point where I can actually put together the Inter A and the Inter B tests in a way that makes me think we won’t totally disgrace ourselves at the next competition. Go through the rationalisation of telling myself that it’s only a dressage competition; it’s not the end of the world if we’re a total disaster; it’s important to remember that it’s just our first crack at this level; the luxury of stressing about a dressage competition is very much a first world problem. Do a pretty good job of believing all that for about ten minutes.

Then I realise that it does matter to me. It’s what I’m passionate about and the best thing to do is to embrace the nerves and uncertainty and go at it with all the positive energy and drive that I can muster.  I need to harness the nerves into focus and determination to be able to give it our absolute best shot.

The only problem with that is that it leaves absolutely nothing to hide behind – accepting that it’s important and committing to give it everything means that I’m throwing away the justifications and any possible excuses. We’ll either be good enough – or we won’t.

And in the back of my mind is the totally irrational fear that some well-meaning person will, at some time over the weekend, break it to me that we’re really not quite ready for this level.

As a friend said, when I shared this thought with her – “Who’s going to do that?  No-one would do that!”  Doesn’t mean that the irrational fear of it doesn’t exist.

So, in the week leading up to the competition I’m a bundle of focused and committed nerves with a whole lot of irrational worries running around my head. Weirdly enough, when you put it in that context, I’m still really looking forward to the weekend!

Now fast forward to the competition….

One of the best things about competing these days is that we have a group of people who train with David Shoobridge and have come together as a cohesive, encouraging, supportive and fun team. We’re all competitive in our own right and have become so closely connected that each other’s performances are just as important to us as our own. It’s an amazing privilege to be part of this group and as well as the practical support and all the laughs, it gives me an emotional safety net knowing that if everything does fall apart, there’s a whole lot of people who will help me put it back together.

On the flip side, when things go well, there’s a group who genuinely and enthusiastically celebrate each other’s successes and get excited about all sorts of different achievements.

Louise and Gandalf ©Jessica Atkins Photographics

For this competition the team was there in force and, in an amazing stroke of serendipity, the Medium Tour competition on both days consisted of three of us, and only the three of us, who train together and support each other as we move up the levels. It was a bit like having our own little competition staged just for us!

So, into the fray for the Inter A on day one. My first, somewhat disturbing, realisation was that none of my competition clothes really fit anymore! In fact, the first comment of the day from our super coach who was there to warm us up and cheer us on, was “Looking good Lou, but you need to get those tails taken in”!

It’s six months since I’ve competed and I’ve been working on fitness pretty diligently. The fact that I’m taking Rose-Hip Vital means that these days I really can get stuck into the fitness work and the body doesn’t object. I’m fitter than I’ve been in a long while and at the same time I’ve changed shape and although I realised this, I didn’t even think of trying on my competition gear beforehand. Ooops!

Never mind – better that problem than the opposite. At least everything was comfortable! Next stop needs to be The Dancing Horse Shop where I can get myself sorted with some stylish competition gear that fits!

David had us performing at our best as we went into the first test and it all worked. It will never be an easy test to ride – it just doesn’t flow – but our goal for the weekend was to be able to execute every movement in a competent manner and we absolutely achieved that. We got some great scores and a final score I was really pleased with.

Even more exciting, the three of us competing together were within less than two marks of each other in the final results and all of us rode comprehensive personal bests. There was champagne to celebrate that night in the team camp!

Day two and the Inter B was another super day. It’s a more demanding test although much nicer to ride, if that makes any sense. It flows more than the Inter A but at the same time demands more from horse and rider – at this stage it’s my favourite.

The scores weren’t quite so stellar but they were still surprisingly good and once again the three of us competing together were within a mark or so of each other. Another great team day with huge achievements to celebrate and the excitement of knowing we’re on the right track.

One of the highlights of the weekend was when the friend who I’d confided my fear of not being ready for the level came up to me after she’d watched the Inter B test and said “Lou, you absolutely do belong at this level!” That was the icing on the cake.

So, our learning journey continues and we’re having a blast. Being back in the competition arena after six months really concentrates the mind and shows very clearly the areas that need heaps more work and the parts that are good and could be better – which is pretty much most of it really!

I was thrilled that after the break from competing I was able to manage the competition nerves and didn’t revert to my old habit of freezing and then riding like a marshmallow – looks like we’ve got that one sorted. It appears, however, that my next challenge is to breathe. The comment of the weekend came from one of the Inter A judges who said to my husband (aka General Manager Equine), “Your wife would be great at underwater sports – it’s quite an achievement to hold your breath for six minutes”!!!

So… breathing, training, searching for excellence and having fun together as a team. That’s the plan and, as I’m constantly reminded, success is usually the result of a well-executed plan!

Louise and her boys © Gone Riding Media

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