Phase 3, MDHT II: Our Love will Live On! (7/19/2010)

So Phase three consisted of Liza taking Woody to MDHT II. It was a TOTAL success. Liza and I were SUPER pleased.

Dressage was nice. Liza still commented that he needs to be a bit more ridable (For example see the free walk:working walk: trot transition ), but he’s come SUCH a far way.

THAT earned them a 34.4 and solidly in 12th place (only in Area II ). I was totally happy with it regardless. My goal was for him to finish on his dressage score.

Which he TOTALLY did!

Yet one more way that Woody is weird. Liza said at the end of the day she’s ridden few horses that were greener XC than stadium. That usually once they got going they’re right as rain. Woody, went around clean, but he still took some work on the XC. His Stadium however, was FANTASTIC.

Liza came out of the ring smiling and said “he’s a GOOD horse!” He was super willing and eager, and Cupcake his face KILLS me when he’s cantering down to a fence!

Then XC was up. the were clean and WELL inside the time. I was able to walk the course with Liza and learned a LOT about how to do things better. She had him REALLY forward the first half of the course to get him going and then was SUPER relaxed and worked on some ridability on the last part. I do love watching him go around.

I’m a pretty proud momma. I’ve been having some internal struggling as to what to do with Woods. I’ve always told myself that eventually I’d be willing to consider selling him. I’ve been feeling pretty downtrodden about how our spring season ended and we DeHarts sometimes like to rationalize the lazy way out of a hard situation.

Then, last week I decided I was going to make this shit work. I’m just not ready; I love him like a 12 year old loves those stupid vampires from the Twilight saga. I’m not soooo hard on myself, I’m not a total up-downer, but I have beat the SHIT out of myself over how difficult this horse is to ride. Instead of kicking myself in the proverbial nuts I decided on Friday that I’m going to get better, and he’s going to get more willing to take a joke/more seasoned and our nauseating middle school love will live on. I’m just too in love with him. We’re gonna come out fighting this fall.