Ready For The Competition

So, it is officially time for the competition, and our sixty day challenge is drawing to a close. Saturday, Polly, Erica and I will be heading up to Maryland very early in the morning, and the festival  begins at 10, with the freestyle competition at 2, and the awards being given at 4pm. 

Polly enjoyed her week off while I was in England, and I think it actually did her some good. She came back the past two weeks and really made some leaps in her education, and I'm pretty sure that she's ready for the challenge. I got her adjusted by Dr. Goldsmith one more time, just to make sure that her body was feeling up for the extra work, and we got the go-ahead to continue, albeit with attention paid to how fast and hard we ask her to work. 

I would say that I'm a secretly competitive person, because I seem like I'm pretty laid back about competition, but I take it very seriously and expect for my hard work to be rewarded appropriately! I know that the challenge is about showing the progress of the horse and the relationship between myself and Polly....but I still want to win!!

I'm also very serious about presentation, because I feel strongly that if you look the part, you're more likely to be considered professional, prepared, and impress the judges! This is for every public appearance, regardless of the level or type of activity. It's like going on a date, you don't wear your regular jeans and a semi-dirty t-shirt, do you? No! You wash your hair, wear the most flattering clothes you have, and try to make the best first impression. 

In response to that, Polly has enjoyed more than a little spa time this week in preparation for the competition! Not to give away any trade secrets, but I did dye her tail....and gave her a little root treatment for her grey hair patch on her mane! I do this for my horses before major competitions, it helps get rid of the sunburn streaks in the tail, and it looks fantastic!

She has been preparing for her freestyle, and while I can't reveal the whole plan, I can tell you that we will be doing a five-minute bit to Pharell's "Happy", which I thought was appropriately fun, sporty and good for a girl that is looking for adoption!

The last bit of good news is that Polly was vetted this week, as we were considering keeping her in our program at EWS, and all of our horses have to pass a vet examination before they can enter into training. We like to make sure that they are physically ready to become sport horses before we ask them to work. Great news! Polly passed!! She has wonderful flexions, x-rays and good heart/lungs/breathing, so she will be returning with us after Saturday's festivities. I'm delighted to keep training her, and excited to see what I can do with a little more time.