Friends and Family rule Grand Prix classes at Derby...

So I just have to add that.... how cool is it that also at the Derby this weekend, Tuny won the CDI Grand Prix, Courtney and Idocus (Fizzy's dad!) won the Grand Prix Freestyle, and Michael Barisone and Neruda (both of whom were in Germany at the same time of us) won the Grand Prix Special. I don't think it happens so often that a father wins in the CDI Grand Prix classes, while his son wins in the National Grand Prix... let alone that a trainer wins the CDI Grand Prix and her student wins the national one.

So fun!

Winning our first Grand Prix

My last entry was on Fizzy's splint and other random musings... so to update everyone on that the splint healed superbly and Fizzy has been working great. We were able to participate in a clinic for Developing Riders with Debbie McDonald two weeks ago which was very good; Debbie is a wonderful instructor and helped me tremendously with the overall connection and carriage. She said that the quality of the movements is very good, and that Fizzy just needs time to continue to grow stronger and develop more collection.

Following the clinic with Debbie we did an Intermediare II on Saturday, February 24th at the Wellington showgrounds which went well. Although I had some mistakes in the trot and piaffe/passage tour, the canter work was super, and I was really happy with him.

I am so, so excited to announce that we won our first ever Grand Prix on Saturday, March 3rd, with a respectable 66% from German "O" judge Uwe Mechlem. Although I had mistakes in my canter tour (read: 4s for my two tempis, one tempis and extended canter!), our piaffe/passage tour was super, with all 7s and 8s for the piaffe, passage and transitions. We also had 8s for our extended trot work, our trot half-passes and extended walk. At the end of my ride, the judge stood up from his chair, gave me a smile and a thumbs up, and said, "Super horse!"

We also competed in the Intermediare II on Thursday, earning a 67.9% and 2nd overall. And if I had halted at the correct letter at the end ("I," not "G"), we would have won with a 68.4%. :-)

What I am the most happy about is how settled Fizzy is getting in the show ring. I feel like I can really ride him now in the piaffe, and am just a few rides away from really having him in the canter tour, as well. His changes have become 100% straighter in the last week, with the two-tempis espicially improving as I am now using my inside leg more to keep him straighter.

Fizzy's now getting two very much deserved days off, after a busy few weeks. I wanted to save money by trailering him in for the shows and clinic, so he's made eight mini-trips in the last 14 days! Needless to say, he is now a professional at getting groomed and braided at home, shipping in, getting tacked up on the trailer, and going to the show ring.

That's all for now, I will try to write more tomorrow when I have time.

:-) Liz+Fizzy