A very special day!
Get ready for a long post..... Well Sunday was the day, the day that I have worked towards for as long as I can remember. On Sunday I rode my first Intermediate II and my first GRAND PRIX!! For many reasons it was an emotional day. Some of you may know that Jay sustained an injury at the beginning of our partnership. The vet didn't know if Jay would ever compete again let alone ever be strong enough to handle the Grand Prix work! Thanks to having such an amazing team Jay came back very slowly and carefully to give him every chance. I was rather nervous shall we say on Sunday, more nervous than I can ever remember being before 😬 The Intermediate II was first up, we had a small mistake coming out of the second pirouette but apart from that I was very happy with it! We scored 64.671%! Very happy with that score for our first attempt! Then it rained and got rather windy, but as some scratched and went home the crazy ones stayed and continued on 😂 The weather then fined up before the Grand Prix luckily, although I know Jay is great in any weather 🙌🏻 So the Grand Prix, didn't quite go as I had planned, a couple too many mistakes but we still achieved our goal of getting over 60%! We scored 60.800%!!! A huge thank you to the NW Dressage Commitee for putting the competition on and getting judges for us! It was amazing do to my first Grand Prix in front of my home crowd! It was also amazing to have my family and friends there to support me! As all riders know it is a team effort! Thank you to Bunjarra Equestrian Centre for sponsoring the classes! Thank you so much to my incredible sponsors and supporters! -Dannebrog Cafe Bar and Grill, the best steaks in Tasmania! -Saddle Savers by Sandbeck for my amazing Savers that keep my saddle scratch free! -RockTape Equine Australia! Jay and I both live off RockTape to keep us ready to perform! -Tasmanian Horse Transport for ensuring that Jay has first class travel across Bass Strait and beyond! -Equissage Tasmania for helping Jay and I recover quicker! -Groups Tasmania for always getting us across Bass Strait so efficiently! -Spirit of Tasmania for safely getting us across Bass Strait! -Urban Horsewear for our amazing and stylish gear from rugs to competition gear they have everyone covered! To everyone else that has played a role in helping myself along the road, especially coaches Peter Fischer and Susan Elekessy. To my dressage family both in Tasmania and on the mainland you support means the world to us! Onwards and upwards from here! Nice to have our first big tour competition done and get rid of those nerves! Now to keep working hard towards the Dressage Nationals at Boneo in October! Thank you again for being part of this journey! Caitlin ❤️