You know that feeling when you ride into the arena for that first ever ride at your debut international and your horse is with you from the minute you get on; i’s just you and him in your own little bubble!? I do now and I get butterflies just thinking about the next time I might get that chance. After having had so much fun at the 2015 CDI Vilamoura three weeks ago, I grabbed the opportunity to compete at the CDI Valencia on 24 - 27 April 2015.
Of course I only got the invitation four days before the competition, so there was a bit of a panic to get everything done. Crossing international boarders with horses is not as simple as just popping them in the truck, and luckily for me I have a solid relationship with my veterinary team from Quinta dos Cedros so they came rather quickly to help me get it sorted.
I have talked about having respect for your groom, but it is important when you start competition that you have people you can rely on and that understand the time and money you spend on your horse. You foster that relationship with respect for your whole support team, from vet to farrier and everyone in between, so that when you need them they are genuinely invested in supporting your goal.
Very rapidly we got it all together and Batialo arrived in Valencia after the 14 hour drive feeling “fresh”. I took a cheap flight after a discussion with mum, who wasn’t worried about me but thought that my groom Valdeni might waste time stopping to tie me to the roof!
Valencia turned out to be a great choice, because the facilities are top and I was stabled with Portuguese Olympian Maria Caetano and Grand Prix rider Maria Amaral, both of whom were a great support to me during the weekend. Even though I don’t mind being the only Aussie, it’s great to finish the test and have even one person you know and respect clapping for you.
Show Ground Familiarization
On Thursday 23 April when I rode in the morning the arenas were packed. Trainers, dogs, horses, riders, people moving cars and tractors and umbrellas were all there, and Batialo felt really great. I was amazed that in that atmosphere he was listening to me, we were in our own bubble, from the minute I got on.
I did notice though that at a CDI outside your home country or training country, it is a bit like a mine field! Riders take no prisoners when it comes to who will stampede whom. Tip of the day would be to stand your ground if you have the right of way, because a split second flinch can end in collision and you must ride into that arena like you're facing a swarm of Italian taxi drivers.
After lunch I rode again, as this is still very new to both of us and we thought that it would be best to get as much exposure as possible. Well Spain had gone to siesta and there was not a single soul out on the arenas. Batialo waltzed out, took one look and said “Boring and spun off towards home.” I hopped on thinking that he would be like he was that morning and realised very quickly that I was sleeping. So Batialo realized I was paying attention, so why should he? I tried to get it back together but he was in take over mode and the trot was good but in the canter he was taking over.
Our first ever trot up was up next and a few people mentioned their surprise to me that I was taking Batialo myself. Just because a horse is enthusiastic and full of life to ride doesn’t mean they are bad to handle. Batialo is the most sensible horse I have ever known. He didn’t really want to trot, but he certainly didn’t want to take off, or make rude gestures at everybody. He quite happily followed me along the path and then asked for a sugar lump of course.
Game Time
While that ride threw me a bit, (ice, stretching, praying) I decided chin up, move on, ready for the Prix St Georges. In the warm-up again we had some trouble dodging some of the more exuberant (or literally out of control) pairs, and I realised an error on my part. Riding for me is my escape, it’s my sanctuary, and so I often deliberately schedule to ride alone, to enjoy being in the zone with my horse, but this is tricky when you get in an arena with dozens of other riders.
I have realised that it is important that you expose yourself at home to riding with other horses. If you train alone at your own stable then it would even be a good idea to join up with a mate from down the road and take turns going to ride at the stable of the other. Don’t be like me, and just say a prayer that it will all be ok when you arrive at the show, because that is placing an unfair expectation on your horse. The more you are exposed to it, the more you can learn to create that bubble, that sanctuary or zone between you and your horse, even when there is banging and crashing and leaping all around you.
I was told to always drive as though it is everyone else on the road that is a maniac and riding in a warmup is the same, as you just never know which horse might suddenly get a scare and you need to be prepared so that your horse doesn’t weather the domino effect. So our warm-up was a little bit “yeeha” and Batialo was not as with me as I would have liked going into the test. A small insight is that whatever problem you are having in the warm-up is quite often magnified times three in the test. For example, if your horse is coming behind you slightly, he will be about a mile south by the time you ride down the last centreline. If he is wobbling into dribbly halts, in the test your halts will look like a jelly rhombus. In other words if your horse is not really listening then most likely this will be the same issue you take into the arena.
As a result Batialo stayed with me in the trot work but took over in the canter and I had some mistakes, particularly in the changes which is something we can do well. The second thing to keep in mind is that whatever you do well, can be the thing you muck up in the test. This can often come down to attitude. You begin the movement and your mind says “we do this well, it’s easy” and your horse says “oh look she’s sleeping” I can just do this or this instead. On the other hand you can go in thinking something is difficult, or that you might stuff it up and end up overriding it or unconsciously tensing up before it, prompting your horse to think “well obviously she thinks I'm going to do something bad here, so I really better do it.” You just to have to find that very delicate line in the middle! Easy!
Rematch
In the second day for the Intermediaire I we had lunged Batialo again because even though he was a little tired, he is a horse that never really looses his lustre. My vet once said that he has the resting heart rate of a top race horse and he is a pro napper. He spends a lot of his his time rolling in his shavings and then lying down for a snooze.
Experience is what helps you decide how tired your horse is as well as knowing your horse, knowing if he gets nervous, or if he is relaxed and just likes to show off. This day we had found our bubble but we took too long in the warm-up. By the test we were losing a bit of lustre and still had mistakes. I am reminded again that getting out there and seeing everything are what moulds a top pair to reach their full potential.
One thing to note is how important it is to have a sense of humour. Dressage is always so serious and it is great to ride in with an air of “I am the best,” but it is really great to also have a laugh afterwards, with yourself, with your horse, with your groom.
This is only the beginning for us and we have lots to learn about international competition. Valdeni asked me today who I knew when I came to Portugal and I said no-one. When I arrived 5 years ago I didn’t know a single person, had no horse, no home, just a crazy idea and a mum who always told me that I could do anything I put my mind to.
On the way home from the showgrounds a very famous song from the Monkees was playing, and I smiled. If I’m the “daydream believer,” I guess that means Batialo is my homecoming queen.
by Sarah Warne - Photos © Rui Pedro Godinho / Sarah Warne
Related Link
Sarah Warne's Return to the Show Ring at the 2015 CDI Vilamoura