Honoured to be invited to ride in the CDI4* Mallorca, or Balearen Tour, at the private Es Fangar estate in Mallorca, Spain, I headed off from Portugal not knowing what to expect. It is not often that you get VIP passes to an all inclusive equestrian event, a luxury that I am not accustomed to.
After a rather bad start due to a miscommunication, my horse arrived at the ferry in Barcelona and was turned away as his ticket was for Valencia. Luckily the organising team were so helpful and the crew from Barcelona Horses welcomed my team and we were able to catch the ferry the following day. However this of course threw off my CDI planning and Batialo really didn’t get a good recovery from the journey before it was time to get on with the show.
The show must go on, however, and we adjusted and tried to get Batialo in fighting form as best we could before my first class, the Prix St Georges. Cold showers, electrolytes, carrots, pep talks, etc were all issued rather frequently. I did hear that quite a few horses needed the vet out, as high temperatures were making most of the grounds feel a bit like a public sauna. The team from Es Fanger and the organisers, went above and beyond to help everybody out, and quite literally would sprint off to the main office or main gate for any lost rider/trainer/groom/visitor.
The grounds themselves were worth seeing and while the access to the facilities was a little nerve-wracking (two lorries passing on a one way road with rock walls either side), the trip was worth it. The surfaces and arenas were truly VIP material. Unfortunately not all the horses could fit in the permanent stables, which are pretty much the same size as my apartment, and we were stabled in tents. They were of course very well built, but in the heat a tent becomes a big hot air balloon.
On Thursday I just rode Batialo for ten minutes, as he was recovering. From the minute I got on he was just so good. Nothing seems to bother him and after just three CDI’s it’s like he has suddenly decided that pretty much everything is normal; that a person dragging that tarp across in front of him, is a bit boring really.
For the Prix St Georges on Friday he was really feeling low and I sort of crept around not pushing him too much. I am a bit of a worrier and I worry about my horse a bit too much. Caring for your horse is great, but if you stress about them, the horse can pick up on that. After my test, I realised again the importance of having a good set of eyes on the ground. It doesn't have to be the best trainer in the world, just someone to say, "more", "relax your hands", etc.; all the things we know but forget when we have an arena full of competitors and just 5 minutes of warm-up left. I got in the test and Batialo just cruised around in first gear, so the marks were given accordingly (61.289%). We certainly didn't show any of his talent, but I was still just so happy that he was so calm and cool with everything around him. Tents, cars, tarps being pulled in all directions, I couldn't believe the change in his maturity level in just these three months of competition.
On Saturday I got out early as I wasn’t competing and I rode Batialo with a different approach. In the past I have had to use transitions to keep Batialo focused as he was still very excited. Now that he is calm I had to use transitions and really light aids to make him more responsive to the leg and seat, in order to show more activity and well a bit more oomph.
In the heat I found him a little bit less electric and so it was up to me to use tact and timing to get the result I wanted. While I saw some very great presentations during the weekend, I also saw some interesting approaches to riding in the heat. One rider was floating round on a lovely horse, and as he came around the corner he took both legs right off so you could see daylight between him and the saddle, turned his toes out, and came back down on the horse with all his strength. If that is how to produce activity I wonder if that is dressage?
For the Intermediate I on Sunday Batialo was starting to feel a bit more like his usual inquisitive, energetic self and the warm-up in the indoor, just 20 minutes, went really well. I really worked on getting him a off a very light electric aid in the warm-up. However, as the warm-up was in the somewhat cooler indoor, when we hit the much hotter outside competition arena we still lost a bit of our oomph. I scored 65.079 % to finish seventh. On returning home we have discovered that Batialo had picked up a bit of an allergy flu during the trip.
Six months ago if another horse came in the arena I would quickly duck out, afraid that Batialo would get too excited. After every CDI I come away feeling that much more confident in myself and in my horse. I have learnt, however, that no matter how much you plan your ride, you have to just see how your horse is on that day! Every show Batialo has been different and we are still adjusting our lunge time, warm-up time, walk time, what exercises to do in the warm-up, how much rest the horse needs after the trip, etc. All these things are just as important as having the movements prepared, as all these things are what experienced riders have developed and adjusted, practiced time and time again, to get it just right.
Even with all this in place though, until you have been to 100 shows you just have to get in the warm-up and see what horse you have on the day. Is he fresh, is he tired, is he listening? You can plan to do exercises and then get in the warm-up and realise your horse is tense and you need to get him to stretch and relax. Alternatively, you might get in the warm-up and feel him really distracted and spend 20 minutes just doing transitions to get him thinking on you.
Go in with a plan, be ready to abort said plan if your horse is in need of a different approach. Know your horse well enough to know what he needs, if he needs lunging, if he needs to be walked past the flag ten times and then ten times again, or if you could tie him to the flag and he would be fine.
I was much happier with the Sunday test as I really tried to get all I could from Batialo. While I agreed with all of the judges' comments and I will go home and study and work to be better, when one judge gives you a 5.5 for walk and another a 7.5, there is still quite a gap between what one sees to another.
Overall, it was an amazing event to be a part of, and I think we should congratulate the Es Fanger family for inventing, organising, and pulling off a VIP International dressage event! As it was the first year, the family were very keen on getting as much feedback as possible in the hopes of making it better each year. I truly believe that given their welcoming and spirited attitude, it will be a show that will get bigger and better as time goes on.
As for Batialo, he will get lots of R & R on his return and a short break before we continue the training towards Grand Prix.
by Sarah Warne - Photos © Top Iberian / Sarah Warne
Related Links
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Sarah Warne In Search of the Bubble at the 2015 CDI Valencia
Sarah Warne's Return to the Show Ring at the 2015 CDI Vilamoura