Sticking my head in from H/J land to say, "Hi, I'm going to my first dressage show and I'm terrified!" (Update: post 55!)

[Tha_Ridge]

Thank you! It is an Arion: https://www.arion-hst.com/. I switched over to their saddles as well back in May and love the product.

[theresak]

Great job going with the flow and how the horse felt.

I have a 5 year old who is very lazy but away from home usually needs a 5 minute lunge to get his brain and legs moving at the same speed. If you are doing Intro and Training and your horse might need a quick lunge to get the wiggles out, keep with the idea of just doing a 15 minute under saddle warm up after the lunge, especially with a normally lazy horse. At those levels, the warm up just to check you can go forward, stop, and turn. Fixing anything else in the warm up isn’t going to have a big impact on the test.

[Tha_Ridge]

Exactly, it was perfectly timed. Post-lunge, we had just the right amount of time to do a few transitions, make sure he was actively listening, walk for a bit (did I mention it was HOT? ), and review the test.

[J-Lu]

Oh congratulations! You two look amazing! What a neck that can be developed!

I’m so glad you two had such a good experience at your first show! Huzzahh!

ETA: We now expect updates at subsequent shows.

[Pehsness]

I haven’t gotten through this thread yet but it is perfect, thank you. Exactly what I need to read.

[Tarlo_Farm]

Great report, lovely looking horse, and you look HOT!

[Angela_Freda]

Dressage will help your H/J ridability so much! Congrats

[2tempe]

Beware H/J OP: you might just get hooked on this dressage thing…its happened to others.

[NaturallyHappy]

So…why did you switch to their saddles? And what did you switch from? Thank you.

[Tha_Ridge]

I switched from a CWD. I actually heard the founder on the Plaid Horse podcast and was really impressed with the way he talked about customer service and saddle design, so I had the rep out with zero expectations - she sold three saddles in my barn on that day and has sold two more since. Everyone who’s sat in one has loved it and the rep was able to craft a panel that works for my high-withered jumper and the other horses I ride (with padding adjusted as needed). As a bonus, their turnaround time for a full custom is just four weeks.

[NaturallyHappy]

Thank you! I filled out the form asking for a rep to contact me.

[SillyHorse]

I’m not sure how I feel about a company that makes a double bridle with an attached flash.

[yaya]

Wow. They even show it on a horse with the flash under the curb.