C-2 Rating - Pony Club

Hey!
This past weekend my mom and I traveled 6 hours (each way) to a beautiful town to complete my C-2 rating for Pony Club. It was a great experience and has opened more than a few doors with with riding which I am very very excited about.

These are the basic expectations for the C-2
RIDING TEST EXPECTATIONS: Candidate should ride with confidence and control on the flat and over fences, demonstrating
a secure balanced position and progress toward an independent seat and coordinated use of aids. The candidate should begin to
initiate free forward movement establishing balance and rhythm while developing a light contact.
HORSE MANAGEMENT EXPECTATIONS: The candidate should show a solid awareness of cause and effect in horse
management skills. Assistance/supervision is allowed in the demonstration of bandaging, longeing, and loading mount.
The full test is here: http://ponyclub.org/files/bin/3524

Anyway, I was suppose to take this in December but several factors (horse injury, lack of experience in XC and dressage, lack of confidence) made we wait until the spring to go for the test. The only issue with that is that all the clubs in my area were not having a C-2 rating because the girls that were ready had moved up in the winter! So with some major help from the amazing woman in charge of ratings, I got a date. 2 weeks before my rating was take place. In a different state, with a club I didn't know, on a weekend in the middle of exams. Jazz and I have trained our butts off this spring in dressage and XC so I was hoping everything would pay off.

We had a smooth ride up and stayed over in a GORGEOUS barn and woke up bright and early to begin the rating. It started formal inspection, checking of bandages and going over common unsoundnesses. Formals went well, bandages were great, and I almost got through the unsoundnesses without an issue. I couldn't describe navicular well enough for the examiner. I could see what I wanted to say and show but it just wasn't coming across. Thankfully, splints, sidebone, ringbone, curb, thoroughpin and a trick spavin question came across perfectly. Everything met standard. Then came the mounted portion.

I was BAD sick during the rating so my riding was just average but thankfully all our work paid off and average for us was more than enough to meet the standard for all the riding. The examiner had some helpful critiques that will help us with our riding on the whole. Everything met standard for this part too. The unmounted went alright with a couple mis-steps in wording that caused a little issue. One of the people rating up had had a tough time with the mounted and was super uptight. He knew all the answers and was determined to show he was a good C-2 so whenever I mis-spoke or paused to think he jumped on my answer before I could say it. That happened once or twice and I guess the examiner say what was happening and gave me an extra question to answer so I could show what I knew. I met standard in all the unmounted portions and EXCEEDED standard in my Record Book. I put over 15 hours of work into perfecting that book and was super happy that that work was being rewareded.

SO I PASSED!!!!!!! YAY!

After the test, I talked to the examiner for a bit and we are trying to work a few things out that could really help Jazz and I and allow us to progress. Can't really say much right now though!

Either way, this rating is out of the way and I'm signed up to take the H-B in September!!!

I'll keep this blog posted (hopefully more often) with our going-ons in training, PC camp, Nationals and everything else!

BYE!