We had a very interesting show at MVHC this past weekend. Szig had a sore back and I had tried to relieve it with the usual massage from Dawn the night before. I guess that wasn't enough. He was still quite sore when Crystal got on him during warm up. He gave her quite a hard time with the right lead canter by refusing to pick up the lead and then bucking when she persisted in asking for the canter. I thought for sure that the test would be a disaster. To the contrary, Szig gave Crystal a pretty good ride. Thier overall score was a 63.667. His lengthenings earned a 7 and an 8. The collective marks were an 8, 7, 6 and 7. The only blip was a little jigging in the free walk and some stiffness in the medium. Otherwise all of her scores were very consistent. Our second test was ok but it was clear that he was tired from his antics from the morning.
The really interesting part of the day happened at the end of our second test. The scribe for the judge is a very nice lady who has always admired Szig. Apparently, she told the judge that Szig was a special kind of Arab. The judge asked Crystal what his breeding was after she was done with her test. Crystal told the judge that he was a Shagya. Apparently, the judge had never heard of a Shagya because she made Crystal repeat the name three times. When she still had no idea what it was, I shouted out that he was Hungarian. The judge then said, "Well, what's so special about that?" I guess that kind of sums up whey I think it's important to have Szig out there in the show ring. Dressage enthusiasts need to know their pedigrees! I think it will do the sport good to know that some of the best dressage horses came from Shagya blood. Judges comment on Szig's elegance and athleticism- he didn't get those qualities by accident.
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