Coming to an end

Show season is coming to an end. Its bother bitter sweet. I love showing but also know that my horse and I both need a break from it, especially from all that we did this year! I also know that we need the winter to work on everything so we can come back next year at a higher level. He is a solid training level horse and has proved it at every outing this year, now we need to install a few more buttons over the winter so we can come out next year at first level. We have begun leg yields but are no where near proficient at them. I struggle with getting him off my leg anyways as it is harder for him but we are slowly making progres.
Our last dressage show of the year was yesterday. We moved up and did training test 2 and 3 this time. I definitely have things I need to work on. I seem to always ride him better our second test after I come off the first one going "that was decent but he wasnt really moving off my leg" or wasnt doing something, which usually means im not riding him as well as I could be. We got 2nd out of 13 that ride with almost a 72%! Wow! After finishing my second test I thought now that was much better if the last one was almost 72 this one has got to be a 75! I saw my 3rd place ribbon (out of 16) and was happy with him! Then I saw our score... somehow with a much better test we score 5 percent less?! The first place person had a 67 something too. MUCH lower scores all around then the first test... humm I think Kathy got stung by a bee or something because the comments and everything were like a 180 flip from the previous one! Too bad its the only show we havent recorded my tests. Oh well I was happy with him and thats all that matters. Its not like a 66 isnt a bad score either!