Back to that QQ Groove

Like I mentioned in the last post, I've been trying to find my groove again when it comes to handling Dally successfully, all while still trying to figure out LaMesa. Things finally came together on the second day of the Queen City AKC trial.

In Jumpers, the course had a hard 90* corner with the triple and the double. Both of those came down on LaMesa's run (not sure if it was our timing, the angle, or what). But the rest of the course she handled beautifully--she was nice and tight on the wrap, and I was happy I was able to get in front crosses (I think I threw a blind before the tunnel, too) with her:



Dally kept the jumps up, but she didn't wrap the jump as tightly as her sister--I think she assumed we were done and just running straight home. (One positive to LaMesa being more focused on me than Dally most times--she doesn't assume much on the course.) But she was moving great! I didn't see her slow down in the pinwheels like she normally does, so she was definitely running happy.




I was beginning to feel like we were so close with LaMesa, and that maybe we'd have a clean run in Standard. If we could only keep those bars up...



We kept the dreaded spread jumps up, but for some reason she got off rhythm in the weaves and came out. Cue the sunken heart. :-( Soooo close. The second the last jump, I think she was just about done. I wanted to make sure she understood she needed to jump every jump, so I was proud of myself for stopping and making her take that jump. Even though she was tired, she kept that triple up. :-)

Oh well, maybe next time...

Dally handled the Standard course well. I wanted to do a blind after the weave poles, but when I felt like I had a QQ on the line, I really wasn't confident in Dally staying in the weaves (since she came out of them the day before) to go ahead. So I threw in a rear cross, which we rarely practice together, and it showed--she got lost because she didn't read my body and went a little wide, but we were still clean.




And that was our first QQ since the weekend we got our PACH, back in November! So one drought has finally ended (QQ #2 towards PACH2, QQ #1 towards Nationals 2014)!

I went home proud of both girls. LaMesa and I are making strides (I even had people comment how much better we're running lately, which feels nice), now if only everything could come together at the same time. Dally is still hanging with me and having fun on the courses. We might get our communications crossed, but I don't think she's holding her grudges as long as she used to.

Our next trial isn't until mid-May, and I cannot wait!