2nd Advent Weekend

[Roxylola]

0 clipping done but Charlie took his owners daughter round a 60 and a 70 sj at kelsall yesterday like a saint. And today Bon and I had a good long hack with a few nice canters, there may have been an occasional bounce but he's always quite containable when he gets giddy so it's never really an issue

 

[blood_magik]

Jack’s turn today.

Not the best start as he took exception to water dripping from the roof in one of the corners and spooked rather dramatically ? but to be fair to him, he then pulled himself together and did a lovely warm-up test for a new PB of 69.14%.

Next up was the league championship test. He thankfully wasn’t bothered by the drip second time around and managed another sweet test with only a minor bobble on the final movement where we slightly overshot the centre line.

I hadn’t planned to hang around as didn’t expect to make the top 6 (it was a mounted prize-giving) so I was delighted to end up 3rd/18 on 67.22%.

Ended up having to bring in in the dark when we eventually got home two and a half hours later then planned. ?



So a successful but very loooong weekend. I think I might skip my 6am gym class tomorrow and make the most of a rare day off to celebrate ?

 

[Bernster]

AE that sounds really positive. We have similar issues with bracing and running through or losing balance in the downward transition. If I can soften and relax myself, so does he, but it takes quite some riding to get it right. It’s fun though working out all the whistles and bells ?

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Lots of exciting updates! Great to see everyone's photos.

I had my RS lesson on Friday. Not my best but still had fun. I'm at a bit of a mental block where it feels like if I can just get past this 'backward thinking' mindset, I could really move things up a level - not that I know what that would look like exactly. I think I'm in the right place RS wise and with the right instructor too, so motivated to not give up. Plus starting as a volunteer there in a couple of weeks which I am really looking forward to.

Today I spent HOURS, in Wadswick country store trying on boots - highly recommend this shop btw, the service was excellent - and it looks like Santa will be bringing me some Ariat riding boots. Further incentive to keep up riding and maybe one day have somewhere to wear them to other than a lesson

 

[DressageCob]

We had a great outing. We were 2nd in the M69 and 1st in the M76 with our best ever medium scores. He was awesome.

 

[j1ffy]

View attachment 103631

We had a great outing. We were 2nd in the M69 and 1st in the M76 with our best ever medium scores. He was awesome.

I wanted to 'love' this just from the photo, then I saw your note at the bottom - well done!!

 

[Accidental Eventer]

We also had a successful dressage outing. Henry warmed up well, but was tense and then had a lot of tension through the test, but it was a big improvement because I rode the horse, not the test and stayed present, so I managed him quite well to get a decent score. Second test was a lot calmer, just a little tense in a few places but felt better overall. It scored worse though!

I am hoping a move up to elem might help with the tension as the tests will be busier and he will have to focus on me more than the outside world. So keep chipping away, and next comp hopefully do an elem!

We have a jump lesson tomorrow, just for fun/get my confidence up to what it was before my accident. Looking forward to it!

 

[southerncomfort]

Nothing exciting for anyone but me but after chipping very slowly away at Bo's schooling under the guidance of my excellent instructor, we have suddenly made huge strides forwards.

Bo thinks schooling is a waste of good hacking time and can spend long periods of time grumpily arguing about literally EVERYTHING! So I limit our time in the school to once or twice a week.

Yesterday everything clicked in to place and the work (and endless patience) paid off as his usual angry giraffe impression was nowhere to be seen. Instead I had a soft, relaxed pony with lovely forward paces without any motorbiking and he willingly sought the contact himself, stretched over his back and generally felt wonderful.

I finally get why other people enjoy schooling! I've always found it deathly boring, but actually it's so rewarding when everything falls in to place and you can feel improvements being made!

 

[McFluff]

Had a fun final outing of the year.
Did well at prelim and feels like I’m getting more consistent work in the test environment.
I found that my usually totally unbothered by any warm up antics pony doesn’t ‘do’ jingle bells. Sadly (for me) some fellow competitors had put lots of effort into the fancy dress and I now know that pony won’t make a good Rudolph stand-in. Jingly bells coming up behind us led to ‘tension’. So we went out to relax by the arena, which worked, but then literally as we set foot in the arena it started to rain. Freezing horizontal rain. I regretted the full clip last week. Very kind judge noted our bad luck with the weather. Even then not our worst test, so oddly pleased!
Now he gets a few easy weeks before we start up again in the new year.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Good weekend here too. Mini madam the riding school pony went round her first 70cm with only one pole down. We had a bit of a misunderstanding about take off stride. My instructor thinks she needs more pace to jump better but I'm not convinced. Her conformation is against her as she is built with her withers as the highest point. She likes to sort of dive before the jump and over the jump there is no head in front of you at all! On the other hand she is incredibly chilled in the warm up (though we did trot there sideways this time!) and so brave and giving, she will literally jump anything you put in front of her, technique be damned (we are trying to up the technique a bit!).
Little madam, my pony, went brilliantly in the 95cm. We won! (out of 5 participants, but who cares). She's back in full form, putting in a cheeky buck in the middle of the round. (she has a "happy" buck and a "for goodness sake, watch your position, woman!" buck - this was definitely a happy buck).