lex2501
Well-Known Member
Candle has been well and truly burnt and both ends, which has left very little time to keep everyone updated on the antics of the grey boys and our new little arrival Jammie.
Billy
The eagle-eyed followers of my eventing pursuits might have noticed that I didnt produce a report for Billys run around Rackham a couple of months ago. This was for no particular reason other than there wasnt much to write home about he did a beautiful test but the judge had obviously bypassed Specsavers as we got a very average score of 34. I was a little surprised as Billy is Mr Consistent, and is normally in the 20s but the main thing was that he had been a very good boy so I shrugged it off and went down to the show jumping where he pinged round, just tapping 1 rail out where I reverted to old habits and hung on where Billy would have appreciated a long one. An easy clear XC round left us just outside of the placings, but my little Jelly Bean had been a superstar so I trucked home very content indeed  with 3 RFs to aim for later in the year.
I am perhaps over-cautious with my horses, and so the lack of rain has left us having a bit of a mid-season holiday which has done Billy the world of good. He knows his job so well that he doesnt need to be flogged round the circuit every weekend, and I have found that saving him for the big ones is definitely the best way to run him. So after a quiet few weeks I decided I really ought to go and have a dressage tune-up so we went off to do Prelim where I decided to take a bit of a gamble and really ask for more from him in an attempt to find that elusive sparkle which will be critical at the RFs. He popped up to canter a couple of times in the trot work, but the test on the whole was really smart so I was chuffed to see that he had won easily with over 70% in very nice company.
The SJ demons needed facing sooner or later so we decided to go to a BS show (yes, really) where I popped Billy around the British Novice first. He was having an absolute whale of a time, and squeaking and plunging in the warm up, but he knuckled down beautifully in the ring and jumped a cracking little round. Unfotunately I managed to lose the final fence (which was on a related distance on a straight line from the fence I had just jumped. Yes, really) so ended up having to circle to find it which was incredible dumb of me, and denied poor Billy the chance to ping, squeal and buck his way around the jump off! The main thing was that he hadnt breathed on a single pole which was a significant improvement. Next up was the 95cms Speed class. The competitive streak in me made me put my foot down a little, and it turned out that entering a speed class was the best thing I could have done as watching the video back the pace was spot on, but I felt like I was flying!! Not a bad round by my standards what do you think?
[video=youtube;6nYmBKH1V8o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=6nYmBKH1V8o&list=UU85SJhsT-VgXLQ7hcgQ8LKg[/video]
So Billy is back to having a quiet time now before his first BE90 RF at West Wilts on the 14th Sept . wish us luck!!
Murphy
The wheels had started falling off a little with Murphy, and with a bit of reflection I think I had been putting too much pressure on myself. Time is such a great healer, and our enforced break from eventing with the hard ground has been just what the doctor ordered. In a moment of madness I registered Murphy with BD and he also went along with Billy to the unaffiliated dressage competition for a tune up before our BD debut, where he won the Novice in great style (was very proud of my boys for both winning that day!). So our BD debut came at Crofton last Saturday, and I knew that he could produce some beautiful work providing I could engage pea-brains (thats both of us, I went wrong in both tests at the unaff comp!). His first test was N23 and he was a very good boy, and did a nice safe test.
[video=youtube;_6syZi_vM_4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6syZi_vM_4&list=UU85SJhsT-VgXLQ7hcgQ8LKg&feature=player_detailpage[/video]
I was very pleased to see that he scored 68.14% which left us in 2nd place (Restricted and Overall) so we won £16 and bagged 5 points towards our winter regional qualification not at all bad for a debut!! I had an awkward 30 mins between the 2 tests which was too long to keep working him, but not long enough to let him wind down I went for the latter (lazy!) and struggled to motivate myself, let alone poor Murphy for the second test which was N37, and I felt that I rode a little meh. That feeling when you are merely a passenger and know that you can and should be doing something anything but I sat there like some spuds! The dear boy managed to score a respectable 65% all by himself for 3rd place, and I was really pleased to see that Valegros clone had only scored 70% when it looked every bit an 80% test so we werent too far behind perfection ;-) So another 3 points, and a good day out.
Murphy has also ventured out to do some BS! And blow me down, he only went and jumped a bloody clear round!! Admittedly it was only around a discovery, and we were certainly not showered with complements for our style but the main thing Is we were out there, doing it, and learning more about each other. I now ride him in a double and I can produce a much much better canter. However I havent quite got my eye in from that canter so it feels a little messy still but we will get there. And I am now very much of the attitude that it doesnt matter how many poles fall, as long as we are both enjoying ourselves then thats all that matters!
So next up is another BD show on Sunday at Sparsholt (not expecting much as there are Murphy-eating-banners around the arena!) then some more BS the following weekend before going to Goring for the ON (ground permitting). The aim is to do the CIC* at SOE, the IN at Pulborough, and then the CCI* or CIC* at Aldon to finish the season.
I am also very excited to be riding Murphy at Blenheim Horse Trials where we will be doing our very best guinea pig impressions during the Nick Gauntlett lecture demonstration on Thursday afternoon!! It is THE most amazing opportunity and I am so excited!! Please do come along and watch if you are planning on going we will be doing all sorts of technical XC questions, and that is where darling Murphy really shines!
TBC for updates on Jammie
Billy
The eagle-eyed followers of my eventing pursuits might have noticed that I didnt produce a report for Billys run around Rackham a couple of months ago. This was for no particular reason other than there wasnt much to write home about he did a beautiful test but the judge had obviously bypassed Specsavers as we got a very average score of 34. I was a little surprised as Billy is Mr Consistent, and is normally in the 20s but the main thing was that he had been a very good boy so I shrugged it off and went down to the show jumping where he pinged round, just tapping 1 rail out where I reverted to old habits and hung on where Billy would have appreciated a long one. An easy clear XC round left us just outside of the placings, but my little Jelly Bean had been a superstar so I trucked home very content indeed  with 3 RFs to aim for later in the year.
I am perhaps over-cautious with my horses, and so the lack of rain has left us having a bit of a mid-season holiday which has done Billy the world of good. He knows his job so well that he doesnt need to be flogged round the circuit every weekend, and I have found that saving him for the big ones is definitely the best way to run him. So after a quiet few weeks I decided I really ought to go and have a dressage tune-up so we went off to do Prelim where I decided to take a bit of a gamble and really ask for more from him in an attempt to find that elusive sparkle which will be critical at the RFs. He popped up to canter a couple of times in the trot work, but the test on the whole was really smart so I was chuffed to see that he had won easily with over 70% in very nice company.
The SJ demons needed facing sooner or later so we decided to go to a BS show (yes, really) where I popped Billy around the British Novice first. He was having an absolute whale of a time, and squeaking and plunging in the warm up, but he knuckled down beautifully in the ring and jumped a cracking little round. Unfotunately I managed to lose the final fence (which was on a related distance on a straight line from the fence I had just jumped. Yes, really) so ended up having to circle to find it which was incredible dumb of me, and denied poor Billy the chance to ping, squeal and buck his way around the jump off! The main thing was that he hadnt breathed on a single pole which was a significant improvement. Next up was the 95cms Speed class. The competitive streak in me made me put my foot down a little, and it turned out that entering a speed class was the best thing I could have done as watching the video back the pace was spot on, but I felt like I was flying!! Not a bad round by my standards what do you think?
[video=youtube;6nYmBKH1V8o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=6nYmBKH1V8o&list=UU85SJhsT-VgXLQ7hcgQ8LKg[/video]
So Billy is back to having a quiet time now before his first BE90 RF at West Wilts on the 14th Sept . wish us luck!!
Murphy
The wheels had started falling off a little with Murphy, and with a bit of reflection I think I had been putting too much pressure on myself. Time is such a great healer, and our enforced break from eventing with the hard ground has been just what the doctor ordered. In a moment of madness I registered Murphy with BD and he also went along with Billy to the unaffiliated dressage competition for a tune up before our BD debut, where he won the Novice in great style (was very proud of my boys for both winning that day!). So our BD debut came at Crofton last Saturday, and I knew that he could produce some beautiful work providing I could engage pea-brains (thats both of us, I went wrong in both tests at the unaff comp!). His first test was N23 and he was a very good boy, and did a nice safe test.
[video=youtube;_6syZi_vM_4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6syZi_vM_4&list=UU85SJhsT-VgXLQ7hcgQ8LKg&feature=player_detailpage[/video]
I was very pleased to see that he scored 68.14% which left us in 2nd place (Restricted and Overall) so we won £16 and bagged 5 points towards our winter regional qualification not at all bad for a debut!! I had an awkward 30 mins between the 2 tests which was too long to keep working him, but not long enough to let him wind down I went for the latter (lazy!) and struggled to motivate myself, let alone poor Murphy for the second test which was N37, and I felt that I rode a little meh. That feeling when you are merely a passenger and know that you can and should be doing something anything but I sat there like some spuds! The dear boy managed to score a respectable 65% all by himself for 3rd place, and I was really pleased to see that Valegros clone had only scored 70% when it looked every bit an 80% test so we werent too far behind perfection ;-) So another 3 points, and a good day out.
Murphy has also ventured out to do some BS! And blow me down, he only went and jumped a bloody clear round!! Admittedly it was only around a discovery, and we were certainly not showered with complements for our style but the main thing Is we were out there, doing it, and learning more about each other. I now ride him in a double and I can produce a much much better canter. However I havent quite got my eye in from that canter so it feels a little messy still but we will get there. And I am now very much of the attitude that it doesnt matter how many poles fall, as long as we are both enjoying ourselves then thats all that matters!
So next up is another BD show on Sunday at Sparsholt (not expecting much as there are Murphy-eating-banners around the arena!) then some more BS the following weekend before going to Goring for the ON (ground permitting). The aim is to do the CIC* at SOE, the IN at Pulborough, and then the CCI* or CIC* at Aldon to finish the season.
I am also very excited to be riding Murphy at Blenheim Horse Trials where we will be doing our very best guinea pig impressions during the Nick Gauntlett lecture demonstration on Thursday afternoon!! It is THE most amazing opportunity and I am so excited!! Please do come along and watch if you are planning on going we will be doing all sorts of technical XC questions, and that is where darling Murphy really shines!
TBC for updates on Jammie
Keep me posted as would love to coordinate if you do go!
