A Melting Medium Moment

trendybraincell

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The Little Donkey and I have been merrily chugging along at Elementary for a while now, I was quite happy to call it as our limit but trainer 1 & 2 feel a bit different and have been slowly pressing me to try more. So I'd put my brave pants on and decided I'd give a Medium a try at the end of the month :eek:

I searched for a show with 61 to ease me into things, everything was set and then I had a message from trainer 2 asking if I'd like to do a couple of Mediums at a venue today for some judges training, they basically needed more riders :eek: downside being it was M69 and M75 :rolleyes: ah well I thought, I have no intention of selling Shadow so it doesn't matter if he has some blimps on his record :D

Now Shadow does not do heat, so with the temps rocketing up I was really starting to doubt our chances of getting round 2 tests :confused: thankfully when I called up for my times I was told it was just one test (phew!) but that it was M75 :eek: so my first Medium was going to be 75 :eek::eek:

We trundled off with a lorry stock piled with H2O to Hunters and arrived with plenty of time...just how I like it. Que some time to faff about, ensure I knew my test and get ready. I went in the warm up and the moment we set off I knew it was going to be tough going, so I did a lot of stretchy bendy walk to start then little bursts of trot, canter and lateral work but just enough to ensure I would be able to get him sideways when I needed :p

I hope photobucket has accepted I've resized them!!

















I was hardcore and donned my jacket and headed off for the test :cool:
I was hoping the daft grin on my face as I cantered into the arena would be enough for the judge to want to give me 10's all round :D :D
Any way I'll save giving you a run down of the test and let you watch it instead. There are a lot of green mistakes, theres loads of room for improvement BUT I don't think we embarrassed ourselves (much) had there not been the funny moment into the 2nd walk piri and if I'd managed to keep the canter after the extended diagonal I think we'd have been +60% mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EJovdHB-iU

As it was we came away with 58.64% (4th and last in restricted) which I am really pleased with. It was a seriously big ask of the little donkey today, he hates this heat and yet he really did try his little heart out :eek: I feel with a bit more practice we might not be too bad.

All I can offer is a liquified Galaxy Ripple and a carton of warm ribena :D
 

Feisty Mare

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Ahh he is lovely well done! Doesn't look like you embarrassed yourselves. Competed yesterday and could not have managed to wear a jacket 😮
 

Worried1

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Love the canter pic! How uphill? Really well done that's a very positive first medium score and 75 is a stinker! :)
 

trendybraincell

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Yes it was a bit :eek: tbh my shirt is probably the only top where I'm busting out, so unless the judges were looking for a flasher in the class the jacket was probably a good idea!
 

Brummyrat

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What a lovely test! Considering the heat he looked fab, especially that canter across the diagonal! Good luck next time x
 

trendybraincell

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Looks lovely and what a fab canter. He is a gorgeous horse, one of my favourites on the forum.

Ahh thank you, I'll tell him he's got a fan :)

What a lovely test! Considering the heat he looked fab, especially that canter across the diagonal! Good luck next time x

I knew coming back after the extended canter I might loose him but I thought I'd go for it anyway

Well done! He looks lovely. I am considering trying med 75 in a few weeks but it does look a horrible test

I actually quite like it as a test. Yes it was hard given the heat and the fact it was our first one, certainly wouldn't have been my first choice but I think once we're a bit more established it'll be a great test for us

Well done- the heat must have been wicked!

Wicked doesn't even cover it rara007, it was worse because there was no breeze or air movement to cool you a little.
 

trendybraincell

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He is just so lush!! And HOW uphill was that first canter transition?! Really lovely boy, well done.

Its not really a brilliant transition :rolleyes: (left walk to canter is the weakest) he has always had a tendency to climb up into the canter, he doesn't really step through from behind into canter. I had found when I was practising the piri into canter I was getting this a bit more so its my fault it wasn't a better transition!
 

Prince33Sp4rkle

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really well done :)

it started off super, but then i think you both got a bit flustered after the trot work?

if you want my totally honet opinion (and feel free to tell me to do one) he could do with losing weight, will allow him to use his hind leg better in trot and not have to waddle in the lateral work. I know its an uphill battle with natives but whatever you can do, interval training, soak hay, muzzle him, get it off, you will be amazed how much diff it can make to them.

generally the canter needs to stay on the hind leg more, so he's uphill from compressing the joints of the hind leg rather than from just throwing his shoulders up, that will help with keeping the 3 beat rhythm in the HP and in the collection back from the ex canter etc.

for the medium./ext trot-teach him passage! seriously, will give him the idea of big slow rather than flat and quick.
 

trendybraincell

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really well done :)

it started off super, but then i think you both got a bit flustered after the trot work?

if you want my totally honet opinion (and feel free to tell me to do one) he could do with losing weight, will allow him to use his hind leg better in trot and not have to waddle in the lateral work. I know its an uphill battle with natives but whatever you can do, interval training, soak hay, muzzle him, get it off, you will be amazed how much diff it can make to them.

generally the canter needs to stay on the hind leg more, so he's uphill from compressing the joints of the hind leg rather than from just throwing his shoulders up, that will help with keeping the 3 beat rhythm in the HP and in the collection back from the ex canter etc.

for the medium./ext trot-teach him passage! seriously, will give him the idea of big slow rather than flat and quick.

Always happy to take honest opinions :) he already on 12 hours soaked hay and poor grass so there little more I can do to restrict the intake :( he is worked 6 days a week with a mixture of work, in a perfect world I'd like to work him twice a day but my shifts just don't allow for it :rolleyes: I'm hoping within the next 12 months I'll be able to get my own transport and then I plan to mix things up with more fast work (beach etc) but we just don't have anywhere to do decent fast work in hacking distance :( but yes you're right it is a constant battle!!

Yes the start was not too bad, the shoulder in was a bit unbalanced but thinking about it that would benefit from more off the track shoulder in work at home. The canter is always a down fall, theres a big tendency to go 4 beat if I don't really keep him on the hind, I think you can really see it on the turn for the left half pass and especially in the counter canter!!
I thought the half passes were better than they actually were :eek: but watching them back they are more of a diagonal line than proper lateral work!!

As a first attempt I'm quite pleased, and I'm glad I got miss_c to video it. I've already watched it back several times to pick up what I need to work on. Hopefully the next one we'll see some improvements :)
 

Prince33Sp4rkle

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agree, since ive had the ipad its been great being able to vid tests for each other, shows up every bobble and every half mark lost :)

can you get him in the school and get off his back and blast him round in good medium canter circuits, really make him puff, then walk, then go again etc? or in the field if ground ok( prob not currently! even my very sandy ground is almost too hard, and its never too hard!!!)

have you got a walker? cna he go on that each day too?

trickle net for hay? slows fatty bum bum brucey right down, can make 1/2 slice last 3/4 hours some days!

is he on straw or shavings? any chance he's eating his bed?

i know what a struggle it is, we had to use every trick in the book to keep Bruce hard fit, and even a few slack days saw him bloat up again sooooo quickly :(

schooling wise, practice collecting the canter and tapping him on his croup to get him to squat down on the hind leg more, then medium, then collect, tap tap, forward etc etc, and ride loads of diff HP, loads of bend but less angle, dead straight with little bend, even quarters leading with plenty of bend to help supple him etc.
 

miss_c

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I can second that it was boiling... I cooked grooming and video'ing/photographing! tbc definitely remind me to take the coolbox next time as well, apparently we have one that we can plug into the box to keep things REALLY cool.... :D

Well done tbc - we're all super proud of you!!!



Oh and people.. you REALLY don't want the liquefied Galaxy Ripple... it looks like poo!
 

trendybraincell

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I think it might be worth sacrificing one of my normal school sessions for a "circuits" session, since he knows all the Medium movements we don't need to spend every session drilling the same things. It won't be in the field, our YO won't let us plus our ground is like concrete now :(

No walker unfortunately, I'd love to take him swimming too as I think thats great for all round fitness but again that can't happen until I get transport...must save more money!!

Ahh the trickle net, I did get him one and it made no difference what so ever. In fact the only thing it did was make him even more violent with a hay net :eek: he's currently out over night and is obviously finding plenty to eat as he's coming in and sleeping rather than eating his hay....bloody thing lives on fresh air, but he won't keep a muzzle on :mad: he's rather good at trashing them!! But I can safely say he does not eat his bedding, he's on wood pellets partly for cost and ease of use but also so theres nothing edible other than his soaked hay!!

I know I sound like I'm making lots of excuses, and you can actually feel ribs quite easily so the video is quite deceptive in terms of his waist line :rolleyes: The schooling exercises I will certainly try, anything to make him better
 
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