Nickymac
Well-Known Member
Bit of a mixed day really, had Hector (aka The Malingerer) doing the intermediate and Fraser (HTE - hunter-turned-eventer) doing novice.
After another silly o'clock start, we got there and walked the course, which looked nice to start then got more meaty as we went on. Dressage went ok, he wasn't hugely enamoured with the ground but was obedient and did everything ok. Off then to showjump and the skinny poles and the firm ground had bothered me, and there didn't seem to be many clears, but he jumped ok, other than getting a bit deep to the first part of the double (mental note to not use the "whoa" word quite so often on a pony who thinks that means "stop in your tracks asap"
) and struggled to make the distance to the second part, so had it down. I felt quite queasy warming up for cross country, so reminded myself that I always feel like that and I always seem to get round, so it's really of no consequence. Because it was my last run before Weston I guess the pressure was on to have a really confidence-giving round, but oh no, H decides to spend fences 1-5 goofing and spooking and generally being very un-Hector-like (him being mousey and easy and terribly polite normally). We nearly came unstuck at the beehive on the brow of a hill at 5, and don't ask me how he did it from (what felt like) a standstill, but he did
. He got better and by the time I got to the bounce (straight after the 2 consecutive water crossings) he was more settled. I hadn't done a bounce since his first novice two years ago, and it was uprights, so as I landed over the first I thought "I wonder what's going to happen now?!", but he pinged over it. Over the hanging log at the top of a short, steep slope he was good, then I went to make the 90 degree turn to the wide table with a sandpit on top, and nothing happened.
B***er, I thought, as I could have circled to get to it as they were separately numbered, but Polite Pony had turned into Rude Pony, a completely new scenario which, after 5 years of ownership, took me by surprise a bit. I was gutted, particularly as I went cross country on 31.1 (27.1 dressage and 4 sj, no jokes about me being a dressage queen thanks
), and Libby Soley won it on Noble Springbok on 47.1. All in all I decided it was a wake-up call, and better that I find out that Hector WildChild has that in him before I get to Weston.
Bizarrely I was 11th.
Fraser didn't like the firm ground dressage either and felt v plank-like. He visibly cheered up when he saw the showjumping, bless him, and felt really good other than having the second part of the double down (lesson learnt, feel free to get deep on the way in, but ONLY with lots of power to get you out cleanly!) Cross country he was green a couple of times but 100% genunine, and although I have to ride him strongly I now accept that he takes confidence from being ridden like that. Never mind that I need oxygen when I finish...
.... he's definitely getting the hang of it so it should get easier. I was really chuffed with him as he pondered in and out of the sunken road, but still went, and he kept a good rhythm and finished with 8.4 time. I got 32.4 dressage which was 2nd (or should that be 3rd, as two were in the lead on 27.1?), and some really encouraging comments (she obviously hadn't noticed the "I hate dressage" face he had on), so ended up 7th.
So, a good, educational day, and made better by Hector's breeder seeing him for the first time since I bought him at 3 and being very impressed with how grown-up (even on a bad day!) he was; and Fraser proving that he's far too nice to go hunting with my OH this winter......
After another silly o'clock start, we got there and walked the course, which looked nice to start then got more meaty as we went on. Dressage went ok, he wasn't hugely enamoured with the ground but was obedient and did everything ok. Off then to showjump and the skinny poles and the firm ground had bothered me, and there didn't seem to be many clears, but he jumped ok, other than getting a bit deep to the first part of the double (mental note to not use the "whoa" word quite so often on a pony who thinks that means "stop in your tracks asap"
Fraser didn't like the firm ground dressage either and felt v plank-like. He visibly cheered up when he saw the showjumping, bless him, and felt really good other than having the second part of the double down (lesson learnt, feel free to get deep on the way in, but ONLY with lots of power to get you out cleanly!) Cross country he was green a couple of times but 100% genunine, and although I have to ride him strongly I now accept that he takes confidence from being ridden like that. Never mind that I need oxygen when I finish...
So, a good, educational day, and made better by Hector's breeder seeing him for the first time since I bought him at 3 and being very impressed with how grown-up (even on a bad day!) he was; and Fraser proving that he's far too nice to go hunting with my OH this winter......
