An Introduction and some trotting in circles.

[Blackandorange]

Hello. I have been reading these forums for what seems like years. Hang on, it is years (scary!). So I thought I better start contributing! I have two horses (read small hairy cobs) which I event (hence the need to get the clippers out a lot) or try to when they have not gotten so fat over the winter that they have expanded out of their saddles (being fed NOTHING). I say fat – they say muscular. The added conundrum to our unconventional “event team” is that the jockey is ridiculously tall – short stirrups it is – or leg reduction surgery! Anyway, introduction no. 1 – Anni bought as a Gap Year project and is still here 3 years later and even negotiated the sale of the posh warmblood last year. She likes to a.) pretend she’s and Andalusian by tossing her forelock (like all one of a kind horses she has a unique haircut of a hog and long forelock!) and b.) never stand still…ever when at an event; at home moving is unnecessary.
So some piccies….
She arrived a just backed 4 year old, with every rib showing – this is two weeks after she arrived. We wondered what we had bought – it was dark when we saw her but she seemed sweet enough.

After she became fatter we did some work – jumping to start with was interesting as only one leg at a time could be concentrated on….

Generally had a quiet year with consistent work and a couple of wins and placings doing trotting in circles and bouncing over small sticks on a surface. XC schooling for the first time was err… interesting. This video depicts some of the ‘interesting’ plus the good, bad and ugly – it is rather long! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74SNrBk6hHM
As a 5 year old she began to shine and exceed any of our expectations, well we didn’t have any so it wasn’t difficult but still! The first XC school led to a pop over a Novice fence – not intentionally – at least I thought it was much smaller.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea7j5UlWQPo
So we decided to do some events – posh warmblood had by this point decided he was a bit precious and would prefer to stay in an enclosed arena, to ponce about. Long story short – pony did 4 events @ BE80 level and was placed in the top ten in 3, the fourth was the BE80 championships and so a 34 DC for 16[SUP]th[/SUP] was acceptable (high standards, me – never!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pmt2q7fsNE
So last year, still juggling Uni with horses we did a few 90s affiliated and unaffiliated and were placed in the top ten everytime – cobs are consistent, or they were in 2013.

Over the winter pony showed that she looks very different to the beast that arrived 3 years ago. Cob or horse with short legs? (Dachshorse?!)

I’ve got my University Finals this month (yawn!) but with a new special cob saddle, with numerous alterations to ensure long-legged jockey fits in it, on order we hope to be out eventing sometime soon, no doubt all consistency will evaporate as we face the proposition of moving up to BE100.

 

[Blackandorange]

Introduction no.2 – the ‘big bay event gelding.’ I took a trip to Goresbridge last September to purchase this aforementioned horse. However, these horses looked big and if truth be told a bit dim in some cases. So I bought a small skewbald mare by Rantis Diamond (out of a cob), admittedly she did shrink further on the trip over from Ireland?! However, Tinkerbelle (she came with that name!) has been a hugely confidence restoring little mare for me after a few ‘knocking out cold’ jobs I suffered off big young horses. She’s 5 this year – did a lot of hunter trialling at 3 and a half in Ireland so we’ve given her a quiet winter of hacking about and learning to stand by a mounting block.
http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums...10151547267752134_673056338_n_zps3ccf261e.jpg
Today, we went to a dressage show with both, the 5am alarm plus the prospect of riding 3 tests in under an hour didn’t sound too bad. This was probably the excitement of being able to go to a competition after months of hacking. Typically after a late arrival, Tinkerbelle did a quick trot round and completed her test with movements vaguely at the right markers. This was difficult as I was having to ride a 20x40m test in a 20x60m arena – the indecision of how to complete two half 20m circles and end up by C was huge. Then she stood and was passed around various people to hold – outshining her stablemate who NEVER stands.
She continued to outshine her stablemate as said stablemate decided to neigh at her all through her two tests – a prelim and novice as she was thoroughly excited about having a friend. Despite, this between them they managed to win all three tests with Tinkerbelle scoring 62% - I was exceedingly pleased as she hasn’t done much in terms of work recently and rather resembles a speedy dinky toy when fresh. This is preferable to above the ground antics by far! Anni got 67% in the prelim (not her best by a long way) and 66% in the novice so I have nothing to grumble about for a first outing in 6 months.
http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums...29992134_966458054576346460_n_zpsf2864d03.jpg

Tinks was embarrassed that I took a pic post-perm:
http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums...0692134_1473964387709522309_n_zpsd474c8ad.jpg

My plan of action is Borde Hill BE90 (I hope my saddle arrives in time) with Anni, and to get Tinks out combined training and then eventing later in the summer. Sadly I will have to sell her then as she is too small for me and I’m going off to do Physiotherapy at University. But she’s such a little dude I’m going to enjoy this summer while I can!!

Finally, a case of revision madness has struck and I have done something very mad and uncalculated but I shall tell you about that next week!

 

[anna22]

Wow, lovely horses! And great form last season! Good luck with finals, hopefully miss consistent cob will continue for this season too! And the skewbald is very pretty

 

[MrsMozart]

What a brilliant introduction, thank you

 

[rara007]

I can't load the pictures on my phone

 

[Bills]

Really enjoyed reading your reports.

Your horses are lovely

 

[moodymare1987]

What lovely horses and nice reports

 

[Blackandorange]

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments! Tinks thinks she is pretty too - she doesn't believe she's half cob! They're coming along nicely and hopefully we can make some good progress this summer - I love producing the young ones!