Rambo
Well-Known Member
Or should it be a weekend of what if's
Arrived on thursday evening after a 4 hour journey up ! Bl**dy Dartford Tunnel
Horses were settled in to the cold and draughty stabling...and off we went to the lorry for supper and a couple of bottles of the Chateux Headache
Friday dawned and off to walk the courses. Bo in the Small Tour warm-up...Trike in the Discovery outside. The indoor arena was beautifully dressed and the course looked inviting with no real problems...so off to walk the Disco. OMFG...it was mahoosive compared to the Small Tour track...and I was only jumping Trike in it for fun
Anyway, I was drawn about 55th in the small tour so got Trike warmed up first and jumped him. Not much was going clear and we went near the end...jumped his little socks off and left everything standing...unfortunately had a stop though as he clocked a water tray on the bank behind an oxer and wet himself lol! Still, I was pleased...and a little surprised...that he had coped so well
Onto Bo then for the warm-up class. He jumped a super phase A for a clear...and then just rolled a pole in the JO so no placing. Ended up about 38th out of 117 but was pleased with way he jumped
Next up was the first of the team qualifiers...and they certainly whacked the fences up for it tis time. I guess they had to really though as we'd have been there all night otherwise
Went in and the bell went....but I noticed that fence 1 was still down so signalled to the judges and someone went and sorted it. Thought nothing more of it and set off on my round. Bo jumped amazingly again and never so much as touched a fence in phase A...so I set off in the JO with some purpose. Got a flier over the first...but then heard a bell ring (!?)...thought that can't be right and so jumped the next fence too.....then the announcement came up that I had been given 6 time faults....WTF !? I was gutted as Bo had jumped so well and he certainly wasn't jumping slowly
Can only think they didn't reset the clock while they were putting fence 1 up and so I must have run over the 45 seconds countdown
Headed to the bar in the evening and had a few more than was advisable for a finely tuned athlete such as myself
Saturday dawned...with a thick fog in my head...but was determined to put right the 'wrong' of the previous day. The speed leg was Bo's first class and although the course didn't suit him that well, he gave it a good shot and was just unlucky to roll the last fence....would have been placed about 15th if the pole had stayed up...but then how many others could say the same thing
Jumped the Accumulator next...and although he left everything standing...including the joker (a single wavy plank at around 1.20m), we got a little confused between fences 6 and 7 and so picked up a stop. Only quick maximums were placing so another disappointing result
Trike jumped the Discovery again...not as big a track as thursday...but still only 5 DC's in the class. He had been in a foul mood when warming up and I seriously considered not bothering to jump him...but did anyway. It certainly wasn't a pretty round but he went clear in phase A...and then was clear to the last fence in the JO...where I relaxed and let him just roll the front rail
Gutting really as he would have been placed 6th otherwise...
Saturday night...and an early night required...but failed again and woke on sunday with a screaming head and aching body
Walked the Small Grand Prix as we wanted to get home at a sensible time and thought there would loads of clears as it looked tiny. Should have realised when the first 5 horses had failed to make the JO that it wasn't going to be so though
I decided not to jump Trike in the Discovery as I was feeling so sh1te...so concentrated on Bo. He felt distracted and a little lethargic as we warmed up...and when we went in he just didn't feel up for it...and so had two down
Three days jumping and three cold and draughty nights in the stabling must have taken their toll...
All in all we had a wonderful time though and if anyone fancies it there's a return show in Ireland at the end of June if you think your livers can take it lol!
Good to meet Fee_fee and Vicki_Krystal and their lovely neds.
Photo's to follow once old Flash Harry has put up the links
Arrived on thursday evening after a 4 hour journey up ! Bl**dy Dartford Tunnel
Friday dawned and off to walk the courses. Bo in the Small Tour warm-up...Trike in the Discovery outside. The indoor arena was beautifully dressed and the course looked inviting with no real problems...so off to walk the Disco. OMFG...it was mahoosive compared to the Small Tour track...and I was only jumping Trike in it for fun
Saturday dawned...with a thick fog in my head...but was determined to put right the 'wrong' of the previous day. The speed leg was Bo's first class and although the course didn't suit him that well, he gave it a good shot and was just unlucky to roll the last fence....would have been placed about 15th if the pole had stayed up...but then how many others could say the same thing
Saturday night...and an early night required...but failed again and woke on sunday with a screaming head and aching body
All in all we had a wonderful time though and if anyone fancies it there's a return show in Ireland at the end of June if you think your livers can take it lol!
Good to meet Fee_fee and Vicki_Krystal and their lovely neds.
Photo's to follow once old Flash Harry has put up the links
