FlyingCoo
Well-Known Member
Firstly, I want to start this report by passing on my condolences to the rider and their connections to the unfortunate horse fatality that this event suffered. It was a very sad loss for everyone involved but I hope they can cherish the memories they had together. Also a big thank you to all the organisers, vets and officials who dealt with this very professionally and efficiently as anyone can in this situation. It was a timely reminder that we never know what is around the corner and we should appreciate our 4 legged friends and the time we have them as much as possible and no matter how good or a bad day you have as long as you are home unloaded and all safe then that is all that matters.
So....... it was decided that, as the FC and I have been toying with the idea of moving up to Novice BE, that we would test the waters by entering into the Open Riding Club Horse Trials and see what came of it as it was round an established BE Novice track and we just had to “get on with it” or remain as a BE100 competitor and be happy with that.
We arrived the night before and all was quite chilled and even I managed to sleep right through the night and not even think about the courses and even the gin bottle was left untouched
I thought the SJ & XC were a fair test but nothing undoable if one kept one’s head screwed on and ignored the chat around the collecting arena that the SJ was over height. The XC had changed slightly from the BE track when I last walked it as usually the roll top to the drop was 2/3 strides away and not the one stride it was and after a wall they had put a rather testing left hand skinny corner where accuracy and straightness would be needed.
Let’s just gloss over the dressage part as “Bob The Cob” will never make it as a dressage diva and it is always a hit or miss but thankfully we are both of the chunky monkey variety that we can hold the rest of the score board up with our big shoulders and someone has to be at the bottom right?? It was also unfortunate that the dressage writer seemed to have developed cramp in the heat and could only write 6's all the way down my sheet but with some lovely comments but no variation in marks?
Onto the SJing and having watched a few rounds it was clear that the last two full up height Oxer’s at 9 & 10 were going to be the issue as the rest of the course was flowing and those that had jumped lovely rounds until then were getting caught out. Chief Supergroom/Owner/Shouter/Butt Kicker was staying well away from us which she later confessed was because it was the first time she was very nervous to watch as it was the biggest track the wee FC and I had probably jumped. The squeal through the finish line said it all as we jumped a foot perfect SJ round and felt very effortless for the wee man and we didn’t have any disagreements to jump clear.
No supergroom piccie’s as too nervous but here is the link to the pro pics. (If they work as not sure as they are on FB and if it's an open album?)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150836332704499&set=a.10150836317624499.402223.641404498&type=3&theater
So off to the XC where both of us were very calm and instructions were to ride safe and forget about the time and not fall off and especially in the water! This is one of my fears of moving up to Novice as the FC likes to get his rubber ring out, snorkel, flippers and enter water with a double pike axel twist and this would have been the first time that we had to actually jump into water. (oh to have a pony that backs off water and you can take XC schooling as we don’t do that either!)
He did his usual turn into an excitable child who has eaten too many E numbers as the starter said 10 seconds but at least I had him turned in time and head in the right direction of fence one as we sometimes get so excited we head in any direction the minute they say go!
I had absolutely no worries as he pinged round everything and even the roll top to the drop to the big oxer at the bottom of the hill was executed without any oooh *******s. The next test was the wall to the corner and from the pro pics you can see the sequence where we have a very serious face coming in and concentrating to keep him in to the left hand and when I have realised that we have made it there are big grins ahoy!!
http://jimcrichton.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=183614
Then the water loomed and my plan of attack was to hold him as much as possible and not fly it as there is a big log before it down hill which does make you naturally run on to the water and I kept repeating shoulders back shoulders back and again you can see that we safely negotiated it and what on earth was I worried about and he took me through to the skinny placed in the water and I was just the idiot rider onboard.
http://jimcrichton.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=184928
I must apologise to anyone in the vicinity at that time as they must have heard me roar you superstar as by this point I knew I had one other question to negotiate but I had achieved so far round the course what I wanted to and that was no dunkings!!
The second last fence was a rather wide table and again this has been one of my fears that due to being the short legged variety the width may be an issue. As you can see from this link well um no it isn’t!!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150836706534499&set=a.10150836673724499.402293.641404498&type=3&theater
Yeha the first double clear at that height. I stacked up loads of time penalties but hey I don’t really care as when I go too fast we make stupid mistakes on the flat and the whole day was a confidence boosting run and to see if we could do it and the fact that we came home with a frilly was an added bonus!! I have promised the FC he can go faster next time as he fought me the whole way and finished with plenty of running thanks to all the hill and interval work we have being doing. So much so he was more interested in playing with the hose in his mouth at the washing down point and trying to eat rather than getting him washed and cooled down and looked as though he had been out for a Sunday hack rather than just jumped round the biggest track he has ever done.
An easy few weeks for the FC now as I am due to sit exams for work so Chief Supergroom/Owner/Shouter/Butt Kicker is doing an Intro on him at Balcarres as she too would like a double clear but least I get my day of revenge on her before taking back the reins and planning what Novice to enter!
If you made it this far then can offer you Walkers Baked Stars Mild Chilli Flavour as have just discovered them and they are the biz. It is rather too early on a school day to be offering anything stronger!!
So....... it was decided that, as the FC and I have been toying with the idea of moving up to Novice BE, that we would test the waters by entering into the Open Riding Club Horse Trials and see what came of it as it was round an established BE Novice track and we just had to “get on with it” or remain as a BE100 competitor and be happy with that.
We arrived the night before and all was quite chilled and even I managed to sleep right through the night and not even think about the courses and even the gin bottle was left untouched
I thought the SJ & XC were a fair test but nothing undoable if one kept one’s head screwed on and ignored the chat around the collecting arena that the SJ was over height. The XC had changed slightly from the BE track when I last walked it as usually the roll top to the drop was 2/3 strides away and not the one stride it was and after a wall they had put a rather testing left hand skinny corner where accuracy and straightness would be needed.Let’s just gloss over the dressage part as “Bob The Cob” will never make it as a dressage diva and it is always a hit or miss but thankfully we are both of the chunky monkey variety that we can hold the rest of the score board up with our big shoulders and someone has to be at the bottom right?? It was also unfortunate that the dressage writer seemed to have developed cramp in the heat and could only write 6's all the way down my sheet but with some lovely comments but no variation in marks?
Onto the SJing and having watched a few rounds it was clear that the last two full up height Oxer’s at 9 & 10 were going to be the issue as the rest of the course was flowing and those that had jumped lovely rounds until then were getting caught out. Chief Supergroom/Owner/Shouter/Butt Kicker was staying well away from us which she later confessed was because it was the first time she was very nervous to watch as it was the biggest track the wee FC and I had probably jumped. The squeal through the finish line said it all as we jumped a foot perfect SJ round and felt very effortless for the wee man and we didn’t have any disagreements to jump clear.
No supergroom piccie’s as too nervous but here is the link to the pro pics. (If they work as not sure as they are on FB and if it's an open album?)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150836332704499&set=a.10150836317624499.402223.641404498&type=3&theater
So off to the XC where both of us were very calm and instructions were to ride safe and forget about the time and not fall off and especially in the water! This is one of my fears of moving up to Novice as the FC likes to get his rubber ring out, snorkel, flippers and enter water with a double pike axel twist and this would have been the first time that we had to actually jump into water. (oh to have a pony that backs off water and you can take XC schooling as we don’t do that either!)
He did his usual turn into an excitable child who has eaten too many E numbers as the starter said 10 seconds but at least I had him turned in time and head in the right direction of fence one as we sometimes get so excited we head in any direction the minute they say go!
I had absolutely no worries as he pinged round everything and even the roll top to the drop to the big oxer at the bottom of the hill was executed without any oooh *******s. The next test was the wall to the corner and from the pro pics you can see the sequence where we have a very serious face coming in and concentrating to keep him in to the left hand and when I have realised that we have made it there are big grins ahoy!!
http://jimcrichton.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=183614
Then the water loomed and my plan of attack was to hold him as much as possible and not fly it as there is a big log before it down hill which does make you naturally run on to the water and I kept repeating shoulders back shoulders back and again you can see that we safely negotiated it and what on earth was I worried about and he took me through to the skinny placed in the water and I was just the idiot rider onboard.
http://jimcrichton.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=184928
I must apologise to anyone in the vicinity at that time as they must have heard me roar you superstar as by this point I knew I had one other question to negotiate but I had achieved so far round the course what I wanted to and that was no dunkings!!
The second last fence was a rather wide table and again this has been one of my fears that due to being the short legged variety the width may be an issue. As you can see from this link well um no it isn’t!!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150836706534499&set=a.10150836673724499.402293.641404498&type=3&theater
Yeha the first double clear at that height. I stacked up loads of time penalties but hey I don’t really care as when I go too fast we make stupid mistakes on the flat and the whole day was a confidence boosting run and to see if we could do it and the fact that we came home with a frilly was an added bonus!! I have promised the FC he can go faster next time as he fought me the whole way and finished with plenty of running thanks to all the hill and interval work we have being doing. So much so he was more interested in playing with the hose in his mouth at the washing down point and trying to eat rather than getting him washed and cooled down and looked as though he had been out for a Sunday hack rather than just jumped round the biggest track he has ever done
.An easy few weeks for the FC now as I am due to sit exams for work so Chief Supergroom/Owner/Shouter/Butt Kicker is doing an Intro on him at Balcarres as she too would like a double clear but least I get my day of revenge on her before taking back the reins and planning what Novice to enter!
If you made it this far then can offer you Walkers Baked Stars Mild Chilli Flavour as have just discovered them and they are the biz. It is rather too early on a school day to be offering anything stronger!!
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