Gamebird
Well-Known Member
We had very late times for Aske Nov today - dressage 16.20, XC 18.24 so I had a lie in, then jumped the mare, then cleaned tack, washed and plaited Carthorse and off we went. Very, very odd!!
Neither of us was much in the mood for dressage today. I only just managed to cram my hat on over the large lump on my forehead caused by a gate propelled by 700kg of cow hitting me at 20mph on the head yesterday (no I wasn't knocked out, but did see double for a bit
). Had one of those annoying warm-ups where you keep nearly running in to the same person time and time again (Nicola Wilson this time) and when we did our test Carthorse spent most of the time watching the cars going past on the road and I spent most of the time thinking 'gosh it's hot isn't it?' and letting my mind wander. 41.2 was about right - all the right things in the right places but with little elegance or concentration from either of the participants.
SJing warm-up was hopeless - I couldn't see a stride, hooked into the bottom of most of the fences, Carthorse stopped at least twice, I rode in front of the same poor person trying to jump at least 4 times (yup, Nicola Wilson again - what with pinching her husband from her to dance at Burgie and trying to kill her twice today she must really think I have it in for her
). Went into the ring and all the strides appeared as if by magic and we jumped clear. Yay!
We were last of the day XC, and Carthorse was on fire - he flew round like a racehorse, even taking some flyers (unheard of for him). Sadly one of these was over the fence at the top of a steep hill and we missed the sharp left turn to the skinny but was I bovvered? No, we were having a ball!!!
. Had a fab round barring that and finished galloping flat out with a grin a mile wide and a very large lump in my throat.
The sad bit is that I have come to the conclusion, after much, much soul searching, blood, sweat and tears (Baydale and Heidi Woodhead can confirm at least 3 of the aforementioned) that Carthorse is not, and never will be, an eventer. He loves the XC but that's about it and after 4 years of trying to squeeze a round peg into a square hole I have decided that it just isn't fair on him or me. So he has been advertised and will (hopefully very soon) be sold as a hunter and spend the rest of his days as a field-master's/whip's/or general thruster's horse with a big grin on his face instead of being forced to be an eventer.
So ladies and gentlemen join me in raising a glass and a toast to Carthorse - a pretty mediocre eventer (hampered by an even more mediocre jockey
), but the toughest, soundest, boldest, most careful, courageous, clever and noble horse that I have ever had the priviledge to ride across country behind a pack of hounds. Happy hunting, boyo! :insert smiley for trying to grin through the tears:
PS. in my title I paraphrased a commonly misquoted line by John Donne. Before some English Lit nerd pulls me up on it I am quite aware that what John Donne actually wrote in 'No man is an island' is 'and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee'. Unfortunately there's no pun in that!!
Neither of us was much in the mood for dressage today. I only just managed to cram my hat on over the large lump on my forehead caused by a gate propelled by 700kg of cow hitting me at 20mph on the head yesterday (no I wasn't knocked out, but did see double for a bit
SJing warm-up was hopeless - I couldn't see a stride, hooked into the bottom of most of the fences, Carthorse stopped at least twice, I rode in front of the same poor person trying to jump at least 4 times (yup, Nicola Wilson again - what with pinching her husband from her to dance at Burgie and trying to kill her twice today she must really think I have it in for her
We were last of the day XC, and Carthorse was on fire - he flew round like a racehorse, even taking some flyers (unheard of for him). Sadly one of these was over the fence at the top of a steep hill and we missed the sharp left turn to the skinny but was I bovvered? No, we were having a ball!!!
The sad bit is that I have come to the conclusion, after much, much soul searching, blood, sweat and tears (Baydale and Heidi Woodhead can confirm at least 3 of the aforementioned) that Carthorse is not, and never will be, an eventer. He loves the XC but that's about it and after 4 years of trying to squeeze a round peg into a square hole I have decided that it just isn't fair on him or me. So he has been advertised and will (hopefully very soon) be sold as a hunter and spend the rest of his days as a field-master's/whip's/or general thruster's horse with a big grin on his face instead of being forced to be an eventer.
So ladies and gentlemen join me in raising a glass and a toast to Carthorse - a pretty mediocre eventer (hampered by an even more mediocre jockey
PS. in my title I paraphrased a commonly misquoted line by John Donne. Before some English Lit nerd pulls me up on it I am quite aware that what John Donne actually wrote in 'No man is an island' is 'and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee'. Unfortunately there's no pun in that!!
