Baydale
Well-Known Member
Sorry for the delay, but after jetsetting across Eastern Europe for 4 days, then Bramham, then the catching up on washing, riding and teaching, quality HHO time has been limited -we also have a dodgy phone line so internet access has been more off than on lately.
Enough of that though, and onto serious pony stuff:
Baydale Jupiter (Jup) and his chum, Tornebank Valentino (Tino, owned by GT_02) were dragged out of their beds at early o'clock by KatB and I, shoved in the Baydale Bus - Tino a tad reluctantly, as he insists on getting in without touching the ramp and it's a big leap that early in the morning
- and off we set up the A1, KatB filling me in on what you've all been up to while I've been away.
We, or should that be I, misread the signs and upset several security guys by insisting on entering the park by a narrow line that is actually an exit.
I did get a bit irritated when he implied I'd done it deliberately though, as I don't think I come across as being that blonde......do I?
We dropped the ramp and Jup yawned, looked decidedly disinterested and I went to get my number: great, I'd got the right Baydale pony but the wrong passport, so I had to persuade the sec that I really hadn't brought 7yo HH along to falsely try and win a 4yo class.
It didn't matter anyway as Jup is already qualified but just another of those things that's not so funny when you're lacking sleep (more of why I was lacking sleep later
).
Jupiter did his best to wake me up by landing over each practice fence with his head between his knees, doing his "shall I go left or shall I go right?" game
, but by the time we went in he was surprisingly chilled. He was a bit gobby in his stressage but some bits were nice - not the bit where the horse that was jumping came up the long side from behind and he set off with his tail in the air, bouncing like a rabbit
- but hey, he's 4, I thought it was quite funny.
Onto the jumping and it looked much smaller than Hambleton, but way more colourful. He was cute, really rideable and balanced but it may have looked a bit dull (dad hasn't quite got the jumping photography sussed, as Jup was pretty tidy, honest
).
Dull is not in Jupiter's vocabulary, so coming to the last double, two strides, he thought he'd brighten things up by trying to duck out like some of the others had. Here he is formulating his plan (that's his thinking face):
But I managed to keep him straight and he added a pingy third stride to pop out.
Then he trotted up like a little pro show pony, all fat and shiny.
I was a bit disappointed with my marks (22/35, 28/40 and 13/15 - that one was ok
)but really pleased with how he behaved, as he doesn't need much excuse to be a monkey yet the atmosphere didn't bother him at all; that should bode well for Burghley then.
We had a quick mooch round the stands then walked the course for the 5yos. I think my rider/owner communication skills need some work as GT_02 got told to shut up more than once, mainly when she was doing this face
and using words like "huge" and "big" too often.
To recap, Tino came to me late January having done a few rustic crosspoles, then did Cranwell ODE end of Feb, then I got broken and he went home so he's been back with me a month. He's been to Arena UK training shows but nowhere with an atmosphere like Bramham.
It had got v busy in the afternoon so I warmed up a bit and then stood by the ringside for a while, whereupon his eyes went out on stalks. This is me doing soothing, calming things:
He went in and not too surprisingly didn't want to go to the far side of the arena to do stressage (you can't blame him for that), and it was really noisy as the CCI was going on in the next ring, but he more or less kept it together with just the odd llama impression:
All in all I thought it was a hell of a test for him, so I was pleased he coped with it.
Onto the jumping, and as you can see from my face going to the first fence, I am......err......a little pensive.
as he loves jumping and to him, the higher he goes, the more fun it is:
He gave the second fence that much room and some more, and the two ladies stood next to KatB and GT_02 were heard to say "Bl**dy hell, that can jump!"
He had the first part of the double down:
so I sat tight for the second part.
But then he didn't make a fuss about the other double that Jup had found so entertaining:
I swear I could hear oohs and ahs the whole way round, especially when he did something very special over the last fence
(and no, there's nothing wrong with his back/saddle/teeth, it's just Tino's way of telling me he'd like to do it his way thanks
)
but tbh that would be the biggest he's jumped, in both height and atmosphere, and he genuinely has a desire to get over them and leave them up, so we were all really chuffed with him.
A bit of gridwork and he'll learn to use his talents in a more orthodox way, I'm sure. The funny thing is it's all quite smooth and not at all how it appears from the photos ie. something akin to an Alton Towers ride
(oh ok, so that last fence wasn't the smoothest but I've still got my front teeth.)
He stood up and trotted up really cutely too:
Not too surprisingly he didn't get great marks, but most other 5yos there were already out eventing and a lot of those looked pretty green over that course.
He's got another one at Milton Keynes at the end of the month and then sadly will be for sale, as GT_02 is "with child" (she's had my share of the national average already so I should thank her for that
).
The sun must be over the yard-arm by now, so a glass of rose and some cashews for anyone that's got this far. I've got a 2 hour drive home before I can join you, so make sure you save me some.
Oh, and the reason that I was lacking sleep is because I was trotting HH up at midnight when I got back from our E Europe trip, then lunged him at 10 o'clock the evening we got back from Bramham just to have a better look, and he's not right: so no Burgie trip for us, just a trip to the vet's.
Enough of that though, and onto serious pony stuff:
Baydale Jupiter (Jup) and his chum, Tornebank Valentino (Tino, owned by GT_02) were dragged out of their beds at early o'clock by KatB and I, shoved in the Baydale Bus - Tino a tad reluctantly, as he insists on getting in without touching the ramp and it's a big leap that early in the morning
We, or should that be I, misread the signs and upset several security guys by insisting on entering the park by a narrow line that is actually an exit.
Jupiter did his best to wake me up by landing over each practice fence with his head between his knees, doing his "shall I go left or shall I go right?" game
Onto the jumping and it looked much smaller than Hambleton, but way more colourful. He was cute, really rideable and balanced but it may have looked a bit dull (dad hasn't quite got the jumping photography sussed, as Jup was pretty tidy, honest
Dull is not in Jupiter's vocabulary, so coming to the last double, two strides, he thought he'd brighten things up by trying to duck out like some of the others had. Here he is formulating his plan (that's his thinking face):
But I managed to keep him straight and he added a pingy third stride to pop out.
Then he trotted up like a little pro show pony, all fat and shiny.
I was a bit disappointed with my marks (22/35, 28/40 and 13/15 - that one was ok
We had a quick mooch round the stands then walked the course for the 5yos. I think my rider/owner communication skills need some work as GT_02 got told to shut up more than once, mainly when she was doing this face
He went in and not too surprisingly didn't want to go to the far side of the arena to do stressage (you can't blame him for that), and it was really noisy as the CCI was going on in the next ring, but he more or less kept it together with just the odd llama impression:
All in all I thought it was a hell of a test for him, so I was pleased he coped with it.
Onto the jumping, and as you can see from my face going to the first fence, I am......err......a little pensive.
as he loves jumping and to him, the higher he goes, the more fun it is:
He gave the second fence that much room and some more, and the two ladies stood next to KatB and GT_02 were heard to say "Bl**dy hell, that can jump!"
so I sat tight for the second part.
But then he didn't make a fuss about the other double that Jup had found so entertaining:
I swear I could hear oohs and ahs the whole way round, especially when he did something very special over the last fence
but tbh that would be the biggest he's jumped, in both height and atmosphere, and he genuinely has a desire to get over them and leave them up, so we were all really chuffed with him.
He stood up and trotted up really cutely too:
Not too surprisingly he didn't get great marks, but most other 5yos there were already out eventing and a lot of those looked pretty green over that course.
He's got another one at Milton Keynes at the end of the month and then sadly will be for sale, as GT_02 is "with child" (she's had my share of the national average already so I should thank her for that
The sun must be over the yard-arm by now, so a glass of rose and some cashews for anyone that's got this far. I've got a 2 hour drive home before I can join you, so make sure you save me some.
Oh, and the reason that I was lacking sleep is because I was trotting HH up at midnight when I got back from our E Europe trip, then lunged him at 10 o'clock the evening we got back from Bramham just to have a better look, and he's not right: so no Burgie trip for us, just a trip to the vet's.
