Baydale
Well-Known Member
Sorry if this is self-indulgent but as I only got the all clear last Thursday to start doing flatwork (for 2 weeks, then gentle
jumping), I decided to take load the big bus up with ponies yesterday and go to Arena UK training show. I got there and thought I'd got the wrong day as there was only one other lorry there but hey, quiet is good when you've got 4yo Jupiter going to his first party.
First off was HumungaHorse: I did the intermediate test that I'll be doing at Aston and Robyn (judging/training) thought it was good, other than left shoulder-in needs some work and he has to get his big lazy butt underneath him before medium work - and keep it underneath him in the medium canter, bucking is NOT allowed.
Onto jumping: all outdoors and very colourful with a mix of matchstick type poles and normal type poles. Well, he was jolly and forward, and my pointy spurs worked a treat on take-off.
I jumped two rounds, one 1.10ish and one 1.20ish, and he was pretty darn good, much more switched on and attentive than I remember him. Maybe he was just grateful it was me and not JP on him, or he was until he felt the nudge from the pointy spurs.
We did some fab flying changes, flying being the operative word as they were positively airborne.
Meantime Holly (crash test dummy groom) had lunged Jupiter in another arena, then got on and rode him round and through a heap of WH fences piled up. Then he worked in the dressage arena with no histrionics about the scary white boards, then mooched round the showjumping arena taking in all the very bright fences, and then popped a couple of warm-up fences v sweetly. Bless him, he's got real "look at me" albeit in a very baby way. BYEH classes here we come.
Next up Marty, 6yo naughty hunter (dumped me twice in one day out hunting, if you remember that?
) It's the first time I've ridden him in a dressage saddle and boy did that make a difference. He couldn't pull me out of position - he's still a bit weak in front but so strong behind it puts him on his forehand a bit, or that added to the fact that he has a bit of attitude and doesn't particularly want to do some stuff that involves hard work. Anyway, we got encouraging comments from Robyn and he jumped well too. He's pretty careful but you dare try to organise him with your hand at all and he runs through it; so I jumped a 1m round just working on the rhythm, then a 1.10m round trying to get him to listen to my position so I could just keep the hand still and constant. Cool pony was getting the hang of it and made me quite excited about our debut at Keysoe BE100.
Finally out came Cuddles: remember him, HH's mini-me? I last rode him at Oasby novice (October 08) and over the winter he's been hunting as well as growing and getting stronger. He was SO excited to be out that our dressage was plenty energetic enough, just not necessarily in the right direction/speed/order of legs.
I did N112 for the first time which is horrid. as he's doing OPN at Shelford then N at Brigstock, so that probably didn't help much. Homework deffo required before then.
Jumping he'd been much like HH, a bit gangly and weak but as soon as he saw the fences he lit up and turned into a JA pony, wild and going at whatever he was vaguely pointed towards.
I'd have expected him to be careless but at least it gave me plenty to contain and when he did take off into one and have it down (part of a treble), he was stunning through it the next time. So, that's all good and his owners will be happy that my "he'll take time" comment might be right, assuming I can recreate the good stuff in competition (
no pressure).
I'm so happy to be back into all this - no-one tell my consultant I've been jumping though will you? - and was looking forward to getting home and having a nice glass of wine and a sit down. And then we broke down
......we had a mechanic, a recovery truck, a policeman, a horse transporter to get the boys home, what a bloomin palaver. Didn't get home till gone 10 having left Arena at before 6 (it's a half hour drive home). Even more galling to hear from my mechanic this morning that we'd run out of diesel.
Before anyone shouts "numpty" at me, it was reading more than a quarter full but it turns out the sensor in the tank has been shifted from the lorry bumping up and down our lane, so 1/4 full actually means empty.
Good to know before our road trip to France I'd say....
Cup-a-soup and cheese scones (mum's home-made ones, v yummy) for anyone that's made it through my novel-length post. Go on, admit it, you've missed me!
First off was HumungaHorse: I did the intermediate test that I'll be doing at Aston and Robyn (judging/training) thought it was good, other than left shoulder-in needs some work and he has to get his big lazy butt underneath him before medium work - and keep it underneath him in the medium canter, bucking is NOT allowed.
Meantime Holly (crash test dummy groom) had lunged Jupiter in another arena, then got on and rode him round and through a heap of WH fences piled up. Then he worked in the dressage arena with no histrionics about the scary white boards, then mooched round the showjumping arena taking in all the very bright fences, and then popped a couple of warm-up fences v sweetly. Bless him, he's got real "look at me" albeit in a very baby way. BYEH classes here we come.
Next up Marty, 6yo naughty hunter (dumped me twice in one day out hunting, if you remember that?
Finally out came Cuddles: remember him, HH's mini-me? I last rode him at Oasby novice (October 08) and over the winter he's been hunting as well as growing and getting stronger. He was SO excited to be out that our dressage was plenty energetic enough, just not necessarily in the right direction/speed/order of legs.
I'm so happy to be back into all this - no-one tell my consultant I've been jumping though will you? - and was looking forward to getting home and having a nice glass of wine and a sit down. And then we broke down
Cup-a-soup and cheese scones (mum's home-made ones, v yummy) for anyone that's made it through my novel-length post. Go on, admit it, you've missed me!
