Baydale
Well-Known Member
Hellooooo, long time no speak but rain stopping play has made for a very bored gang of Baydales, boo. 
Thankfully the big yellow thing has reappeared in the sky and meant that I had to dust off my competition kit and see if I could remember how to do it.
First outing was the very lovely Ralphie G and the final of the Vale View Eventer Trial series: big prize money so Claire and I felt it would be rude not to have a go. Claire was up first in the Intermediate and I poo-pooed her protestations about the size of the track, did some of my special motivational butt-kicking and set her loose. One word: wow! She rode beautifully; her showjumping was spot-on and then she upped the pace for the xc, just being unlucky to have two fences down but finishing a very creditable 9th out of 46. Twas very kind of her to warm him up for me even if it did mean waiting until 4.30 for our 1.10m class. I haven't actually sat on Ralph for a month but hey, a bit of pressure is good for me, surely? I needn't have worried as Ralph is one for hiding his light under a bushel and only does as much as he needs to, but I think even he got a shock at the skinny brush and had to put his knees right under his chin! Scroll down to find that one as I seem to have become a technophobe and can't link to individual photos:
http://www.everybodysmile.biz/hoofp...e_es137.php?Cat=402-Nicky McDonnell Ralphie G
Sadly we had two down but I was still chuffed to finish 7th out of 30 odd and it certainly got the adrenaline pumping round my veins.
Next up he who you all adore so much, The Most Annoying Horse on The Planet, who appears to have reached new levels of annoyance in the 8 whole weeks since his last run at Catton. Aston had put on an extra day so I entered the Intermediate, made sure I went xc schooling and did ditches aplenty, and off we set with Jup's New Best Friend, Bumpy, who I train along with his rider, nicknamed Floppy.
Dressage: hmmm, I was a little overwhelmed and utterly in awe of some of the horses warming up as there was also Advanced running, but tried to focus on my big bay bundle and getting whatever I could out of his dressage-loathing brain and body. It was telling that as we moved off from the first halt he did the biggest sigh ever, which made me laugh! All was going ok until the last medium trot when he had a complete drama queen moment - he has a sore mouth on one side - stopped dead and reacted as if I'd taken his back teeth out, then fluffed the next couple of moments.....not our finest moment, admittedly, so a well-deserved 35.9 in a section where the leader was on 23.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nHTiGe0bdc&list=UUITXXFxUhnZR0e7eK5tJsmw&index=1&feature=plcp
Showjumping was on a surface so Floppy and I stood and watched a few, thinking it was quite a beefy track but pretty jumpable...turns out it was the Advanced! Get us, thinking it was ok. Jup did his best yak impression warming up so I resorted to JA Pony Rider on Speed tactics to make him get him "motivated". It worked a treat, even if it does look like I'm going against the clock, and by rights I should have had the second part of the double down but hey, if Lady Luck is on your side for a change who am I to complain?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM747rs2wXE&list=UUITXXFxUhnZR0e7eK5tJsmw&index=2&feature=plcp
And some photos from the team tog:
So, I was chuffed to bits with that and all revved up ready to go cross country. I didn't think it was as big as Catton but still enough to do and complacency is not a good companion whilst riding cross country. May I gush? My pony was just awesome, and boy can he shift for a fat lad! I wasn't flat out but he was so up for it, not a single moment, even when he slipped on the turn to the first water.
I thought the first fence was wide enough:
That made me get my bum in gear...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVneSYfnj20&list=UUITXXFxUhnZR0e7eK5tJsmw&index=3&feature=plcp
But why oh why do I feel the need to set up for a really straightforward fence? *slaps herself*
I do it again here at a bloomin' chase fence. I mean you couldn't get a more obvious invitation to gallop on than a fence like that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw-yHG_AzjY&list=UUITXXFxUhnZR0e7eK5tJsmw&index=4&feature=plcp
And here, where I probably should have added to the coffin I didn't, although that was possibly me thinking I daren't give him a moment to ponder over the ditch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U37DZV8Zns&list=UUITXXFxUhnZR0e7eK5tJsmw&index=5&feature=plcp
How cute was he over the bounce though? Pingy pony.
I didn't wear a watch so was pleased with 6.4 time, particularly as I can see where I wasted time at the simple fences, and even more pleased to get deux points for his double clear. Top pony!
And a random photo of me in the new Baydale Bus (which we've called the Baydale Barbie Bus as it has a very fetching pink stripe/slash on the side) trying to be SuperFran.
I only have builders' tea and muesli as this has been the ramblings of an insomniac. Sleep, pah, who needs it? Oh, and I've been made redundant so will do some blatant networking and ask that if you know of anyone who needs a PA/Office Manager/Butt Kicker/Motivational Trainer, please could you point them in my direction.
Thankfully the big yellow thing has reappeared in the sky and meant that I had to dust off my competition kit and see if I could remember how to do it. First outing was the very lovely Ralphie G and the final of the Vale View Eventer Trial series: big prize money so Claire and I felt it would be rude not to have a go. Claire was up first in the Intermediate and I poo-pooed her protestations about the size of the track, did some of my special motivational butt-kicking and set her loose. One word: wow! She rode beautifully; her showjumping was spot-on and then she upped the pace for the xc, just being unlucky to have two fences down but finishing a very creditable 9th out of 46.
Twas very kind of her to warm him up for me even if it did mean waiting until 4.30 for our 1.10m class. I haven't actually sat on Ralph for a month but hey, a bit of pressure is good for me, surely? I needn't have worried as Ralph is one for hiding his light under a bushel and only does as much as he needs to, but I think even he got a shock at the skinny brush and had to put his knees right under his chin! Scroll down to find that one as I seem to have become a technophobe and can't link to individual photos:http://www.everybodysmile.biz/hoofp...e_es137.php?Cat=402-Nicky McDonnell Ralphie G
Sadly we had two down but I was still chuffed to finish 7th out of 30 odd and it certainly got the adrenaline pumping round my veins.
Next up he who you all adore so much,
The Most Annoying Horse on The Planet, who appears to have reached new levels of annoyance in the 8 whole weeks since his last run at Catton. Aston had put on an extra day so I entered the Intermediate, made sure I went xc schooling and did ditches aplenty, and off we set with Jup's New Best Friend, Bumpy, who I train along with his rider, nicknamed Floppy. Dressage: hmmm, I was a little overwhelmed and utterly in awe of some of the horses warming up as there was also Advanced running, but tried to focus on my big bay bundle and getting whatever I could out of his dressage-loathing brain and body. It was telling that as we moved off from the first halt he did the biggest sigh ever, which made me laugh! All was going ok until the last medium trot when he had a complete drama queen moment - he has a sore mouth on one side - stopped dead and reacted as if I'd taken his back teeth out, then fluffed the next couple of moments.....not our finest moment, admittedly, so a well-deserved 35.9 in a section where the leader was on 23.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nHTiGe0bdc&list=UUITXXFxUhnZR0e7eK5tJsmw&index=1&feature=plcp
Showjumping was on a surface so Floppy and I stood and watched a few, thinking it was quite a beefy track but pretty jumpable...turns out it was the Advanced! Get us, thinking it was ok.
Jup did his best yak impression warming up so I resorted to JA Pony Rider on Speed tactics to make him get him "motivated". It worked a treat, even if it does look like I'm going against the clock, and by rights I should have had the second part of the double down but hey, if Lady Luck is on your side for a change who am I to complain?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM747rs2wXE&list=UUITXXFxUhnZR0e7eK5tJsmw&index=2&feature=plcp
And some photos from the team tog:
So, I was chuffed to bits with that and all revved up ready to go cross country. I didn't think it was as big as Catton but still enough to do and complacency is not a good companion whilst riding cross country. May I gush?
My pony was just awesome, and boy can he shift for a fat lad! I wasn't flat out but he was so up for it, not a single moment, even when he slipped on the turn to the first water.I thought the first fence was wide enough:
That made me get my bum in gear...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVneSYfnj20&list=UUITXXFxUhnZR0e7eK5tJsmw&index=3&feature=plcp
But why oh why do I feel the need to set up for a really straightforward fence? *slaps herself*
I do it again here at a bloomin' chase fence.
I mean you couldn't get a more obvious invitation to gallop on than a fence like that.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw-yHG_AzjY&list=UUITXXFxUhnZR0e7eK5tJsmw&index=4&feature=plcp
And here, where I probably should have added to the coffin I didn't, although that was possibly me thinking I daren't give him a moment to ponder over the ditch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U37DZV8Zns&list=UUITXXFxUhnZR0e7eK5tJsmw&index=5&feature=plcp
How cute was he over the bounce though? Pingy pony.
I didn't wear a watch so was pleased with 6.4 time, particularly as I can see where I wasted time at the simple fences, and even more pleased to get deux points for his double clear. Top pony!
And a random photo of me in the new Baydale Bus (which we've called the Baydale Barbie Bus as it has a very fetching pink stripe/slash on the side
) trying to be SuperFran. I only have builders' tea and muesli as this has been the ramblings of an insomniac. Sleep, pah, who needs it?
Oh, and I've been made redundant so will do some blatant networking and ask that if you know of anyone who needs a PA/Office Manager/Butt Kicker/Motivational Trainer, please could you point them in my direction. 
