ArcticFox
Well-Known Member
hi all
sorry its been an age since i've been on here, thought I'd throw a quick update down for you all. For anyone on facebook you may have already seen my posts as I have a page on there - I'm not so good with twitter though for some reason!
anyways, as you know I was in an accident and was injured, so this year after being given the all clear to ride again I set out to have fun.
six months after surgery I was given the all clear to ride, the consultant rolled his eyes when I told him i'd been riding already but hey, thats horsey people for you! I did however go showjumping the saturday after my all clear. It was fab to be out and although nothing special it was important to me to get out again.
coming out of the winter, with the wonderful Classy Bear on loan, we came second at the blair qualifier arena event (beaten by less than 1 second
) and we started to do a bit more dressage.
my first event was at Dalkeith, it was supposed to be the BE100 at Eden Valley, but they cancelled due to the typical weather so we plunged in feet first and went straight in at Novice!
it turns out it was the right thing to do! I've only done 4 Novices prior to this - one clear XC, two with 20 pens and one retire - all my fault due to rider fitness and all on my grey freckly horse who has bags of potential if his worries would let him. He was too sharp for me to ride this year so he went on loan to a friend who ran him in a couple of 100's before she had too many weddings to attend and he's now getting fat in the field until next season
So Classy and I went Novice, our dressage needed work but the main part - XC was fabulous and we were clear with a few time faults. Onto Warwick hall and again we had a blast round the Novice again. I should say Open Novice as Classy is a veteran pro at eventing and looks amazing for his age. He is with me to have fun and play with, and feels like a 12yo. (wish I could clone him!)
Following Warwick and looking at the diary I realised we were eligible to run the CIC1* at Floors! I headed off down with a borrowed tailcoat, and having practiced a bit in a long arena, we ended up being a little overwhelmed by the pro's riding around us! Our dressage and SJ rounds were still qualifying scores, but we weren't going to be challenging the leaders - although that isn't why we were there anyway!
headed off to XC and what a blast - we flew round for a clear to come home having climbed a few places and both horse and rider grinning having had a fun round.
Floors allowed me to enter Hopetoun CCI1* and the prep for this began. my lovely husband bought me a tailcoat for my birthday so I got to wear orange stripes to match all the rest of our matchy matchy we have been gathering over the years! Having been out to some BD recently we gained our petplan scores for Elementary, and practiced riding in a long arena - and sitting trot!!!! coming back from an accident, trying to do a test in sitting really shows how rubbish your core is so we added in some metafit and other exercises to build on this.
Hopetoun came around and we packed up and headed over. Hubby came to join me and he loved the camp site I had set up on arrival (gazebo next to the truck!), and spend the sunny time sitting out chilling on a deck chair. although this wasn't actually that often as we were absolutely soaked in a downpour on dressage day, soaked walking the course the following day, but the sun was shining down on XC day for us and we stormed round for a clear xc with a second over time!! we finished in 19th place and headed home to celebrate with mint treats (for Classy), pimms and salt & vinegar crisps (for me!) and vino for the husband.
Since then we haven't really been up to much due to holidays and sheep showing(!) so we did enter our first Intermediate this weekend but I've dropped to Novice to take the pressure off, I really need to be jumping more to go up a level so we'll stay at Novice and just have fun.
the only, outside the box thing I have done recently is take part in a Trec competition! my friend and I did a level 2 pairs class at a local show - my friend was riding my 6yo lanky ginger boy and I was on Classy. they were the largest horses there but did a fab job and we managed to finish in 3rd place, qualifying for the Trec GB Champs!!
So thats all folks for my update!
Some videos of our run at Hopetoun
XC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHdPAfwgt5U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xNG4c_3K4A
BHS stage 3 - I've decided to do a crazy thing and enter to do my Stage 3! its not that far away and now I'm worried I'll fluff it up!
any advice gratefully received!
sorry its been an age since i've been on here, thought I'd throw a quick update down for you all. For anyone on facebook you may have already seen my posts as I have a page on there - I'm not so good with twitter though for some reason!
anyways, as you know I was in an accident and was injured, so this year after being given the all clear to ride again I set out to have fun.
six months after surgery I was given the all clear to ride, the consultant rolled his eyes when I told him i'd been riding already but hey, thats horsey people for you! I did however go showjumping the saturday after my all clear. It was fab to be out and although nothing special it was important to me to get out again.
coming out of the winter, with the wonderful Classy Bear on loan, we came second at the blair qualifier arena event (beaten by less than 1 second
) and we started to do a bit more dressage. my first event was at Dalkeith, it was supposed to be the BE100 at Eden Valley, but they cancelled due to the typical weather so we plunged in feet first and went straight in at Novice!
it turns out it was the right thing to do! I've only done 4 Novices prior to this - one clear XC, two with 20 pens and one retire - all my fault due to rider fitness and all on my grey freckly horse who has bags of potential if his worries would let him. He was too sharp for me to ride this year so he went on loan to a friend who ran him in a couple of 100's before she had too many weddings to attend and he's now getting fat in the field until next season
So Classy and I went Novice, our dressage needed work but the main part - XC was fabulous and we were clear with a few time faults. Onto Warwick hall and again we had a blast round the Novice again. I should say Open Novice as Classy is a veteran pro at eventing and looks amazing for his age. He is with me to have fun and play with, and feels like a 12yo. (wish I could clone him!)
Following Warwick and looking at the diary I realised we were eligible to run the CIC1* at Floors! I headed off down with a borrowed tailcoat, and having practiced a bit in a long arena, we ended up being a little overwhelmed by the pro's riding around us! Our dressage and SJ rounds were still qualifying scores, but we weren't going to be challenging the leaders - although that isn't why we were there anyway!
headed off to XC and what a blast - we flew round for a clear to come home having climbed a few places and both horse and rider grinning having had a fun round.
Floors allowed me to enter Hopetoun CCI1* and the prep for this began. my lovely husband bought me a tailcoat for my birthday so I got to wear orange stripes to match all the rest of our matchy matchy we have been gathering over the years! Having been out to some BD recently we gained our petplan scores for Elementary, and practiced riding in a long arena - and sitting trot!!!! coming back from an accident, trying to do a test in sitting really shows how rubbish your core is so we added in some metafit and other exercises to build on this.
Hopetoun came around and we packed up and headed over. Hubby came to join me and he loved the camp site I had set up on arrival (gazebo next to the truck!), and spend the sunny time sitting out chilling on a deck chair. although this wasn't actually that often as we were absolutely soaked in a downpour on dressage day, soaked walking the course the following day, but the sun was shining down on XC day for us and we stormed round for a clear xc with a second over time!! we finished in 19th place and headed home to celebrate with mint treats (for Classy), pimms and salt & vinegar crisps (for me!) and vino for the husband.
Since then we haven't really been up to much due to holidays and sheep showing(!) so we did enter our first Intermediate this weekend but I've dropped to Novice to take the pressure off, I really need to be jumping more to go up a level so we'll stay at Novice and just have fun.
the only, outside the box thing I have done recently is take part in a Trec competition! my friend and I did a level 2 pairs class at a local show - my friend was riding my 6yo lanky ginger boy and I was on Classy. they were the largest horses there but did a fab job and we managed to finish in 3rd place, qualifying for the Trec GB Champs!!
So thats all folks for my update!
Some videos of our run at Hopetoun
XC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHdPAfwgt5U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xNG4c_3K4A
BHS stage 3 - I've decided to do a crazy thing and enter to do my Stage 3! its not that far away and now I'm worried I'll fluff it up!
any advice gratefully received!
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Classy sounds perfect for post recovery competing, are you taking over your grey boy again for next year?
