Katastrophy
Well-Known Member
As I couldn't remember my login and couldn't get my password reset! So Im back (used to be katastrophykat) and haven't posted in a good year.
So... This year didn't start well- I misplaced my 5 yo at a fence and the pole didn't give. We had a rotational fall and I was lucky to be fired out of the plate and only smashed my collarbone (tuck and roll!) so I started 2015 with surgery to piece the 12 bits together, then it just wouldn't heal! An old injury on the same shoulder then flared up, and it was the end of May before I was back driving my boy, and riding. By then, I was almost three months pregnant, so taking it easy. In July, we inherited a new member of the team, who has joined me to ride Gunner while I can't, groom on the back of the carriage and generally be a star- she more or less part loans Gunner and is keeping him ticking over for me this winter as well 😄
Here he is with his new rider-
He also does LR and lunge duties for my stepson who has been having lessons from me and my ever increasing bump!
Alongside the ridden work, we managed to get some driving in- I even made his rider have a go at driving him 😃
We went to a local fun event- the last one before I had to ditch the normal jacket and go to the maternity one! Due to a technical hitch, we were eliminated... Lesson learned, but we would have won by a good margin if not! :lol:
Then onto our first national at Raehills, and into the maternity jacket!
On the marathon- it was a wet one!
Then after the cones- we won and qualified for the national champs by default, as the only novice horse entered, but I was impressed with his performance.
Next was Lowther in August- he's never seen anything like a show that big, let alone the arena trial, and obstacles with huge crowds with a huge bridge! Poor little man was a total star. He backed off at the bridge, but went over it both ways- the only novice to do so- and got a huge cheer from the crowd, but it was all too much for his little brain and he closed down on me before the last obstacle. Despite this, he was second in a class of three to the horse that went national champ this year, with only 5 penalties between us, and had we not qualified already, we would have done so there which made me feel a little better about going (no-one wants to qualify with nothing to compete against!)
The bridge!!
Us on the bridge- body protectors are so unflattering with a bump!!
And flying in the earlier obstacles- with vocal encouragement!
So we finished the season 6.5 months gone at the national championships at Cirencester, where he was first after dressage(!!!) but after a slide marathon, we dropped to 7th -my own fault entirely- he needed studs and I haven't studded him up this year as we do so much roadwork, that we struggle to keep the stud holes intact (any ideas, guys??!) and when he slips, he loses confidence and comes right back to really steady neddy- and I know him well enough not to push as he just closes down totally. So our obstacle speeds just weren't on song, and we had awful weather and slippy ground for a very testing technical cones course- I walked it five times and just couldn't get it into my head, so we had a couple of 'oh dear' moments in there as well, and ended 7th of a class of 12/13. For his first nationals, and mine, I was so chuffed with him! He was like a seasoned pro, and for a 6 yo in his second season and only having completed 9 driving trials in the last two years since he started out, I'm proud as punch of my little home bred star! Here's the Nationals-
Taken from the screen of the camera-
And after a busy year, he remains as chilled a dude as ever!
So there's my update- sorry for the length of it, but I'm now 8.5 months gone and apart from the mucking out and keeping the yard tidy, I'm confined to barracks so thought I'd get back on board, so to speak!
So... This year didn't start well- I misplaced my 5 yo at a fence and the pole didn't give. We had a rotational fall and I was lucky to be fired out of the plate and only smashed my collarbone (tuck and roll!) so I started 2015 with surgery to piece the 12 bits together, then it just wouldn't heal! An old injury on the same shoulder then flared up, and it was the end of May before I was back driving my boy, and riding. By then, I was almost three months pregnant, so taking it easy. In July, we inherited a new member of the team, who has joined me to ride Gunner while I can't, groom on the back of the carriage and generally be a star- she more or less part loans Gunner and is keeping him ticking over for me this winter as well 😄
Here he is with his new rider-
He also does LR and lunge duties for my stepson who has been having lessons from me and my ever increasing bump!
Alongside the ridden work, we managed to get some driving in- I even made his rider have a go at driving him 😃
We went to a local fun event- the last one before I had to ditch the normal jacket and go to the maternity one! Due to a technical hitch, we were eliminated... Lesson learned, but we would have won by a good margin if not! :lol:
Then onto our first national at Raehills, and into the maternity jacket!
On the marathon- it was a wet one!
Then after the cones- we won and qualified for the national champs by default, as the only novice horse entered, but I was impressed with his performance.
Next was Lowther in August- he's never seen anything like a show that big, let alone the arena trial, and obstacles with huge crowds with a huge bridge! Poor little man was a total star. He backed off at the bridge, but went over it both ways- the only novice to do so- and got a huge cheer from the crowd, but it was all too much for his little brain and he closed down on me before the last obstacle. Despite this, he was second in a class of three to the horse that went national champ this year, with only 5 penalties between us, and had we not qualified already, we would have done so there which made me feel a little better about going (no-one wants to qualify with nothing to compete against!)
The bridge!!
Us on the bridge- body protectors are so unflattering with a bump!!
And flying in the earlier obstacles- with vocal encouragement!
So we finished the season 6.5 months gone at the national championships at Cirencester, where he was first after dressage(!!!) but after a slide marathon, we dropped to 7th -my own fault entirely- he needed studs and I haven't studded him up this year as we do so much roadwork, that we struggle to keep the stud holes intact (any ideas, guys??!) and when he slips, he loses confidence and comes right back to really steady neddy- and I know him well enough not to push as he just closes down totally. So our obstacle speeds just weren't on song, and we had awful weather and slippy ground for a very testing technical cones course- I walked it five times and just couldn't get it into my head, so we had a couple of 'oh dear' moments in there as well, and ended 7th of a class of 12/13. For his first nationals, and mine, I was so chuffed with him! He was like a seasoned pro, and for a 6 yo in his second season and only having completed 9 driving trials in the last two years since he started out, I'm proud as punch of my little home bred star! Here's the Nationals-
Taken from the screen of the camera-
And after a busy year, he remains as chilled a dude as ever!
So there's my update- sorry for the length of it, but I'm now 8.5 months gone and apart from the mucking out and keeping the yard tidy, I'm confined to barracks so thought I'd get back on board, so to speak!
