Belated Dauntsey (2) report!

CAH7

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Hello all, so I normally lurk, but since the 'Where has everyone gone?' post I thought I'd share :) - hope you don't get too bored!
Following top advice on here I finally achieved a long-held ambition to complete a BE90 with my lovely Irish Bog Pony, it was such a great day! I'd walked Dauntsey (1) in July, felt it would suit us, scrimped and saved, schooled over Homme House and West Wilts, found a fab stressage trainer, did a couple of BS comps, worked really hard on fitness (Bog Pony isn't a natural galloper ;) and needs to be kept clipped and in decent work all year round), searched out my finest Brave Pants, bribed my two lovely groomies, and off we set at 6.15am last Sunday, all very excited! Bog Pony had been fast asleep at 5.30am, quite understandably, but leapt up as soon as he heard my car, with his best 'ooh, where are we off to today mum?' face, bless him.
The sun was shining and there was actually a frost (!), and off I went to get hat tagged, pay start fee, walk SJ course (my nemesis...eek!), and get 'in the zone', while my two lovely groomies sorted out, tacked up and studded Bog P. A lovely warm-up (we have struggled so much with canter, it's taken over 2 years to get an acceptable 20m circle!), and a really nice swingy test, with just some loss of balance in canter and canter-trot transitions, as to be expected, so half a pack of polos for his Royal Bog Pony-ness, and back to change saddles for SJ.
SJ course looked really good, bold and in a lovely large grass arena, but it's my least favourite phase, mainly because I struggle to adjust Bog P's canter, which means I worry a lot about missing him at a fence :( He goes best if I concentrate on rhythm, and ride him forwards and soft into the fences, but unfortunately I couldn't quite get it right for him on the day, so we had 3 down. I'd heard my stressage score of 33.5 just as I went through the start, and I admit to thinking, 'ooh, not too bad, better not mess up this bit...' - oops!
Still delighted to have made it through 2 out of 3 phases, so more polos and a banana for Bog P, and back again to get ready for XC, the best bit! Bog Pony is great XC, in that as long as I get him there, he'll jump. I have suffered terribly with nerves in the past, and never thought I'd ever get as far as this TBH, but because he's such an honest, brave, straight forward boy, I was just really excited to be there :).
By this time, he was starting to wonder if we were all mad, having been tacked up for the 3rd time, but off he marched to the XC warm-up, stormed round and over the practice fence, into the start box, and off we went! Lovely bold jump over the first, a steeplechase fence, then right hand turn to fence 2, a flower box under the trees, which he had a little look at, then flew off right on to a skinny upturned boat at 3, then a left turn through the hedge on to a dog kennel, and a really tricky line of offset rolltops, that you couldn't see a line through until you were right over to the far side of them, but being a fab Bog Pony, I lined him up, leg on, and over both - lots of pats and 'good boy!'s! The rest of the course was right handed, with quite tight turns followed by galloping stretches, then turns to fences and more galloping, and I had under-estimated the technicality - bless my lovely Bog Pony though, he tried his socks off, jumped everything in his way, not always prettily. I had to slip my reins to the buckle over the corner coming up out of the water, where he chipped in a stride and jumped left (the wide bit!), but more big pats and on to the double of wishing wells, the water, a skinny box with brush on top, on to a lovely confident jump over the last. Tons of time pens but a clear XC, I was absolutely delighted with him :)
Back to the trailer again for a wash down, a drink, some grass and another banana, and back home for tea, a roll and a chill in the field. We had a great day, thanks to Bog P and to my lovely groomies :) and I get it now - this eventing lark is sooo expensive, time-consuming, really really hard work, but ultimately totally addictive!
Thanks for reading :)
 

Nannon

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Fab report - well done you!! I'd love to be brave enough to do something like that with mine but jumping is not his forte (and he's a drama queen!) so we will be dressaging for the foreseeable!
Look forward to hearing more reports from the bog pony :)
 

ahml100

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Well done and what a fab report. So glad that you had a good day and welcome to the stone cold broke adrenaline junkie club!
 

EmmaB

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Great to read such a positive report! Shame about the poles sj but you enjoyed it which is what its all about, sounds like you both had a blast!
Would love to see some pics of your bog pony! :D
 

Theocat

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I've vowed to start commenting after the other thread! :D

Lovely report - really inspiring! I'm far too nervous to event but you manage to make it sound appealing!
 

atlantis

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Great report!!! Your bog pony looks like my old bog pony!!! I never thought I'd ever event and he took me over an intro (as it was then)!!

Looking forward to the next report, what a great way to end the year!!!
 

CAH7

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Oh wow, thanks so much everybody!! :)
JennBags thank you, and yes we did have a lovely time, onwards and upwards hopefully!
Nannon thanks, I bought him for stressage and hacking really because I'd lost my Brave Pants, but he has helped me find them again, bless him!
ahml100 thank you, yes I have no idea how you proper eventing peeps do it! It was such a hard slog fitting all the homework in with work, two children, husband who has his own time-consuming hobby...but very much worth it! Luckily I have an amazing sharer friend who did lots of the stamina work for me :)
Ridingondreams thank you, yes Bog P is a superstar, puts up with whatever i chuck at him!
EmmaB thank you, yes it was a shame about the SJ, but it has been 'educational' ;) and I now have lots to work on! I do have some pics but they're Pro ones and I have a feeling that even though I have permission to post they'll get button-pushed, plus I am totally hopeless at working out how I get pics on here - more homework for me ;)
Jango thank you, yes it's my birthday coming up so I'm hoping for a contribution to the Bog Pony Eventing Fund, but really I should just have married a much richer man!!
Theocat thank you and that's lovely that I've inspired you! Go for it, honestly if I can do it, anyone can! :)
atlantis thank you, your old bog pony does look very familiar! What a super jump! Bog Ponies rule :) !
Steorra thank you, XC on Bog P is great fun :) !
 

EmmaB

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CAH7 said:
EmmaB thank you, yes it was a shame about the SJ, but it has been 'educational' ;) and I now have lots to work on! I do have some pics but they're Pro ones and I have a feeling that even though I have permission to post they'll get button-pushed, plus I am totally hopeless at working out how I get pics on here - more homework for me ;)
Put them on photobucket :) just make sure you post them as a link and no one will ever know!! ;)
 

CAH7

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Thank you armchair_rider, yes I am delighted we survived our first attempt! I quite agree, the SJ wasn't our best effort, but I like a challenge and so the aim is a clear next time! Lots to work on over winter :)
 

CAH7

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Thank you WindyStacks :) I think I was just so amazed to actually arrive at the event in one piece (challenges in the run up included 2 poorly children, a flat battery, a bald tyre and a loose shoe...!) that I forgot to be nervous :) which is most unusual!
 

CAH7

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Thank you all :)!!
Apercrumbie, thanks, I need to focus on SJ ;) and work really hard on making the canter more adjustable, so grids and more course jumping practice, with possibly Howick as an early season goal if I work some overtime...!
Star thank you, yes I'll need to remortgage though if I want to continue ;) !
Rosiefan thanks, it was great fun! :)
 

claracanter

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Well done you and Bog P. Love all the detail and the idea of him looking at you all like you are mad as he gets tacked up for a third time.
 

Teasel

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Fabulous report, thank you so much for sharing! Your Bog Pony sounds fantastic and I'll hazard a guess that as that canter improves so does that SJ. Well done to both of you. ....would normally have read...enjoyed...and remained a lurker...but after that other post!!!! I just couldn't!
 

CAH7

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Aww thanks for your replies everyone!
Kathantoinette thank you, there was one hefty looking oxer in the SJ that deffo required Brave Pants, but that was the one we jumped best, oddly enough ;)!
Bills thank you, I do feel very lucky to have found my lovely Bog Pony :)
Claracanter thank you, yes he was shell-shocked by the end bless him!
Teasel thank you, yes his canter has improved enough to do a passable stressage (hooray!) and if I could just increase the oomph without it all falling out the front end we might keep those poles up! He really does try bless him!
 
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