only_me
Well-Known Member
This was quite the rollercoaster!!
Just to prove that we dont always have good days out thought would post a report of our first international, the 5&6 year old CIC* - this was always going to be a bit of an ask as we have only had 3 runs at novice plus our area trials (which was a strong track, a good pre-run for this!) but trainers had faith in him!We were very lucky that the event ran, there was a bucket load of water dumped on us on the Friday evening and the national classes had to be cancelled, but luckily the organisers were able to keep the international classes going, for which I am very grateful!
By the time Billy and I were due out to warm up for stressage, the ground had suffered as we were the 3rd last in the last section on the 2nd day of stressage! So Billy really wasnt very happy working in fetlock deep tracks (wish I was exaggerating!) and found it quite difficult to co-ordinate everything in the right places! I hoped that the actual arena would have faired better and the organisers were fab in that they moved the arena at the start of the class so we would have fresh ground but it was so cut up when we were going that I could feel Billy struggling to keep his balance and so we just tried our best really! He got very confused in the first leg yield and we did canter leg yield to walk leg yield to canter leg yield to walk so we put that movement behind us as is only one movement and we had another green mistake in that he did a lovely change in the first counter canter but he showed off how obedient he can be as we made a lovely transition from walk to the counter canter lead. Finished off the test as best as we could, and pleasantly surprised to score 50.3! This left us bang halfway in the class and happy enough, marks were well spread with a 9 and quite a few 8s in the mix as well! So potential is there
The showjumping caused carnage. It did not go right for us, combination of things but We werent the worst score and others had worse rounds than us, so back to the drawing board sj wise for us to try and find out what works.
Big ears!!
And he looks huge!
The cross country course was strong for us, a few questions which I hoped Billy would answer and time seemed pretty tight but was a good galloping track which would suit him! Popped over the first nicely, flew the second which was a spread parallel which was a bit deceiving as looks like a bank:
Gallopy:
Gallop down to the third which was a big enough trakener, and then up hill through a little wood to the first big question which caused a fair few problems, down hill approach to a decent drop with brush 3 strides to a very skinny roller! I came back too much here as expected billy to launch off the drop and expected to have to really hold for the 3, but he dropped off very nicely and needed to ride the 3, but Billy was excellent here and jumped it from a very deep spot (see vid!!) never even thinking of ducking out!
Fence3
Fence 4
Short gallop to the first water, decent cottage with brush on top which hid the landing which was on gravel, but horses perspective saw landing in water, he got a little tap here to make sure no second thoughts, no problem though straight through and over the same out. Long gallop up to the next fence, wide table into space landing on downhill, flew this, steep downhill to walled water where again landing hidden into water, tight right turn to a big hedge which he flew!
Fence 7
Fence 9 the hedge:
Then up steep bounce steps uphill over the treasure chest do a decent drop downhill (see vid!) and another long gallop to a very big table which we had a flyer at, downhill to the final water where I would have preferred to slow down a little bit but Billy had other ideas and launched into the water over the log/drop, and out over a narrow upright brush. Long gallop to 2 skinny logs which he jumped very nicely, then to strong enough combo for us, log 6 curving strides to a big in your face brush corner, which pleased to say that little bill has really grown up as he jumped this really well, took the flag with us but very pleased with him!
Gallop to a big cottage which jumped out of our stride, then into the woods which was a skinny brush 1 stride to an angled brush, he popped through this like a pro, galloped down hill over the dog kennel (see vid) and then gallop over the last, a table basket and through the finish! What a ride, came through the finish with a big grin on my face he was totally awesome xc, made it feel very easy and considering where we started the season, is no mean feat! And we even managed to finish 19th in the section!
Heres a vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PANdzZnVrdU
So quite a weekend of ups and down but shows me how much he has come on, and how much we still have to work on!! He was just so awesome xc, launching into the waters and staying true and really trying to work out the answers to the questions. Thanks for reading
Also have some very exciting news, I am off to Kenya for just under 3 months at the end of August so am very about that!
Just to prove that we dont always have good days out thought would post a report of our first international, the 5&6 year old CIC* - this was always going to be a bit of an ask as we have only had 3 runs at novice plus our area trials (which was a strong track, a good pre-run for this!) but trainers had faith in him!We were very lucky that the event ran, there was a bucket load of water dumped on us on the Friday evening and the national classes had to be cancelled, but luckily the organisers were able to keep the international classes going, for which I am very grateful!
By the time Billy and I were due out to warm up for stressage, the ground had suffered as we were the 3rd last in the last section on the 2nd day of stressage! So Billy really wasnt very happy working in fetlock deep tracks (wish I was exaggerating!) and found it quite difficult to co-ordinate everything in the right places! I hoped that the actual arena would have faired better and the organisers were fab in that they moved the arena at the start of the class so we would have fresh ground but it was so cut up when we were going that I could feel Billy struggling to keep his balance and so we just tried our best really! He got very confused in the first leg yield and we did canter leg yield to walk leg yield to canter leg yield to walk so we put that movement behind us as is only one movement and we had another green mistake in that he did a lovely change in the first counter canter but he showed off how obedient he can be as we made a lovely transition from walk to the counter canter lead. Finished off the test as best as we could, and pleasantly surprised to score 50.3! This left us bang halfway in the class and happy enough, marks were well spread with a 9 and quite a few 8s in the mix as well! So potential is there
The showjumping caused carnage. It did not go right for us, combination of things but We werent the worst score and others had worse rounds than us, so back to the drawing board sj wise for us to try and find out what works. Big ears!!
And he looks huge!
The cross country course was strong for us, a few questions which I hoped Billy would answer and time seemed pretty tight but was a good galloping track which would suit him! Popped over the first nicely, flew the second which was a spread parallel which was a bit deceiving as looks like a bank:
Gallopy:
Gallop down to the third which was a big enough trakener, and then up hill through a little wood to the first big question which caused a fair few problems, down hill approach to a decent drop with brush 3 strides to a very skinny roller! I came back too much here as expected billy to launch off the drop and expected to have to really hold for the 3, but he dropped off very nicely and needed to ride the 3, but Billy was excellent here and jumped it from a very deep spot (see vid!!) never even thinking of ducking out!
Fence3
Fence 4
Short gallop to the first water, decent cottage with brush on top which hid the landing which was on gravel, but horses perspective saw landing in water, he got a little tap here to make sure no second thoughts, no problem though straight through and over the same out. Long gallop up to the next fence, wide table into space landing on downhill, flew this, steep downhill to walled water where again landing hidden into water, tight right turn to a big hedge which he flew!
Fence 7
Fence 9 the hedge:
Then up steep bounce steps uphill over the treasure chest do a decent drop downhill (see vid!) and another long gallop to a very big table which we had a flyer at, downhill to the final water where I would have preferred to slow down a little bit but Billy had other ideas and launched into the water over the log/drop, and out over a narrow upright brush. Long gallop to 2 skinny logs which he jumped very nicely, then to strong enough combo for us, log 6 curving strides to a big in your face brush corner, which pleased to say that little bill has really grown up as he jumped this really well, took the flag with us but very pleased with him!
Gallop to a big cottage which jumped out of our stride, then into the woods which was a skinny brush 1 stride to an angled brush, he popped through this like a pro, galloped down hill over the dog kennel (see vid) and then gallop over the last, a table basket and through the finish! What a ride, came through the finish with a big grin
on my face he was totally awesome xc, made it feel very easy and considering where we started the season, is no mean feat! And we even managed to finish 19th in the section! Heres a vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PANdzZnVrdU
So quite a weekend of ups and down but shows me how much he has come on, and how much we still have to work on!! He was just so awesome xc, launching into the waters and staying true and really trying to work out the answers to the questions. Thanks for reading
Also have some very exciting news, I am off to Kenya for just under 3 months at the end of August so am very
about that!
