Michen
Well-Known Member
Two years almost to the day since our last event.
Ahhhh can’t believe it!! After texting secretary to withdrew due to ground concerns I changed my mind Thanks to a post on the weekend thread and thank god I did.
Bog did a sweet test but I was a bit rubbish with my accuracy, plus a break in the canter which left us mid way through the section. He actually really dropped off my leg and was overly chilled, a bit stuffy, and got heavy in my hand. The dressage was deceptively sloping and again hard so I rode a bit defensively and you can see we lose most engagement of his back end (always hard to remind him it’s there anyway) and it all got a bit choppy. But he was obedient and rideable so I’ll take that..the safer option.
The sj and xc caused absolute carnage. Worth looking up the AUW 80 results to see a true jumping rather than dressage test. Barely any sj clears and so many time faults and eliminations, refusals etc. We were about midway, 20th after dressage so the fact that score would have won it without time faults (just jumping clear) shows just how much trouble it was causing. There was about 10 people in the 20’s post dressage and not one didn’t add things.. It was hard and slippery so I popped one x pole in the warm up and went straight in. I honestly don’t think I could have let Bog go much faster but he jumped a super, imperfect but fun clear with 10 time faults (video below). He was strong and there were legs everywhere with random changes on both reins but it was all quite exciting ?
And then the XC, am so glad I went as I thought the ground was pretty damn good! Just goes to show very much personal opinion. It was also surprisingly tough compared to other runs I have had there. Simple enough fences but really using the ground so lots of downhill jumping and drops. I expected him to maybe go a bit green after a year off but rocketed out of the start box and I just let him run. Turns out we were 29 seconds under the optimum time- woops- so picked up some too fast faults. I certainly didn’t intend to go that fast but we were both having so much fun and he was jumping out of his stride without being rude so I enjoyed it. Cold legs so far thank goodness.
It was one of the best XC rounds I’ve ever had, he’s always brilliant but this was even more special. I was literally cheering him the whole way round and at one point shouted you are so ****** cool which left a fence judge chuckling ??
Finished with many tears because I really thought we’d never do this again and even just one event after 2 years of nothing is amazing.
If we hadn’t had the time faults he’d have won the class.. or joint first actually so would have depended on a sensible optimum time.
Always a bit annoying but I think riding cautiously on the sj ground was the right thing to do.
He is just the coolest Bog pony ever.
Ahhhh can’t believe it!! After texting secretary to withdrew due to ground concerns I changed my mind Thanks to a post on the weekend thread and thank god I did.
Bog did a sweet test but I was a bit rubbish with my accuracy, plus a break in the canter which left us mid way through the section. He actually really dropped off my leg and was overly chilled, a bit stuffy, and got heavy in my hand. The dressage was deceptively sloping and again hard so I rode a bit defensively and you can see we lose most engagement of his back end (always hard to remind him it’s there anyway) and it all got a bit choppy. But he was obedient and rideable so I’ll take that..the safer option.
The sj and xc caused absolute carnage. Worth looking up the AUW 80 results to see a true jumping rather than dressage test. Barely any sj clears and so many time faults and eliminations, refusals etc. We were about midway, 20th after dressage so the fact that score would have won it without time faults (just jumping clear) shows just how much trouble it was causing. There was about 10 people in the 20’s post dressage and not one didn’t add things.. It was hard and slippery so I popped one x pole in the warm up and went straight in. I honestly don’t think I could have let Bog go much faster but he jumped a super, imperfect but fun clear with 10 time faults (video below). He was strong and there were legs everywhere with random changes on both reins but it was all quite exciting ?
And then the XC, am so glad I went as I thought the ground was pretty damn good! Just goes to show very much personal opinion. It was also surprisingly tough compared to other runs I have had there. Simple enough fences but really using the ground so lots of downhill jumping and drops. I expected him to maybe go a bit green after a year off but rocketed out of the start box and I just let him run. Turns out we were 29 seconds under the optimum time- woops- so picked up some too fast faults. I certainly didn’t intend to go that fast but we were both having so much fun and he was jumping out of his stride without being rude so I enjoyed it. Cold legs so far thank goodness.
It was one of the best XC rounds I’ve ever had, he’s always brilliant but this was even more special. I was literally cheering him the whole way round and at one point shouted you are so ****** cool which left a fence judge chuckling ??
Finished with many tears because I really thought we’d never do this again and even just one event after 2 years of nothing is amazing.
If we hadn’t had the time faults he’d have won the class.. or joint first actually so would have depended on a sensible optimum time.
Always a bit annoying but I think riding cautiously on the sj ground was the right thing to do.
He is just the coolest Bog pony ever.
