Hemirjtm
Well-Known Member
OK well maybe not...but we did do an ODE in a thunderstorm yesterday!! It was our first outing of the year (after injury) and he was AMAZING!!! 
We did 2 dressage tests (it was unaffiliated and they were running dressage on the same day; he's fit enough and I wanted to get back into it without it going wrong for the ODE )
Dressage 1: BE 92 test (unaffiliated and decided to do BE dressage tests!)
Dressage 2: BE 101 test (for unaff ODE)
90cm (but was on the small side)
90cm XC - some bigger some smaller!
Up at 4.30AM to plait and tidy before the 6.30AM set off time. Why does it take 1hr30 mins to plait a horse?? Because he wont stand still, and you have to re-do the same plait 4 TIMES!!
Anyway we set off on time....at 7.30AM the car started to smell a bit funny, as if something was burning. We stop and the tyre on the trailer had blown...huge split down the side. We get H off the trailer and start to change it (yes me and mum!) and put the spare on which we then discover is completely flat and wont pump up...So quick think, H goes on the 'wrong' side of the trailer and we snail pace it down the road.
BUT what you don't want to do when you have a completely flat tyre is go the wrong way and add an extra half an hour onto your journey, well guess what we did??? Yes we took the wrong turning, and ended up getting there at 8.30AM for a 9AM dressage test....hmmm Not in the plans!
Put him in his stable and noticed that he would be getting a lot of attention from people as they went passed to the toilets!! He was very happy as everyone stopped to say hello to him!!
The view from his 'room':
Anyway, went to the tent to get my number and sign in, buy some white gloves as I had forgotten mine and was all tacked up and ready to go by 8.45, not bad IMO!!! Then The thunderstorm started. Got warmed up and he was feeling sooooo good. Although a very loud thunder clap over head spooked him and he went bolt upright Got into the arena and he was feeling a bit fresh, the thunder and lightning was very close and he just didn't feel relaxed at all.
Anyway had to start the test, as we were going up the centre line a HUGE chunder clap went just above our heads. Very good pony carried on and went straight down the centre line Test was going well then numpty mummy forgot where she was going and found herself going wrong and getting minus marks and a 0 Got back on track and finished the test nicely We got a few 6's, mainly 7's and obviously the mistakes. Which gave us a score of 56.5% (If I hadn't of made the mistake we would have won the class!). H got 7's for his paces, impulsion, and submission and I got 7 for my riding. Judge's comments were "Very well ridden despite the weather", "horse showing good rhythm and paces", "bags of potential", and "good use of school". Her other comments were really helpful, and we will be using them to our advantage I was very pleased with how he went overall
Onto test no.2 (proper ODE one!), 12 pm so we had plenty of time to relax and chill beforehand!
Much Much better!!! The weather had cleared up and he felt so relaxed (for him anyways!). Went into the arena (first in for this test) and did a bit of 'showing off' a bit of shoulder in and medium trot to get him listening and working from behind a bit better! Started test and he felt very through and off the leg and I felt much better about this test! I didn't make a mistake. His canter felt a bit rushed (but he has never had a good canter!), but his walk felt very good and we halted square to finish!!!! We got 6's and Mainly 7's and an 8 for our walk VERY VERY happy!! Ended on a score of 65% and leading after the dressage!!! Comments were mainly the same and this one surprised me "big canter"!!!
Anyway a few pics! CC welcome - my hands are too low and I need to sit up and lengthen my stirrups! But I was very pleased with him, as he's most definately not a dressage pony!! Not in order.
My Fav, despite my face!!
Quick change for SJ, quite a simple course...1 down so quite pleased as we are in a bit of 'droopy leg mode'. Please excuse numpty riding, not the prettiest of pictures!!
XC will follow in a sec!!
We did 2 dressage tests (it was unaffiliated and they were running dressage on the same day; he's fit enough and I wanted to get back into it without it going wrong for the ODE
)Dressage 1: BE 92 test (unaffiliated and decided to do BE dressage tests!)
Dressage 2: BE 101 test (for unaff ODE)
90cm (but was on the small side)
90cm XC - some bigger some smaller!
Up at 4.30AM to plait and tidy before the 6.30AM set off time. Why does it take 1hr30 mins to plait a horse?? Because he wont stand still, and you have to re-do the same plait 4 TIMES!!
Anyway we set off on time....at 7.30AM the car started to smell a bit funny, as if something was burning. We stop and the tyre on the trailer had blown...huge split down the side. We get H off the trailer and start to change it (yes me and mum!) and put the spare on which we then discover is completely flat and wont pump up...So quick think, H goes on the 'wrong' side of the trailer and we snail pace it down the road.
BUT what you don't want to do when you have a completely flat tyre is go the wrong way and add an extra half an hour onto your journey, well guess what we did??? Yes we took the wrong turning, and ended up getting there at 8.30AM for a 9AM dressage test....hmmm Not in the plans!
Put him in his stable and noticed that he would be getting a lot of attention from people as they went passed to the toilets!!
He was very happy as everyone stopped to say hello to him!!The view from his 'room':
Anyway, went to the tent to get my number and sign in, buy some white gloves as I had forgotten mine and was all tacked up and ready to go by 8.45, not bad IMO!!! Then The thunderstorm started. Got warmed up and he was feeling sooooo good. Although a very loud thunder clap over head spooked him and he went bolt upright
Got into the arena and he was feeling a bit fresh, the thunder and lightning was very close and he just didn't feel relaxed at all. Anyway had to start the test, as we were going up the centre line a HUGE chunder clap went just above our heads. Very good pony carried on and went straight down the centre line
Test was going well then numpty mummy forgot where she was going and found herself going wrong and getting minus marks and a 0 Got back on track and finished the test nicely We got a few 6's, mainly 7's and obviously the mistakes. Which gave us a score of 56.5% (If I hadn't of made the mistake we would have won the class!). H got 7's for his paces, impulsion, and submission and I got 7 for my riding. Judge's comments were "Very well ridden despite the weather", "horse showing good rhythm and paces", "bags of potential", and "good use of school". Her other comments were really helpful, and we will be using them to our advantage I was very pleased with how he went overall Onto test no.2 (proper ODE one!), 12 pm so we had plenty of time to relax and chill beforehand!
Much Much better!!! The weather had cleared up and he felt so relaxed (for him anyways!). Went into the arena (first in for this test) and did a bit of 'showing off' a bit of shoulder in and medium trot to get him listening and working from behind a bit better! Started test and he felt very through and off the leg and I felt much better about this test! I didn't make a mistake. His canter felt a bit rushed (but he has never had a good canter!), but his walk felt very good and we halted square to finish!!!! We got 6's and Mainly 7's and an 8 for our walk
VERY VERY happy!! Ended on a score of 65% and leading after the dressage!!! Comments were mainly the same and this one surprised me "big canter"!!!Anyway a few pics!
CC welcome - my hands are too low and I need to sit up and lengthen my stirrups! But I was very pleased with him, as he's most definately not a dressage pony!! Not in order.
My Fav, despite my face!!
Quick change for SJ, quite a simple course...1 down so quite pleased as we are in a bit of 'droopy leg mode'. Please excuse numpty riding, not the prettiest of pictures!!
XC will follow in a sec!!
