BeckyD
Well-Known Member
Right I'm about post "watermarked" pro photos that I have purchased and been given full permission to post absolutely anywhere I wish, including here 
I remember a post coming up saying to send an email to someone if you've got permission to post watermarked pics but I can't find it...?!
So the day dawned for Carlton Horse Trials, which was the culmination of my sponsorship programme courtesy of Scotts of Thrapston Rider Development Programme. I even had to be interviewed over the commentary system yesterday! I had slightly annoying times of 10.12, 1.19 and 1.57 so a bit of hanging about but I walked the course for a second time and watched some SJ so it was fine. I was all alone for dressage as my long-suffering OH had a better offer than being unpaid groom!
Dressage warmup went well but then as we were going for test, Bill got a fly in hs ear - what bad luck. He spent the test shaking his head from side to side and trying to get his ear inside his knee! Was expecting a 50 or worse, so very pleasantly surprised with 36.5 considering. Judge was very kind and merely noted contact issues!
Baydale VERY kindly warmed us up for SJ and Bill was jumping brilliantly - possibly the best I've ever felt him. SJ was causing a lot of problems as the sun was shining off the lovely bright fillers, and there were quite a few stops/eliminations/retirements before me. Bill went in and went feral! We played the left/right game to the first and the rest of the round followed suit! He thought about stopping at 4a, but I committed him so instead he just ploughed through it Made it clear over 4b and took off in a panic, so I had to really sharply pull right to get over 5 at a very poor angle. The rest of the course finished in a bit of a blur but finished with just the 4 faults. Here are 2 nice pics:
[Content removed]
[Content removed]
Next up was the XC. During the week I had decided not to run XC due to the lack of rain, but the course actually wasn't too bad in most parts. They had aerovated it which had made more difference than I'd have expected, and when I walked the course in the morning, the Novice horses were leaving hoofprints in the ground, so I figured it had enough give to take a steady trip round. They had left very good grass cover as well.
He warmed up a bit rubbish to be honest - possibly the heat/hard ground taking its toll. We set off over fence 1 keenly, flew over fence 2 on a flyer (I had meant to put another stride in but Bill said he was OK from that one), trotted down into the woods and trotted over fence 3, a log drop. Cantered up the hill in the woods and gently popped the rails, to make a tight right turn down the steps, which he popped nicely down (I have a fear of steps down so freeze a bit). Then cantered across the hill to the Helsinki rails, then to the first real question, the angled skinny trakehner. Bill was fighting a bit coming towards this so I brought him back to trot, then sent him forwards in canter and gave him no choice but to jump it and he gave me a nice jump. Down the hill then to the road crossing 8a and b which he jumped out well over, then a sharp left turn.
At this point, our way was almost blocked by spectators with a buggy and Bill freaked out and shot sideways into the crop. I pulled him up and waited for the spectators to move, then we snorted and huffed and puffed (Bill can be such a moron) in slow trot past them, then set off at the canter over the triple rails. I saw a lovely forward stride to the hedge but Bill decided to sneak a small sideways one in so that he could jump the smallest bit of it (lazy pony!), then set off at the gallop up the hill and over the offset palisades. Next up was the curvy log which I brought him right back for, having been dropped on my head at several logs, then off to the egg basket. Again, I saw a lovely forward stride but Bill stuffed a short one in and we got a bit close but made it safely over without touching it:
[Content removed]
I gave a kick and a slap to say "oi! look out for us please!" and next up was the trakehner, which we dropped to trot in front of as the line of shade was perfectly on the lip of the ditch and Bill took a second to figure it out, but then popped back up into canter and neatly jumped it:
[Content removed]
then made the curving downhill 3 strides to the skinny rolltop.
Next was the other question - a very skinny hedge to two strides to step down, but Bill made nothing of it, sailed over and accelerated towards the water, which he jumped confidently into. Next was the hedge and galloped up the hill to the last, and flew over that and galloped through the finish. He finished full of steam but then we had gone very slowly (30.8 time faults! - only 3 people in my section were within the time and lots had more than 10 time faults).
I was more thrilled than you can imagine - a clear at BE100 had seemed an impossibility just 12 months ago.
I have learnt so much from Baydale and in my Scotts RDP lessons with Nick Turner and Simon Lawrance. I'd love to say I remember it all but Bill is never the same twice so it's hard sometimes to remember which bits to apply! I need to learn to go faster XC although Carlton wasn't about that as I was taking it easy for the ground.
Next up is ALW BE100, and that should be a better test of time-making! I shall keep kicking!!
I remember a post coming up saying to send an email to someone if you've got permission to post watermarked pics but I can't find it...?!So the day dawned for Carlton Horse Trials, which was the culmination of my sponsorship programme courtesy of Scotts of Thrapston Rider Development Programme. I even had to be interviewed over the commentary system yesterday! I had slightly annoying times of 10.12, 1.19 and 1.57 so a bit of hanging about but I walked the course for a second time and watched some SJ so it was fine. I was all alone for dressage as my long-suffering OH had a better offer than being unpaid groom!
Dressage warmup went well but then as we were going for test, Bill got a fly in hs ear - what bad luck. He spent the test shaking his head from side to side and trying to get his ear inside his knee! Was expecting a 50 or worse, so very pleasantly surprised with 36.5 considering. Judge was very kind and merely noted contact issues!
Baydale VERY kindly warmed us up for SJ and Bill was jumping brilliantly - possibly the best I've ever felt him. SJ was causing a lot of problems as the sun was shining off the lovely bright fillers, and there were quite a few stops/eliminations/retirements before me. Bill went in and went feral! We played the left/right game to the first and the rest of the round followed suit! He thought about stopping at 4a, but I committed him so instead he just ploughed through it
Made it clear over 4b and took off in a panic, so I had to really sharply pull right to get over 5 at a very poor angle. The rest of the course finished in a bit of a blur but finished with just the 4 faults. Here are 2 nice pics:[Content removed]
[Content removed]
Next up was the XC. During the week I had decided not to run XC due to the lack of rain, but the course actually wasn't too bad in most parts. They had aerovated it which had made more difference than I'd have expected, and when I walked the course in the morning, the Novice horses were leaving hoofprints in the ground, so I figured it had enough give to take a steady trip round. They had left very good grass cover as well.
He warmed up a bit rubbish to be honest - possibly the heat/hard ground taking its toll. We set off over fence 1 keenly, flew over fence 2 on a flyer (I had meant to put another stride in but Bill said he was OK from that one), trotted down into the woods and trotted over fence 3, a log drop. Cantered up the hill in the woods and gently popped the rails, to make a tight right turn down the steps, which he popped nicely down (I have a fear of steps down so freeze a bit). Then cantered across the hill to the Helsinki rails, then to the first real question, the angled skinny trakehner. Bill was fighting a bit coming towards this so I brought him back to trot, then sent him forwards in canter and gave him no choice but to jump it and he gave me a nice jump. Down the hill then to the road crossing 8a and b which he jumped out well over, then a sharp left turn.
At this point, our way was almost blocked by spectators with a buggy and Bill freaked out and shot sideways into the crop. I pulled him up and waited for the spectators to move, then we snorted and huffed and puffed (Bill can be such a moron) in slow trot past them, then set off at the canter over the triple rails. I saw a lovely forward stride to the hedge but Bill decided to sneak a small sideways one in so that he could jump the smallest bit of it (lazy pony!), then set off at the gallop up the hill and over the offset palisades. Next up was the curvy log which I brought him right back for, having been dropped on my head at several logs, then off to the egg basket. Again, I saw a lovely forward stride but Bill stuffed a short one in and we got a bit close but made it safely over without touching it:
[Content removed]
I gave a kick and a slap to say "oi! look out for us please!" and next up was the trakehner, which we dropped to trot in front of as the line of shade was perfectly on the lip of the ditch and Bill took a second to figure it out, but then popped back up into canter and neatly jumped it:
[Content removed]
then made the curving downhill 3 strides to the skinny rolltop.
Next was the other question - a very skinny hedge to two strides to step down, but Bill made nothing of it, sailed over and accelerated towards the water, which he jumped confidently into. Next was the hedge and galloped up the hill to the last, and flew over that and galloped through the finish. He finished full of steam but then we had gone very slowly (30.8 time faults! - only 3 people in my section were within the time and lots had more than 10 time faults).
I was more thrilled than you can imagine - a clear at BE100 had seemed an impossibility just 12 months ago.
I have learnt so much from Baydale and in my Scotts RDP lessons with Nick Turner and Simon Lawrance. I'd love to say I remember it all but Bill is never the same twice so it's hard sometimes to remember which bits to apply! I need to learn to go faster XC although Carlton wasn't about that as I was taking it easy for the ground.
Next up is ALW BE100, and that should be a better test of time-making! I shall keep kicking!!
Last edited by a moderator:
