Comedy competing: Unicorn Medium Debut *pics*

nikkimariet

nikkimariet

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Sports fans, I hope you're sitting comfortably because this is going to be a long one!

Last outing for me and the Velveteen Fatboy (latest nickname) was Stoneleigh back in August. Which went really well for us, warming up was spot on and really felt like we were connected. He had a week off after that. Then a week of hacking (not by me *yawn*). The first session I did with him was 15 mins of stretching and I immediately noticed he didn't want to work into my hands at all, particularly on the RHS. First thought, his right rein is the weaker side (for both of us) and he hasn't actually 'worked' for 2 weeks. So, mentioned it to PS and agreed to see how he felt tomorrow as the physio was coming out in a few days for routine treatment anyway. Got on and it took 30 minutes just to get him going forward into my hands on the left rein, and it all went to pot on the right rein. Physio said there was uneveness across his pelvis and advised lunge work for a week... Great, since I'm not a fan of lunge work; Bruce is a **** on the lunge and past injuries. Anyway, cut to the chase physio gave go ahead for schooling (lightly) on Thurs and then light-medium sessions on Fri and Sat and he felt great! Really light, eager and engaged :cool: And since I wouldn't get my entry fees back, there wasn't really much to lose by competing.

Went to Arena UK to ride E44 and M63 today. I haven't been there since me and PS used to jump. It hasn't changed. The surface is still horrible. The warmup (both) are still tiny and stuffy. The organization is still crap. Will not be going again. :mad:

Got on VF and could tell within 5 minutes this was not going to be a good one!! Could not get him off my leg, or into my hand. And if I had one, I couldn't have the other!! And then I let my temper get the better of me and so he went tense. Super duper. This combined with the fact I was riding in a cloud of wotsit dust in what felt like a pizza oven did not maketh me a happy jockey :rolleyes:

E44...my fave test to go wrong in....guess what...?! Ad libbed a 10m circle at F. It was horrible horrible horrible and I didn't even try to hide it and scowled the entire way round :o Also cantered down the centre line and halted at G. Whoops. Quashed all emotion and with it my concentration, clearly. Tried so hard in the break to get him off my leg. Didn't work. Mediums piss poor. Extended walk piss poor. HP piss poor. 1/4 pirouettes okay... Good halts and SI though! M63 I did actually remember my way round (dafthoss where is my satnav I ordered from you?!), except in my second canter HP when I thought I was coming up for the end. Que a sharply angled HP at the last second!!

So *rubs hands together* scores..... Erm. ERM. E44 = 81.2% and M63 = 82.7% :eek::eek::eek::eek:

WHAT! It was AWFUL. Secretary kept saying well done. Well done for what?! Being judged by someone who likes crack? Someone who likes crack a bit too much. I'm glad they liked Bruce and thought I rode well but just WHAAAAAT *shakes head* Me and PS nearly wet ourselves laughing! Those tests deserve a 54-59%. So yes, the sheets are going straight to the back of the cupboard!

But, what I have come away with today is the experience of riding a medium test and learnt a fair bit. The movements come up SO much quicker, so I need to make sure I prepare him properly for each movement and really be thinking ahead. I have also learnt that I need to shove a rocket up my horses ass :p

Pics are not great I'm afraid, against the wotsit dust cloud and poor lighting our little camera didn't stand a chance.

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Orange juice, bagels and cream cheese on offer!
 
maybe the wosit cloud played in your favour and the judge couldnt really see you? ;). or possibly she was wowed by the unicorn lookalike that had just arrived in her ring :D. Nevermind hun you live and you learn tho I probs should have prewarned you that Arena UK facilities still leave a lot to be desired :( try warming up in the shed one with gale force winds going on :p I was the only one out of my clinic who could get their horse to go in there! I think you did fab considering Bruce's recent set back anyways :).
Ps. Im looking to enter cav for a DR test at VV soon you still interested in being superstar jockey? :D x
 
Why is the surface rap (silent c - as Gary Barlow would say :p:o)

We have that waxed surface in our indoor and it rides really well.

The boy is looking good :).
 
Does this mean you're going to start competing Tobster as your first string horse now? ;) j/k!

Funny how sometimes our own impressions are so very different than what the judge sees!? Well done on the Med debut though! Though here I was just discussing with my RI tonight about having a go at some Elem tests with my boy this winter...under some affilated judges and with what you've described of the content, you've just given me heart palpitations! eeeek!:eek:

Bruce is beautiful in his bling btw! :D
 
Your face in the halt photo is just saying FML, but you are right, the halt looks good :p. What the hell was going on with the scores, it surely can't have been that bad of a ride if you got that?!

He looks lush as always, even with wotsit dust
 
Well done any way even if it felt rubbish. What were the other scores like?

Erm the satnav ..... I have been a little distracted by small ponies in devon. You and Toby have small and rather amusing competition and we have left the ground, although only slightly, small pony show jumping? :D will get some pictures to post he's a right laugh. Oh and Bruce will need to spend the week with me for the satnav to be installed :D and I will need to give it a test run ;) :D
 
*Starts singing ... Dont worry be happy do do do* You had better know that song otherwise that looks really rather ranbom!!! :p He does look super smart as usual though, maybe they had a tack and turnout in those marks to ;) Well done though, fabtastic marks!!
 
You do realise by the 'HHO rules' if you get good marks, and particularly if you get a rosette, you are actually not allowed to criticise the venue in any way, don't you? ;)

I always think that there are enough days when the judging goes against you, so if it goes with you, no matter what your thoughts on it, you take the marks with a smile, so well done!
 
Becca - Didn't like it when PS jumped. Didn't like it when I jumped. Don't like it now!! Warmed up in the cow shed lol and it was windy as hell. Up for playing jockey on the Cavster, just gimme a date!

Emma S - Hah!! Mostly....but since I went wrong twice in E44 and still managed that %. There were no medium. He broke in the counter canter. He broke in the free walk. OH! And I cantered down the center line to a halt because I was in a world of my own. The % doesn't make sense so doesn't really reflect what was happening. Trust me, it was an awful test. They both were.

Quirky - Thanks! And as Becca says, it's the maintenance of it. Doesn't ride like it's been harrowed, ever! Rock hard and no give to it.

Pucci - Thank you :) Think judge was extremely generous. To the extreme lol. I am the harshest critic of my riding, and I'm not exaggerating. It was shocking. I didn't deserve that %.

Sophie - HAH. I was mentally ranting '**** **** ****' at myself!!

Dafthoss - No other competitors in my classes. But witnessed competitors for intro/prelim/novice (they run them all at the same time. Bizarrely.) and erm yeah, they were just as generously overmarked!!!

Black n white - He is yummy isn't he. Shame that's his only redeeming quality right now!! PS does my plaits (I have never been taught to plait. I'm rubbish anyway. Can't even do my own hair in basic 3 strand.

Koko - I hope so too. I think it is just a sore joint thing. Like with my hip, the less I move the worse it gets. So even though exercise is sometimes sore, just got to get through it. No more long holidays for Brucey!!

Nicole - I listen to that song at least once a day!! Who doesn't love the McFerrin?! Seriously, it was dire. His warm up wasn't any better than the tests.

SC - Lol! I suppose you are right and I should stop grumbling. But it is a very inaccurate representation of how it actually went (PS doesn't lie!), and I am not someone who likes fluffy bunnies. Tell me how it is. I haven't learnt anything by getting 8/9's for movements that deserved 4/5/6....

WA - Thanks, think he is spot on weight wise at the moment. A couple weeks back in full and hard work and the muscle tone will be back 100% :)
 
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Have you checked and re-added up the score sheets? My friend once did a not very good test (she admits as much herself) and when the sheets came back she'd got something ridiculous like 90%. When she got home she re-calculated it and it was actually 61% pmsl.

I think the unicorn looks fabity fab fab as usual. He has such a kind and honest little face bless him
 
Are you going unaff or Aff?
And how horrific was the change from Ele to medium? I'm considering the move upwards at the moment but just negotiating the higher Ele's to try to get ready!
 
He still looks gorgeous, even if tests felt crap! I have heard about the scoring there being a bit erratic on occasion - think I will have to start going to bump my scores up, we might even manage to get a mid-sixties test :p
Oddly, I like the arenas there - especially the outdoor - but compared to the concrete-grass at home anything vaguely sandy is appreciated :o

Btw, and I have been meaning to ask this for ages, what make is your jacket? On the hunt for a navy jacket but it must be small!
 
haha thats really werid! Were there any others in your class that got higher? Maybe I should go to arena uk for an ego boost :P

Btw, dancer has been really werid like u described not wanting to put any contact into the right rein and when I take some she has been having a temper tantrum, throwing her dolly out the pram. Her physio check is due soon (next week) so maybe its something similar to Bruce! Hope so, otherwise we have gone back a year in training in a matter of days :(
 
Summer - Totted it up again (too many 8's and 9's) for it to be a mistake but thought I'd check. % is right!! Thankyou, he is very genuine and glad he didn't turn himself inside out when the 'cow shed' nearly got blown over!

Roody - Have been schooling medium movements at home for quite a while so felt it was time to step up a gear. This is unaff (now I've finished uni I can get my ass in gear and BD). So for me, change was not too horrific.

Bronson - Haha you should do, if I thought I deserved it I'd be chuffed. Jacket is Pikeur Scarlett :) Fits lovely and I'm teeny!

Rowy - No others in my class! Didn't know this at time obvs, they run everyone together so I was warming up with all levels of people and horses. Yes, really weird isn't it? Hopefully we will solve the mystery soon!!
 
A little harsh about Arena - they have done loads of work there and the 'cow shed' as you call it was put up as so many competitiors said the only indoor warmup was too small.
As for the organisation, was it Lauren? Or someone else doing the dressage?

Im not doubting you as i wasnt there, just concerned that in a fortnights time they are hosting a major BS show with over 1000 horses in attendance (a show that ive been to many times, and has always been well run)
 
The BS and the dressage are run by different people so wouldnt worry about the BS side-from what ive heard that is much better now.

the surface in the *shed* WAS rock solid, i would never in a million years jump on it, so if they are using that for a BS warm up, god help you.It was so dusty that everything we wore all day (not just bandages etc) was covered in orange dust, sorry we arent exaggerating it really was that bad.I was coughing and spluttering just standing watching.

the main indoor is obv ok, but the indoor warm ups are just dire.

diff people doing it to the BS clearly but no one could tell us if we had numbers, no one could tell us where to check if we had numbers, no one seemed to care really. at the end they just left the sheets and went, didnt bother to do a results list, so the BS people who were there to help run the showing had to do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the work they have done on the outdoor surfaces IS fabulous, shame the indoors dont match up.
 
Vicki_Krystal said:
A little harsh about Arena - they have done loads of work there and the 'cow shed' as you call it was put up as so many competitiors said the only indoor warmup was too small.
As for the organisation, was it Lauren? Or someone else doing the dressage?

Im not doubting you as i wasnt there, just concerned that in a fortnights time they are hosting a major BS show with over 1000 horses in attendance (a show that ive been to many times, and has always been well run)
Click to expand...

Hmmm.

Prince33Sp4rkle said:
the work they have done on the outdoor surfaces IS fabulous, shame the indoors dont match up.
Click to expand...

This.
 
This must have been unaffiliated, sadly some unaffiliated judges just mark way too high.

As someone had already said, accept the high % gratefully, there are enough times when the test goes against you :D
 
Arena UK is just down the road from me and I go fairly regularly.

The main indoor school and the large outdoor arenas are fantastic - I don't think you would get much better at most places.

The warm-up marquee is awful - I have to agree. They changed the surface earlier this year and it tends to be very dusty. I've tried to warm up in there several times and have had to come out because it gets quite difficult to see/breathe! Such a shame when the facilities are generally very good.
 
Nikki! Erm I hate to worry you but something appears to have died on Bruces head - a small lamb I believe....erm just thought I should point it out.

;)

Oh dear sounds like a day to chalk down to 'expereience' and then promptly forget.
However I would keep hold of the score sheets and next time someone is giving you grief just casually mention 'Oh so our first medium where we scored 80%+....' :)

I hope you get Bruce's owies sorted soon and good luck at the next outing. Which 'string' will you be riding?
 
M_M - I agree, the outdoor space is fantastic. But the indoor and its surface hasn't changed one iota. And considering the huge change in the outdoor landscape, it's disappointing that they have neglected the indoor spaces.

F - Haha!! It's his dead ferret. We are trying to alter the pressure on his poll (he is very fussy about his ears) to see if there's something funny going out. See, now I would do that. But it was such an uninspiring day I can't bring myself to brag about it because it is not an accurate representation. Not taking Bruce out for a while. PS has her shows planned and there is nothing I can go to in between. Holding a 3 day dressage clinic at ours soon though, so I am having 2 lessons then with a set of fresh eyes.
 
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