SmallSteps
Well-Known Member
So I'm only just returning to this forum and thought I'd post a comp report as I have a horse that's definitely on a journey 😂
Bit of a catch up: My beloved big chestnut in my profile pic died three months ago leaving me battling on with difficult youngster, without the safety net of my old friend to get on afterwards when idiot youngster has upset me. Difficult youngster is very beautiful and always takes an impressive picture, but is very backward. We started late as he just kept growing, but after long struggles I now have a horse that is powerful, rideable, adjustable and in front of the leg at home, and rarely tries to put me on the floor, but we are still at the stage where we go to competitions and he freezes up. On lessons we can school 1.20m, in the ring we can get eliminated jumping 80cm. (Yes, we hack a lot, go to a lot of different places, work hard on getting a consistent response to the leg even when spooked, this is not a normal level of backward. No, it's not me getting nervous at shows, I've tried him with two different professionals, it's just something he needs to work through. He *loves* his jumping, just fears shows)
Last month I took him to Ingliston for a three day BS (Fri evening, Sat and Sunday) and that went brilliantly. Nearly didn't take him as no clear round and he got eliminated twice on the first day, not really stopping more refusing to approach the first fence, but the second time he went in (HC) he was better, got further, and had a chance to look round the ring a bit. On the second day he jumped round for a pole down twice (with some serious pony club kicking), third day jumped round for one pole & two poles (bit tired) and looked like a horse that had actually been in a ring before, and was genuinely pushing his way enthusiastically into the ring, keen to start. No prizes but I was very happy with that and the food, company and accommodation at Ingliston are lovely, so great time was had.
On the way home the lorry caught fire which is another story but it took us off the road for a month, until now.
Yesterday's show report:
Couldn't get out on the Sat because of the ice but managed to get out on the Sunday to our second choice. Worried about the fact that he *hates* this venue (and hiring it hasn't helped as the thing he hates is the spectators and atmosphere). We particularly struggle with jumps right next to the crowd/on the boards and when we arrived there was a double on the boards at number 5. He was quite stuffy in the warm up but did a load of transitions to try and get him responsive. No clear round but I'd stuck him in the 80cm thinking I can at least boot him round. Generally he struggles with spooking at the corners and walls rather than the jumps so I'm thinking even if he messes up the corner he can jump 80cm from a trot or even a standstill. In we go and he bucks before we even start which is not a great sign of a cooperative mood. Jumps the first few fences beautifully (albeit with a bit of a slap coming into no.1) and I'm thinking this is going great then I collect him up too much coming into the dreaded corner to number 5 and lo we can't get anywhere near the jump and are eliminated. Luckily I'm the last rider in so rather than leaving politely we jump our "one single fence" and spend a while trying to walk into the corner of doom until people come in for prize-giving and I'm thinking I'd better shift out.
Next class is the British Novice (90cm/1m single phase) and I manage to sneak him in first. Wander into the ring to give him a look around once people have finished walking and promptly get told off by the judge so get out and wait my turn! Eventually allowed in, he's not keen to go again but a bit of a buck and we go down the end and walk into corner of doom again before we start. The we picked up a nice canter and as the course hasn't changed I'm thrilled with how well the first four fences go, very forward, hitting lovely strides, finding it very easy, land from number four and really push for a forward uphill canter, I make a big effort to look at the double, and not the corner, keep my weight down my inside leg, and he jumps it, and leaves it up!! So happy, and the rest of the course goes really well and I'm delighted to be approaching the final small upright no. 12 looking at a double clear, so I just stay soft and quiet so that we'll clear it and then he stops. Gutted, knowing that I rode it quietly so I give him a telling off turn him around and he stops again for elimination at the last fence. Came to it again as my "you can jump one single fence on your way out" and rode it like I meant it (holding the mane so I could kick even harder) got him over it. Only then did it occur to me that my straightforward upright was the other fence in the course that was on the boards and I should have ridden it like that the first time. I bet by now you've got the idea that my horse doesn't like fences on walls and yet I managed to forget that, what an idiot. Gutted, not so much for the double clear/prize, but I really wanted him to have a positive, confidence-building experience and I felt that was a bit undermined by stopping at the last fence and getting told off. Still at least he got to jump it successfully and finish on that, and the rest of the round was lovely, so I told him he did great and took him home. Briefly considered the next class (which was still at the heights he finds small, he's 18hh) but I felt he'd done enough.
Horses, eh? I really think he's right on the verge of getting it, but I've thought that for such a long time now 😂
Here is is at Ingliston, in the Discovery, no one laugh at the fact my legs don't reach the horse, he was small when I got him 😂:
Bit of a catch up: My beloved big chestnut in my profile pic died three months ago leaving me battling on with difficult youngster, without the safety net of my old friend to get on afterwards when idiot youngster has upset me. Difficult youngster is very beautiful and always takes an impressive picture, but is very backward. We started late as he just kept growing, but after long struggles I now have a horse that is powerful, rideable, adjustable and in front of the leg at home, and rarely tries to put me on the floor, but we are still at the stage where we go to competitions and he freezes up. On lessons we can school 1.20m, in the ring we can get eliminated jumping 80cm. (Yes, we hack a lot, go to a lot of different places, work hard on getting a consistent response to the leg even when spooked, this is not a normal level of backward. No, it's not me getting nervous at shows, I've tried him with two different professionals, it's just something he needs to work through. He *loves* his jumping, just fears shows)
Last month I took him to Ingliston for a three day BS (Fri evening, Sat and Sunday) and that went brilliantly. Nearly didn't take him as no clear round and he got eliminated twice on the first day, not really stopping more refusing to approach the first fence, but the second time he went in (HC) he was better, got further, and had a chance to look round the ring a bit. On the second day he jumped round for a pole down twice (with some serious pony club kicking), third day jumped round for one pole & two poles (bit tired) and looked like a horse that had actually been in a ring before, and was genuinely pushing his way enthusiastically into the ring, keen to start. No prizes but I was very happy with that and the food, company and accommodation at Ingliston are lovely, so great time was had.
On the way home the lorry caught fire which is another story but it took us off the road for a month, until now.
Yesterday's show report:
Couldn't get out on the Sat because of the ice but managed to get out on the Sunday to our second choice. Worried about the fact that he *hates* this venue (and hiring it hasn't helped as the thing he hates is the spectators and atmosphere). We particularly struggle with jumps right next to the crowd/on the boards and when we arrived there was a double on the boards at number 5. He was quite stuffy in the warm up but did a load of transitions to try and get him responsive. No clear round but I'd stuck him in the 80cm thinking I can at least boot him round. Generally he struggles with spooking at the corners and walls rather than the jumps so I'm thinking even if he messes up the corner he can jump 80cm from a trot or even a standstill. In we go and he bucks before we even start which is not a great sign of a cooperative mood. Jumps the first few fences beautifully (albeit with a bit of a slap coming into no.1) and I'm thinking this is going great then I collect him up too much coming into the dreaded corner to number 5 and lo we can't get anywhere near the jump and are eliminated. Luckily I'm the last rider in so rather than leaving politely we jump our "one single fence" and spend a while trying to walk into the corner of doom until people come in for prize-giving and I'm thinking I'd better shift out.
Next class is the British Novice (90cm/1m single phase) and I manage to sneak him in first. Wander into the ring to give him a look around once people have finished walking and promptly get told off by the judge so get out and wait my turn! Eventually allowed in, he's not keen to go again but a bit of a buck and we go down the end and walk into corner of doom again before we start. The we picked up a nice canter and as the course hasn't changed I'm thrilled with how well the first four fences go, very forward, hitting lovely strides, finding it very easy, land from number four and really push for a forward uphill canter, I make a big effort to look at the double, and not the corner, keep my weight down my inside leg, and he jumps it, and leaves it up!! So happy, and the rest of the course goes really well and I'm delighted to be approaching the final small upright no. 12 looking at a double clear, so I just stay soft and quiet so that we'll clear it and then he stops. Gutted, knowing that I rode it quietly so I give him a telling off turn him around and he stops again for elimination at the last fence. Came to it again as my "you can jump one single fence on your way out" and rode it like I meant it (holding the mane so I could kick even harder) got him over it. Only then did it occur to me that my straightforward upright was the other fence in the course that was on the boards and I should have ridden it like that the first time. I bet by now you've got the idea that my horse doesn't like fences on walls and yet I managed to forget that, what an idiot. Gutted, not so much for the double clear/prize, but I really wanted him to have a positive, confidence-building experience and I felt that was a bit undermined by stopping at the last fence and getting told off. Still at least he got to jump it successfully and finish on that, and the rest of the round was lovely, so I told him he did great and took him home. Briefly considered the next class (which was still at the heights he finds small, he's 18hh) but I felt he'd done enough.
Horses, eh? I really think he's right on the verge of getting it, but I've thought that for such a long time now 😂
Here is is at Ingliston, in the Discovery, no one laugh at the fact my legs don't reach the horse, he was small when I got him 😂:
