little_pink_piggies
Well-Known Member
Firstly an explanation as to why I am so pleased with such a "bad" result... I have had a really really horrible week in terms of riding, found out that when I thought the mare had sprained my finger about 5 weeks ago she had actually succeeded in breaking it across the joint (OK, really not major! but just irritating that its going to be painful when I ride for a few more weeks grrrr)... I rode so badly at KC on Monday, and just generally felt crap about my riding.
To top it all off the mare spent monday and tuesday napping worse than ever in the school
just made me feel so demoralised and she was doing it when I was asking her to stop burying her poll and please be infront of my leg and not behind pulling herself along! Also rode Arth on the flat on Tues and had to get off as was c*cking everything up
So gave the mare weds off as couldnt face getting on her, and apart form cantering Arth on weds I've just hacked him out on Thurs and Fri as I've been riding so badly and feeling so crap about how I ride I couldnt face schooling or jumping him.
Onto Gatcombe IN today...
Got on him to work into dressage- same time as Zara and alot of other v smart AI horses!- got there and walked around the corner and arth saw alot of paparazzi with very big cameras- cue horse leaping sideways snorting and lots of laughter from the people with cameras!!! Started to work in very nicely, Islay said how much he has changed in a year and that if you told her how much he has improved then she wouldnt have believed her
Then... the worst hailstorm I have ever been caught in for about 20mins, in fairness to the horse he really kept his cool compared to alot of horses there even if I was freezing! Luckily weather suddenly brightened up just before I went in (A bit of good luck for a change!) and he did the best intermediate test he's ever done
Hes still not ready for an intermediate test as you can see from the vid- 1/2 10m canter circles and canter to walk are stil an ask too much for both me and him- but we got 7s for our medium trot, shoulder in, counter canter and walk to canter
Lots of tests in the 40s so was expecting about 42 but we got 37
so pleased with him, hes come on so far in a year
Vid (please dont rip my riding to pieces I know where I need to improve!) -
stressage - sorry about quality!
SJ- He worked in and was really tappy and lethargic *here we go* but got in there and he grew a hand and went all silly
jumps weren't really big enough to back him off
he's again much stronger than he was last year and after a successful BSJA a while ago indoors, I underestimated how little attention he would pay to me when we got to go and play on grass again... he actually squeaked as he jumped and didnt breathe on a pole, but I had to take very scenic routes to get anything like 50% concentration back, so unfortunately got 7 time pens which is irritating
but at the end of the day, he really jumped well and the time pens can easily be got rid of, it was an issue of my routes and not the rhythm! A random came up to me afterwards and said what a class horse he is and how we were really well suited which I think is what made my day
Vid:- SJ- again sorry about quality!
XC... Ok so this looks crap on paper considering how much I've done on him, but on Tuesday I was giving up horses so I'm so pleased with him
Set off on a real mission, eating everything up
at the top of the hill there was a gate to hedge to feeder on a sort of S shape, and he jumped through without altering his rhythm, was a really lovely moment when I landed from the feeder and thought "Wow, this horse has become so much more balanced, he didn't change at all through there!"
Flew the corner like it was nothing, wall out of wood and steeplechase fence without me touching his mouth- he just kept coming
whereas he really struggled last year if I didnt help to generate some engagement, now he just powers along and pings
Then came to a hanging log agle to a wall and he just left a leg on take off... think it was because he hadnt seen a combination and at almost 2 mins in all we can think of is it took him by suprise... so he chested the wall and I just turned a circle, and he popped it... bit frustrated but it was just one of those things, he had been jumping better than ever up until then and he just made a litle mistake, think it can be forgiven and I'm not particularly worried- would rather it there than anywhere major!
Then jumped a feeder again in a lovely rhythm, and out of the woods over a fence I really really hate but again he made it feel like nothing... over a trakhener and hedge and house again without having to set him up, he just kept coming...
Onto the water, which he has a habit of helicoptering" in in a really special way (those who have me on facebook can see just quite how special
) but it was the best water he's ever jumped through
Vid - (Again I know I'm horribly defensive but this horse can jump me off effortlessly at water! And I am trying to go with him more- honest!!) - XC - quality slightly better
Then the landrover bank (also in vid) and a skinny log which he was fab over
Then onto a step up to palisade, which I killed the canter into and overrode in the taking back way so he just got up step and had no impulsion to get over part b... completely my fault and having made one mistake already, would rather "live and learn" having had one stop its not the end of the world... I know exactly what I did wrong and when I attempted it again he was really good through there (camera ran out of battery just before grrr
) I know it wasn't a particularly big or technical XC and two stops is really stupid considering how much he's done... I'm just pleased at how good he felt, and fingers crossed he'll be much better again next time it was just both him and I getting back into the swing of things
Had lots of time faults, but think the majority could have been taken off as I took mytime to represent after the stops, and also I'm hardly miss speedy at the best of times- need to work on that!!
He finished FULL of running, which he hasn't done for a long time as think he was suffering from a virus for most of last season... Just so pleased with how he felt today, even if it does look crap on his record
AND it was the first time my horse has done ALL (hes never done one even!) phase in a metal bit and taken a contact... hes growing up at last!
Sorry stupidly happy unnessecary long rambly post... but my horse has just made me smile today, feel like a winters hard work might just *touch wood* payback slightly this season
Oh and to top off the good ending to the week- Nora didn't even attempt to nap on thurs/fri and did some of the nicest work shes ever done (Ok we're still at prelim stuff but still!) finger crossed for reexamination in 10 days!
I'm on school hols ("Yes... ofcouse I'll be revising for my A2s in them mum and not just playing with my horses!") for 3 weeks now, so will put some more work into him... he has 2 step downs to normal novice now and then back up to intermediate at hambledon
Lots of wine and some leftover choccie brownies if you get this far
To top it all off the mare spent monday and tuesday napping worse than ever in the school
So gave the mare weds off as couldnt face getting on her, and apart form cantering Arth on weds I've just hacked him out on Thurs and Fri as I've been riding so badly and feeling so crap about how I ride I couldnt face schooling or jumping him.
Onto Gatcombe IN today...
Got on him to work into dressage- same time as Zara and alot of other v smart AI horses!- got there and walked around the corner and arth saw alot of paparazzi with very big cameras- cue horse leaping sideways snorting and lots of laughter from the people with cameras!!! Started to work in very nicely, Islay said how much he has changed in a year and that if you told her how much he has improved then she wouldnt have believed her
Vid (please dont rip my riding to pieces I know where I need to improve!) -
stressage - sorry about quality!
SJ- He worked in and was really tappy and lethargic *here we go* but got in there and he grew a hand and went all silly
Vid:- SJ- again sorry about quality!
XC... Ok so this looks crap on paper considering how much I've done on him, but on Tuesday I was giving up horses so I'm so pleased with him
Flew the corner like it was nothing, wall out of wood and steeplechase fence without me touching his mouth- he just kept coming
Then came to a hanging log agle to a wall and he just left a leg on take off... think it was because he hadnt seen a combination and at almost 2 mins in all we can think of is it took him by suprise... so he chested the wall and I just turned a circle, and he popped it... bit frustrated but it was just one of those things, he had been jumping better than ever up until then and he just made a litle mistake, think it can be forgiven and I'm not particularly worried- would rather it there than anywhere major!
Then jumped a feeder again in a lovely rhythm, and out of the woods over a fence I really really hate but again he made it feel like nothing... over a trakhener and hedge and house again without having to set him up, he just kept coming...
Onto the water, which he has a habit of helicoptering" in in a really special way (those who have me on facebook can see just quite how special
Then the landrover bank (also in vid) and a skinny log which he was fab over
He finished FULL of running, which he hasn't done for a long time as think he was suffering from a virus for most of last season... Just so pleased with how he felt today, even if it does look crap on his record
Sorry stupidly happy unnessecary long rambly post... but my horse has just made me smile today, feel like a winters hard work might just *touch wood* payback slightly this season
Oh and to top off the good ending to the week- Nora didn't even attempt to nap on thurs/fri and did some of the nicest work shes ever done (Ok we're still at prelim stuff but still!) finger crossed for reexamination in 10 days!
I'm on school hols ("Yes... ofcouse I'll be revising for my A2s in them mum and not just playing with my horses!") for 3 weeks now, so will put some more work into him... he has 2 step downs to normal novice now and then back up to intermediate at hambledon
Lots of wine and some leftover choccie brownies if you get this far
