PolarSkye
Well-Known Member
Kali's jockey Z was on holiday last week with her two daughters, so we changed up his routine . . . I rode him twice, our trainer rode him and Z's sister jumped him . . . although I long-reined him round the gallops, he didn't get a hack at all (normally hacks twice a week). When Z got back and went to fetch him from the field to hack him on Saturday, he was really, really grumpy - ears flat back, making nasty faces. He was still really grumpy on the yard . . . we even thought for a minute that he might be colicking, but he wasn't showing any symptoms. Z hacked him out and he came back chilled and relaxed and with the biggest smile on his face. Either he really missed her, or the change of routine bothered him.
There is a point to the preamble - honestly
.
So - yesterday we took ourselves off to Crofton Manor to do a little UA SJ. Hadn't been there before so weren't sure what to expect, but we both really liked it. Yes, it's a little further away than we would like - about an hour and fifteen minutes in the lorry - but getting there is very straightforward, the arena surfaces are lovely, jumps are up to height, the event was extremely well-run, on-site food and other facilities are very good and everyone was very friendly. Oh - and we loved that we could park the lorry right next to the arena - Kal loved watching all the comings and goings.
We were really feeling that Kal was beginning to "get" this SJ lark . . . he hasn't stopped in front of a fence at all in the last three or four outings, so we felt that this show was really a test to see whether it was time to start challenging him a bit more wrt to height when just SJ'ing or combined training. He can jump 1.25m at home with his eyes shut . . . but has had attention problems when out and about in the past.
I had entered them in the 75/80 cm and the 85 cm classes, but Z suggested that we take advantage of the lovely indoor arena and enter him in the clear round (first time jumping indoors) . . . and that if he went well in the 75/80 then we should skip the 85 and do the 90. Best laid plans and all that.
He unloaded beautifully and stood by the lorry calm as you like despite the busy atmosphere. He jumped nicely in the warm-up for the first class (despite the warm-up being chocca and having little kids on whizzy ponies charging up his backside and/or cutting him up every two seconds), but Z said he felt like he wasn't listening - his body was on high alert, but his brain had just "gone" . . . in LaLa Land.
Finally, they were up (2nd last to go out of about 30) . . . he went into the arena, took one look at all the advertising hoardings, span and reared . . .
Z got him back and worked really hard on getting his attention and (and this is the good bit) he jumped every fence. He had a pole down at fence four, but Z said she had had to give him quite a strong half halt b/c his attention was wandering and that perhaps she had overdone it/broken his focus too much.
We were both pleased (that he didn't have a silly stop given the mood he was in) and disappointed (that the spinning and rearing had reappeared - he hasn't done that for many months).
We took him straight into the indoor arena to do the clear round . . . bless him, his eyes were on stalks. It's a really nice, inviting arena - big, bright, nice surface, but Kal was genuinely frightened. Z encouraged him round and they were clear and then he took huge exception to a chair in the corner so the very nice steward said that as there was no'one else waiting Z could use the arena to school him a little/get him over his spookiness (as I said, friendly and helpful
).
We let him have a drink and a chill by the lorry before the next class (decided NOT to push it and enter him in the 90). Again, he jumped nicely in the warm-up (Z wisely decided to spend as little time on him as possible) and, again, they were pretty much last in the class (by design). Blow me down if he didn't do exactly the same thing on entering the arena . . . Z made all the onlookers on the bank (and me) laugh by saying to him (while he was rearing) "oh shut up . . . we're nowhere NEAR a fence yet . . . " However, he jumped a lovely, clean double clear - hurrah! Once they got going, he pricked his great big ears, focused and listened to Z. She didn't push it in the jump off - they're not there yet - so they didn't place (no hope against all those nippy, whizzy little ponies ), but we ended the day very, very pleased with him.
So, we'll definitely be going back to Crofton Manor - apparently they run some UA shows the day after affiliateds and use the same fillers, etc. - we thought that would be a great challenge for him. But lesson learned about mucking about with his routine too much . . . won't make that mistake again because both of us feel that that's a contributing factor to his change in attitude.
He's going to Wheatlands Farm tomorrow for some XC schooling and then it's back out there competing . . . some ODEs, some eventer's challenges, some combined training . . . onwards and upwards, right?
P
P.S. And the very lovely Laura with her gorgeous cob Bodger was also there and made a point of saying hello . . . we didn't see her before she left, but hope she had a good day and that we see her again soon
There is a point to the preamble - honestly
.So - yesterday we took ourselves off to Crofton Manor to do a little UA SJ. Hadn't been there before so weren't sure what to expect, but we both really liked it. Yes, it's a little further away than we would like - about an hour and fifteen minutes in the lorry - but getting there is very straightforward, the arena surfaces are lovely, jumps are up to height, the event was extremely well-run, on-site food and other facilities are very good and everyone was very friendly. Oh - and we loved that we could park the lorry right next to the arena - Kal loved watching all the comings and goings
.We were really feeling that Kal was beginning to "get" this SJ lark . . . he hasn't stopped in front of a fence at all in the last three or four outings, so we felt that this show was really a test to see whether it was time to start challenging him a bit more wrt to height when just SJ'ing or combined training. He can jump 1.25m at home with his eyes shut . . . but has had attention problems when out and about in the past.
I had entered them in the 75/80 cm and the 85 cm classes, but Z suggested that we take advantage of the lovely indoor arena and enter him in the clear round (first time jumping indoors) . . . and that if he went well in the 75/80 then we should skip the 85 and do the 90. Best laid plans and all that
.He unloaded beautifully and stood by the lorry calm as you like despite the busy atmosphere. He jumped nicely in the warm-up for the first class (despite the warm-up being chocca and having little kids on whizzy ponies charging up his backside and/or cutting him up every two seconds), but Z said he felt like he wasn't listening - his body was on high alert, but his brain had just "gone" . . . in LaLa Land.
Finally, they were up (2nd last to go out of about 30) . . . he went into the arena, took one look at all the advertising hoardings, span and reared . . .
Z got him back and worked really hard on getting his attention and (and this is the good bit) he jumped every fence. He had a pole down at fence four, but Z said she had had to give him quite a strong half halt b/c his attention was wandering and that perhaps she had overdone it/broken his focus too much.We were both pleased (that he didn't have a silly stop given the mood he was in) and disappointed (that the spinning and rearing had reappeared - he hasn't done that for many months).
We took him straight into the indoor arena to do the clear round . . . bless him, his eyes were on stalks. It's a really nice, inviting arena - big, bright, nice surface, but Kal was genuinely frightened. Z encouraged him round and they were clear and then he took huge exception to a chair in the corner so the very nice steward said that as there was no'one else waiting Z could use the arena to school him a little/get him over his spookiness (as I said, friendly and helpful
).We let him have a drink and a chill by the lorry before the next class (decided NOT to push it and enter him in the 90). Again, he jumped nicely in the warm-up (Z wisely decided to spend as little time on him as possible) and, again, they were pretty much last in the class (by design). Blow me down if he didn't do exactly the same thing on entering the arena . . . Z made all the onlookers on the bank (and me) laugh by saying to him (while he was rearing) "oh shut up . . . we're nowhere NEAR a fence yet . . . "
However, he jumped a lovely, clean double clear - hurrah! Once they got going, he pricked his great big ears, focused and listened to Z. She didn't push it in the jump off - they're not there yet - so they didn't place (no hope against all those nippy, whizzy little ponies ), but we ended the day very, very pleased with him.So, we'll definitely be going back to Crofton Manor - apparently they run some UA shows the day after affiliateds and use the same fillers, etc. - we thought that would be a great challenge for him. But lesson learned about mucking about with his routine too much . . . won't make that mistake again because both of us feel that that's a contributing factor to his change in attitude.
He's going to Wheatlands Farm tomorrow for some XC schooling and then it's back out there competing . . . some ODEs, some eventer's challenges, some combined training . . . onwards and upwards, right?
P
P.S. And the very lovely Laura with her gorgeous cob Bodger was also there and made a point of saying hello . . . we didn't see her before she left, but hope she had a good day and that we see her again soon
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