Cross-country schooling

D

DorsetDiva56

Member
Joined
27 February 2014
Messages
11
Visit site
We have a horse entered for the BE100 at Aldon in 10 days time and are desperate for a cross-country school on grass! Everything down in the south-west is understandably closed. This horse hasn't done a one day event for 18 months and although he's jumping well at clinics and so-on we need to get out there on grass!

We are planning to go to Boomerang tomorrow (2 hrs drive) has anyone been there recently? Have spoken to one person who said the going was fine and another who said the ground was trashed.

Any ideas???

Thanks!
 
I havent been there before, so sorry cant help on that one.

Its a nightmare isnt it? Im have a similar problem. First event in a month but he hasnt seen a field with xc fences since last year! We have a hunter trail that will hopefully run a couple weeks before so im hoping that will do as a trail run.

Good Luck!
 
What about LMEQ? Is that too far? Loads of people commenting on ground being good there. Russ did close the other day due to rain but haven't seen that message recently.
 
Rosamund Green is great but the majority of the fences are concentrated in quite a small place. Great if you've got an issue with a particular fence, water, ditches, or whatever, but stringing a course together can be hard. Oh well just have to schlep up the A303 and see what we can do at Boomerang.
 
Yeah, its a nightmare, particularly as we are a one-horse team with both jockey and owner (me) working full-time. Busy using up all my holiday going to clinics at the mo! Our first outing should have been Moreton but that was cancelled.

I can the eventing season starting later and finishing later if this weather becomes a pattern, with Jan-Mar becoming the "off" season!
 
Hi

I went to Boomerang last Wednesday. The ground is not great however, the trakehners (sp?), ditches, sunken road and water all have all-weather surfaces leading into them so the essentials are jumping fine! Russ also has been moving the portable fences around so they are not being jump all the time in the same place. I also went with no studs and did not have any issues (obviously I was not going proper xc speed though).

Hope this helps!
 
DorsetDiva56 said:
Yeah, its a nightmare, particularly as we are a one-horse team with both jockey and owner (me) working full-time. Busy using up all my holiday going to clinics at the mo! Our first outing should have been Moreton but that was cancelled.

I can the eventing season starting later and finishing later if this weather becomes a pattern, with Jan-Mar becoming the "off" season!
Click to expand...

Same here, just me and my horse, work full time for a company that begrudges you having time off! Very hard fitting in a competition life around that!
 
Billy the kid said:
Same here, just me and my horse, work full time for a company that begrudges you having time off! Very hard fitting in a competition life around that!
Click to expand...

I'm lucky there I work for a equine supplements company and my bosses are horsey so a bit more flexibility, plus I do tradeshows so get time off in lieu, otherwise paid holiday would be used up in a flash!
 
ahml100 said:
Hi

I went to Boomerang last Wednesday. The ground is not great however, the trakehners (sp?), ditches, sunken road and water all have all-weather surfaces leading into them so the essentials are jumping fine! Russ also has been moving the portable fences around so they are not being jump all the time in the same place. I also went with no studs and did not have any issues (obviously I was not going proper xc speed though).

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

That is really helpful - thanks! Also one man's 'trashed ground' is another man's billiard table so good to get confirmation of what its really like, plus its been dry today and the sun is going to shine tomorrow! :)
 
I would check before you leave, as I was supposed to be schooling at boomerang today but they have had to close again, due the the rain we got at the weekend. Providing we get a stint of dry weather ( currently looking promising!) Then they will be open tail end of this week beginning of next. Hope that helps and good luck!
 
charlie8879 said:
I would check before you leave, as I was supposed to be schooling at boomerang today but they have had to close again, due the the rain we got at the weekend. Providing we get a stint of dry weather ( currently looking promising!) Then they will be open tail end of this week beginning of next. Hope that helps and good luck!
Click to expand...

Do you have any tips for contacting Russ? I've left several messages and sent txts but have had no response. I sent a text this afternoon saying that unless we heard from him we would assume we could go up tomorrow. Do not want to drive all the way up there to find we can't school!
 
DorsetDiva56 said:
Do you have any tips for contacting Russ? I've left several messages and sent txts but have had no response. I sent a text this afternoon saying that unless we heard from him we would assume we could go up tomorrow. Do not want to drive all the way up there to find we can't school!
Click to expand...

Best way is e-mail. Always get a quick reply
 
Thanks everybody for your help. Spoke to Russ at Boomerang and he said it would be more sensible to go up Fri or Mon as the ground wasn't very good. When I worried about doing a xc school the same week as the event he said "better a good xc school the same week as Aldon than a rubbish school the week before" - sensible words.

Also spoke to Robin Dumas and Rosamund Green Farm, Shepton Mallett, is due to open on Friday so now we have a couple of options even if we are taking it to the wire a bit! :)

First time I've used the H&H forum so again thanks guys!
 
Bicton is open again and the ground on saturday was really good - most of the course open, but not the wooded area but was fab and great to be on real grass!!
 
wellwisher said:
Bicton is open again and the ground on saturday was really good - most of the course open, but not the wooded area but was fab and great to be on real grass!!
Click to expand...

They were open for the Mary King clinic but I spoke to Gemma this morning and she said they are closed because the of the rain on Sunday.
 
What a shame! We obviously hit lucky with a pony club session on saturday, but it really was 95% good ground, and only problem was where it was loose from aerating it - think it will be fab for the season
 
Glad you have some options DD. Just so you know, Boomerang would be similar in feel to RGF ie lots of jumps in one field (although RGF is three fields if you count the other side of the drive!) so if you are wanting the galloping from place to place experience neither will work for you.

I must say, we have never had any problem putting together courses of 2-3 minutes at RGF, there is plenty of scope; the best way to get ideas is to organise a lesson or two with Robin as he knows the layout so well and uses it to best advantage. Additional benefit is that there are slopes so you can practise up and downhill (useful for Aldon!) whereas Boomerang is falt apart from manmade banks. At BE100 it probably doesn't matter to you, but there is a far better range of bigger fences at RGF, at Boomerang the biggest ones are biggish Novice.

I guess I am just saying that both facilities are about 2 hours for us, Boomerang slightly less, but personally I would always go to RGF in preference. Our other course of choice would be Lyneham Heath, also 2 hours, but that would probably be too far for you and I don't think they are open yet as they are on clay.

Hope you get out somewhere, we are hoping to go to RGF on Sunday. You think you have problems: we have a horse competing at Novice at Aldon which jockey has only sat on twice so far (ever) and neither has been XC since last year :o
 
TableDancer said:
Glad you have some options DD. Just so you know, Boomerang would be similar in feel to RGF ie lots of jumps in one field (although RGF is three fields if you count the other side of the drive!) so if you are wanting the galloping from place to place experience neither will work for you.

I must say, we have never had any problem putting together courses of 2-3 minutes at RGF, there is plenty of scope; the best way to get ideas is to organise a lesson or two with Robin as he knows the layout so well and uses it to best advantage. Additional benefit is that there are slopes so you can practise up and downhill (useful for Aldon!) whereas Boomerang is falt apart from manmade banks. At BE100 it probably doesn't matter to you, but there is a far better range of bigger fences at RGF, at Boomerang the biggest ones are biggish Novice.

I guess I am just saying that both facilities are about 2 hours for us, Boomerang slightly less, but personally I would always go to RGF in preference. Our other course of choice would be Lyneham Heath, also 2 hours, but that would probably be too far for you and I don't think they are open yet as they are on clay.

Hope you get out somewhere, we are hoping to go to RGF on Sunday. You think you have problems: we have a horse competing at Novice at Aldon which jockey has only sat on twice so far (ever) and neither has been XC since last year :o
Click to expand...

Does this mean Tilly potentially has a Junior horse??!!
 
TableDancer said:
Glad you have some options DD. Just so you know, Boomerang would be similar in feel to RGF ie lots of jumps in one field (although RGF is three fields if you count the other side of the drive!) so if you are wanting the galloping from place to place experience neither will work for you.

I must say, we have never had any problem putting together courses of 2-3 minutes at RGF, there is plenty of scope; the best way to get ideas is to organise a lesson or two with Robin as he knows the layout so well and uses it to best advantage. Additional benefit is that there are slopes so you can practise up and downhill (useful for Aldon!) whereas Boomerang is falt apart from manmade banks. At BE100 it probably doesn't matter to you, but there is a far better range of bigger fences at RGF, at Boomerang the biggest ones are biggish Novice.

I guess I am just saying that both facilities are about 2 hours for us, Boomerang slightly less, but personally I would always go to RGF in preference. Our other course of choice would be Lyneham Heath, also 2 hours, but that would probably be too far for you and I don't think they are open yet as they are on clay.

Hope you get out somewhere, we are hoping to go to RGF on Sunday. You think you have problems: we have a horse competing at Novice at Aldon which jockey has only sat on twice so far (ever) and neither has been XC since last year :o
Click to expand...

Hi TD

Thank you for the input that's really useful. I haven't actually been to RGF although my jockey has, but in fairness not for some time, and I understand the Dumas have done quite a bit of work on the xc facilities. I know that neither place is ideal for re-creating a true xc round but at the mo anything is better than arena xc which is all we've done. The horse did BD all last year and hasn't gone xc on grass since Stonar 2012. Of course if we'd know how crap the winter was going to turn out we'd have done some xc last autumn but then hindsight is easy......isn't it?

Good luck with the Novice at Aldon! Exactly why I'm happy being the groom on the day!
 
DorsetDiva56 said:
We have a horse entered for the BE100 at Aldon in 10 days time and are desperate for a cross-country school on grass! Everything down in the south-west is understandably closed. This horse hasn't done a one day event for 18 months and although he's jumping well at clinics and so-on we need to get out there on grass!

We are planning to go to Boomerang tomorrow (2 hrs drive) has anyone been there recently? Have spoken to one person who said the going was fine and another who said the ground was trashed.

Any ideas???

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I spoke to Russ on Monday and the XC was closed then and there were no SJ's out.
ps. Sorry I haven't read the whole thread if this has already been said.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top