Sarah_Jane
Well-Known Member
It has been a little up and down since my last report where I was so pleased with our intermediate outing at Salperton. Next we headed for the Intermediate at Tweseldown but only did the dressage (34.something) as the ground varied between concrete like, hard and then the odd soft patch. Shame as a lovely course but wasn't going to risk Pip 
So 11 hours driving in the boiling heat, £150 entry (incl start fee), £££ diesel for a an average dressage test - Tell me why do we do this?
So this weekend it was a double header of events for us. We left for Hatherleigh on Saturday to help with the event. Pip was along too to make use of the facilities but we had no entry in, actually the ground was great and courses were super so there was a real twinge of wishing I was taking part - the extreme hot temperatures and mid afternoon running of the intermediate stopped the twinge turning into adding a late entry!
My role for the weekend was to look after the jump judges which involved making up their packs with instructions and equipment the day before, then on the day assisting at the briefing, ensuring everyone knew where they were going (4 course changes from BE80 to Int) and ensuring all the fall reports were done properly. Not a great day for fence judging as so hot. Great day of competition such a shame that another lovely event may be lost as the entries meant the event probably wouldn't break even
I took the opportunity for a quick cross country school on Monday over some of the Intermediate fences before we headed onto Dauntsey. Pip was fab
So already feeling the effects of the heat (have I mentioned I hate heat anyway) we arrived at Dauntsey to find it even hotter. Thankfully the team had been watering so the ground rather than rock hard was firm but rideable.
As well as being in charge of health and safety my day on Tuesday was spent doing this
Apologies now for mistakes, poor writing or being grouchy to anyone peeering over my shoulder (not that I would ever do that )
Another day of heat and the last thing I felt like doing was competing myself! We were entered in the Novice and luckily as I was helping and down for more scoreboard writing I was very early to go and finished by 9.45, as it turned out to be the hottest day of the year to date I was lucky. Right guess I have been waffling on and all you are interested in is how we got on. To start with we were in a very hot section with Andrew Nicholson x2 Oli Townend x2 and a lot of other top pros.
Dressage I was pleased with ( no sitting trot always helps ) but perhaps frustrated not to be higher up the leader board. I was considering a conspiracy or favoritism towards the pros as they all seemed to score sub 30 however sadly I suspect they were all just better than me We did score 31.5 and I guess I shouldn't complain as it was a PB
Video in next post as only evidently only allowed to post one video per post!
The showjumping had an optical illusion of being small (certainly helped by having jumped some huge intermediate tracks) The course builder however confirmed with the exception of 1 ever fence was fully up to height. It was the first time with Pip I went into do a round knowing I would be very disappointed with anything bar a clear! Thankfully she obliged with a very stylish round.
Video in next post as only evidently allowed to post one video per post!
So onto cross country and I was very wary of the course for the simple reason that there was nothing on it that worried me. (As in the past this has been the time I have gone splat I was not complacent ). The main thing I wanted to achieve was a smooth round with less hooking and a good forward shot.
I was second to go and followed Emily King who sadly had a fall half way round but luckily we were not stopped. 1-3 were straightforward although had an awkward stride at 1! Then a turn to a new trekhenner at 4 which we flew over. A few simple fences before the questions came.
6 was an upright rail to a big drop ditch which she did peer in and jump rather big, there was then some offset hedges, a big palisade ditch and corner which she really made feel very easy.A big step up, 2 strides to a skinny brush 3 strides to a drop were very neatly done. I had to this point managed to keep a forward rhythm but as we came out the water realised that I should have tested the brakes as we headed towards a large enough bounce and she didn't comeback quite as I wanted, luckily she was neat through and we stretched out on over some straightforward fences.
We finished over a small log in the water which she rather just took a big canter stride over and then to the triple brush which was probably the most problematic fence on the course
[video=youtube;F_sP3eK_J_I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_sP3eK_J_I[/video]
I was pleased that despite not pushing it I was only 5 seconds over the time, the grin got even bigger when the commentary said I was in fact 2 seconds inside the time as I had got the optimum time wrong So another PB we finished on our dressage score of 31.5
Sadly as 1st to finish and with 4 mixed sections results were not due until nearly 4! So for me it was back to scoreboard writing and watching what the good dressage scores were doing. Actually it was quite good fun as the scorers got in the spirit and I kept having updates 'you can't be worse than 9th or better than 2nd'. Eventually we ended up 4th with a win for Angrew Nicholson, 2nd for Oli. Results here http://www.britisheventing.com/asp-net/events/results.aspx?meetingid=3663§ion=200 (Section H)
Absolutely delighted and so pleased how Pip is progressing really do feel soundness and rider permitting she will be very capable of jumping advanced. Anyway totally knackered! Went back to work for a rest!
So 11 hours driving in the boiling heat, £150 entry (incl start fee), £££ diesel for a an average dressage test - Tell me why do we do this?So this weekend it was a double header of events for us. We left for Hatherleigh on Saturday to help with the event. Pip was along too to make use of the facilities but we had no entry in, actually the ground was great and courses were super so there was a real twinge of wishing I was taking part - the extreme hot temperatures and mid afternoon running of the intermediate stopped the twinge turning into adding a late entry!
My role for the weekend was to look after the jump judges which involved making up their packs with instructions and equipment the day before, then on the day assisting at the briefing, ensuring everyone knew where they were going (4 course changes from BE80 to Int) and ensuring all the fall reports were done properly. Not a great day for fence judging as so hot. Great day of competition such a shame that another lovely event may be lost as the entries meant the event probably wouldn't break even
I took the opportunity for a quick cross country school on Monday over some of the Intermediate fences before we headed onto Dauntsey. Pip was fab
So already feeling the effects of the heat (have I mentioned I hate heat anyway) we arrived at Dauntsey to find it even hotter. Thankfully the team had been watering so the ground rather than rock hard was firm but rideable.
As well as being in charge of health and safety my day on Tuesday was spent doing this
Apologies now for mistakes, poor writing or being grouchy to anyone peeering over my shoulder (not that I would ever do that
) Another day of heat and the last thing I felt like doing was competing myself! We were entered in the Novice and luckily as I was helping and down for more scoreboard writing I was very early to go and finished by 9.45, as it turned out to be the hottest day of the year to date I was lucky. Right guess I have been waffling on and all you are interested in is how we got on. To start with we were in a very hot section with Andrew Nicholson x2 Oli Townend x2 and a lot of other top pros.
Dressage I was pleased with ( no sitting trot always helps
) but perhaps frustrated not to be higher up the leader board. I was considering a conspiracy or favoritism towards the pros as they all seemed to score sub 30 however sadly I suspect they were all just better than me We did score 31.5 and I guess I shouldn't complain as it was a PB Video in next post as only evidently only allowed to post one video per post!
The showjumping had an optical illusion of being small (certainly helped by having jumped some huge intermediate tracks) The course builder however confirmed with the exception of 1 ever fence was fully up to height. It was the first time with Pip I went into do a round knowing I would be very disappointed with anything bar a clear! Thankfully she obliged with a very stylish round.
Video in next post as only evidently allowed to post one video per post!
So onto cross country and I was very wary of the course for the simple reason that there was nothing on it that worried me. (As in the past this has been the time I have gone splat I was not complacent
). The main thing I wanted to achieve was a smooth round with less hooking and a good forward shot.I was second to go and followed Emily King who sadly had a fall half way round but luckily we were not stopped. 1-3 were straightforward although had an awkward stride at 1! Then a turn to a new trekhenner at 4 which we flew over. A few simple fences before the questions came.
6 was an upright rail to a big drop ditch which she did peer in and jump rather big, there was then some offset hedges, a big palisade ditch and corner which she really made feel very easy.A big step up, 2 strides to a skinny brush 3 strides to a drop were very neatly done. I had to this point managed to keep a forward rhythm but as we came out the water realised that I should have tested the brakes as we headed towards a large enough bounce and she didn't comeback quite as I wanted, luckily she was neat through and we stretched out on over some straightforward fences.
We finished over a small log in the water which she rather just took a big canter stride over and then to the triple brush which was probably the most problematic fence on the course
[video=youtube;F_sP3eK_J_I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_sP3eK_J_I[/video]
I was pleased that despite not pushing it I was only 5 seconds over the time, the grin got even bigger when the commentary said I was in fact 2 seconds inside the time as I had got the optimum time wrong
So another PB we finished on our dressage score of 31.5Sadly as 1st to finish and with 4 mixed sections results were not due until nearly 4! So for me it was back to scoreboard writing and watching what the good dressage scores were doing. Actually it was quite good fun as the scorers got in the spirit and I kept having updates 'you can't be worse than 9th or better than 2nd'. Eventually we ended up 4th with a win for Angrew Nicholson, 2nd for Oli. Results here http://www.britisheventing.com/asp-net/events/results.aspx?meetingid=3663§ion=200 (Section H)
Absolutely delighted and so pleased how Pip is progressing really do feel soundness and rider permitting she will be very capable of jumping advanced. Anyway totally knackered! Went back to work for a rest!
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