LeannePip
Well-Known Member
Please accept this VERY long 2-in-1 post as my attempt to add more reports to C&T!
<b>Disappointing Debut</b>
With distant dreams of Badminton Grassroots we could fit in one chance of a RF ticket for this autumn before the 1st July deadline after registering. Bearing in mind neither Ruby or I have ever competed BE before the dream was very distant, but you have to be in it to win it!
With the only vaguely local event before July being Rackham, we packed our sunnies and shorts and headed east on THE hottest day of the year. Walking the XC course at 8am it was already 25c and wasn't getting any cooler, so by dressage we were already very hot and bothered. Ruby is thankfully a lamb at competitions and could probably do a test straight from the box so we had a quick walk trot and a canter on each rein before our test and went in. Despite the heat and the horse next door having a complete paddy about the car horns, she did a really sweet and obedient test and didn't make me work too hard;
https://www.facebook.com/leanne.mcca...type=3&theater
No scores for a while, I was really hoping for sub 30 it was the best test she's given me and i really thought we had pulled it off, so was a bit disappointed with 32.8 which was incidentally our worst dressage score to date! We had a bit of chill time with a hose off and lots of syringing water before showjumping, it was a nice course, but the last fence was causing mayhem; blue and white chevron fillers in an oxer - we saw at least 3 eliminated in the time we were watching. By this time the temperature was probably equal to my dressage score and every bit of shade near the SJ'ing warm up was full of horses, but despite this heat she was jumping on springs so after a couple of jumps we retired to the shade for some respite too. She jumped in true Ruby fashion and managed to save my bacon at the smallest upright on the course when i completely buried her into the bottom of it! doh! But we finished clear with a fab jump at the last, which thankfully the tog captured for us;
We had a little wait before XC so more water and then even more water later we decided to get it over with as the warm up was empty and headed over. Despite being 45mins early, upon arrival was told i was next to go (!?) and after delaying long enough to jump a couple of fences we headed to the start box where Ruby suddenly went really green on me. Theres not much of a run from the start to number 1 at Rackham, and it had been causing issues all day so i had to come out the box tough, we launched over it but it wasn't the nice confident start she needed and continued to get greener, looking at patches of different coloured floor/ fence judges/ walkers on the way to 2 and 3 - not my usual Ruby
image: http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/images/smilies/frown-new.png
4 was a big log out of the woods (dark to bright sunshine) with a few strides to a narrow chaser type brush at 5. Still green she wavered into the log and jumped big, which is her default for scared, and landed in a heap completely off line for 6 and despite efforts to savor it we had our first run out
I'm kicking myself because i should have jumped 4 at an angle to give me space for a planned circle before 5 but inexperience didn't give me that spark until later! 6 was fine and 7 was a drop with a big log/ ground line which had also caused many problems all day, with my options limited to; controlled canter giving her time to look and more chance of making the narrow wishing well B element or fast enough that momentum took us forward and risking a run out at the well - I opted for the former. Unfortunately still not quite in our rhythm my attempt to slow up ended up in us coming to a halt at the top and we incurred our next 20 pens. After re-presenting she grew and grew, not looking at any of the scarier/technical fences; 1/2 coffin/ Trakhener/ corner and finished strong, so whilst disappointed at our final penalties i was over the moon that she came back to me and still jumped really well.
So our first BE wasn't to be the fairy tale ending but we both learnt so much and couldn't wait to get on with the next one!
<b> Second Time Lucky </b>
In need of a good run to pick up the pieces, we entered up for Tweseldown our 'almost home' event.
I'll start by saying, Tweseldown is where my eventing dream started over 10 years ago when we turned up to watch an event . . .on the wrong week! we could only look at the jumps through the fence, but that was enough for me to make it my aim to compete there and so it always makes me really excited to go back!
I fence judged and walked the course on Saturday and felt confident that she'd love it, we've schooled here many times and did her first event this year in April where she ran well so i was happy it would be good for our confidence if nothing else. Life got in the way and it meant we arrived at Tweseldown having not jumped since Rackham, but I was confident the basics were in place so didn't need to dwell on it too much.
My friend Faye and I arrived together and the lovely stewards parked us next to each other so we could help each other out as we were both helper'less until my mum could meet us. We were both dubious that we'd get any work out of either of them as they snoozed in the sun as we tacked up but thankfully they both perked up on the long walk to dressage. Again just a really easy W/T/C warm-up and into the test (same text as Rackham) again, really pleased with her just really hoped the judge agreed this time around.
Quick run around the XC and we were running late for Showjumping - the XC was REALLY long! Thankfully made it just in time to watch a couple and have a jump; she wasn't feeling her usual exuberant self and had the oxer down twice which again is very unusual so decided to quite before it got worse and just waited our turn. It always feels like an occasion jumping in the big ring at Tweseldown and she rose to the challenge, giving everything lots of air - until 7 where i decided it was going far too well and promptly buried her into the bottom of oxer! Thankfully, being part kangaroo/ gazelle she managed to save it and we somehow finished with everything still up.
By this point there were still no dressage scores for my section but as we headed back to the lorry for a quick change mum hung around and watched them award me 8 SJ faults for my round - very confused she was able to argue it and after a bit of running around they managed to remove them as they had got mixed up with Faye who'd jumped straight after me. It was very odd setting off XC with absolutely no idea where in the pack you were, but strangely it removed all pressure. Chris in the start box was lovely as always and before i knew it we were off. Everything was different to Rackham, she felt on top from the start, just running and jumping like it was the easiest thing in the world. She was amazing <3 and before i knew it we were home and clear and it was all over.
Nicely over 5:
Taking a flyer at 7:
Tweseldown were amazing and had a bowser and buckets of water to slosh the horses off straight away and bottled water at the finish for riders - what a touch!?
Mum met us at the finish and was just as chuffed - as part owner she loves watching Ruby and listening to the fence judge radios, even more so when they ooh and ahh at her! Faye finished just behind us so we washed off and mum lead the girls back whilst we carried all the tack back, wishing we'd bought a wheelbarrow with us!
By this point i'd almost forgotten we were competing and just chuffed to nuts with the ride she'd given me, dressage scores and time faults were way way at the back of my mind.
We wandered over to get some food and the live scoring showed the worst I could be was 2nd with 28.5DR and 4.4too fast XC (deja vu - exactly the same as at Aston). We are all completely bemused at this turn of speed, as only a couple of months ago we were struggling with multiple too slow time faults! Any way, it was an agonizing wait for the final score but when it came through, we had won . . . by less than 1 fault.
We had won, at our second BE!?
My tiny horse, with the heart of a lion had cruised round for a win, and she so deserved it. She is just a pleasure in every aspect and tries so hard every time, even when i muck up, she's got it. <3 <3
We are back at Tweseldown this weekend for the AT Classics, whilst i don't think we'll be able to replicate this, we'll use the XC to work out a better pace!
I hope you didn't get too bored reading this essay!
<b>Disappointing Debut</b>
With distant dreams of Badminton Grassroots we could fit in one chance of a RF ticket for this autumn before the 1st July deadline after registering. Bearing in mind neither Ruby or I have ever competed BE before the dream was very distant, but you have to be in it to win it!
With the only vaguely local event before July being Rackham, we packed our sunnies and shorts and headed east on THE hottest day of the year. Walking the XC course at 8am it was already 25c and wasn't getting any cooler, so by dressage we were already very hot and bothered. Ruby is thankfully a lamb at competitions and could probably do a test straight from the box so we had a quick walk trot and a canter on each rein before our test and went in. Despite the heat and the horse next door having a complete paddy about the car horns, she did a really sweet and obedient test and didn't make me work too hard;
https://www.facebook.com/leanne.mcca...type=3&theater
No scores for a while, I was really hoping for sub 30 it was the best test she's given me and i really thought we had pulled it off, so was a bit disappointed with 32.8 which was incidentally our worst dressage score to date! We had a bit of chill time with a hose off and lots of syringing water before showjumping, it was a nice course, but the last fence was causing mayhem; blue and white chevron fillers in an oxer - we saw at least 3 eliminated in the time we were watching. By this time the temperature was probably equal to my dressage score and every bit of shade near the SJ'ing warm up was full of horses, but despite this heat she was jumping on springs so after a couple of jumps we retired to the shade for some respite too. She jumped in true Ruby fashion and managed to save my bacon at the smallest upright on the course when i completely buried her into the bottom of it! doh! But we finished clear with a fab jump at the last, which thankfully the tog captured for us;
We had a little wait before XC so more water and then even more water later we decided to get it over with as the warm up was empty and headed over. Despite being 45mins early, upon arrival was told i was next to go (!?) and after delaying long enough to jump a couple of fences we headed to the start box where Ruby suddenly went really green on me. Theres not much of a run from the start to number 1 at Rackham, and it had been causing issues all day so i had to come out the box tough, we launched over it but it wasn't the nice confident start she needed and continued to get greener, looking at patches of different coloured floor/ fence judges/ walkers on the way to 2 and 3 - not my usual Ruby
image: http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/images/smilies/frown-new.png
4 was a big log out of the woods (dark to bright sunshine) with a few strides to a narrow chaser type brush at 5. Still green she wavered into the log and jumped big, which is her default for scared, and landed in a heap completely off line for 6 and despite efforts to savor it we had our first run out
I'm kicking myself because i should have jumped 4 at an angle to give me space for a planned circle before 5 but inexperience didn't give me that spark until later! 6 was fine and 7 was a drop with a big log/ ground line which had also caused many problems all day, with my options limited to; controlled canter giving her time to look and more chance of making the narrow wishing well B element or fast enough that momentum took us forward and risking a run out at the well - I opted for the former. Unfortunately still not quite in our rhythm my attempt to slow up ended up in us coming to a halt at the top and we incurred our next 20 pens. After re-presenting she grew and grew, not looking at any of the scarier/technical fences; 1/2 coffin/ Trakhener/ corner and finished strong, so whilst disappointed at our final penalties i was over the moon that she came back to me and still jumped really well.
So our first BE wasn't to be the fairy tale ending but we both learnt so much and couldn't wait to get on with the next one!
<b> Second Time Lucky </b>
In need of a good run to pick up the pieces, we entered up for Tweseldown our 'almost home' event.
I'll start by saying, Tweseldown is where my eventing dream started over 10 years ago when we turned up to watch an event . . .on the wrong week! we could only look at the jumps through the fence, but that was enough for me to make it my aim to compete there and so it always makes me really excited to go back!
I fence judged and walked the course on Saturday and felt confident that she'd love it, we've schooled here many times and did her first event this year in April where she ran well so i was happy it would be good for our confidence if nothing else. Life got in the way and it meant we arrived at Tweseldown having not jumped since Rackham, but I was confident the basics were in place so didn't need to dwell on it too much.
My friend Faye and I arrived together and the lovely stewards parked us next to each other so we could help each other out as we were both helper'less until my mum could meet us. We were both dubious that we'd get any work out of either of them as they snoozed in the sun as we tacked up but thankfully they both perked up on the long walk to dressage. Again just a really easy W/T/C warm-up and into the test (same text as Rackham) again, really pleased with her just really hoped the judge agreed this time around.
Quick run around the XC and we were running late for Showjumping - the XC was REALLY long! Thankfully made it just in time to watch a couple and have a jump; she wasn't feeling her usual exuberant self and had the oxer down twice which again is very unusual so decided to quite before it got worse and just waited our turn. It always feels like an occasion jumping in the big ring at Tweseldown and she rose to the challenge, giving everything lots of air - until 7 where i decided it was going far too well and promptly buried her into the bottom of oxer! Thankfully, being part kangaroo/ gazelle she managed to save it and we somehow finished with everything still up.
By this point there were still no dressage scores for my section but as we headed back to the lorry for a quick change mum hung around and watched them award me 8 SJ faults for my round - very confused she was able to argue it and after a bit of running around they managed to remove them as they had got mixed up with Faye who'd jumped straight after me. It was very odd setting off XC with absolutely no idea where in the pack you were, but strangely it removed all pressure. Chris in the start box was lovely as always and before i knew it we were off. Everything was different to Rackham, she felt on top from the start, just running and jumping like it was the easiest thing in the world. She was amazing <3 and before i knew it we were home and clear and it was all over.
Nicely over 5:
Taking a flyer at 7:
Tweseldown were amazing and had a bowser and buckets of water to slosh the horses off straight away and bottled water at the finish for riders - what a touch!?
Mum met us at the finish and was just as chuffed - as part owner she loves watching Ruby and listening to the fence judge radios, even more so when they ooh and ahh at her! Faye finished just behind us so we washed off and mum lead the girls back whilst we carried all the tack back, wishing we'd bought a wheelbarrow with us!
By this point i'd almost forgotten we were competing and just chuffed to nuts with the ride she'd given me, dressage scores and time faults were way way at the back of my mind.
We wandered over to get some food and the live scoring showed the worst I could be was 2nd with 28.5DR and 4.4too fast XC (deja vu - exactly the same as at Aston). We are all completely bemused at this turn of speed, as only a couple of months ago we were struggling with multiple too slow time faults! Any way, it was an agonizing wait for the final score but when it came through, we had won . . . by less than 1 fault.
We had won, at our second BE!?
My tiny horse, with the heart of a lion had cruised round for a win, and she so deserved it. She is just a pleasure in every aspect and tries so hard every time, even when i muck up, she's got it. <3 <3
We are back at Tweseldown this weekend for the AT Classics, whilst i don't think we'll be able to replicate this, we'll use the XC to work out a better pace!
I hope you didn't get too bored reading this essay!
