Baydale
Well-Known Member
Firstly apologies if anyone thinks I've been ignoring them, but I just haven't had enough time and energy to go round lately - boo 
- but I have just had my last chemo - yay 
- so hopefully normal Baydale service will be resumed within the next month.
I'd entered Cal and Jup for Arena UK ODE, the 1.05m class, although with how I felt (incredibly slow and dozy, numb right upper arm, sore stitches in left arm....need I go on?), how they'd been going (took an hour to get Cal to jump a line of fences at 1m in a sane manner in my Lionel lesson this week 
) and the weather (squally/blustery and just downright miserable 
), you could understand my lack of enthusiasm. I did some half-hearted and randomly-shaped plaits in them both, donned my thickest breeches and warmest clothes and dragged us all down there, to be met by Team Baydale's SuperFran who'd done a double clear on her mare and come 3rd, thereby pressuring me to not let the team down. 
It was the horrid Novice 111, not very user-friendly for Cal who whilst being more rideable, was a tad tetchy after 40mins warm-up with some very fresh horses, as was I. Was good to see Rach and Twizzy looking very smart, sporting teal (I think, but don't ask me as I don't do matchy-matchy) bandages.
Cal is much improved but will be another year before he's got the strength and balance to do a nice Novice test, but he did try harder than he normally does (dressage, yawn...) - other than being really irritating in the halt and rein-back.
Jupiter next, and I swear someone had swapped him with a nice pony as it certainly wasn't what I've been used to from him lately. Won't complain though as other than dropping his poll a bit (tried hanging cheek but wonder what else I could use instead?) he was pretty cool.
I wasn't going to hang about as the rain was setting in so a quick change and onto the showjumping. And no, it's not in slow motion, that's partly me sitting and waiting (excessively perhaps) and partly because he usually is like a bullet out of a gun given half a chance! Don't ask me what he did at the second last as I didn't think I banged on his back or caught him with my spur, drama queen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkUHcQTySH4
Straight onto the xc part: nothing huge but it seems to be one of those things that some horses get and some horses don't, Jup seemed to fall into the latter group, although me being indecisive about whether to go up a gear/go for a long one/go for a short one etc can't have helped much when realistically my limit was probably getting the fences in the right order. Comedy moments include me taking his back teeth out on a flier (rubber bit, so no lasting damage 
) and chasing him over the 75cm fence on the bank outside the arena...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m5GPKKE8T
And a link to the photos, use right arrow to scroll through for the monster-alert water tray one:
http://www.equipics.co.uk/viewpicture.tlx?albumid=294068&pictureid=14434162
Another quick change onto Cal who'd been busy schmoozing with Ruby in the lorry, charmer that he is.
He was trying some of his wonky, quarter-swinging stuff warming up but was fairly straight and less hot than he has been lately showjumping. By now they'd decided we could wear wet weather gear rather than jackets, that's how horrid it was.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JWdR9ofJLw
Now I didn't think Cal would "get" the cross-country part but he was fab, really forward, looking for his fences, straight and careful. He's more of a ditch fan than Jup, but you can see his sideways look down the bank into the arena as the mammoth inflatable water tray was parked there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcmPlfisLc4
And the photos, check those ears out!
http://www.equipics.co.uk/viewpicture.tlx?albumid=294068&pictureid=14434215
I have Rocky Road cake and builders' tea, I'll leave it with you as I've got to go to Hull (of all places) to have my stitches out now. Back later, be as rude as you like, I know I look like a numpty but some days it's the taking part that counts.
Doh, nearly forgot that Jup only bloomin won with a 30.5 double clear and Cal (not too shoddy either) 34 and double clear to be 3rd.
- but I have just had my last chemo - yay - so hopefully normal Baydale service will be resumed within the next month. I'd entered Cal and Jup for Arena UK ODE, the 1.05m class, although with how I felt (incredibly slow and dozy, numb right upper arm, sore stitches in left arm....need I go on?
), how they'd been going (took an hour to get Cal to jump a line of fences at 1m in a sane manner in my Lionel lesson this week ) and the weather (squally/blustery and just downright miserable ), you could understand my lack of enthusiasm. I did some half-hearted and randomly-shaped plaits in them both, donned my thickest breeches and warmest clothes and dragged us all down there, to be met by Team Baydale's SuperFran who'd done a double clear on her mare and come 3rd, thereby pressuring me to not let the team down. It was the horrid Novice 111, not very user-friendly for Cal who whilst being more rideable, was a tad tetchy after 40mins warm-up with some very fresh horses, as was I. Was good to see Rach and Twizzy looking very smart, sporting teal (I think, but don't ask me as I don't do matchy-matchy) bandages.
Cal is much improved but will be another year before he's got the strength and balance to do a nice Novice test, but he did try harder than he normally does (dressage, yawn...) - other than being really irritating in the halt and rein-back. Jupiter next, and I swear someone had swapped him with a nice pony as it certainly wasn't what I've been used to from him lately.
Won't complain though as other than dropping his poll a bit (tried hanging cheek but wonder what else I could use instead?) he was pretty cool. I wasn't going to hang about as the rain was setting in so a quick change and onto the showjumping. And no, it's not in slow motion, that's partly me sitting and waiting (excessively perhaps
) and partly because he usually is like a bullet out of a gun given half a chance! Don't ask me what he did at the second last as I didn't think I banged on his back or caught him with my spur, drama queen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkUHcQTySH4
Straight onto the xc part: nothing huge but it seems to be one of those things that some horses get and some horses don't, Jup seemed to fall into the latter group, although me being indecisive about whether to go up a gear/go for a long one/go for a short one etc can't have helped much when realistically my limit was probably getting the fences in the right order.
Comedy moments include me taking his back teeth out on a flier (rubber bit, so no lasting damage ) and chasing him over the 75cm fence on the bank outside the arena...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m5GPKKE8T
And a link to the photos, use right arrow to scroll through for the monster-alert water tray one:
http://www.equipics.co.uk/viewpicture.tlx?albumid=294068&pictureid=14434162
Another quick change onto Cal who'd been busy schmoozing with Ruby in the lorry, charmer that he is.
He was trying some of his wonky, quarter-swinging stuff warming up but was fairly straight and less hot than he has been lately showjumping. By now they'd decided we could wear wet weather gear rather than jackets, that's how horrid it was.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JWdR9ofJLw
Now I didn't think Cal would "get" the cross-country part but he was fab, really forward, looking for his fences, straight and careful. He's more of a ditch fan than Jup, but you can see his sideways look down the bank into the arena as the mammoth inflatable water tray was parked there
:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcmPlfisLc4
And the photos, check those ears out!
http://www.equipics.co.uk/viewpicture.tlx?albumid=294068&pictureid=14434215
I have Rocky Road cake and builders' tea, I'll leave it with you as I've got to go to Hull (of all places) to have my stitches out now. Back later, be as rude as you like, I know I look like a numpty but some days it's the taking part that counts.
Doh, nearly forgot that Jup only bloomin won with a 30.5 double clear and Cal (not too shoddy either) 34 and double clear to be 3rd.
