nikkimariet
Well-Known Member
As duly promised...
Fig has been going great guns at home
With todays competition, I stepped his schooling back down to the basics, so no piaffe or changes!!!
He takes his competition prep very seriously:
But still finds time to let his hair down:
Stupid boy
Anyway. Onto today. We got off to a terrific start... Just pulling into Vale View 'I think I'm having.... OH MY GOD' Que massive nosebleed. Everywhere! (except my white breeches somehow!). The cab of the lorry looked like a murder scene. And Jesus F Christ it would not stop!!!! I gave up in the end and plugged my face up - sexy - and got on. I've had sinusitis for a few weeks so am a bit sniffly already, so can imagine I looked a glorious sight!!!!
Fig was a little funky fresh to start with. The warm up was on the busier side but not too bad - he did settle after a long stretch and numerous pats though. I'd taken his snaffle bridle with me just in case, but he felt good in the contact just a little skittish against the leg, so I stuck with the double (must remember that it's ME who must not hang on the curb though!) Did lots of sweeping leg yields to give and retakes, thinking soft against the leg and soft in the hand. In the canter I practised some working canter p's; the aim being to get him sitting and using himself rather than 'just' cantering. They really settle him and slow him right down, stop him from being so quick quick quick behind (and when he gets tense that just makes him change change change lol!).
Into the test... M61 first, but in his favoured National arena. Some think it's a little claustrophobic and dark, but I prefer it to the International which is bigger and brighter (and spookier!). I erm, sort of forgot to ride
Everything was sweet, and accurate and soft. It just lost that edge and bounce to it. We had a couple of wibbles but he was relaxed enough that he didn't take umbrage to me correcting him! The shoulder in was better than last time, I did remember to ride that! The trot and canter quality in general was better too, I'm just annoyed I didn't keep my leg on and do him justice. But remembering *everything* in the arena is always easier said than done, right?!
Put him back on the lorry for 30 mins, and me and PS went and grabbed some cheesy chips and rested our weary souls. Nose still bleeding at this point!!!
When we got him back out you could tell straight away - he was SO much more relaxed and concentrating on me rather than fretting about the other horses. And he didn't look at a single thing all day, he doesn't hugely like the corner with the chairs in next to the horse walker, but today it wasn't a problem! I'd taken 5 mins to stretch my hips out before getting on this time, so I felt better too and could sit much easier this time round. Focussed lots on the tempo; think big and slow strides, don't let him get quicker and sharper and take over. Lots of on and back in both the canter and the trot. Did some super steps of passage which helped to get him waiting on my seat.
E53 rode pretty well, although I do hate those short diagonal medium trots! I let him down by making the leg yields too steep so we reached the track a few strides early. He tripped in both the trot-walk-trot movements for some reason And dumbo here didn't keep him round enough in the trot-canter transitions, so he hollowed ever so slightly, but enough to drop a half mark I imagine. The same in the halt (my fault again), however the transition into rein back and out into ext walk were both lovely. Pleased with my effort in that test, felt like I'm starting to get the confidence (and brain power) to correct more correcting more rather than sitting pretty (or not, by todays standards) and just playing passenger.
Just checking!
Chuffed to bits with the scores! M61 67.41% - think there were 9 in it? We went training but would have been 4th Judge was a tough cookie and the company was somewhat daunting (Paul Friday and Henry Day to name a few!). E53 70.15% and 1st restricted 2nd overall (well done F514 and MH!), think there were 12 in it?
Couldn't have asked for a better debut to 2014 and a better day in all really It was cold and I didn't feel fantastic, amongst other crappy happenings, but that little horse is priceless. He never fails to try for me and make me smile.
Speaking of priceless. Have a look at this!
Figs sale papers!!!! Bought for the princely sum of 21k. Can't think of an amount that I'd part with him for though, couldn't ever put a price tag on him.
I've done my entries for Keysoe U25's High Profile and am SO excited. So we've got a week to have some fun in the school and then a week to polish the test stuff
Fig has been going great guns at home
With todays competition, I stepped his schooling back down to the basics, so no piaffe or changes!!! He takes his competition prep very seriously:
But still finds time to let his hair down:
Stupid boy
Anyway. Onto today. We got off to a terrific start... Just pulling into Vale View 'I think I'm having.... OH MY GOD' Que massive nosebleed. Everywhere! (except my white breeches somehow!). The cab of the lorry looked like a murder scene. And Jesus F Christ it would not stop!!!! I gave up in the end and plugged my face up - sexy - and got on. I've had sinusitis for a few weeks so am a bit sniffly already, so can imagine I looked a glorious sight!!!!
Fig was a little funky fresh to start with. The warm up was on the busier side but not too bad - he did settle after a long stretch and numerous pats though. I'd taken his snaffle bridle with me just in case, but he felt good in the contact just a little skittish against the leg, so I stuck with the double
(must remember that it's ME who must not hang on the curb though!) Did lots of sweeping leg yields to give and retakes, thinking soft against the leg and soft in the hand. In the canter I practised some working canter p's; the aim being to get him sitting and using himself rather than 'just' cantering. They really settle him and slow him right down, stop him from being so quick quick quick behind (and when he gets tense that just makes him change change change lol!).Into the test... M61 first, but in his favoured National arena. Some think it's a little claustrophobic and dark, but I prefer it to the International which is bigger and brighter (and spookier!). I erm, sort of forgot to ride
Everything was sweet, and accurate and soft. It just lost that edge and bounce to it. We had a couple of wibbles but he was relaxed enough that he didn't take umbrage to me correcting him! The shoulder in was better than last time, I did remember to ride that! The trot and canter quality in general was better too, I'm just annoyed I didn't keep my leg on and do him justice. But remembering *everything* in the arena is always easier said than done, right?!Put him back on the lorry for 30 mins, and me and PS went and grabbed some cheesy chips and rested our weary souls. Nose still bleeding at this point!!!
When we got him back out you could tell straight away - he was SO much more relaxed and concentrating on me rather than fretting about the other horses. And he didn't look at a single thing all day, he doesn't hugely like the corner with the chairs in next to the horse walker, but today it wasn't a problem! I'd taken 5 mins to stretch my hips out before getting on this time, so I felt better too and could sit much easier this time round. Focussed lots on the tempo; think big and slow strides, don't let him get quicker and sharper and take over. Lots of on and back in both the canter and the trot. Did some super steps of passage which helped to get him waiting on my seat.
E53 rode pretty well, although I do hate those short diagonal medium trots! I let him down by making the leg yields too steep so we reached the track a few strides early. He tripped in both the trot-walk-trot movements for some reason
And dumbo here didn't keep him round enough in the trot-canter transitions, so he hollowed ever so slightly, but enough to drop a half mark I imagine. The same in the halt (my fault again), however the transition into rein back and out into ext walk were both lovely. Pleased with my effort in that test, felt like I'm starting to get the confidence (and brain power) to correct more correcting more rather than sitting pretty (or not, by todays standards) and just playing passenger.
Just checking!
Chuffed to bits with the scores! M61 67.41% - think there were 9 in it? We went training but would have been 4th
Judge was a tough cookie and the company was somewhat daunting (Paul Friday and Henry Day to name a few!). E53 70.15% and 1st restricted 2nd overall (well done F514 and MH!), think there were 12 in it?Couldn't have asked for a better debut to 2014 and a better day in all really
It was cold and I didn't feel fantastic, amongst other crappy happenings, but that little horse is priceless. He never fails to try for me and make me smile.Speaking of priceless. Have a look at this!
Figs sale papers!!!! Bought for the princely sum of 21k. Can't think of an amount that I'd part with him for though, couldn't ever put a price tag on him.
I've done my entries for Keysoe U25's High Profile and am SO excited. So we've got a week to have some fun in the school and then a week to polish the test stuff
) Looking super smart in his double 
