tigers_eye
Well-Known Member
I'm officially tired! As H-J has said, yesterday I drove to Firle where I met up with the HJ team and Cruz, her very cute 4yo. As I'd got there an hr earlier than expected I trotted off and walked the course for the Novice. Thought it was a great course to ask a few questions so I can have a game plan when I get to Gatcombe. Then it was off to ride Cruz in her dressage. She was very good, totally unaware of anything very exciting happening, had a couple of unbalanced moments in the test but was very rideable, scored 36.something. Then we all went and walked the intro together, seemed nice, asked enough but not too much although there was a step up to a ski-jump on a bounce distance up the last hill which I was a bit concerned about whether we'd have enough petrol for!
Off to sj, plenty to look at in that ring but she really wasn't bothered. Forgot to take off over the first two but got the hang of it much better after that! On to xc, and by now Cruz thinks she really should be sleeping
. Babies are so funny! Well she was great round the xc, really very keen, didn't nap towards the boxes as so many did, just couldn't quite count to two quick enough at the step up to log at 5 which was too big to push her over off no stride. She even bounced the next to last properly! Great ride on a lovely young horse, she's certainly brave enough, she just needs to learn about pushing her body upwards as well as forwards.
Got back to my yard about 6 last night, with 2 to ride and a lorry to pack
. Oh, and the yard bbq... Rode them for about 15 mins each, washed them, and left the lorry for this morning... always a good idea!
Up at 5 again this morning, plaited up, set off at 7.30. First up Will's dressage. He usually churns out the same test every time, and depending on the judge gets between 34 and 40. He did a bad test today, had his best "I hate dressage" head on
. But got a 37.6, having fully expected to get 10 marks worse
.
Next up L's dressage, was being really spooky about the mown grass (it's a different COLOUR mummy I can't POSSIBLEY go near it), he didn't do too bad a test apart from falling over in his 2nd medium canter, but felt a little bit behind the verticle. Got a 32.something which was fairly generous too! Show-jumped him next, again very spooky, rolled a pole going into the double of uprights but managed to leave everything else up, always a bonus
.
Then my rubber ball's turn, he jumped his 3rd clear in a row (there, that's just put the mockers on Gatcombe hasn't it). Off to xc with him, he was really wobbly
, floating about all over the place and had to give him a few smacks which isn't usually the case, but got much better as we came towards home. Had a great ride through the water, and then from the corner all the way home. Felt quite fast but didn't hang about to hear time penalties as had to go and do lib....
Thought that if W had been spooky, what would this one do given his current mood?! Well he gave me the worst ride he's ever done, pulled up dead in front of the sand after fence 3 and had to be wacked to go over it, gave me an awful ride over the next 4, went through the water well, next two (both angled combinations) he backed off then was a long way off without enough impulsion and had to make huge efforts to get to other side of the fence. Jumped the corner and the drop rails ok, but as I came to the latter I could see a car parked behind my next fence a big hedge with a ditch infront. I started yelling my head off and it reversed out my way about 5 strides out.
Jumped that fairly well, then on to trakhener and he was awful, backed off and not only didn't really have enough impulsion for the jump itself but he lurched left and came down over the wooden frame holding the log, god knows how he didn't bring himself down on it, then came within inches of taking out the poor photographer on the other side
. Jumped the last 4 pretty well, but was so cross with him for being such a wimp. I really think he has a memory span of 2 weeks - if he doesn't do something (for instance xc schooling, but can be anything) he forgets he can do it and loses confidence. He will be going xc schooling before Gatcombe as a result!
Anyway, after all that (anyone still with me?), William had made a meteoric rise thanks to 1 of only 2 6yo sj clears and the fastest xc time and ended up 2nd
, whilst Liberty somehow managed to scrape 4th, so a very good day really, even if I don't think either did their best. Just the way it turns out sometimes eh?!
Off to sj, plenty to look at in that ring but she really wasn't bothered. Forgot to take off over the first two but got the hang of it much better after that! On to xc, and by now Cruz thinks she really should be sleeping
Got back to my yard about 6 last night, with 2 to ride and a lorry to pack
Up at 5 again this morning, plaited up, set off at 7.30. First up Will's dressage. He usually churns out the same test every time, and depending on the judge gets between 34 and 40. He did a bad test today, had his best "I hate dressage" head on
Next up L's dressage, was being really spooky about the mown grass (it's a different COLOUR mummy I can't POSSIBLEY go near it), he didn't do too bad a test apart from falling over in his 2nd medium canter, but felt a little bit behind the verticle. Got a 32.something which was fairly generous too! Show-jumped him next, again very spooky, rolled a pole going into the double of uprights but managed to leave everything else up, always a bonus
Then my rubber ball's turn, he jumped his 3rd clear in a row (there, that's just put the mockers on Gatcombe hasn't it). Off to xc with him, he was really wobbly
Thought that if W had been spooky, what would this one do given his current mood?! Well he gave me the worst ride he's ever done, pulled up dead in front of the sand after fence 3 and had to be wacked to go over it, gave me an awful ride over the next 4, went through the water well, next two (both angled combinations) he backed off then was a long way off without enough impulsion and had to make huge efforts to get to other side of the fence. Jumped the corner and the drop rails ok, but as I came to the latter I could see a car parked behind my next fence a big hedge with a ditch infront. I started yelling my head off and it reversed out my way about 5 strides out.
Anyway, after all that (anyone still with me?), William had made a meteoric rise thanks to 1 of only 2 6yo sj clears and the fastest xc time and ended up 2nd
