henryhorn
Well-Known Member
This won't be long because I can hardly keep my eyes open after a 4am start....
We were organised and on the road by 5am, the box has had a new engine and gearbox and thankfully after I returned it last week telling them the gears were ungettable, they seem to have fixed them.
Not so the heater or any of the electrics like the internal lighting, the water hose wash thingy or the speedo, but the sat nav gives your speed and the speedo works you just double the reading!
I was frozen in the front but CCJ climbed into a huge king sized duvet on the luton with her pillows and slept soundly all the way only to be woken by me screeching deperately for her to come down and help me find the place, the sat nav can't be relied upon for lorry access and it turned out the signs for the event weren't on the A35 as advertised, but on the T junction of the slip road once you left the A35.
Cue me going 7 miles the wrong way and back the opposite way, so good job we were early!
We arrived and she set off to find the farrier, Jacques having lost a front shoe yesterday evening playing in the field. £20 for one shoe later, but feeling grateful the farrier was a good one we were ready to start BE 100.
This was his first outdoor event of the year, last week he and Chocolate went to a BD comp and came 2nd and 4th, the plan being to see how far both can go in dressage as it's cheaper than eventing. So CCJ wasn't too worried about the dressage, and Jacques worked in beautifully.
She started the test (going 2 horses after W Fox Pitt) and for half of the test I actually thought she was going to be in the top three of the placings, then suddenly he sort of tripped in canter on a rut in the ground and became unsettled. He quickly cantered again within two steps but they had lost the concentration a bit and when it came to the trot at x he simply became more collected as that's what the new dressage trainer had been working with them on yesterday, and mistook the aid of half halt for "get ready, transition coming," to "come under me more"
She had no option but to give a really strong half halt to get the transition, losing more marks. When the sheet came back it said super first half, then a "misunderstanding meant after movement 1o you lost marks".
They ended up on 37 which is not good for him but in the first third of the section results. .
He then jumped a lovely if exuberant clear round (they met Jules 89 at this point I think!) and went on to the XC. Slightly sticky first couple of fences then he realised what he was doing and flew round. Only one hiccup, he caught his knee on the corner and after that gave everything a good distance, he took the most direct route through the angles third to last fence and came home within the time.
There were a lot of horses still to go so we demurred about whether to leave but waited until the class finished to see he came 6th.
If anyone is looking for an easy first time event Moreton seems to be, especially the Intro (90), there are a couple of steepish little hills but Jack coped fine and he isn't that fit yet considering it's the first event.
CCJ feels he needs a couple more PN's before moving up to Novice, so we are doing Belmont next weekend.
I hardly saw anyone I knew but did meet a nice person by the boxes, CCJ thought I knew her, I thought she knew her, so if you are a HH member huge apologies, and hello, and I still think your chesnut was lovely..
(we should all wear badges)
It seemed to take ages to drive home and now we have a mare who looks like foaling imminently, so I am off to bed incase we have to get up ...(got a camera on her at present).
We're hopefully off dressaging again this weekend , Chocx can do his first Elementary and Jacques another go at Novice 37, tomorrow I am planning on taking the box back to the garage and asking why I have no electrics...
It felt funny to be eventing again, especially now I'm relegated to driver -cum horse-holder, but with CCJ's HGV test looming I may have a short career as emergency driver only. (don't tell her but I may just go along for the fun
)
We are still dithering whether to renew all the memberships and reg, this year when ours run out in May, today cost a fortune with half a tank of diesel, entries and the lost shoe etc.. Still, we got a rosette and as breeder I felt satisfied.
My eyes are slowly closing and I'm yawning horribly, so goodnight from me..
We were organised and on the road by 5am, the box has had a new engine and gearbox and thankfully after I returned it last week telling them the gears were ungettable, they seem to have fixed them.
Not so the heater or any of the electrics like the internal lighting, the water hose wash thingy or the speedo, but the sat nav gives your speed and the speedo works you just double the reading!
I was frozen in the front but CCJ climbed into a huge king sized duvet on the luton with her pillows and slept soundly all the way only to be woken by me screeching deperately for her to come down and help me find the place, the sat nav can't be relied upon for lorry access and it turned out the signs for the event weren't on the A35 as advertised, but on the T junction of the slip road once you left the A35.
We arrived and she set off to find the farrier, Jacques having lost a front shoe yesterday evening playing in the field. £20 for one shoe later, but feeling grateful the farrier was a good one we were ready to start BE 100.
This was his first outdoor event of the year, last week he and Chocolate went to a BD comp and came 2nd and 4th, the plan being to see how far both can go in dressage as it's cheaper than eventing. So CCJ wasn't too worried about the dressage, and Jacques worked in beautifully.
She started the test (going 2 horses after W Fox Pitt) and for half of the test I actually thought she was going to be in the top three of the placings, then suddenly he sort of tripped in canter on a rut in the ground and became unsettled. He quickly cantered again within two steps but they had lost the concentration a bit and when it came to the trot at x he simply became more collected as that's what the new dressage trainer had been working with them on yesterday, and mistook the aid of half halt for "get ready, transition coming," to "come under me more"
She had no option but to give a really strong half halt to get the transition, losing more marks. When the sheet came back it said super first half, then a "misunderstanding meant after movement 1o you lost marks".
They ended up on 37 which is not good for him but in the first third of the section results. .
He then jumped a lovely if exuberant clear round (they met Jules 89 at this point I think!) and went on to the XC. Slightly sticky first couple of fences then he realised what he was doing and flew round. Only one hiccup, he caught his knee on the corner and after that gave everything a good distance, he took the most direct route through the angles third to last fence and came home within the time.
There were a lot of horses still to go so we demurred about whether to leave but waited until the class finished to see he came 6th.
If anyone is looking for an easy first time event Moreton seems to be, especially the Intro (90), there are a couple of steepish little hills but Jack coped fine and he isn't that fit yet considering it's the first event.
CCJ feels he needs a couple more PN's before moving up to Novice, so we are doing Belmont next weekend.
I hardly saw anyone I knew but did meet a nice person by the boxes, CCJ thought I knew her, I thought she knew her, so if you are a HH member huge apologies, and hello, and I still think your chesnut was lovely..
It seemed to take ages to drive home and now we have a mare who looks like foaling imminently, so I am off to bed incase we have to get up ...(got a camera on her at present).
We're hopefully off dressaging again this weekend , Chocx can do his first Elementary and Jacques another go at Novice 37, tomorrow I am planning on taking the box back to the garage and asking why I have no electrics...
It felt funny to be eventing again, especially now I'm relegated to driver -cum horse-holder, but with CCJ's HGV test looming I may have a short career as emergency driver only. (don't tell her but I may just go along for the fun
We are still dithering whether to renew all the memberships and reg, this year when ours run out in May, today cost a fortune with half a tank of diesel, entries and the lost shoe etc.. Still, we got a rosette and as breeder I felt satisfied.
My eyes are slowly closing and I'm yawning horribly, so goodnight from me..
