First ever Affiliated BD 'Finals'

BenvardenRach2

BenvardenRach2

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Eeek, so we have qualified for the BD My Quest Novice Regional Final which is this Saturday! :D

I'm really looking forward to it as we only 'affiliated' early this year and we haven't been able to go out much due to local flu outbreaks causing a few yard lock downs ( inc ours) a little while ago and busy non - horsey life & work!! that has seemed to over lap competition weekends :(

I can't help but feel we aren't very prepared... I haven't been able to arrange a re flock adjustment of my dressage saddle in time for this weekend so we are doing it in our GP which is fine but I do prefer the security of the Dressage, it sits me up a bit better :p
Pony has decided he absolutely loves the scruffy second hand stubben bargain bridle that I picked up for £10 for 'home' but he is going so well in it I think we are going to roll with it.. It does need some serious oiling before Saturday however :oops:
I've broken 2 flipping toes, not horse related, so hobbling about.

Ahhh... not making excuses for us just feeling a little *woahh*, this has come round quickly!!
I'm sure my little superstar will be great as he usually is! I think I'm most looking forward to spending a small fortune on pro pictures!!

Wish us luck :oops:

Oh and any advice for N30 would be great.. for some reason I really don't get on with the test.. haha!


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HufflyPuffly

HufflyPuffly

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Not sure on the test, but the pictures look great and if the horse is happy, that's the main thing with tack!

My best advice for finals is be prepared on the day, if it's a new venue get there in loads of time to see where everything is and where you need to be (arenas, warmup ect). Topaz used to be better with two warm ups on championship days as she was a two test horse, but that might not be relevant for more sensible horses lol!

Keep calm and kick on, well done for qualifying :cool:.
 
BenvardenRach2

BenvardenRach2

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AlexHyde said:
Not sure on the test, but the pictures look great and if the horse is happy, that's the main thing with tack!

My best advice for finals is be prepared on the day, if it's a new venue get there in loads of time to see where everything is and where you need to be (arenas, warmup ect). Topaz used to be better with two warm ups on championship days as she was a two test horse, but that might not be relevant for more sensible horses lol!

Keep calm and kick on, well done for qualifying :cool:.
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Thanks Alex :D absolutely, he's happy in his GP and I had it checked a few weeks ago so that's all good! Just I love the dressage knee blocks :p

Yep new venue so will be there with plenty of time to suss things out! Hmm good point, he's really sensible and I normally do a quick 20 mins warm up which is usually fine but will see how he's feeling!

Thanks again, I hope my brain doesn't go to mush and I remember to use my legs!!!
 
HufflyPuffly

HufflyPuffly

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Haha I get told to remember to use my legs too! Just looked up the test, is it the one with a medium canter down the long side before trotting in the corner and up the final center line? If so, prepare the transitions, it comes up fast!

Even if you do make mistakes, it's fine everyone does and it's fab just to get there and give it a go :).


(Skylla may have objected to coming back and I finished with only one stirrup last time I did this test lol!!!)
 
BenvardenRach2

BenvardenRach2

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AlexHyde said:
Haha I get told to remember to use my legs too! Just looked up the test, is it the one with a medium canter down the long side before trotting in the corner and up the final center line? If so, prepare the transitions, it comes up fast!

Even if you do make mistakes, it's fine everyone does and it's fab just to get there and give it a go :).


(Skylla may have objected to coming back and I finished with only one stirrup last time I did this test lol!!!)
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Yes that's the one! Actually hes actually pretty damn good at that, yesterday nearly gave me whiplash with the medium canter but came straight back to trot in the corner :cool:!
I'm just hoping we pick up the correct canter lead across the diagonals!!

Legs legs legs :D:D

Thanks Alex, I'll report back!!
 
BenvardenRach2

BenvardenRach2

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:D:D we did it!!

I am absolutely over the moon with Rocky.. new venue, first championship show with lots going on, no arena walk o_O 2hr wait for prize giving.. and he was an absolute pro!!!
I was really impressed with how well the show was run, they did a proper vaccination record check making sure that all dates added up and there were no gaps/overlaps, we had a nose band tightness check at the warm up. After the test the steward felt over his mouth and sides for blood as well as removing his acoustic ears for a once over.

He gave me an amazing test, I was a little disappointed with out score at first as he he deserved more, however upon checking the board for previous classes and my own, a huge majority of the scores were between 57-64% ... with the odd few between 65-70% inc mine, really quite low in my opinion but I guess they weren't going to throw marks at you in the finals? There were a number of unhappy people demanding the scores to be checked an verified, I think everyone was a little shocked by the non generous scores..
We were placed within the top four (0.09% off 2nd :eek:) so we qualified for the National Champs at Bury Farm in October :D:D:D

Really didn't know what to expect for our first championship show with us only have been doing BD for 6 months.. defo wasn't expecting to qualify for the nationals!

He is a super star! Here's some photos...


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@Bernster saw your reply in weekend plans :D Yes we got a plaque woohoo!!

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He thoroughly enjoyed his day off yesterday and made sure he got his freshly bathed self a little muddy ;)
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BenvardenRach2

BenvardenRach2

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Thank you all so much for your kind words, I am beyond proud of him!!:):D

@ForbiddenHorse I bought the acoustic ears because he doesn't particularly like the amplified echo sounds in an indoor and gets easily distracted by them.
I only use them for outings, I do find that he feels more connected and concentrated on me when wearing them :) I must say we've only used them about 5 times so still fairly new

@Cherryblossom thanks so much!
Oh wow, I am in regular contact with their breeder and actually visited the farm in NI last year and meet Benvarden Jewel his mother.
Please PM me if your friend would like her info(if she doesn't already have it) , she would be delighted to keep touch with the pony. I have followed a few of the Benvarden offspring and are now friends with their owner, and they're all super super ponies x
 
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