Golden_Match_II
Well-Known Member
Hi guys! Me and Ruby headed to Aston on Wednesday for the OIu21 - our 4th event together and my first Intermediate... very exciting!
We got there and I walked the course with Caroline Moore who is the most helpful person ever. It seemed like quite a nice course really, I was only worried about a couple of combinations, number 4 the water which came up very early on, and number 11 a double of brushes over seriously undulating ground. Caroline's advice made them seem less worrying though, and I was really excited about riding round it.
Then we did our dressage, which is the phase we've really worked on recently. She's massively improved her outline, and we're definitely getting better all the time. It was a nice enough test which was accurate and I was happy with it, although wasn't going to expect amazing marks given my opposition! Got 36.4 which left me in the top 10 after dressage which was brilliant
Dressage Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpDXZcZAu8Y
Had a bit of waiting around for SJ, the course looked absolutely fine and doable. Was rushed to go before my time so went down in a bit of a fluster. Ru warmed up perfectly and then we went in pretty much straight away. The first 6 fences were perfect, we were in a great rhythm and it was feeling really nice. Then turned to the treble and had the middle part down, which was very annoying. Carried on around to the last line, and she just didn't have enough canter into the spread so had that down, and then had the last down with her backs too. Very frustrating, I've never had more than 2 down SJ and never more than 1 down with her. It wasn't even an unconfident round, just not quite good enough. Going back to the drawing board and having more SJ lessons.
So then I was again rushing to go XC! They had majorly messed up times I was now going 1.5hours before my times. Oh well! Knew that to redeem myself I had to go clear, but felt well up for it. Ru warmed up really nicely.
Headed out of the start box - she was very keen! Remembering how we went too fast at Bicton I didn't push her at all or cut any tight lines. I thought a steady clear was what was needed.
She jumped the first 3 really nicely. Came to the first water, and she popped through no problems. Cantered onto a double of angled sheep feeders and she jumped them really nicely. A few plain fences which she jumped really nicely - she suddenly went up a gear now we were at Intermediate and was jumping over the top of all the brush fences etc - such a cool pony. Scope not a problem!
Then came down to a hedge to corner on a 4 stride distance. She got deepish to the hedge, but jumped it fine and then a confident 4 to the corner. Clever pony. Next was a plain spread fence which was a pretty hefty spread - Mum was not keen on how wide it was haha! She jumped it really nicely though. Another brush then onto the brushes on the mound and she jumped through really confidently on 3. Another plain fence and then a coffin which she jumped foot perfect
Then cantered onto a big trakhener, round the turn to the water. It was a brush in, and she felt the need to jump over the top of it! so she landed heavily in the water and I lost a stirrup - clinging on we managed to get back together after about 2 strides. Sadly didn't get my stirrup back though! Came into the bounce steps up in a good canter despite the stirrup and she popped up really nicely, then down the mound to a skinny brush, which she jumped perfectly. She locks onto fences so well! Then still without a stirrup came into the last which she jumped nicely. All good!
As I came over the line I had a momentary panic when looking at my watch as it said I had 33 seconds left!! However after several seconds of cooling her down and staring at it, it didn't change. Think I mustve accidentally stopped it when getting together after the water. Main thing was we were clear in our first Intermediate! And really confident!
Went to look at scores an it turned out I'd actually gone inside the time. This pony's canter must just be a ground covering one, as I was really not pushing her at all, and I did set her up for combinations. Were only 2 seconds inside, so we were really just going at the right speed. You can see in the video she's very confident and happy
XC Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1hhAnTLEO4&list=UUubAXoKeYvthAgn4cpzqWXQ&index=1
Finished 18th in what was a young rider trial so not embarrassing, though I was very frustrated by the SJ. Oh well, the rest had gone well. Very Happy and Caroline said at the end of the day that I'd looked good XC. Yay!
Off to Pontispool Intermediate next, then I've got my A levels... Joy!
We got there and I walked the course with Caroline Moore who is the most helpful person ever. It seemed like quite a nice course really, I was only worried about a couple of combinations, number 4 the water which came up very early on, and number 11 a double of brushes over seriously undulating ground. Caroline's advice made them seem less worrying though, and I was really excited about riding round it.
Then we did our dressage, which is the phase we've really worked on recently. She's massively improved her outline, and we're definitely getting better all the time. It was a nice enough test which was accurate and I was happy with it, although wasn't going to expect amazing marks given my opposition! Got 36.4 which left me in the top 10 after dressage which was brilliant
Dressage Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpDXZcZAu8Y
Had a bit of waiting around for SJ, the course looked absolutely fine and doable. Was rushed to go before my time so went down in a bit of a fluster. Ru warmed up perfectly and then we went in pretty much straight away. The first 6 fences were perfect, we were in a great rhythm and it was feeling really nice. Then turned to the treble and had the middle part down, which was very annoying. Carried on around to the last line, and she just didn't have enough canter into the spread so had that down, and then had the last down with her backs too. Very frustrating, I've never had more than 2 down SJ and never more than 1 down with her. It wasn't even an unconfident round, just not quite good enough. Going back to the drawing board and having more SJ lessons.
So then I was again rushing to go XC! They had majorly messed up times I was now going 1.5hours before my times. Oh well! Knew that to redeem myself I had to go clear, but felt well up for it. Ru warmed up really nicely.
Headed out of the start box - she was very keen! Remembering how we went too fast at Bicton I didn't push her at all or cut any tight lines. I thought a steady clear was what was needed.
She jumped the first 3 really nicely. Came to the first water, and she popped through no problems. Cantered onto a double of angled sheep feeders and she jumped them really nicely. A few plain fences which she jumped really nicely - she suddenly went up a gear now we were at Intermediate and was jumping over the top of all the brush fences etc - such a cool pony. Scope not a problem!
Then came down to a hedge to corner on a 4 stride distance. She got deepish to the hedge, but jumped it fine and then a confident 4 to the corner. Clever pony. Next was a plain spread fence which was a pretty hefty spread - Mum was not keen on how wide it was haha! She jumped it really nicely though. Another brush then onto the brushes on the mound and she jumped through really confidently on 3. Another plain fence and then a coffin which she jumped foot perfect
Then cantered onto a big trakhener, round the turn to the water. It was a brush in, and she felt the need to jump over the top of it! so she landed heavily in the water and I lost a stirrup - clinging on we managed to get back together after about 2 strides. Sadly didn't get my stirrup back though! Came into the bounce steps up in a good canter despite the stirrup and she popped up really nicely, then down the mound to a skinny brush, which she jumped perfectly. She locks onto fences so well! Then still without a stirrup came into the last which she jumped nicely. All good!
As I came over the line I had a momentary panic when looking at my watch as it said I had 33 seconds left!! However after several seconds of cooling her down and staring at it, it didn't change. Think I mustve accidentally stopped it when getting together after the water. Main thing was we were clear in our first Intermediate! And really confident!
Went to look at scores an it turned out I'd actually gone inside the time. This pony's canter must just be a ground covering one, as I was really not pushing her at all, and I did set her up for combinations. Were only 2 seconds inside, so we were really just going at the right speed. You can see in the video she's very confident and happy
XC Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1hhAnTLEO4&list=UUubAXoKeYvthAgn4cpzqWXQ&index=1
Finished 18th in what was a young rider trial so not embarrassing, though I was very frustrated by the SJ. Oh well, the rest had gone well. Very Happy and Caroline said at the end of the day that I'd looked good XC. Yay!
Off to Pontispool Intermediate next, then I've got my A levels... Joy!
