Fiona
Well-Known Member
Have to do a BOGOF/2 for 1 report tonight, as the forum has been down/our broadband running like a dog for the past week or so...
First event is rapidly approaching (next Saturday) and up to last weekend Flo hadn't been XC since last October, she hadn't even hunted due to her sore back etc..
Had booked onto a XC clinic at a lovely local venue (CIC**/*) with a pro eventer, and it used some of the CIC fences plus a lot of portable fences as well set out for different exercises.
Madam was a tiny bit green at the start (only natural as she hasn't been out for so long), but she quickly 'got' the idea that you jump whatever you are pointed at (no matter what angle or gradient). One exercise she did really well was downhill white derby rails three strides to brush roller three strides to brush fence, v tight turn to skinny palisade, and 4 strides to a house (jumped at 45deg angle)...
Skinny into a coffin..
Water..
and the last exercise was a largish rustic showjump to an upright wooden gate and then push on for the turn back to a rather large drop hedge..
Then today there was finally a course open for XC schooling so (feeling rather fragile after our hunt ball last night) we headed off this morning. It was a gorgeous day though, and at the beach so Flo was able to paddle afterwards..
Seemed like the world and their wife was there today (it was SOOO busy) but F jumped round really well. The course was a mix of hunter trial type fences (post & rail and suchlike) and some nice portables and she jumped round the 1m course very confidently including a few skinnies and a triple brush on a downwards slope into the water...
This wasn't flagged, but he jumped it anyway (naughty)
Skinny to a ditch...
and herself...
Not carrying as much condition as I would like, but she's a TB so hard to feed her lot of cereals over the winter without her going over the top. The vet even thought she might be borderline ulcer-ish after all the snow and lack of turnout, she went through a period of hiccuping
and then headshaking which came out of the blue and has all but disappeared now thankfully.
Am hoping that they are well prepared for their first event next week, and (I say this every year) that she is finally growing up and trusting rider 100% to jump whatever she is pointed at.
Fiona
First event is rapidly approaching (next Saturday) and up to last weekend Flo hadn't been XC since last October, she hadn't even hunted due to her sore back etc..
Had booked onto a XC clinic at a lovely local venue (CIC**/*) with a pro eventer, and it used some of the CIC fences plus a lot of portable fences as well set out for different exercises.
Madam was a tiny bit green at the start (only natural as she hasn't been out for so long), but she quickly 'got' the idea that you jump whatever you are pointed at (no matter what angle or gradient). One exercise she did really well was downhill white derby rails three strides to brush roller three strides to brush fence, v tight turn to skinny palisade, and 4 strides to a house (jumped at 45deg angle)...
Skinny into a coffin..
Water..
and the last exercise was a largish rustic showjump to an upright wooden gate and then push on for the turn back to a rather large drop hedge..
Then today there was finally a course open for XC schooling so (feeling rather fragile after our hunt ball last night) we headed off this morning. It was a gorgeous day though, and at the beach so Flo was able to paddle afterwards..
Seemed like the world and their wife was there today (it was SOOO busy) but F jumped round really well. The course was a mix of hunter trial type fences (post & rail and suchlike) and some nice portables and she jumped round the 1m course very confidently including a few skinnies and a triple brush on a downwards slope into the water...
This wasn't flagged, but he jumped it anyway (naughty)
Skinny to a ditch...
and herself...
Not carrying as much condition as I would like, but she's a TB so hard to feed her lot of cereals over the winter without her going over the top. The vet even thought she might be borderline ulcer-ish after all the snow and lack of turnout, she went through a period of hiccuping
and then headshaking which came out of the blue and has all but disappeared now thankfully.Am hoping that they are well prepared for their first event next week, and (I say this every year) that she is finally growing up and trusting rider 100% to jump whatever she is pointed at.
Fiona
Looks like you had lovely weather for it too. Good luck for next weekend. 
Naughty naughty jumping other fence 
but I'll bet my life that you wernt the only one 
