Baydale
Well-Known Member
Sorry for the delay, folks, but I appear to have Sleeping Sickness. 
Maybe it's the time of year but my duvet and I are now best friends and if I'd been given the option to stay in bed on Saturday morning, I most definitely would have. I'd done the early shift (OH and HH off hunting) and had "booked" help from H the Supergroom again as I'm still a bit manky (lovin' the 80s vocab 
), physically and mentally.
I whizzed (-ish, as my current walking speed is 2 mph ) round the course looking out for Jupiter-eating monster lairs and also the water, after Cal's Purston problem. There was enough to do I guess, including a corner early on, trakehner followed by coffin with new in and out fences, steps up then a turn to a skinny brush, and the final fence was a bit of horrible turn to a pagoda, but nothing that two 5yo's with 5 BE100 runs under their belts shouldn't be able to cope with...if only it was that predictable, eh? 
Cal was on first and, with his new-found disregard for authority figures - me
- did a decidedly average test which involved lots of shoving him off my inside leg to make him less plank-like and under-the-breath whoa-ing when the canter got too forward. It wasn't dressage, it was waggon-ing. The thought of getting on Jupiter depressed me as Cal always tries harder than Jup but would you believe it, Jup was actually pretty good. Ok, going sideways past the judge's truck wasn't good but some of the trot and canter work was ok and we got a couple of 8s, so I was more than happy with a 33. 
I thought Cal's would be 40ish but he somehow - cute face? big ears? - got a 36.5, so not too appalling.
I didn't get time to walk the showjumping but it was the usual colourful and well-decorated course with a couple of fences rammed up near the judges box - potential for Jupiter there - and the ones I watched before it was my go seemed to be making a hash of it, including both stopping at fence 7 - not good for my nerves. Cal had an osteo visit earlier in the week and felt so much better, and we did a round I was proud of (and I never say that), really fluent with just one moment (see photos) when he over-jumped an oxer and shot off to the upright, hence both of us having a "sideways ears" moment. Shame the photos don't reflect how good it felt but I'm working on the premise that he and I were both soooo relaxed that my position/his technique reflect that. 
Quick change and onto the rocket that is Jupiter. I just knew he'd be spooky and sharp so our round felt like a jump-off but then it would after Cal's laid-back Larry one, wouldn't it? I can't quite work Jup out, but it appears that he needs some pressure to get his mind on the job and off gooning about, but how do you do that whilst keeping yourself chilled and relaxed?
Whatever, my sense of self-preservation obviously does wonders for my position and we left all the fences up, so a very smiley Baydale after both her Cheeky Boys jumped clear.
Thankfully I had Cal to xc first and I swear he remembered getting a smack for his stop at Purston as he set off like a bullet out of a gun. He really covers the ground but some of the corners took a bit of organisation. He was fab over the corner, straight as a die and scopey, did a bit of a at the water once he'd jumped the barrels but then was straight in and out, fab over the step down to oval pimple-y thing, copybook through the coffin....I'm running out of superlatives but I was very happy with him and he felt really confident. Onto the Other One, and I'd carbed up on muesli bars and energy drinks (there was dearth of cake as Ma Baydale hasn't been to stay for a while ) in readiness. I was being hassled by the starter - Thistle, and she knows I'm joking - as there were only two of us left to go. Off we set, first monster being the fence judge's car at 2 , but a few threatening growls and we were off, pinging and getting more consecutively straight strides than ever before. He was fab at the corner, water, step to pimple, got a growl at the trakehner for good measure and then did the strangest skewy jump over the coffin ditch, and that was despite my bouncy bouncy coffin canter. He hurled his bulk up the steps and over the skinny and bounded home, saving the best spook for the last fence, the pagoda, where the spare xc fences that provided a perfect turning point and line to it suddenly became horrific structures sheltering monsters....yeah yeah, Jup, it all wears a bit thin after a while.
So, two double clears on much better ponies than last time out - or more likely the same ponies that were better ridden this time . I'd have been happy with the DCs, so imagine how pleased I was to find out that Cal was 5th and Jup was 2nd! Both got time xc but there were only two within the time in Cal's section, and only 5 clears sj, and no-one within the time in Jup's, and only 6 clears sj, so nothing major to worry about me being a slowcoach. 
It was great to see Thistle and Holly-Jane, even if the former only likes me for Ma Baydale's cakes. I'd offer you some but they've all gone, so there's shortbread and grapes and an un-opened box of M&S chocolates for those that have made it this far. Photos are on www.horsepower-photography.com, Jup was 277 in Section F and Cal 218 in Section E, can't link to them as it doesn't work, but there are a couple of funnies on Jup including one of me smiling on him xc - unheard of!
Maybe it's the time of year but my duvet and I are now best friends and if I'd been given the option to stay in bed on Saturday morning, I most definitely would have. I'd done the early shift (OH and HH off hunting) and had "booked" help from H the Supergroom again as I'm still a bit manky (lovin' the 80s vocab ), physically and mentally. I whizzed (-ish, as my current walking speed is 2 mph
) round the course looking out for Jupiter-eating monster lairs and also the water, after Cal's Purston problem. There was enough to do I guess, including a corner early on, trakehner followed by coffin with new in and out fences, steps up then a turn to a skinny brush, and the final fence was a bit of horrible turn to a pagoda, but nothing that two 5yo's with 5 BE100 runs under their belts shouldn't be able to cope with...if only it was that predictable, eh? Cal was on first and, with his new-found disregard for authority figures - me
- did a decidedly average test which involved lots of shoving him off my inside leg to make him less plank-like and under-the-breath whoa-ing when the canter got too forward. It wasn't dressage, it was waggon-ing. The thought of getting on Jupiter depressed me as Cal always tries harder than Jup but would you believe it, Jup was actually pretty good. Ok, going sideways past the judge's truck wasn't good but some of the trot and canter work was ok and we got a couple of 8s, so I was more than happy with a 33. I thought Cal's would be 40ish but he somehow - cute face? big ears? - got a 36.5, so not too appalling.I didn't get time to walk the showjumping but it was the usual colourful and well-decorated course with a couple of fences rammed up near the judges box - potential for Jupiter there - and the ones I watched before it was my go seemed to be making a hash of it, including both stopping at fence 7 - not good for my nerves.
Cal had an osteo visit earlier in the week and felt so much better, and we did a round I was proud of (and I never say that), really fluent with just one moment (see photos) when he over-jumped an oxer and shot off to the upright, hence both of us having a "sideways ears" moment. Shame the photos don't reflect how good it felt but I'm working on the premise that he and I were both soooo relaxed that my position/his technique reflect that. Quick change and onto the rocket that is Jupiter. I just knew he'd be spooky and sharp so our round felt like a jump-off but then it would after Cal's laid-back Larry one, wouldn't it?
I can't quite work Jup out, but it appears that he needs some pressure to get his mind on the job and off gooning about, but how do you do that whilst keeping yourself chilled and relaxed? Whatever, my sense of self-preservation obviously does wonders for my position and we left all the fences up, so a very smiley Baydale after both her Cheeky Boys jumped clear.Thankfully I had Cal to xc first and I swear he remembered getting a smack for his stop at Purston as he set off like a bullet out of a gun. He really covers the ground but some of the corners took a bit of organisation. He was fab over the corner, straight as a die and scopey, did a bit of a
at the water once he'd jumped the barrels but then was straight in and out, fab over the step down to oval pimple-y thing, copybook through the coffin....I'm running out of superlatives but I was very happy with him and he felt really confident. Onto the Other One, and I'd carbed up on muesli bars and energy drinks (there was dearth of cake as Ma Baydale hasn't been to stay for a while ) in readiness. I was being hassled by the starter - Thistle, and she knows I'm joking - as there were only two of us left to go. Off we set, first monster being the fence judge's car at 2 , but a few threatening growls and we were off, pinging and getting more consecutively straight strides than ever before. He was fab at the corner, water, step to pimple, got a growl at the trakehner for good measure and then did the strangest skewy jump over the coffin ditch, and that was despite my bouncy bouncy coffin canter. He hurled his bulk up the steps and over the skinny and bounded home, saving the best spook for the last fence, the pagoda, where the spare xc fences that provided a perfect turning point and line to it suddenly became horrific structures sheltering monsters....yeah yeah, Jup, it all wears a bit thin after a while.So, two double clears on much better ponies than last time out - or more likely the same ponies that were better ridden this time
. I'd have been happy with the DCs, so imagine how pleased I was to find out that Cal was 5th and Jup was 2nd! Both got time xc but there were only two within the time in Cal's section, and only 5 clears sj, and no-one within the time in Jup's, and only 6 clears sj, so nothing major to worry about me being a slowcoach. It was great to see Thistle and Holly-Jane, even if the former only likes me for Ma Baydale's cakes.
I'd offer you some but they've all gone, so there's shortbread and grapes and an un-opened box of M&S chocolates for those that have made it this far. Photos are on www.horsepower-photography.com, Jup was 277 in Section F and Cal 218 in Section E, can't link to them as it doesn't work, but there are a couple of funnies on Jup including one of me smiling on him xc - unheard of! 
