Gatcombe Novice report (very dissapointed)

worMy

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www.katherinebegley.com
so....
first event of the season,
1 up, 1 meh, and 1 massive downer.

Dressage, well was INCREADIBLY windy, and he warmed up well, practised counter canter, did it really tightly so it would be easier for him in the test, he did some fabby medium trots, and he was being much more flexed than normal.
Went in the test, center line was a bit wobbly, unlike him, and then it was good to begin with, fabby medium trot, and then came the counter canter, he changed legs, little bu**er. Just because he can, he decided to fling in a flying change. then came the rein back. been doing this at home, fine, not great, but doing it. he stuck his head in the air and didnt move at all. So gave up there, then free walk,,,tried to trot afterwards,,,and he cantered, twice. and other counter canter he changed legs as well. NOT AMUSED. no excuse, he has been fabulous counter canter recently, went outside arena,,and he did it super.
so must have got something like three 4's and a 2 for rein back. humph. got 41 in the end.

some, not very nice photos!
i love how much taller i look when doing dressage. i am actually very short--5ft 3, and hes big 16 3hh.

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Showjumping, last year i went from intro-novice, only clear showjumoiung rounds were at intro, with 2 or more down at novice. Been working on it this year, and was stoked to have a clear. which then ment i was secretly confident for a point, as his xc is suberb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It wasnt a good round, but it was a purpously bad round, because i made him get deep to almost everything, as its small, so he can do it from deep, and it means he has to think for himself, and make and effort, hense rails stay up. He jumped the last line (tripple) beatifully though, perfect striding. So yeah, not a flowing round to watch, but at nov for him to go clear, its necessary. obv i wouldnt get him deep to everything at intermediate.

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XC, havnt been xc since aldon last year, as was going to go schooling, but the weather. However he has been hunting through the winter, so wasnt to bothered. First two fences he scrambled over, i gave him a slap, gathered him up, and told him to get his act togther,,which he did. But there was a rail turn left 90 degress, to hedge, turn right 90 degrees to jump. they were numbered seperately. he took a stride out at the hedge, so i had no reins, and he shot off, i should have gone straight and done a circle. But i paniked and didnt think, i hauled on the right rein,,he didnt turn much as thought we were going straight, and i sailed past the jump, 20 pens. My first EVER xc penalty with him
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. ABSOLUTELY KICKING MYSELF. my first ever clear sj at novice, and then i have to go and have my first ever xc penalty. Ashamed to have th 20pens on my record, ashamed with myself, and devestated. That point would have meant so much.
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the rest of the course was good, the wall/rail with stone under comming out of the wood, that we almost rotated over last year, was good, and the water (was log in this yr, not drop) was fine. he was so bold in, that when he landed he sort of hopped, cant think of any other way to explain it, and nearly popped me out the saddle!!! haha



Wasnt angry with belv at all, as he didnt understand that he had to turn and it was a jump. But yeah, one of those blasted SODS LAW days, with lots of tears!

So negatives:
Dressage not good
First ever xc penalty
i rode like a mupet
didnt get point

Positives:
Worked well outside arena, and in the movements inbetween the bad ones
Finally clear SJ

Met up with martha again! even if i ended the meeting quickly and went back to her lorry later to say hi properly, as she cornered me just as i came back from xc, and just wanted to burst into tears.
which i then did, highly embarrasingly on the phone to a friend!!

so yes, interesting,,for the wrong reasons!

oh and i tried on a tail coat, that was rather nice for 115 pounds, too big, but he can get the size smaller. so yay!

cookies if you get through my rambling!!!
 
Blimey, you must have ever so long legs if you're only an inch taller than me!

Well done on the SJ, he's giving them so much room, and don't worry about the xc, when you're in "competition mode" you don't always think on your feet quickly enough.

There'll be plenty of points to come
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on reading the heading i thought "oh my god, something terrible's happened to the horse."
devastated = something really really terrible in my book.
doesn't sound too bad for 1st time out. sj clear is great, gatcombe's usually a decent sj track. clear xc apart from 1 moment of muppetry sounds alright. dr sounds a bit ropey, but lots to work on. the new harder nov tests are obv a bit much for him 1st time out!
just try to be glad it wasn't on a day when you led the dressage, clear sj, and THEN managed to totally fluff it up. (yes, it's happened to me, and to a lot of my mates!)
 
Doesn't sound too bad at the moment, I bet you're beating yourself up but tbh look at the other what 20 odd fences you jumped clear, presumably nothings up with the horse and you know it was rider error, cant go right all the time!
 
haha changed title of the post kerilli!! dont want to scare anyone!!!

haha the thing is, he can do that dressage test with his eyes closed, been doing intermediate dressage fiiine at home. He was just tense and said screw this, its easier for me to change.
but yes, one issue we do have is rein back.

anyway, thanks! yes pleased with SJ.
 
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Doesn't sound too bad at the moment, I bet you're beating yourself up but tbh look at the other what 20 odd fences you jumped clear, presumably nothings up with the horse and you know it was rider error, cant go right all the time!

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haha yes i know MASSIVE dumb rider woopsy!
 
Well all I can say looking at your XC video that sitting on your horse must be ruddy amazing, you are absolutely flying. Do you ever look at those jumps and think they are big, or have you done it so much it’s just second nature????

I really don’t think you should be disappointed, it’s the first event of the season and the SJing was fab, onwards and upwards.
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having watched the vid, he didn't take a stride out at the hedge, he went on a long one but that's the one that was there, if he'd tried to add one he'd have been v v deep. constructive crit i hope: in the dr pics and the xc vid he does look v strung out. i don't know if he leans but he looks on the forehand. he obv loves his jumping and is v honest but i think you might find it a bit easier if he was more together...
 
yeh thats our problem,
he's an increadibly hard horse to collect,
thats where the sj and dressage issues etc come from.
He is slightly croup high,,hense appears of forhand,when he isnt really, and hes big and secitive...
so yeah, collection is the key to improvement
 
Well done, if it is any consolation, I had a rider muppet moment at draycott novice too, on the XC, I didn't quite ride effectively enough to a skinny near the end of the course and we had a duck out on the last stride, but don't beat yourself up about it, look at it the other way round, you completed everything else very well, and jumped all the technical stuff!!

Look forward to improving for the next one, good video, he seems to really enjoy himself!!
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Blimey, you must have ever so long legs if you're only an inch taller than me!

Well done on the SJ, he's giving them so much room, and don't worry about the xc, when you're in "competition mode" you don't always think on your feet quickly enough.

There'll be plenty of points to come
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oh and the thing is i dont think i do,,,,its very very odd!!!! i do ride very long for dressage!!
 
Well Done in the SJ! I bet tomorrow you wont be as bothered. You should feel better because other than the one mistake it was all okay for a first time at that level!

Dont be so hard on yourself
 
I wouldnt beat yourself up about it - your bound to be rusty first event of the season!

Sounds like a good building block for the rest of the season
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it wasnt first time at that level...
it was first event of the season.
lol but thanks

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Ooops. Well Done anyway K
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well done... some good positives to take from it
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i had my 1st stop XC at isleham and i know EXACTLY how you feel
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where are you competing next?
 
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well done... some good positives to take from it
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i had my 1st stop XC at isleham and i know EXACTLY how you feel
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where are you competing next?

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haha,,it sucks doesnt it
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weston, kelsall, hambledon, withington, and then...yeah...
 
Don't be so BLOODY HARD ON YOURSELF!!!!! We can't all be perfect all of the time. Look at it this way:

Dressage: to get 41 even with those 3 awful marks, well the rest of it must have been pretty ok. First event of the season affects lots of horses, he probably just has to get his brain back in gear for dressage on grass after going hunting.

SJ: Your first clear! Fantastic! SJ is your nemesis isn't it? Well you should be thrilled about that alone.

XC: Clear except one tiny balls-up. It happens to everyone. I know its awful - that split scond where a clear turns into a 20, but it's only a 20, it's not a dreaded 'E' and the rest was fine. Looking fab through the water by the way.

Eventing is hard because it's so difficult to get it all right on the same day. That's what makes it so incredibly frustrating and also why we're all addicted to it
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So next time your dressage is going to be better, you know what to do in the SJ and of course you will be clear XC. Enjoy it, and take away what you can from the experience. (Oh so easy to say, I was almost in tears when a stupid STUPID 20 cost me 2nd place a couple of weeks ago
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)
 
well on the plus side (results on BE) i wouldnt of been placed, would of been 12th or something.
BUT
still very :'( because now i have a horrible horrible 20 i my previously cler column, and a 34th!!! shudders......

and yes SJ is my nemesis,,was prob a one off.
 
Katherine, i had a stupid stop PN and it was the horse not even me! now thats when you get pissed off haha! i have a horrible 20 on my record at PN at the course i had been round 3 times that year! the sj was fabby and its not like you got a 50! could have been a worse day eg get eliminated or fall off.
xxx
 
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