khalswitz
Well-Known Member
So, this will be our last update before Geoff's BE debut next weekend. And of course, poor Geoff hadn't been touched for a week and a half whilst I was away working at Blair, so I returned home this week to a moody git who wouldn't stand for the farrier, bronced on the lunge, and kept pushing me. I was feeling just as grumpy as him after a while.
Then, typically, the Arena Event we had entered for this weekend (including a dressage phase) was cancelled due to lack of entries, at the same time as the ODE that we decided might be another good prep run. And of course every XC course in the area is booked up now because of that. So, in a minor panic, I decided I needed at LEAST one more SJ outing beforehand so that I was feeling positive about our demon phase.
Off we nipped to the local unaff evening SJ on Weds. Geoff, being grumpy, was a spooky sod the whole way there. Didn't help that I'm currently trying to break in my new leather boots and gaiters, and just didn't have the 'feel' I normally have in my chaps/almost dead, soft leather gaiters that now have no stitching. Got a text whilst hacking up from a friend: "they are building them very full up with some psycho turns. Entering the 70/80 instead of the 80/90!!'. Oh sugar.
We decided to do the same, and she entered for us whilst we meandered up - to find what looked like midget jumps. "It's pretty big for a 70, isn't it, especially the last three fences in the second phase" said my friend. I didn't know what to say. Having spent a week in a trade stand watching the BN and Disco classes (incl the lovely blood_magik), and thinking how the BN did not look that bad and Geoff should really be aiming for the 90 there next year (if not jumping that height sooner), I just thought they all looked tiny. VERY strange feeling.
Geoff was riding like a Blackpool donkey with one eye in the warmup, falling over the upright a few times before finally sorting himself out and jumping a bit better over the oxer. Feeling surprisingly bleh about the the whole thing, we nipped into the ring.
Into the ring, and Geoff did an unprompted walk-to-canter - he really is starting to know what he's supposed to do!!! He was VERY forward once again, and I was having to be fairly firm about him trying to rush off. However, clever boy was even starting to put in long ones by himself - normally he likes to be close in, and will always pop an extra stride if he's unsure, but he was FLYING. Didn't even look at anything, felt really with me (if our striding was a bit messy at times) and went double clear to come 2nd!! In a big and competitive class, too.
Feeling pleased with the lad, and again shockingly underwhelmed by the 80 (which again everyone was saying was full up, and the second phase looking solidly 85-90cm), we popped in for the 80. Off Geoff went again, really taking me into the fences and feeling bold! We had a pole at the vertical number 2, as I let him just get a bit long and he touched it, but we were sailing round everything else.
Coming into number 10, the turn was pretty tight, and when I asked for the change I didn't get it. I tried to bring him back for a simple change, but Geoff was having none of it, and ended up breaking to trot two strides before a good 85cm and full width oxer. Oh sugar, I thought. We all know how Geoff is very prone to stopping when things aren't right. So I sat back and SQUEEZED for dear life... and was nearly launched from the saddle when my clever, clever, bold boy jumped it from a near standstill (I felt him rock right back on his hocks bless him!). Huge, huge pats, he decided to get in a bit close to number 11 (a wall) as a security blanket, but again leaped the big oxer at 12 feeling fab.
With four faults, in a big and competitive class, we didn't place (there were DCs who didn't place), but I was BEAMING about him being so genuine and actually getting me out of trouble instead of saying no. What a confidence booster for us before heading out to our first event next week.
My sister is away out to jump him tonight in a grid class, just for fun, as she's missing riding and he's turning into a dude I can actually trust other people on
So he will get lots more Polos than he did on Weds, I'm sure
Bacon butties for reading!!
Then, typically, the Arena Event we had entered for this weekend (including a dressage phase) was cancelled due to lack of entries, at the same time as the ODE that we decided might be another good prep run. And of course every XC course in the area is booked up now because of that. So, in a minor panic, I decided I needed at LEAST one more SJ outing beforehand so that I was feeling positive about our demon phase.
Off we nipped to the local unaff evening SJ on Weds. Geoff, being grumpy, was a spooky sod the whole way there. Didn't help that I'm currently trying to break in my new leather boots and gaiters, and just didn't have the 'feel' I normally have in my chaps/almost dead, soft leather gaiters that now have no stitching. Got a text whilst hacking up from a friend: "they are building them very full up with some psycho turns. Entering the 70/80 instead of the 80/90!!'. Oh sugar.
We decided to do the same, and she entered for us whilst we meandered up - to find what looked like midget jumps. "It's pretty big for a 70, isn't it, especially the last three fences in the second phase" said my friend. I didn't know what to say. Having spent a week in a trade stand watching the BN and Disco classes (incl the lovely blood_magik), and thinking how the BN did not look that bad and Geoff should really be aiming for the 90 there next year (if not jumping that height sooner), I just thought they all looked tiny. VERY strange feeling.
Geoff was riding like a Blackpool donkey with one eye in the warmup, falling over the upright a few times before finally sorting himself out and jumping a bit better over the oxer. Feeling surprisingly bleh about the the whole thing, we nipped into the ring.
Into the ring, and Geoff did an unprompted walk-to-canter - he really is starting to know what he's supposed to do!!! He was VERY forward once again, and I was having to be fairly firm about him trying to rush off. However, clever boy was even starting to put in long ones by himself - normally he likes to be close in, and will always pop an extra stride if he's unsure, but he was FLYING. Didn't even look at anything, felt really with me (if our striding was a bit messy at times) and went double clear to come 2nd!! In a big and competitive class, too.
Feeling pleased with the lad, and again shockingly underwhelmed by the 80 (which again everyone was saying was full up, and the second phase looking solidly 85-90cm), we popped in for the 80. Off Geoff went again, really taking me into the fences and feeling bold! We had a pole at the vertical number 2, as I let him just get a bit long and he touched it, but we were sailing round everything else.
Coming into number 10, the turn was pretty tight, and when I asked for the change I didn't get it. I tried to bring him back for a simple change, but Geoff was having none of it, and ended up breaking to trot two strides before a good 85cm and full width oxer. Oh sugar, I thought. We all know how Geoff is very prone to stopping when things aren't right. So I sat back and SQUEEZED for dear life... and was nearly launched from the saddle when my clever, clever, bold boy jumped it from a near standstill (I felt him rock right back on his hocks bless him!). Huge, huge pats, he decided to get in a bit close to number 11 (a wall) as a security blanket, but again leaped the big oxer at 12 feeling fab.
With four faults, in a big and competitive class, we didn't place (there were DCs who didn't place), but I was BEAMING about him being so genuine and actually getting me out of trouble instead of saying no. What a confidence booster for us before heading out to our first event next week.
My sister is away out to jump him tonight in a grid class, just for fun, as she's missing riding and he's turning into a dude I can actually trust other people on
So he will get lots more Polos than he did on Weds, I'm sure Bacon butties for reading!!
