khalswitz
Well-Known Member
Since our last update things have gone a bit strangely. Geoff, who was loving his dressage and doing respectably at Prelim BD with a few respectable outings at Novice unaff, has suddenly turned into a proper little jumper! The bit change that was recommended at BRC Area Camp has completely transformed us both - I've never felt so with him, and suddenly we both trust each other - even on bad strides or angles, which was never an option before without me jumping alone.
However, when we had a dressage lesson with the instructor we get monthly clinics with (but haven't seen since March due to alternate illness of instructor and abscess of horse) we got a bit of a shock.
It started off with a very moody Geoff. The normally bombproof hack was rearing in the road with me, refusing to walk past a horse-eating bush. He was also doing impressive gymnastic displays - leaping and turning like a ballerina on a rugby pitch. So we arrived with me already very grumpy and Geoff very tense.
It got worse. Geoff decided today was Argument Day and that contact was optional. He does have days when he decides to be a giraffe still, not very often nowadays, but being a very opinionated and strong willed individual when he's decided that's what he's doing, it does become a battle. So we had major contact issues, and I got a telling off for not having worked enough on flexion - it was very telling, and I knew myself the last few tests had commented on lack of longitudinal suppleness. So was frustrated with myself, frustrated with Geoff, and frustrated that my instructor was frustrated with both of us!! So have been very dedicated to the inside and outside flexion on a circle exercises, and the give-and-retake, and the shoulder-in and walk-to-canter exercises she gave me to try and improve things a bit for next time she sees us!!
We were supposed to be doing BD, but our outing was cancelled due to lack of judges. Next month, we have planned another BD, with hopefully our first aff Novice, as well as riding for our RC Team at Area Qualifiers, and a Combined Training at the end of the month (for which we are only able to enter the Novice) so I'm planning on lots of work on his way of going and things before then, as that lack of suppleness and throughness, and the occasional contact issues, are our biggest issues and the main killer of our scores, so looking to work to improve that before then.
We also had a pole work lesson on Friday. Which, conversely (and possibly due to the stretching work we'd been doing in between) went really well. We worked on shortening and lengthening the poles in the trot, and for the first time since I've had him, Geoff was able to really lift and power through the lengthened distances rather than rush and fall over them. Felt awesome, and gives me hope that the medium trot still has potential to come!!
The canter work however was a little lacking. He has a tendency to just flop round without fully using his back end and the canter ends up lacking power. He has a huge stride, but rather than shorten it he just loses power. So we walked him into the canter poles, and asked for walk-to-canter over the first pole. Created a much nicer, neater canter, and rode really nicely over the raised poles too.
So, we decided to be brave and nip off for some SJ. Yes, the jumping had been going great at home - we'd been working from the book of jumping exercises Lolo got us for Secret Santa, and he was managing jumping on a circle, jumping on serpentines, angling fences, and jumping really consistently at 80-90cm - but would the atmosphere and being in the ring revert me back to my silly defenceless riding?
When we arrived, it didn't help that the warm-up was set up differently. Instead of an indoor warmup with the full outdoor for jumping, they had sectioned off a 18x30 section of the outdoor for warming up. Trying to jump a 17hh excitable horse in a tiny warm up surrounded by whizzy ponies was my idea of hell. We couldn't even keep canter to turn after the fence, as the mooting block and the ring entrance were in the two corners! It was a nightmare.
However he warmed up really well despite this! Took him in for the 60cm, and he just loved it - ears forward, taking me to fences. I kept telling myself to sit and not try to force strides with him, just to keep my leg on and not over-hold him. We just sailed round for a clear. In the jump off, I started to feel him giving the jumps less clearance - Mum, 60 is very small! - but we did make it round clear, and got some lovely tight turns in as he was on the ball and listening, and he offered a few flying changes too! We ended up placing 2nd
Go right for the 60cm: http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/kimmassonphotography/albums/shows/426904/browse/72/?w=800&h=436
And the j/o: http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/kimmassonphotography/albums/shows/426904/browse/87/?w=800&h=436
In the 70, he jumped much better - picking himself up a bit more. We got another clear, but I turned into a numpty in the jump off, where I went for the tight run from 4 to 6, but somehow forgot which jump I was aiming for, looked to 7, and thought, no, I'm sure I jumped this from the other direction. I had to circle, gaining four faults, and lots of time. Stupid!!! We ended up placing fourth out of the four through to the jump-off as he also had a pole at on oxer, but he came in on a bad stride, and I made myself not interfere as I know he gets upset about bad strides, and let him sort himself. He decided to chip in and got a bit close, taking the back bar, but for him not to refuse on a bad stride was awesome so I'm very pleased. Gutted about my mistake though as even with his four faults we'd have had 2nd place if I hadn't been a numpty!!
The 70: http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/kimmassonphotography/albums/shows/426904/browse/120/?w=800&h=436
And the j/o: http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/kimmassonphotography/albums/shows/426904/browse/145/?w=800&h=436
I watched them putting up the 80, and thought it looked really do-able, and very nearly went back to enter for that too - but decided four rounds and a hack either way was enough for one day, I didn't want to push too hard on our first ever GREAT SJ outing. But have decided next time we'll do the 70 and 80 instead
Having sort of put my SJ demons to one side now (we CAN do it!) I've decided that maybe I was a little rash in deciding not to worry about trying to get him eventing this year. If the SJ keeps going well, then we are aiming for our first Combined Training next month, an Arena Event and a unaff ODE the next, with the possibility of our first inviting BE80 in september (my birthday weekend) if all goes to plan. Been chatting with my instructor and if he keeps going like this its totally doable - we just need more XC training, esp over ditches which are his Achilles heel, and to get ourselves happy at 80-90cm jumping, which we seem on our way to being!
So very happy update
Offers of spag bog and Rioja (obv for those old enough to legally drink it )
However, when we had a dressage lesson with the instructor we get monthly clinics with (but haven't seen since March due to alternate illness of instructor and abscess of horse) we got a bit of a shock.
It started off with a very moody Geoff. The normally bombproof hack was rearing in the road with me, refusing to walk past a horse-eating bush. He was also doing impressive gymnastic displays - leaping and turning like a ballerina on a rugby pitch. So we arrived with me already very grumpy and Geoff very tense.
It got worse. Geoff decided today was Argument Day and that contact was optional. He does have days when he decides to be a giraffe still, not very often nowadays, but being a very opinionated and strong willed individual when he's decided that's what he's doing, it does become a battle. So we had major contact issues, and I got a telling off for not having worked enough on flexion - it was very telling, and I knew myself the last few tests had commented on lack of longitudinal suppleness. So was frustrated with myself, frustrated with Geoff, and frustrated that my instructor was frustrated with both of us!! So have been very dedicated to the inside and outside flexion on a circle exercises, and the give-and-retake, and the shoulder-in and walk-to-canter exercises she gave me to try and improve things a bit for next time she sees us!!
We were supposed to be doing BD, but our outing was cancelled due to lack of judges. Next month, we have planned another BD, with hopefully our first aff Novice, as well as riding for our RC Team at Area Qualifiers, and a Combined Training at the end of the month (for which we are only able to enter the Novice) so I'm planning on lots of work on his way of going and things before then, as that lack of suppleness and throughness, and the occasional contact issues, are our biggest issues and the main killer of our scores, so looking to work to improve that before then.
We also had a pole work lesson on Friday. Which, conversely (and possibly due to the stretching work we'd been doing in between) went really well. We worked on shortening and lengthening the poles in the trot, and for the first time since I've had him, Geoff was able to really lift and power through the lengthened distances rather than rush and fall over them. Felt awesome, and gives me hope that the medium trot still has potential to come!!
The canter work however was a little lacking. He has a tendency to just flop round without fully using his back end and the canter ends up lacking power. He has a huge stride, but rather than shorten it he just loses power. So we walked him into the canter poles, and asked for walk-to-canter over the first pole. Created a much nicer, neater canter, and rode really nicely over the raised poles too.
So, we decided to be brave and nip off for some SJ. Yes, the jumping had been going great at home - we'd been working from the book of jumping exercises Lolo got us for Secret Santa, and he was managing jumping on a circle, jumping on serpentines, angling fences, and jumping really consistently at 80-90cm - but would the atmosphere and being in the ring revert me back to my silly defenceless riding?
When we arrived, it didn't help that the warm-up was set up differently. Instead of an indoor warmup with the full outdoor for jumping, they had sectioned off a 18x30 section of the outdoor for warming up. Trying to jump a 17hh excitable horse in a tiny warm up surrounded by whizzy ponies was my idea of hell. We couldn't even keep canter to turn after the fence, as the mooting block and the ring entrance were in the two corners! It was a nightmare.
However he warmed up really well despite this! Took him in for the 60cm, and he just loved it - ears forward, taking me to fences. I kept telling myself to sit and not try to force strides with him, just to keep my leg on and not over-hold him. We just sailed round for a clear. In the jump off, I started to feel him giving the jumps less clearance - Mum, 60 is very small! - but we did make it round clear, and got some lovely tight turns in as he was on the ball and listening, and he offered a few flying changes too! We ended up placing 2nd
Go right for the 60cm: http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/kimmassonphotography/albums/shows/426904/browse/72/?w=800&h=436
And the j/o: http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/kimmassonphotography/albums/shows/426904/browse/87/?w=800&h=436
In the 70, he jumped much better - picking himself up a bit more. We got another clear, but I turned into a numpty in the jump off, where I went for the tight run from 4 to 6, but somehow forgot which jump I was aiming for, looked to 7, and thought, no, I'm sure I jumped this from the other direction. I had to circle, gaining four faults, and lots of time. Stupid!!! We ended up placing fourth out of the four through to the jump-off as he also had a pole at on oxer, but he came in on a bad stride, and I made myself not interfere as I know he gets upset about bad strides, and let him sort himself. He decided to chip in and got a bit close, taking the back bar, but for him not to refuse on a bad stride was awesome so I'm very pleased. Gutted about my mistake though as even with his four faults we'd have had 2nd place if I hadn't been a numpty!!
The 70: http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/kimmassonphotography/albums/shows/426904/browse/120/?w=800&h=436
And the j/o: http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/kimmassonphotography/albums/shows/426904/browse/145/?w=800&h=436
I watched them putting up the 80, and thought it looked really do-able, and very nearly went back to enter for that too - but decided four rounds and a hack either way was enough for one day, I didn't want to push too hard on our first ever GREAT SJ outing. But have decided next time we'll do the 70 and 80 instead
Having sort of put my SJ demons to one side now (we CAN do it!) I've decided that maybe I was a little rash in deciding not to worry about trying to get him eventing this year. If the SJ keeps going well, then we are aiming for our first Combined Training next month, an Arena Event and a unaff ODE the next, with the possibility of our first inviting BE80 in september (my birthday weekend) if all goes to plan. Been chatting with my instructor and if he keeps going like this its totally doable - we just need more XC training, esp over ditches which are his Achilles heel, and to get ourselves happy at 80-90cm jumping, which we seem on our way to being!
So very happy update
Offers of spag bog and Rioja (obv for those old enough to legally drink it
)
