Go, Adrian - Mr Bronco & I have another bash at BSJA... (V long)

catembi

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 March 2005
Messages
13,341
Location
N Beds
Visit site
The story so far - Adrian is a 5 yo ISH who does bd & bsja. He behaves (ish) in lessons, but tends to get v overexcited at shows. We went bd last week, had a fit of the broncos in the warmup, then got extremely headstrong & ran off in his test... (Got my score sheet on Sat & got 55. something, so o/h was right that it wasn't my worst ever test...)

Since our dr disaster, I haven't ridden cos I've been auditing in Scotland, & o/h managed to lunge Adrian once. Did a dr lesson yest but only managed about 20 mins of it as I'd severely upset my back the day before (wrecked sacro iliac joint from being rolled on a long time ago) by pulling my wheely suitcase about a mile up a hill in Edin, so Partoow took over.

Everything went wrong this am. O/h got in at 2.30 am from playing computers at a friend's
mad.gif
& didn't change my WOW flaps as promised.
mad.gif
mad.gif
So this am he wouldn't shift out of bed & I had my flaps to do. Also my back was sore, there had been a hard frost & I nearly decided not to go at all. Then I thought, f it, I'll go by myself. Got A in having turned him out in snuggy hood to make sure he'd stayed clean... & he had the most burrs/sticky balls I've *ever* seen in his tail, which didn't want to come out.

Eventually got organised, & just as I was pulling out of the yard, o/h came running out & wanted to come. He was either being supportive or doesn't trust me not to barge the lorry thru a holly bush, which I did last time out...
blush.gif


I knew I'd be too late to do the British Novice, which is the biggest A's jumped, so I entered him for the 95 cm.
blush.gif
It didn't actually walk too much bigger than BN, thank goodness. Then it was onto the warmup. I started tentatively outside (we were at The College) where there weren't any jumps so I could get some work out of him before he lost the plot, then ventured inside. Jumped a cross pole a few times... & on the 3rd time he started to light up.
crazy.gif


So had a big buck every time I asked for canter & was trying to hurtle at the jumps.
crazy.gif
crazy.gif
Partoow showed me yest how to check him back hard rather than getting into a tug of war, which is what usually happens, & this was actually a lot more effective than a pulling match. I only had to use the wall to stop once!!
grin.gif


Then it was onto our round. No 1 was a big //, but as soon as A saw it, he locked on & we were away. No 2 was a vertical & I had to do a gymkhana turn with 1 hand on his neck as he'd locked onto the back of another jump... 3 was another // with a sea scene filler, & quite hard to get a line to as you needed to kind of glance off the wall, & 4 was immediately in front.

5 was quite a bright upright with lots of stripey poles & 6 was a double with a fun filler of massive pumpkin cutouts! They were actually causing a reasonable amount of trouble, cos they were v interesting & bright, but luckily A doesn't care what he jumps. We just had 7, an upright, to go, then 8, a double with a huge, v wide // which was also causing probs cos its width was backing some horses off.

Was so suprised to be clear that I sat there like a lemon for a second, then it was straight onto the jump off. 9 was a x pole with 2 poles at the back which jumped quite big, 10 was an upright & 11 a huge double which I was really pleased he jumped as it was big & bright & we haven't been bigger than BN. No 12 was no 2 from the 1st round, but I hadn't bothered walking the turn 'properly' cos I hadn't expected to get that far, so I just turned when I could & kicked like mad, then 13 & 14 were 3 & 4 from the first round.

Was 2nd after that!! Was sooo surprised to be a) alive & b) double clear that I just sat there beaming. Then I had a wait to see if I'd place. Was v nervous cos I REALLY wanted to win something, but there were some v good horses still to go. Was delighted to end up 3rd & won £16, which now brings our (actual) total to £67! It didn't last long cos o/h went straight into the canteen & spent it on food...
grin.gif


A is pretty scarey in the warmup, but very bold & agile, & I feel that we're starting to work as a team now, ie helping each other out & it is starting to come together. All we need now is to learn how to hold it together for dr...

O/h is now off playing computers again, but when he gets back, I'll get him to convert the video to digital & I'll stick it in the PG.
 
Wish you had said at the start that you did so well. I read all the way through thinking there was going to be a disaster at the end.

Well done though - maybe he is trying to tell you he wants to be a SJer and not a dressage pony!!!!

Fiona
 
Top