Rambo
Well-Known Member
Well, a day of mixed emotions today. We actually managed to do okay......but i felt that i rode quite poorly if that makes sense
Turned up at around 11.30am (already about 30 minutes late as the lorry wouldn't start...grrrrr....), to find them just ready to walk the course for the 1m Am Qualifier. I had entered Bo for this class, and also the 1.05m Open which followed the Blue Chip Elevator Discovery in which Trike was entered. Anyway, feeling quite pleased with myself for timing my arrival so well, walked the course, and immediately remembered why we don't have a great track record there
The course looked well up to height and all the distances walked as half strides....although it later transpired that they all rode fine
Golden Cross isn't the largest arena in the country by any means and every line was jump...4 stride....jump....4 strides...jump if you get my meaning. Anyway, there were about 35 in the class and as it turned out not that many went clear.....11 in total....of which we were
one
My round was far from flowing and we felt very rusty but Bo did the business and we came home clear without any real drama. Sooo...onto the JO, and we were drawn first
As Bo has already qualified for the second rounds at this height, and knowing what was to follow, decided to give it a decent go. Jumped fences one and two really nicely and turned back to three...got a good shot at it but flattened a little so just rolled the pole. Decided to back off the gas a little and just cruised home after that for four faults in a reasonable time. The rest followed and many fell....the good ones we knew were following did well and filled the top spots, but we ended up sixth as the second fastest four faulter
Another couple of points towards the area final in september (something we've decided to aim for this year as a bit of fun
) and our entry fee back
So, after a great start, onto the main event....Trike's Elevator Discovery Qualifier. Walked the course and immediately knew that this was gonna test him to the max
As is said before, GC isn't the biggest arena in the world, and fences come thick and fast...and there is no such thing as a related distace of more than four strides
We went right at the end....and of around 50 starters only 10 had managed to go clear...including some of the very best young producers in the country. Trike had warmed up well, but felt like he was going too high and not making enough distance over the fences. There were two doubles in the course...the first an oxer to an upright followed by a dogleg on four to another upright, and then the second last fence was an upright to a big square oxer on a long eight yards. I knew both of these would test his metal to the limit as he struggles to make any distance, let alone these. Went in and he set off nicely...really forward going and not spooking too badly (GC is Trike's favourite spook palace lol! )....popped the first and second nicely, and was able to keep the rhythm well to three and four...an upright off the corner to a decent oxer on four strides...he pinged out well. I felt he wasn't in any danger of touching anything the way he was jumping so pushed on....round to five...another upright, then six, a decent oxer, and he felt good...albeit i was starting to blow a little
Round to seven...the first of the doubles i was concerned about, and got a decent shot going in over the oxer....but was still a fair way off coming out over the upright...but he did it...and we managed to keep the knitting together enough to scrape over the upright on the dogleg......but by now we were both starting to get a little ragged
Came round the corner to the penultimate fence...the double i was most concerned about....and really tried to stoke him up into it....we ended up jumping in well enough...if a little far off....but ended up a mile off the second part...and so he quite rightly put down and said no
Came again, and took a much more conservative approach and he just about managed to pop out
Unfortunately the final fence was on a very tight turn back to the right...and Trike pretty much turned in the air coming out of the double...leaving himself no room at all to make the last...so i effectively pulled him up in front of it.... technically elimination, but i know i did the best by him by not asking him to jump it from a stoopid angle
Back to Bo for the 1.05m Open then...a two phase class this time, and again built well up to height (should have expected as much on Blue Chip day lol!). Went in around midway through the class, and must admit to feeling a little whacked at this point...that round on Trike really took it out of me
The first fence was the stile from the 1m Am, but with a back rail added to make a very narrow oxer....and as we came to it Bo wobbled terribly...but jumped it...way over to the left...and i took the back wing out with my left leg
That rattled him a bit, and added to the fact that he was still a bit het up from the previous JO it became a far from flowing round. We rolled a pole going into the double at five (i think !?), but jumped the rest clear...except that i decided to retire before the last fence of the first phase as we were next to the exit at the time
All in all, a bit of an odd day really. It would be very hard to argue that we had had a good day.....only finishing one class out of three...but then Bo did do well to place in the first class against a decent sized field. Golden Cross has never been a particularly lucky venue for us...perhaps because the courses are a bit more technical there...but then the JO in the 1m Am was a lot more flowing and showed signs of real confidence returning
Trike tried his heart out, but at the end of the day it was just too technical for him, and his fitness let him down...and the 1.05m...well, it's always disappointing to have the first fence down in any class.....
I'm off skiing next week so the horses will both have a mini break...hopefully we'll all come back refreshed in March and continue to add to the winnings pile a little...
Thanks for reading
Turned up at around 11.30am (already about 30 minutes late as the lorry wouldn't start...grrrrr....), to find them just ready to walk the course for the 1m Am Qualifier. I had entered Bo for this class, and also the 1.05m Open which followed the Blue Chip Elevator Discovery in which Trike was entered. Anyway, feeling quite pleased with myself for timing my arrival so well, walked the course, and immediately remembered why we don't have a great track record there
one
So, after a great start, onto the main event....Trike's Elevator Discovery Qualifier. Walked the course and immediately knew that this was gonna test him to the max
Back to Bo for the 1.05m Open then...a two phase class this time, and again built well up to height (should have expected as much on Blue Chip day lol!). Went in around midway through the class, and must admit to feeling a little whacked at this point...that round on Trike really took it out of me
All in all, a bit of an odd day really. It would be very hard to argue that we had had a good day.....only finishing one class out of three...but then Bo did do well to place in the first class against a decent sized field. Golden Cross has never been a particularly lucky venue for us...perhaps because the courses are a bit more technical there...but then the JO in the 1m Am was a lot more flowing and showed signs of real confidence returning
I'm off skiing next week so the horses will both have a mini break...hopefully we'll all come back refreshed in March and continue to add to the winnings pile a little...
Thanks for reading
