SpottedCat
Well-Known Member
Ok, so arrive and Lucy helps me warm up for dressage. Warmed up beautifully and I ruin it by leeting him walk on a long rein at which point he gets distracted. Does a stuffy test to score 39.1 which I am pleased with for his first Novice.
SJ - jumping ok, warms up ok if again a bit stuffy, then goes in to jump a lovely round and only have one down towards the end of the course, excellent!
XC: 1, 2 and 3, all very straight forward, he was raring to go and pinged them, 4 was a table with only a few strides to a massive drop (up to my shoulder, i.e. higher than my stable door!) He flew the table then launched off the drop, eeek! Down a hill to the water (which was almost dry!), rail then step down, two steps up and brush out. False groundline due to lack of water meant a few fumbled it, but he popped through nicely, although trotted over brush. Then at eight there was this horrible box thing set on an angle so it was more of a diamond. Causing no end of issues. I took what I thought was a nicer line, he wobbled, I yelled, he jumped...but forgot to actually fold his legs and left 3 out of 4 behind! I was unceremoniously dumped out of the side door onto my head. B then disappeared off up the field, jumped back UP the drop, they failed to shut the gate and he crossed the lane and headed off to the lorry park. Eventually someone caught him and we were reunited and back on our way! 9 was a trakhener, a bit looky so I smacked him, then 10 was a nice brush, he galloped down the hill too fast for 11 so I circled and came back through - 11, 12 and 13 were brush, step up, skinny brush, nice and easy, 14 was a pheasant feeder into the woods, skipped over that, then over the rails at 15, the brush at 16, the house at 17, 18 and 19 was a double of corners - I decided discretion was the better part of valour and took the alternative of two houses, over a roll top at 20, a brush to skinny flowerbox at 21 and a large table to finish at 22. And a round of applause from some bystanders!
He then jogged all the way back to the lorry. Hmm. So we are both ok, I am very annoyed I fell off, muppet that I am, but the video does show there was no way I was staying on, I have trashed my HS1 hat which now has a crack in it (!), and I am extremely pissed off that despite finishing, we were TE for going overt he time because no-one shut the blinking gate! Had they done, we would have been reunited in a shorter time and I would have finished without an E on my record! Oh well. Think it has done him good as he has always been over-cocky and he was very careful round the rest of the course, and has reminded me he is not a machine! Hey ho, we live to fight another day, all be it slightly sore on my part.
Big thanks to my helpers for the day, much appreciated!
Anyway - video of my fall and a few fences afterwards: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I80XC9aVf3g
SJ - jumping ok, warms up ok if again a bit stuffy, then goes in to jump a lovely round and only have one down towards the end of the course, excellent!
XC: 1, 2 and 3, all very straight forward, he was raring to go and pinged them, 4 was a table with only a few strides to a massive drop (up to my shoulder, i.e. higher than my stable door!) He flew the table then launched off the drop, eeek! Down a hill to the water (which was almost dry!), rail then step down, two steps up and brush out. False groundline due to lack of water meant a few fumbled it, but he popped through nicely, although trotted over brush. Then at eight there was this horrible box thing set on an angle so it was more of a diamond. Causing no end of issues. I took what I thought was a nicer line, he wobbled, I yelled, he jumped...but forgot to actually fold his legs and left 3 out of 4 behind! I was unceremoniously dumped out of the side door onto my head. B then disappeared off up the field, jumped back UP the drop, they failed to shut the gate and he crossed the lane and headed off to the lorry park. Eventually someone caught him and we were reunited and back on our way! 9 was a trakhener, a bit looky so I smacked him, then 10 was a nice brush, he galloped down the hill too fast for 11 so I circled and came back through - 11, 12 and 13 were brush, step up, skinny brush, nice and easy, 14 was a pheasant feeder into the woods, skipped over that, then over the rails at 15, the brush at 16, the house at 17, 18 and 19 was a double of corners - I decided discretion was the better part of valour and took the alternative of two houses, over a roll top at 20, a brush to skinny flowerbox at 21 and a large table to finish at 22. And a round of applause from some bystanders!
He then jogged all the way back to the lorry. Hmm. So we are both ok, I am very annoyed I fell off, muppet that I am, but the video does show there was no way I was staying on, I have trashed my HS1 hat which now has a crack in it (!), and I am extremely pissed off that despite finishing, we were TE for going overt he time because no-one shut the blinking gate! Had they done, we would have been reunited in a shorter time and I would have finished without an E on my record! Oh well. Think it has done him good as he has always been over-cocky and he was very careful round the rest of the course, and has reminded me he is not a machine! Hey ho, we live to fight another day, all be it slightly sore on my part.
Big thanks to my helpers for the day, much appreciated!
Anyway - video of my fall and a few fences afterwards: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I80XC9aVf3g
