PolarSkye
Well-Known Member
So after all the angst of his intermittent lameness and the subsequent diagnosis earlier in the year after having the winter off due to my illness, my lovely grey horse went out for his first competition in nearly three years (since I bought him) and having only been cross-country schooling once in that time - over a year ago.
We've worked hard on his fitness since he came sound and have made sure his work at home was varied in preparation. But . . . it's been a while since he evented/competed so we set off with some trepidation.
I should also add that my two teenage daughters and I had had a sleepover with a family friend the night before which involved watching movies until late into the night, copious wine (friend and me - not girls) so getting up at 5 a.m. to be at the yard to muck out/tart the boy up, etc. was . . . erm . . . interesting. Several cups of coffee, hot chocolate, tea, etc. later, the boys (Kali and Nazzabee) were loaded and we were on our way - fueled by Tescos mini flapjacks, brownies and pain au chocolat.
Both boys travelled beautifully . . . the GreyDonk was a star - unloaded calmly, tied up nicely by the lorry munching his hay (a first for him - he's usually a complete knobber) and was easy to tack/boot up, etc.
Here he is (mostly) tacked up and ready to go . . . doesn't he look relaxed and happy?
He warmed up nicely - if a little tense and didn't worry about going away from Nazz at all . . .
He was a star - despite getting too deep the first time he jumped the practice fences, he sorted himself out and didn't touch a pole
And then we hacked over to the SJ arena and the real fun began. While I don't have any pictures b/c we were all too busy holding our collective breaths, he lost all focus . . . had a silly run out at the first fence b/c he was too busy gawping at everything going on around him and then had a minor strop at the fourth and nearly ditched Z. She, however, gave him just the right mix of "there there" and "get ON with it you idiot" and he jumped everything and didn't touch a single pole. She, however, lost a stirrup tread.
This is his best "I'm so clever" face coming out of the SJ arena . . .
Once again he stood by the lorry like a good'un waiting for the XC. There were loose horses, lots of tiny children on little ponies whizzing about all over the place and he didn't flick an ear . . . just munched, looked around and frisked whoever came past for treats.
Z was warming up for the cross country when we set off out onto the course on foot and he looked fab - calm, jumping the practice fences well, generally being a good boy.
Once out on the course, though, he gave a great impression of a kid on e numbers . . . totally distracted and not quite sure what to do with himself. He jumped the first half fine . . . coming through the woods dividing the two halves of the course was all over the place and actually jumped a duck in the middle of the track (a real, live duck) but on the second half of the course his concentration went completely and when he got to the fence jumping into the furthest-most woods at the point on the course furthest away from the lorry park, etc., he stuck two fingers up to indicate a rather empathic "NO" To be fair to him, he was jumping from bright sunshine into dark woodland and the fence judges' fence was really close to the fence but he disgraced himself by rearing at least six times and threatening to sit on the fence judge's car (oh the shame). To her eternal credit, Z stuck with him and was both firm and patient. Because she didn't want to ruin the judges car, Z wisely decided to skip that fence but she refocussed him, got him through the water (despite a momentary "no shan't" from him) and completed the rest of the course.
I have no pictures of his xc round - youngest daughter was in charge of the camera (I was too busy chewing off my fingernails) and she didn't do the best job, but if you go to MHPhotography they've got some pictures of him walking through the water.
We hiked back through the woods to the lorry park and bizarrely found five rubber ducks just off the main track . . . given Kal's leap over the duck on the way through those woods, those ducks are now his official mascot - the big one rode home on the dash of the lorry:
. . . and the little ones are now on the windowsill outside his stable (although here they are travelling home in style in the living) . . .
So . . . most horses collect rosettes . . . GreyDonkey collects ducks and they are now his lucky mascots. Yesterday was a "one duck day" . . . but it was a big duck because it was his first outing for such a long time and he loaded/travelled beautifully and stood like a christian by the lorry before, between and after classes.
We're taking him cross country schooling at T-down this week and he's going back to Fair Oak for the team chase at the end of this month with two yard mates so he can go round the cross country course in company and (hopefully) feel a little more confident and focussed. They won't belt round - they'll take it easy.
Oh . . . and . . . this is a picture of him back at the lorry after the xc . . . prizes for the those who guess the animal we think he is imitating . . .
If you got this far, thank you for reading this rather pointless and rambling post - but I am very, very pleased with him . . . despite being a bit of a knobber, he got round (thanks to Z) and (most important) he came home sound.
P
We've worked hard on his fitness since he came sound and have made sure his work at home was varied in preparation. But . . . it's been a while since he evented/competed so we set off with some trepidation.
I should also add that my two teenage daughters and I had had a sleepover with a family friend the night before which involved watching movies until late into the night, copious wine (friend and me - not girls) so getting up at 5 a.m. to be at the yard to muck out/tart the boy up, etc. was . . . erm . . . interesting. Several cups of coffee, hot chocolate, tea, etc. later, the boys (Kali and Nazzabee) were loaded and we were on our way - fueled by Tescos mini flapjacks, brownies and pain au chocolat.
Both boys travelled beautifully . . . the GreyDonk was a star - unloaded calmly, tied up nicely by the lorry munching his hay (a first for him - he's usually a complete knobber) and was easy to tack/boot up, etc.
Here he is (mostly) tacked up and ready to go . . . doesn't he look relaxed and happy?
He warmed up nicely - if a little tense and didn't worry about going away from Nazz at all . . .
He was a star - despite getting too deep the first time he jumped the practice fences, he sorted himself out and didn't touch a pole
And then we hacked over to the SJ arena and the real fun began. While I don't have any pictures b/c we were all too busy holding our collective breaths, he lost all focus . . . had a silly run out at the first fence b/c he was too busy gawping at everything going on around him and then had a minor strop at the fourth and nearly ditched Z. She, however, gave him just the right mix of "there there" and "get ON with it you idiot" and he jumped everything and didn't touch a single pole. She, however, lost a stirrup tread.
This is his best "I'm so clever" face coming out of the SJ arena . . .
Once again he stood by the lorry like a good'un waiting for the XC. There were loose horses, lots of tiny children on little ponies whizzing about all over the place and he didn't flick an ear . . . just munched, looked around and frisked whoever came past for treats.
Z was warming up for the cross country when we set off out onto the course on foot and he looked fab - calm, jumping the practice fences well, generally being a good boy.
Once out on the course, though, he gave a great impression of a kid on e numbers . . . totally distracted and not quite sure what to do with himself. He jumped the first half fine . . . coming through the woods dividing the two halves of the course was all over the place and actually jumped a duck in the middle of the track (a real, live duck) but on the second half of the course his concentration went completely and when he got to the fence jumping into the furthest-most woods at the point on the course furthest away from the lorry park, etc., he stuck two fingers up to indicate a rather empathic "NO" To be fair to him, he was jumping from bright sunshine into dark woodland and the fence judges' fence was really close to the fence but he disgraced himself by rearing at least six times and threatening to sit on the fence judge's car (oh the shame). To her eternal credit, Z stuck with him and was both firm and patient. Because she didn't want to ruin the judges car, Z wisely decided to skip that fence but she refocussed him, got him through the water (despite a momentary "no shan't" from him) and completed the rest of the course.
I have no pictures of his xc round - youngest daughter was in charge of the camera (I was too busy chewing off my fingernails) and she didn't do the best job, but if you go to MHPhotography they've got some pictures of him walking through the water.
We hiked back through the woods to the lorry park and bizarrely found five rubber ducks just off the main track . . . given Kal's leap over the duck on the way through those woods, those ducks are now his official mascot - the big one rode home on the dash of the lorry:
. . . and the little ones are now on the windowsill outside his stable (although here they are travelling home in style in the living) . . .
So . . . most horses collect rosettes . . . GreyDonkey collects ducks and they are now his lucky mascots. Yesterday was a "one duck day" . . . but it was a big duck because it was his first outing for such a long time and he loaded/travelled beautifully and stood like a christian by the lorry before, between and after classes.
We're taking him cross country schooling at T-down this week and he's going back to Fair Oak for the team chase at the end of this month with two yard mates so he can go round the cross country course in company and (hopefully) feel a little more confident and focussed. They won't belt round - they'll take it easy.
Oh . . . and . . . this is a picture of him back at the lorry after the xc . . . prizes for the those who guess the animal we think he is imitating . . .
If you got this far, thank you for reading this rather pointless and rambling post - but I am very, very pleased with him . . . despite being a bit of a knobber, he got round (thanks to Z) and (most important) he came home sound.
P
I'd have liked to have seen a photo of that!!