Nickymac
Well-Known Member
After a nightmare journey there , the scenic route not being the best way to go in the lorry, no matter how pretty it was, I was a bit rushed getting ready to dressage. Thankfully someone wanted to go early so I had an extra 6 minutes to remind Hector how to do shoulder-in and travers. As I went past the judge's car I thought he looked familiar, bit of a handlebar moustache, very smart convertible he was in, but just couldn't put a name to the face. H went ok, a bit tight one way in travers, and lazy getting his bum under him in simple change, but I knew he'd have to do better than that in the company of Jeanette Brakewell, Heidi Woodhead, Matthew Wright et al.
Rushed back to walk the cross country which looked ok till fences 8 and 9, skinny house, 4 strides turning left to 2 houses on a fairly acute angle with one stride inbetween. I'd have thought they were wide enough if I'd been doing them in a straight line, but on the angle.....gulp!
Watched a few go through, every which way, some even put two strides in, but it seemed to me it had to be ridden forward and strong. The rest of it was ok, trakehner followed by double of skinny logs on long 3 strides, double of corners where the second one was tucked behind a tree, two lots of water.
I was in the 7 and 8 yr old challenge (£600 first prize!!), so we were doing xc then sj about three hours later. Having been running late from the start they were then calling me to go xc, so I flew over to the start, did three warm up fences and off I went, still having inner turmoil (excuse my melodrama!) about fences 8 and 9. Got to 6, oxer at top of a hollow and he backed off that a bit, jumped 7 really well, and then I steeled myself for 8 and 9. Got a good shot at 8, pulled left to get my line for the houses, he flew the first one, slightly jinked to the second one, making the angle really acute and the fence really wide, and left his back legs on it. Bless him, off we went again, using the next few to get his bottle back, did first water well, trakehner brill, got 4 ickle strides in skinnies (I'd seen Jeanette do it so thought it would be ok), brill over double of corners, minced a bit into the second water (my fault for saying "whoa" at the wrong moment
), then two more to finish. I knew I hadn't put my foot down much as I didn't want to bottom him before the sj, so got 20 time penalties (it's quite hilly there, not something we're used to in Linconshire!) Also he's not that fit having had so much time off this year with niggling things, so I'm being a bit careful with him.
H was very happy to get 3 hours to eat grass, and not so happy to see his tack come out again - cue confused look, trying to get the sympathy vote etc.
Showjumping was big enough, and very puny looking poles. I only saw Jeanette jump and she did a lovely clear, so after minimal fences warming up in I went. Well, I have to say he was fantastic, in a very laid-back Cleveland Bay way. He jumped a lovely clear, really soft and forward and careful, then heard I'd been lying 10th after dressage and xc, so didn't think I'd be much higher when I finished. It turns out there were only 6 clears and so I ended up 6th, so am really chuffed with him. And I got the best dressage of 29.2, and the mystery dressage judge was Stephen Clarke!!
Well done if you've got this far.
Rushed back to walk the cross country which looked ok till fences 8 and 9, skinny house, 4 strides turning left to 2 houses on a fairly acute angle with one stride inbetween. I'd have thought they were wide enough if I'd been doing them in a straight line, but on the angle.....gulp!
I was in the 7 and 8 yr old challenge (£600 first prize!!), so we were doing xc then sj about three hours later. Having been running late from the start they were then calling me to go xc, so I flew over to the start, did three warm up fences and off I went, still having inner turmoil (excuse my melodrama!) about fences 8 and 9. Got to 6, oxer at top of a hollow and he backed off that a bit, jumped 7 really well, and then I steeled myself for 8 and 9. Got a good shot at 8, pulled left to get my line for the houses, he flew the first one, slightly jinked to the second one, making the angle really acute and the fence really wide, and left his back legs on it. Bless him, off we went again, using the next few to get his bottle back, did first water well, trakehner brill, got 4 ickle strides in skinnies (I'd seen Jeanette do it so thought it would be ok), brill over double of corners, minced a bit into the second water (my fault for saying "whoa" at the wrong moment
H was very happy to get 3 hours to eat grass, and not so happy to see his tack come out again - cue confused look, trying to get the sympathy vote etc.
Well done if you've got this far.
