Baydale
Well-Known Member
Trust me when I say that melodrama is so not my style, but things just seem to keep happening to me and mine.
Thanks to marymoo btw for her "no airbags required
but vibes needed" post.
Yesterday was 4yo Jupiter's First Proper Outing, after a couple of improper ones last week - stopping at Arena UK first fence, twice, and then dumping me after the last fence at Laughton sj - so I was a bit
about how he would go. You know me though, you've gotta be in to win it so I donned my parachute pants, crash hat and got on with it. He was a bit looky and did his best plank impression in the dressage part, but must have showed some good bits as I got 31 out of 35. On to the jumping and it was in the main arena: banners, flags, people watching
etc (apologies to anyone embarrassed by knowing me, but more fool you for admitting to that
), and apart from him being a bit stuffy I was fairly pleased with him and joked to David Merrett - who was judging, and who always seems to be around when I fall off
- that at least I stayed on! He gave me 28 so no sympathy vote for me, just fair judging. He stood up really well for the conformation judge but then I had to drag him to trot him up, unusual for him as he's had a few well-timed flicks with the lead rope lately for dragging his feet when leading in from the field.
So 12 out of 15 for that bit. We squeezed into the final 10 in sixth place and again he was ok, but a bit stuffy - I thought he was just tired - and was pulled in 5th for his "star quality" (more like "slug quality"
), so we ended up 6th. Overall I was really pleased and promised him I'd feed him more to get his spark back before the next one.
Back on the lorry and he promptly sweated up and started colicing (sp? although the on-site vet spelt it like that and he's obviously much cleverer than me), cue lots of drugs and a trip to the vets on the way home, just in case. Thankfully I could take him home and he was ok through the night, although not amused at the "starve till late morning" orders; in his opinion his stomach thought his throat had been cut which was far worse than the painful tummy ache. He looked hopefully at me on each 4 hourly check and I caved in and let him have a polo, then a few stalks of haylage. Do you think he'll ever forgive me?
Up until that point he was most definitely No 1 Dude Pony, but Hector decided he was not going to be usurped by the young pretender.
Quick change into top hat and tails and onto the next v fat and v shiny pony to do FEI*** Test B which I'd quickly learnt the night before and practised a couple of the movements last week.
After a bit of a wobbly entry and first shoulder-in Hector started to get into the zone, so willing to do what I asked and really trying hard for me. We went for "jolly" rather than overly-submissive to try and get marks for trying
/boldness, and other than a yee ha in the last extended canter and a handbrake turn down the centre line, I think we pulled it off.
Mind you, going after Matthew Wright, and seeing Jeanette, Mary King, Emily Llewellyn, Nigel Taylor all doing it on their Bramham-bound horses I wasn't convinced what I was pleased with would please the judge but hey, this was all about me and Hector and getting our confidence back after Isleham.
Another quick change while the Sickly Pony was being tended to and I had to go over to jump ON MY OWN
. I'd had a bit of a mini-crisis at Arena UK the day before, mainly in my head, but as my hand-holder (Naomi SuperGroom) was busy being Nurse Naomi I just had to get on with it (apologies to anyone who always manages on their own, but I'm spoilt and I know I'm spoilt
). I did some deep breathing and in we went, little Hector with his JA pony head on, me with my wait-for-the-fence-to-come-to-you head on. Well, he was soooo good, I slightly over-rode the oxer at 4 and he touched that, had to ride more forward to the big oxer at 8 towards the crowds (for "crowds" read "8 people sat on benches"
) and tents, but was just fab everywhere else. So I'm ashamed to say I patted him (TarrSteps
), he did a camp headshake and remembered that he is indeed God's gift to showjumping.
I stopped on the way out to meet the lovely mel85 and her friend, and whilst having a chinwag I heard that they'd now got my dressage score and I was in the lead with 40.2.
I was delighted, to say the least. Then I was dumped back down to earth by a few horses later Sharon Hunt - I mean what's she ever done?
- going into the lead on 37.something, so Hec and I were demoted to the First Loser position
, and finished that way. I picked up my sheet and it was all 7s and 8s with just a couple of 6s early on, so really chuffed with that. Shame he's not Bramham-bound, but kissing spine and advanced tracks probably don't go hand in hand.
Super schoolmaster anybody? Best offers from anyone with a big Polo budget will be considered.
Well done for getting this far, M&S fruit salad and a nice cup of tea if you've not yawned once throughout.
Yesterday was 4yo Jupiter's First Proper Outing, after a couple of improper ones last week - stopping at Arena UK first fence, twice, and then dumping me after the last fence at Laughton sj - so I was a bit
Back on the lorry and he promptly sweated up and started colicing (sp? although the on-site vet spelt it like that and he's obviously much cleverer than me), cue lots of drugs and a trip to the vets on the way home, just in case. Thankfully I could take him home and he was ok through the night, although not amused at the "starve till late morning" orders; in his opinion his stomach thought his throat had been cut which was far worse than the painful tummy ache. He looked hopefully at me on each 4 hourly check and I caved in and let him have a polo, then a few stalks of haylage. Do you think he'll ever forgive me?
Up until that point he was most definitely No 1 Dude Pony, but Hector decided he was not going to be usurped by the young pretender.
Another quick change while the Sickly Pony was being tended to and I had to go over to jump ON MY OWN
I stopped on the way out to meet the lovely mel85 and her friend, and whilst having a chinwag I heard that they'd now got my dressage score and I was in the lead with 40.2.
Well done for getting this far, M&S fruit salad and a nice cup of tea if you've not yawned once throughout.
