Baydale
Well-Known Member
Make yourselves comfy because this could be a long one:
My week had gone a bit pear-shaped from Tuesday when my little helper at home broke her ankle coming off Baby Baydale - I had the busiest week ever even before that happened - so only learnt the test the night before. I was convinced the lorry smelt funny on the way there and was going to die on me, so got there a bit hassled and not in the mood for HH amusing himself when warming up by doing changes (they weren't even good ones, more showjumper than dressage diva.
) We went in, still having a little conversation about who wore the trousers in our relationship, and somehow made it to the end with the only really bad bits being: 1. the threat of bucking in both medium canters 2. a four-time rein back 3. a handbrake turn onto the final centre line after he refused to trot. Cue this face
Thanks to Gamebird for being Camera Crew, and it didn't look quite as bad as it had felt.
Cross country and showjumping were the next day, so I walked the course once I'd warmed up one of my pupils and given Gamebird a few handy hints (don't eat a big meal before trying to sit to such a bouncy trot.
) The course started off easypeasy, then 4 was three narrowish things on 3 strides, 6 was a big step to big log on a turn, followed shortly after by a coffin, then 3 shooting butts on a turn, then later two corners which you could do however you liked (left to left, right to left etc - there was much chin-scratching at that one, but I chose right to left thinking I was at least pointing in the right direction for the next fence, and I couldn't for the life of me remember whether HH had any preference at corners, so that would be the best way of hedging my bets.) There was a skinny after the water, but on the whole I wasn't too worried, other than thinking maybe the hills and fences being on the side of hills might find The Huge One out, as whilst he is nimble, there is only so much nimble that something 17.3hh can do.
A quick detour to the scoreboard where I found out that I had got 48.2 and was lying 7th. HH obviously had his cute face on when he was freestyling.
Back the next day to showjump and it looked v technical to me: nearly all related distances, the triple bar downhill to a double of uprights being my least favourite one, although the oxer on a 5 stride dogleg to the treble came a close second. It was up to height too with all but one oxers being square, so I watched the ten or so and got more and more uptight, particularly when my sj trainer had two down on a superstar horse that hasn't had a fence down all season.
What hope was there for Mr Huge and I? Oh well, I then decided 6year olds should be learning their job so they can be great later in life, not being fab early on and burning themselves out.....
Quick and efficient warm-up, then in we went. He was a lazy early on and had an oxer down, was brill down the triple bar to double, then the next 3 stride related, then Mr I-So-Love-Doing-Changes forgot how to, and I had no option but to keep going, disunited, to the rapidly looming oxer ahead. He left that up but took my riding forward as an excuse to hoon off (bless him!), so all control was lost and we were impossibly deep to the square oxer (cue fence down), and the 5 stride dogleg could not be 6, so we were a bit off that too, getting flatter and flatter over the other two uprights, having the last one down. I was a bit upset, dunno why as I am well aware that is his weakest link. When I watched it back bits of it were so much better than of late that I felt a teensy bit better about it.
A quick change into my Kermit outfit, HH put his Superman cape on, and off we went, squealing and squeaking through the first three, fab over the skinnies at 4, bold as brass down the step to log, bouncy through the coffin, spot on to the shooting butts, and then back up the hill to the corners. Now up until then Big Boy hadn't even bat an eyelid at anything, and I'd felt like I was galloping then checking him to make sure he'd registered that there was a fence in front of him.
So as I turned to the corners, got my line and rode forwards his eyes came out on stalks and I could hear him say "OMG there is a white duck on top of that fence!" Fair comment, but at home we have white chickens, which move out of the way when you ride towards them, but this duck did not move, and nor did the one on the second corner......so for the first time in HH's long and not-so-illustrious career I had to kick him.
He stayed straight as a die and made the distance easily, but the photos are hilarious - just so Superman.
On we galloped, fab through the water and skinny, and he finished well, I guessed I'd be slow with all the checking but 4.8 time wasn't too bad, and those hills will have certainly brought his fitness on.
He got lots of polos and pats once he'd got his breath back, and I was v chuffed with him for being Mr Reliable yet again. I have to remind myself that he is only 6 and doing pretty well for such a big gangly thing.
I did warn you it would be a long one so a well-deserved Pimms for anyone that's made it this far......oh, and we managed to be 13th as both the sj and xc caused carnage.
I'll post the links to the photos once they're up.
My week had gone a bit pear-shaped from Tuesday when my little helper at home broke her ankle coming off Baby Baydale - I had the busiest week ever even before that happened - so only learnt the test the night before. I was convinced the lorry smelt funny on the way there and was going to die on me, so got there a bit hassled and not in the mood for HH amusing himself when warming up by doing changes (they weren't even good ones, more showjumper than dressage diva.
Cross country and showjumping were the next day, so I walked the course once I'd warmed up one of my pupils and given Gamebird a few handy hints (don't eat a big meal before trying to sit to such a bouncy trot.
A quick detour to the scoreboard where I found out that I had got 48.2 and was lying 7th. HH obviously had his cute face on when he was freestyling.
Back the next day to showjump and it looked v technical to me: nearly all related distances, the triple bar downhill to a double of uprights being my least favourite one, although the oxer on a 5 stride dogleg to the treble came a close second. It was up to height too with all but one oxers being square, so I watched the ten or so and got more and more uptight, particularly when my sj trainer had two down on a superstar horse that hasn't had a fence down all season.
Quick and efficient warm-up, then in we went. He was a lazy early on and had an oxer down, was brill down the triple bar to double, then the next 3 stride related, then Mr I-So-Love-Doing-Changes forgot how to, and I had no option but to keep going, disunited, to the rapidly looming oxer ahead. He left that up but took my riding forward as an excuse to hoon off (bless him!), so all control was lost and we were impossibly deep to the square oxer (cue fence down), and the 5 stride dogleg could not be 6, so we were a bit off that too, getting flatter and flatter over the other two uprights, having the last one down. I was a bit upset, dunno why as I am well aware that is his weakest link. When I watched it back bits of it were so much better than of late that I felt a teensy bit better about it.
A quick change into my Kermit outfit, HH put his Superman cape on, and off we went, squealing and squeaking through the first three, fab over the skinnies at 4, bold as brass down the step to log, bouncy through the coffin, spot on to the shooting butts, and then back up the hill to the corners. Now up until then Big Boy hadn't even bat an eyelid at anything, and I'd felt like I was galloping then checking him to make sure he'd registered that there was a fence in front of him.
He got lots of polos and pats once he'd got his breath back, and I was v chuffed with him for being Mr Reliable yet again. I have to remind myself that he is only 6 and doing pretty well for such a big gangly thing.
I did warn you it would be a long one so a well-deserved Pimms for anyone that's made it this far......oh, and we managed to be 13th as both the sj and xc caused carnage.
