Baydale
Well-Known Member
Just in case you thought The Huge One had given up eventing and retired to a life of eating grass and doing nothing (in his dreams
), I dragged him, and my OH as driver, out of bed at early o'clock yesterday to go to Purston Manor for the novice. I was pleasantly surprised that it was running as a lot of the course is low-lying, but on walking it they'd obviously modified it accordingly and it looked fine. There was a log, step, three strides to a skinny at fence 4; decent log then two steps into water and log on the way out; double of corners, narrow triple bar on curving four strides to narrow wooden bull's head, so enough to do but nothing that particularly worried me. His last outing was Knaptoft CIC* so that's probably why, but I certainly wasn't going to be complacent.
It was the dreaded test 126 that I hate: it always makes me feel like I'm doing it in fast forward mode, and since his holiday HH has been particularly *ahem* soft and forward so the arena felt tiny. He tried to buck in his first lengthened canter strides, then did a lovely square halt to finish which he then spoilt as I saluted by nonchalantly resting a hind leg - lazy lump.
The showjumping is always very colourful at Purston, but as I went over to warm up I saw fence after fence fall and my heart sank. They rolled the arena when there was a break but it was still very holding so I just had to take a deep breath and hope for the best. He'd gone like a mule when I jumped him in the week so I didn't hold out much hope.
Well, I don't know whether he'd heard the words "for sale" or "pedigree chum" uttered at home but he really, really tried for me. I'd love to be able to tell you that he jumped clear but he didn't - he had two down that everyone seemed to be having (oxer downhill and upright out of final double) - however, he was doing the right things and we were more together than we have been in the past, so in time it will come. Big pats and polos, so hopefully he'll get the message.
Then onto the fun bit! I just love riding this horse cross country, and whilst he felt a bit flat in the heat at Knaptoft he was certainly back on form at Purston. He squeaked and squealed his way over the first three, managed to concentrate for the log/step/skinny, and from thereon just landed and went. He popped into the murky water really well, was fab through the double of corners on a turn, and the triple bar/bull's head; he just ate the course up and I let him shift a bit as....er.....well.....I was enjoying it,
he was enjoying it,
and we might have had a chance of scraping a lower placing if we were lucky.
We looked at the scoreboard later and there were only two clears showjumping in my section. I got a 31 which was 4th after dressage, and finished on 49. You wouldn't think I'd have a hope in hell of getting placed on that, would you? So how chuffed was I to end up third?!
Clever pony has upgraded too, and has 23 points. What was so good about the day was it was so unexpected when the odds were stacked against us. If anything I'm more pleased with that result that any of his others. So - and this is for Rosiefan - out of his 8 runs this season he has had two wins, a 2nd, a 3rd and a fifth, 13th in his CIC* and we'll *ahem* forget about the other two where he thought we were playing skittles.
Pimms and kettle chips if you've got this far, and here are some photos - pardon the silly face at the second corner but he was making me laugh with his squeaking over the fences.
), I dragged him, and my OH as driver, out of bed at early o'clock yesterday to go to Purston Manor for the novice. I was pleasantly surprised that it was running as a lot of the course is low-lying, but on walking it they'd obviously modified it accordingly and it looked fine. There was a log, step, three strides to a skinny at fence 4; decent log then two steps into water and log on the way out; double of corners, narrow triple bar on curving four strides to narrow wooden bull's head, so enough to do but nothing that particularly worried me. His last outing was Knaptoft CIC* so that's probably why, but I certainly wasn't going to be complacent.
It was the dreaded test 126 that I hate: it always makes me feel like I'm doing it in fast forward mode, and since his holiday HH has been particularly *ahem* soft and forward so the arena felt tiny. He tried to buck in his first lengthened canter strides, then did a lovely square halt to finish which he then spoilt as I saluted by nonchalantly resting a hind leg - lazy lump.
The showjumping is always very colourful at Purston, but as I went over to warm up I saw fence after fence fall and my heart sank. They rolled the arena when there was a break but it was still very holding so I just had to take a deep breath and hope for the best. He'd gone like a mule when I jumped him in the week so I didn't hold out much hope.
Then onto the fun bit! I just love riding this horse cross country, and whilst he felt a bit flat in the heat at Knaptoft he was certainly back on form at Purston. He squeaked and squealed his way over the first three, managed to concentrate for the log/step/skinny, and from thereon just landed and went. He popped into the murky water really well, was fab through the double of corners on a turn, and the triple bar/bull's head; he just ate the course up and I let him shift a bit as....er.....well.....I was enjoying it,
We looked at the scoreboard later and there were only two clears showjumping in my section. I got a 31 which was 4th after dressage, and finished on 49. You wouldn't think I'd have a hope in hell of getting placed on that, would you? So how chuffed was I to end up third?!
Pimms and kettle chips if you've got this far, and here are some photos - pardon the silly face at the second corner but he was making me laugh with his squeaking over the fences.
