SDMabel
Well-Known Member
After a nasty rotational fall quite a few years back (not on my current mare) that led to a hospital stay with swelling on the brain and Cerebrospinal Fluid gushing from my nose for about a month afterwards at random points... my confidence took a huge knock when it comes to jumping - especially fixed fences.
I've done a few smaller hunter trials and cross country schooling with Mabel, who is just a total star and goes off of any stride, she will climb over it if needs be and is very quick at sorting her legs out.
I entered a pair class at our local X-country course run by the hunt, it was a pre-novice with jumps around 60cm , as I walked the course quickly realised it was a bit more technical than things we had previously done, jumps were more towards 70-75cm lots of skinnies, a crocodile into water - long uphill canter stretches with big jumps at the end of them and lots of twists and turns. I felt quite sick and hardly slept the night before the hunter trial - the crocodile was giving me night sweats
.
We got there, hopped on to warm up and the little mare was very , very happy to be out in an open field with jumps. After launching herself at the warm up fence, jogging sideways and broncing i thought this was a sure way to end up in A&E again . I didnt need to worry though as by the second fence she had put her workman head on and was very responsive to me coming into jumps. She sailed over the crocodile into water despite never jumping anything like that before and lead for at least half of the course.
Im not sure where we have placed ( probably not very high up as being cobs they don't quite have the speed required ) but we went clear. She didn't hesitate at anything -even when i got up to a few and thought do we really want to do this ?
She can be incredibly quirky at times and i question why we do it , then she holds my hand round a course like that and ensures we come home safe and sound.
Im so lucky to have her
Photos of the tidy Hairy-kneed beastie (excuse my lack of jumping position, I was rigid with fear for most of it )
I've done a few smaller hunter trials and cross country schooling with Mabel, who is just a total star and goes off of any stride, she will climb over it if needs be and is very quick at sorting her legs out.
I entered a pair class at our local X-country course run by the hunt, it was a pre-novice with jumps around 60cm , as I walked the course quickly realised it was a bit more technical than things we had previously done, jumps were more towards 70-75cm lots of skinnies, a crocodile into water - long uphill canter stretches with big jumps at the end of them and lots of twists and turns. I felt quite sick and hardly slept the night before the hunter trial - the crocodile was giving me night sweats
.We got there, hopped on to warm up and the little mare was very , very happy to be out in an open field with jumps. After launching herself at the warm up fence, jogging sideways and broncing i thought this was a sure way to end up in A&E again . I didnt need to worry though as by the second fence she had put her workman head on and was very responsive to me coming into jumps. She sailed over the crocodile into water despite never jumping anything like that before and lead for at least half of the course.
Im not sure where we have placed ( probably not very high up as being cobs they don't quite have the speed required ) but we went clear. She didn't hesitate at anything -even when i got up to a few and thought do we really want to do this ?
She can be incredibly quirky at times and i question why we do it , then she holds my hand round a course like that and ensures we come home safe and sound.
Im so lucky to have her
Photos of the tidy Hairy-kneed beastie (excuse my lack of jumping position, I was rigid with fear for most of it )
I'm stood in the kitchen crying like I've just completed Burghley .