I'm baaaccckkk!! And I did it again :(...comp report...with pics!

[OskyWoskyPonio]

I asked my mum to change my password for here and Facebook so I wouldn't get distracted from revision during my exams!!

So Sunday was the BRC area 10 riding club qualifier at Borde Hill
Now I have never been to ride at Borde Hill despite having helped out there at several events When I got my horse I made it my aim: One day we would do this event! Well 3 years later we did...but it didn't exactly go to plan...

I entered the intro section as to be in the team you had to have helped out at my riding club's spirng horse trials but due to the ever increasing amount of revision for exams I was unable to do this so I went in for the open to everyone intro section they ran alongside it

We were given nice times for a change (10.52, 12.02 and 12.42) so didn't have to rush up the yard Walked the course on the Saturday and thought it looked really nice and thought Oscar would rather enjoy himself as he likes big bold fences much more than skinny, technical fences It was run over the usual intro course they had there

So Arrived on Sunday having negotiated our way around the cyclists on the London to Brighton bike ride! *rolls eyes* Had a bit of a panic as we only had 30 minutes for me to get tacked up and warmed up ready for dressage!!! To cut a long story short 2 horses broke loose in the car park and came tearing up behind Oscar who thought it would be rather fun to go and join them! Can't blame him really seeing how close behind him they came!! Anyway there's me and several others running after them and trying to get all the gates shut in time!! 10 minutes later and several mints short ( ) Oscar finally arrived back at the trailer! By this point I really was panicking as I had 12 minutes and hadn't even tacked up or got dressed yet and it is rather a walk to the dressage from the lorry park!!

With 5 minutes to go I got on...checked my girth...asked him to walk forward and he stopped. Gave him a little nudge with my heels to remind him to walk forward again and next thing I know I'm flying through the air and landing on the floor and Oscar is going mad having a bucking fit!!! managed to calm him down and brushed myself off. checked him over, checked saddle hadn't moved and he wasn't uncomfortable at all. Nothing so I don't know what that was all about??! :-/

Finally arrived over at the dressage arenas to find that I was due to go in...Hadn't warmed up yet!!! Thankfully for me the person due to go after me was ready and agreed to go in to give me 5 minutes to warm up (thank you ever so much if that was you!!!) mmm...well the least said about dressage the better! It didn't feel too good on top though to be fair a rushed 5 minute warm up is never going to produce his best work!! I must say i was so disappointed and upset with myself (not with him at all as he tried still) that I burst into tears after the final salute!

Watching it back now it actually doesn't look nearly as bad as it felt on top and the judge gave us 60% (I haven't seen the actual score sheet yet for reasons I will talk about in a minute so I don't know if it was consistent all the way through or patchy). Anyway 40 penalties put us in the middle of the field out of the 40 or so starters so I feel a bit better for that now I know


SJ was causing problems, mainly with the poles due to it being on grass and on the side of a hill! the final like was the planks followed by 5 long strides to a long 1 striding double and then downhill for 4 short strides to another upright. Well he jumped his little socks off for me! Clear! he definately prefers his jumping to the dressage thought the latter is improving all the time too

Onto the XC the bit he and I both love! and the bit where it all went dramatically down hill...litterally and metaphorically speaking!
Well he felt tense in the warm up but then he had been feeling quite tense all day and I put it down to being in a new place and everything that was going on around us as it was VERY busy
Set off from the start box, well i say set off it was more like riding a rocket tbh (!), having warmed up nicely Jumped fence one ok
and came up to fence 2, had a good look but I was determined not to have a stop so early on the course and I growled and gave him a kick and he rather leapt (probably scared of the growling monster on top as well as the fence beneath ) over it and onto fence 3

Well here's where it all went wrong Came around the corner going pretty quickly still but he wasn't paying much attention to me on top which is very unlike him :-/ well he saw the dressage warm up and must have thought "ooooh all these horses to make friends with!" as he drifted to the right in their direction! I pulled him back over (we were about 2-3 strides from the fence) determined not to let him run out...and that was it. He slammed on the breaks and the speed we had been going at caused the momentum to fly me off, over his shoulder and out the side door crashing with rather a smash head first into the large tree trunk!

Continued on next post below with pics and vids as apparently I have no more room on this post!!

 

[OskyWoskyPonio]

TBH I wasn't concerned about my head so much at that point as I had all the breath knocked out of me and was rolling around winded on the floor (such a HORRIBLE feeling! ) The on site medical team (who I must praise for they were FANTASTIC and very reassuring! ) arrived quickly and checked me over (now I could feel my head and was still lying on the floor whilst Oscar had been caught and was being taken back to the trailer) They found some tenderness in my neck and were a bit worried I might have done some damage. So I was loaded onto a stretcher able to see nothing but the sky for my head was strapped down to keep it still and I had a collar round my neck! One ambulance ride later and we arrived at the hospital where I was eventually let out at around 6pm (the accident happened around 12.30) following numerous X-rays which Thankfully had come back clear. I just had a splitting headache and ached all over especially my back, neck and shoulders!!!

Felt like deja vu! What with my accident in november 2007 when I was also hospitalised following a severe head trauma from a riding accident (won't go into details as I have posted about this before). My poor head from all these falls from these horses!!!

Both my mum and I seriously believed I would not have gotten off so lightly if I hadn't been wearing such a good hat though! I mean you can't see any damage to the outside of it except a scratch but you can hear it cracking if you squeeze the sides together and peel back the lining inside where there are 2 large dents! :O We are now replacing it, with exactly the same model and I would encourage other HHOs to do the same if they have had a fall in theirs no matter how small. After all you may not be able to see the damage, even from a head on collision like I had with a tree trunk I still couldn't see any, but the damage is often done inside where you can't see and you might find it doesn't offer you the same level of protection a second time. After all a new hat may cost you £100 but can you put a price on your life?

So that's my report! Sorry I didn't mean for it to be nearly so long!!! *embarrassed!* hot chocolate for those who finish! Hope you are all well? I have been "lurking" at the weekends and have been reading some fab reports from many of you!

I asked my mum to change my password for here and Facebook so I wouldn't get distracted from revision during my exams!!

 

[OskyWoskyPonio]

Dressage!

SJ

And the only pic XC seeing as we didn't get very far!

(I needn't have bothered to walk the whole 2kn course on saturday!! tbh though if I could have got up and got back on and carried on round the course I would have done as I think he would have really enjoyed it and I would have treated it as a schooling round from then on )

Video of the SJ and a video of the start of XC to follow once uploaded x

 

[alidegg]

Bad luck with the xc but the dressage and showjumping sound fab! Well done you
And your pony is absolutely stunning! And very clean too (flipping greys )
Hope your heads better soon.

 

[OskyWoskyPonio]

Thank you And thank you for persevering to read throught all that! I didn't realise it was so long!! *embarrased giggle*
I am pretty lucky as for a grey he's incredibly clean! He actually went without a bath for this event as it was sooooo cold here on Saturday afternoon!

 

[OldGit]

Well done, on the dressage and SJ, well done for not seriously injuring yourself. Watch out though you may be in trouble for your tree abuse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[OskyWoskyPonio]

Hahaaa OldGit
There wasn't even so much as a scratch on the tree!! Maybe I should try and sue it for damages to me??! Were you out competing this weekend?

 

[OldGit]

Ah now it might not be damaged physically, but have you considered the psychological damage the tree may have endured????

 

[victoria*]

well done! it sounded like one frantic day! glad to hear you're not broken! I also agree about the paramedics, i know its their job to scrape us riders off the floor, but they always seem so nice
hope youre fighting fit again soon

 

[charlimouse]

Glad I wasn't the only one in the back of an ambulance at lunchtime on sunday!!!!! (see my Hutton report to find out why........). I also will be £100 poorer once I have bought a new hat for my noggin (my hat doesn't have a scratch on it, but my head has a large bump on it, so think the hat has done it's job!) Hope your better soon!!!!!!!

 

[OskyWoskyPonio]

Thanks Victoria* These were really lovely and incredibly reassuring! They explained everything which was going on to me and what was going to happen They even looked after my poor mum who was there at the time!!

OG - I will make sure I go back to their unaffiliated in October and apologise to the log! I may even take it a peace offering...a few leaves perhaps? It did look a bit bare and the winters around here sure are cold!

 

[Jul]

I read the lot - it was compelling reading!

Ouch, is all I can say, poor old you
But so well done on the dressage - middle of the field with a 5mins warm-up - who knows how well you could have done if things had gone according to plan.
And brilliant SJ. Just such a shame the XC had to end so early.

Never mind - what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Hope you are ok and that the next one goes a litle more smoothly

 

[OskyWoskyPonio]

Glad I wasn't the only one in the back of an ambulance at lunchtime on sunday!!!!! (see my Hutton report to find out why........). I also will be £100 poorer once I have bought a new hat for my noggin (my hat doesn't have a scratch on it, but my head has a large bump on it, so think the hat has done it's job!) Hope your better soon!!!!!!!

Thank you charlimouse Hope you feel better soon as well - I read your Hutton report earlier on in the week! *VIBES*
At least I can afford to lose a few brain cells now!
Thank you Jul I sure do write a lot! At least it's a lesson (despite a painful one!) learnt for next time - leave more time ans if any doubts withdraw!! Oh and don't hurt the trees!

 

[Firewell]

I read it all, it was funny

Well done though on your positive attitude re: your fall! Your piccies look great, he is a beautiful horse.

Onwards and upwards for next time!

 

[OldGit]

Hun good to see it's only your hat that's dented, your sense of humour is well intact, good luck next run!

 

[OskyWoskyPonio]

Thank you Firewell I suppose you can only have so many falls before you start developing a either certain "immunity" to them and just carry on as normal or a lack of confidence. Unfortunately I have had many of the latter but this one was just one of those unfortunate things which happen and you just have to pick yourself up and carry on
In many ways it helps that I didn't get knocked out for this one so i can remember and understand what I could possibly have done to prevent it i.e. actually getting him back and listening before the fence but hindsight is a beautiful thing and if only are the two saddest words in the english language!
Well done to you as well I was just reading your report above!
Thanks OG, I was even joking with the paramedics in the ambulance!

 

[diggerbez]

wow...i'm exhausted from reading your report- what an eventful day so glad to hear that you are in one piece what sort of hat were you wearing?

i would just put it down to one of those days where you just shouldn't have got out of bed TBH but i think there are a lot of positives- a 40 DR after 5 minute warm up is pretty amazing and the show jumping is obviously sorted. now you just need some brakes

 

[OskyWoskyPonio]

wow...i'm exhausted from reading your report- what an eventful day so glad to hear that you are in one piece what sort of hat were you wearing?

i would just put it down to one of those days where you just shouldn't have got out of bed TBH but i think there are a lot of positives- a 40 DR after 5 minute warm up is pretty amazing and the show jumping is obviously sorted. now you just need some brakes

Hahaaa thank you and thanks for sticking with it I must say I did struggle to get out of bed that morning! x

I was wearing an HS1 which we are going to replace with a new HS1 and when we went to try one on Tuesday I was suprised that they had changed the design slightly (my old one is from 2007) though I have to say the improvements were for the better rather than the worse! Unfortunately though I can't actually get it until Saturday as apparently when you have a hit to the head your brain swells slightly and the lady didn't feel comfortable fitting me one then in case my head would go back to the normal size and it wouldn't fit! Which is fair comment

 

[OskyWoskyPonio]

Here's the beginning of the XC video


Unfortunately Photobucket isn't playing ball with the SJ video but I will keep trying...!