Lanky Loll
Well-Known Member
So after grumbling about the new young ISH that I'm currently riding on a couple of other people's threads I thought that having done his first HT he deserved his own.
Bit of background - my TB is still on rest until her next scan (fingers crossed this month) to see if she can be brought back into work having been off since last September. In October my mum purchased herself a 4yo recently broken coloured ISH... who she then had a silly fall off and I've been riding since as she broke her arm in 2 places and several ribs so wasn't going to be back on very quickly! We've had a winter of clinics, hacking and not a lot else. His first (and so far only) SJ competition he was thrown in at the deep-end on the B team for our riding club at the Areas, he didn't disgrace himself but was very green and we just worked on forward and over not allowed to stop and he had a couple of poles in each round.
This weekend after some naughty behaviour at home, a bit change and finally getting to turn him out we toddled off for what I was hoping would be a low key simple HT.... I got the low key bit right!
Walking the course I was glad I'd picked the 2'6" - the 2'3" featured some tiny but extremely skinny fences including the first fence which was about 4ft wide and in the middle of the field at the top of the hill, and the 2'9" featured an offset double of arrow heads, up hill, away from the lorry park with no dressing on them just flags - both of these caused carnage!
Our course had it's own trappy moments - the first fence was a log in the hedgeline (what do you mean jump out of a field
), the steps followed by some tyres where he couldn't quite believe he was going up hill and having to jump, a proper coffin with a slope in and out, a skinny downhill, a post and rail pen to jump in and out of... plenty to look at for a baby.
I'd love to say we stormed round but... we steadily went round (apparently on our gallop stretch I resembled a small child on a Thelwell pony kicking and scrubbing), he jumped everything first time with a few hesitations but no steps back - literally stepped off one foot at a time into the dark and murky water, I took any short route offered as I knew we would be slow - and biggest shocker of the day - we only went and WON!! It was a relatively small section and I knew people had problems, but I definitely wasn't expecting it - I may have sworn slightly when they said my name and got a red rossie - I thought they were going in reverse order
If anyone wants a giggle there are some distinctly unflattering photos here; riding a wiggly worm who's boggling and needs growling at doesn't make for a good expression and I can honestly say I've never had to work so hard round a XC course!!
From here and click right:
http://www.topshots.org.uk/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1297493
And from here:
http://www.topshots.org.uk/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1297843
He still hasn't earned a proper stable name - although Oik is an improvement on The Yob surely?? And it's definitely better than some of the one's he's been called
Bit of background - my TB is still on rest until her next scan (fingers crossed this month) to see if she can be brought back into work having been off since last September. In October my mum purchased herself a 4yo recently broken coloured ISH... who she then had a silly fall off and I've been riding since as she broke her arm in 2 places and several ribs so wasn't going to be back on very quickly! We've had a winter of clinics, hacking and not a lot else. His first (and so far only) SJ competition he was thrown in at the deep-end on the B team for our riding club at the Areas, he didn't disgrace himself but was very green and we just worked on forward and over not allowed to stop and he had a couple of poles in each round.
This weekend after some naughty behaviour at home, a bit change and finally getting to turn him out we toddled off for what I was hoping would be a low key simple HT.... I got the low key bit right!
Walking the course I was glad I'd picked the 2'6" - the 2'3" featured some tiny but extremely skinny fences including the first fence which was about 4ft wide and in the middle of the field at the top of the hill, and the 2'9" featured an offset double of arrow heads, up hill, away from the lorry park with no dressing on them just flags - both of these caused carnage!
Our course had it's own trappy moments - the first fence was a log in the hedgeline (what do you mean jump out of a field
), the steps followed by some tyres where he couldn't quite believe he was going up hill and having to jump, a proper coffin with a slope in and out, a skinny downhill, a post and rail pen to jump in and out of... plenty to look at for a baby. I'd love to say we stormed round but... we steadily went round (apparently on our gallop stretch I resembled a small child on a Thelwell pony kicking and scrubbing
), he jumped everything first time with a few hesitations but no steps back - literally stepped off one foot at a time into the dark and murky water, I took any short route offered as I knew we would be slow - and biggest shocker of the day - we only went and WON!! It was a relatively small section and I knew people had problems, but I definitely wasn't expecting it - I may have sworn slightly when they said my name and got a red rossie - I thought they were going in reverse order If anyone wants a giggle there are some distinctly unflattering photos here; riding a wiggly worm who's boggling and needs growling at doesn't make for a good expression and I can honestly say I've never had to work so hard round a XC course!!
From here and click right:
http://www.topshots.org.uk/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1297493
And from here:
http://www.topshots.org.uk/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1297843
He still hasn't earned a proper stable name - although Oik is an improvement on The Yob surely?? And it's definitely better than some of the one's he's been called
, well done!
