Llanymynech Intro Report and a few Qs for eventers

[1588]

Hi
Here's our repoert from Intro number2!

Got to llany nice and early and walked the courses which looked all fine.

Dressage: Last time my comments were mainly 'tense' so we crept around but he was a bit wooden and we totally cocked up the canter..... broke wrong, couldn't correct and then got in a real tizz and was super tense the rest of the way....... wrote that 1 off then (41)

SJ: First 6 fences were great then got to double of uprights...... didn't sit up in the middle or check him so he rushed through and rolled a poll. We then had a massive disagreement to the last when I realised I was going to 'miss' so asked him to stand off, he put an extra stride in and we ended up kicking the top pole about 10ft down the field.

XC : gorgeous ride

My Questions are:

Are there any nice PNs around the North West for a bit later in the season??

How am I to sort out this tenseness as if I put my leg on a nd hold him together he tenses up and goes a bit skitty and if I leave his mouth alone he gets faster and if i lighten my leg he goes all wooden.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Shrimp]

Well Done!! Sounds like a good day. Im off there tomorrow (5.30am start

) and I hope the grounds ok but its quite sandy there if a remember correctly?

Re: PN's, how later on the season were thinking? About August/September? These are the ones I have been to and I would recomend any of them though will put little notes next to each:
Skipton: hilly but nice course think they've changed it quite a bit since I last went (2yrs ago) SJ wasnt the best

Bold Heath: as name suggests its a solid typical Ken Davies
course but jumps very well. SJ on arena

Allerton Park: lovely event run over park land, course is great nothing too testing, SJ in lovely big arena

Stafford: great first time course, again a lovely event

Kelsall: asks questions but course is constantly changing but always seems to jump well

There are other events but havnt been to them. Hope that is of some use! Anyways, I must go to bed otherwise I will not be in a good mood at 5.30am!

 

[tigers_eye]

Well done! With the dressage can you find some unaff stuff being run on grass and really school him round a test? Keep the leg on and don't be afraid to half halt, leg-yield, whatever he needs to make him stay soft and listening? If you find it's only at BE it may be nerves on your part, have you tried rescue remedy/a glass of vino beforehand?

 

[BBs]

Very well done, the jumping is def there.
The dressage try to ride him exactly as you do at home, if poss ride him on grass, take him to unaffiliated competitions so it becomes the norm.
My warm up at home is the same as i do at an event, and in the arena i try and ride the test as if im schooling at home ie if he needs flexing i damn well do it. The judge would rather see you correct something with a def half halt than ignore the fact your hosre is getting a little unbalanced or trying to rush off.
Def try and ride with a stronger leg aid at home, sometimes with the HOT horses youfind they actually pref to have the secrurity of the leg around them, although it feels ike it goes against all principles.

I think you will fine the PN test will help especially because they are slightly more busy than the basic intro test.

Best of luck next time, but i would say thats a pretty good day

 

[carthorse]

I expect your horse is on a calmer if not try one, no not just one try different makes ,I am finding so calm from global herbs good but others find different types good. Every event is different for my horse and I was trying to get to events early ,which we did at Broadway, and relax and work in very gently ,that worked there ,then at Offchurch he was excited straight away, probably because he goes there to gallop and school and wouldn't settle. Then yesterday at Great Tew we were so late it was get on and straight in and he did a lovely test again [horses!]
I agree with the others work on yourself relaxing ,easier said than done, and go to dressage only shows and get good lessons. The dressage is really important nowdays.

GOOD LUCK IN THE FUTURE

 

[1588]

THanks Flic... was thinking of Bold Heath or maybe Tetton Hall but don'y know much about them. We are doing the RC intermediate at Kelsall which I expect will be made up of part PN fences.

Thank you to T'sE, BBs and CH for your tips I just need to persevere and get a new instructor ( have moved 40 miles from old 1) but will make aure that I constantly bother you.

It's a bit odd that last yr when I was doing Unaff events he was much calmer and being an ex BSJA horse he should be used to big occasions ( I expect that having been schooled for pure jumping has meant that long and low was out of the Q, trotting was something we did into and out of the ring etc..

 

[Diane_Pepper]

hey, well done at llanymynech!

i was there too, in intro sec D
bit of a spooky dressage, so got 40.5
really fab SJ and went clear [only my pony's 3rd clear round BE!]
and then fab clear XC, even though loads of people had trouble at the corner

got over the finish lin & i heard the commentator say that i had been eliminated for going the wrong side of a flag @ the 1st water!
i was so gutted..
pepper didn't do anything wrong & it was my stupid fault..

the flagging did change since i walked it though because it wasn't marked that you could have jumped the novice fence - although that doesn't justify my mistake!

we would have been 9th too!
so gutted about it!

 

[1588]

Yeah I remember your pony now........... what a smasher!

Unlucky about the water it caught loads of people out, you were meant to just run in and out I think.

The corner was nice and jumped well I think........ I really liked it cos it gave those of us with good XC horses a decent chance.

Well done......... what's next for you??

 

[Diane_Pepper]

ermm..next i have an unaff. ode on sunday i think ?!
near bath/bristol - my mum knows the proper details haha!
but i'm not really set on it 'cause we have to do a novice dressage test & it has medium trot in it

any tips?! pepper dopesn't get it at all - he either trots really fast & looks like his legs are jet powered (!) or he canters :S

then the weekend after that i have marchington, but i'm told its a straightforward XC..so not much chance there with his SJ/dressage!!

how about you?

 

[Tangaroo]

Well done for your intro pepper is a star. Dont worry about the novice test. What you have to think is that the medium trot will only be two movements, so just make sure the rest of the test is accurate and rhytmic so you gain higher marks for that, then if you drop a couple of marks for the medium it doesnt matter. My coloured boy cant lengthen very well in trot, yet he has over 50 dressage points at novice and thats cos he makes up marks for different things! Hope that helps

 

[1588]

Sorry am shite at dressage so can't help.

Malpas is next for me hopefully then if I can improve dressage we'll move up to PN

Good luck ............ gorgeous ponio