Sarah_Jane
Well-Known Member
Sadly just as we really have got going the season is over. 
I must admit I wasn't inspired by the thought of Larkhill this year, I guess for me it just lacks a bit of character. By the time I left I had enjoyed it the most of any event we have done this year. A good performance always helps but the organisers and volunteers were friendly and helpful, the ground was perfect and the course was interesting and all bar one of the combinations we jumped at this event last year had changed this year so a big thumbs up to Larkhill
Dressage has all season been my frustration Pip is very capable of doing a far better test than I am managing to produce with her. All I can say is we have been consistent with our marks between 32 and 36 all season! Things were not helped at Larkhill by following WFP (scoring 24) into the arena! We scored 34 and I wasn't too displeased and certainly showed improvements,we now have all winter to work on these (Presuming I stay in one piece this time!!)
Dressage video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKTZP1O3WAc
Show jumping isn't easy at the best of times at Larkhill as the ground is quite undulating. As I went to warm up the heavens opened making the ground slippery even with studs, again I followed WFP this time luckily didn't match his 16 penalties I didn't feel it was our best round but we did manage one of only 10 clear rounds in our section I did manage to fairly easly from the planks to while spread (6 to 7) pictured make a 5 strided distance into a 4 My excuse is I was unable to walk the course and jumped the related straight rather than riding as a slight dogleg.
Show jumping video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KcidcImp6Q
Cross country asked a few questions including a decent jump into water and to my knowledge Pips first time doing any sort of sunken road (not sure how we have avoided these so far!) She gave me the best ride to date making it feel very easy and small, picture below is a max size parallel that she is making look tidily!
The rails to the step down and the step up bounce to rails was v easy. The sunken road was spot on how I walked it the water I rode strongly and a little bit too much so as we made up too much ground but she coped.
The video below shows a a good bit of the round and you can see how easy she made it!
Cross country video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF6XBKxHgfk
Can anyone spot where we lost our shoe? Pictures show it is still on as we are in the air the fence after the water!
My one annoyance was my confusion on timings in my head, I thought I had gone too fast and just eased up at and over the last only to find I was 2 seconds over Luckily that made no difference in the final scheme of things!
So we finished on a PB of 34.8 and 5th in our class Want the season to carry on now but perhaps a great note to finish on? Aiming now for Intermediate at Gatcombe in March. Would be great if Sarnie was there too! Pips is now on 3 weeks rest before we have a winter brushing up the dressage and show jumping.
So as promised in contrast Impy (4 year old by Master Imp) did her first proper cross country schooling this week at a BE organised clinic with Caroline Creighton at Chyverton.
All I can say I wish Pips and Sarnie took a leaf out of her book in terms of straightforward and sensible. She jumped all the baby fences, small ditches, crocodile filled water ditch and little sunken road without batting an eyelid. She is certainly going to be more than ready for BE90 next March if she is still with me.
Impy XC schooling - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaMGUArUtxs
Can't not mention Sarnie who has now nearly completed 5 weeks roadwork and is looking forward to having her 'back to competition' report on here! (Haven't had the heart to tell her we need to start off with dressage!)
I must admit I wasn't inspired by the thought of Larkhill this year, I guess for me it just lacks a bit of character. By the time I left I had enjoyed it the most of any event we have done this year. A good performance always helps but the organisers and volunteers were friendly and helpful, the ground was perfect and the course was interesting and all bar one of the combinations we jumped at this event last year had changed this year so a big thumbs up to Larkhill Dressage has all season been my frustration Pip is very capable of doing a far better test than I am managing to produce with her. All I can say is we have been consistent with our marks between 32 and 36 all season! Things were not helped at Larkhill by following WFP (scoring 24) into the arena! We scored 34 and I wasn't too displeased and certainly showed improvements,we now have all winter to work on these (Presuming I stay in one piece this time!!)
Dressage video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKTZP1O3WAc
Show jumping isn't easy at the best of times at Larkhill as the ground is quite undulating. As I went to warm up the heavens opened making the ground slippery even with studs, again I followed WFP this time luckily didn't match his 16 penalties
I didn't feel it was our best round but we did manage one of only 10 clear rounds in our section I did manage to fairly easly from the planks to while spread (6 to 7) pictured make a 5 strided distance into a 4 My excuse is I was unable to walk the course and jumped the related straight rather than riding as a slight dogleg. Show jumping video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KcidcImp6Q
Cross country asked a few questions including a decent jump into water and to my knowledge Pips first time doing any sort of sunken road (not sure how we have avoided these so far!) She gave me the best ride to date making it feel very easy and small, picture below is a max size parallel that she is making look tidily!
The rails to the step down and the step up bounce to rails was v easy. The sunken road was spot on how I walked it the water I rode strongly and a little bit too much so as we made up too much ground but she coped.
The video below shows a a good bit of the round and you can see how easy she made it!
Cross country video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF6XBKxHgfk
Can anyone spot where we lost our shoe? Pictures show it is still on as we are in the air the fence after the water!
My one annoyance was my confusion on timings in my head, I thought I had gone too fast and just eased up at and over the last only to find I was 2 seconds over
Luckily that made no difference in the final scheme of things!
So we finished on a PB of 34.8 and 5th in our class
Want the season to carry on now but perhaps a great note to finish on? Aiming now for Intermediate at Gatcombe in March. Would be great if Sarnie was there too! Pips is now on 3 weeks rest before we have a winter brushing up the dressage and show jumping.So as promised in contrast Impy (4 year old by Master Imp) did her first proper cross country schooling this week at a BE organised clinic with Caroline Creighton at Chyverton.
All I can say I wish Pips and Sarnie took a leaf out of her book in terms of straightforward and sensible. She jumped all the baby fences, small ditches, crocodile filled water ditch and little sunken road without batting an eyelid. She is certainly going to be more than ready for BE90 next March if she is still with me.
Impy XC schooling - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaMGUArUtxs
Can't not mention Sarnie who has now nearly completed 5 weeks roadwork and is looking forward to having her 'back to competition' report on here! (Haven't had the heart to tell her we need to start off with dressage!)
Last edited:
