tigers_eye
Well-Known Member
Insanely long...
Part 1 - ridiculous:
Hop in the lorry at 5.55, turn it on, it manages to start but clearly thought it didn't have enough diesel in it to get going. S mutters about inefficiency and other things but I was POOR last time I drove it and couldn't put anything in it. So, empty jerry can of petrol into car, belt down to petrol station, put diesel in it, and put diesel in lorry. Drive to top of the road in lorry to petrol station that only accepts my card, not any of Stefan's, and manage to put 20 litres in before my card naps terminally. Still haven't got enough in to get us to the event so stop AGAIN at motorway services and fill it right up. Get to the yard 45 minutes after planned. Set off, and there's a bloody deviation..... Finally get there and poor William gets tack hurled at him and trotted down to dressage and straight in. Judge appeared not to be paying attention at all, certainly wasn't looking as I came down the centre line. Both boys went up a level yesterday and the test was pretty tough, and to be honest William went badly. He really does need a warm-up and he didn't get one, simple as. I also was a little flustered and sailed straight past D where I should have halted and the judge didn't stop me so I carried on. He got 57.something (it's the same as FEI scoring so that's about 61% I think).
Part 2 - sublime:
Liberty's dressage, in contrast to William's, had a lovely warm-up, went in and I truly think he did his best test ever. He was balanced, straight, powerful, I know he can go behind the vertical, even though he feels good in the hand, but looking at Stefan's pictures it wasn't that often, and the judge gave him 56. Did get my sheet at the end and he had several 5s, he never gets 5s even if he falls over! Anyway, S said she spent most of her time fiddling with the papaerwork and barely watched half of it. Sour grapes? Oh yes.
Part 3 - ridiculous:
We then had a 5 hour wait until our next thing
, so toodled gently off to walk the course. By fence 5 I was starting to think hmmm, this is big, by fence 6 I felt sick and it got worse. I haven't jumped anything that big since Rolleston advanced in 2005. They were proper rider frighteners too: fence six was a narrow V (the point away from you), made of two sleepers on top of posts built down into the bottom of a ditch, approached off a turn. The water (9,10 and 11) was an airy log upright perched on the lip of a very steep downhill, one committed stride to a sloping pailsade with a drop on landing side into water. They were numbered seperately, and there was an alternative that involved about 3 circles. Through the water, up the slope on the far side and up a step. 15 was a huge drop, three strides to a skinny. 17 was a wide table, which I felt the best way to jump was on an angle, because then you could get 4 showjumping strides on a curving line to 18 abc, 3 very skinny skinnies all angled differently, which walked as 3 sj strides each. 19 was a skinny hedge with a ditch on takeoff, 20abc a coffin, and the last, 21 was up on to a mound and a roll top right on the lip of it and into space (S took excellent pics of this). I think I lit a cigarette when I got to fence six and then chain-smoked the rest of the way round the course.
Part 4 - sublime:
Finally it was time to start getting ready. As my xc times were close together I studded and booted L and put him back on the lorry. I gave William a good warm-up as he'd been stood around for so long. He was SO excited, nearly got me off a couple of times! We set off, hesitated a little towards the first but after that he roared round! I smacked him at 6, but I think that was more for me than for him and then there was no stopping him. I'd decided I'd give them a good run to check their fitness with Radolfzell just two weeks away, so we zoomed over the next few, came to the water, think I pointed and prayed, and he ate it for breakfast! Two fences later there was a step up to a gate, it was supposed to be 2 strides, he went on one. Pinged down the drop and over the skinny at 15. As we came into the field with the table and skinny combination I could see the competitor in front mucking about in front of 18a so just yelled lots, wasn't really looking at the fences, W charged over the table, took 3 long ones and hurdled through 18abc on 2 strides each instead of 3
. The competitor in front had knocked the flag off the first element, but W didn't give a toss. Flew over the next ones (thought about bouncing out the coffin, but was told not to), and just got the air brakes out a little at the last. Naughty us, we got 4 too fast time penalties
. It was a cracking ride, I was on a such a high, but I had to hurry back to the lorry, threw water over William and put him straight in the lorry
.
Part 5 - ridiculous:
Tacked L up, trotted over to the warm-up (they were calling for me), blasted him round the warm-up a couple of times, jumped two fences, and was put in the start box. I must have been on him for 4 or 5 minutes when we set off. I was the 2nd and the last to go in that class, and the other two riders with two horses had lovely grooms to lead their 2nd horse up to the start, and take their first off them when they finished. S isn't really experienced enough to cope with a horse in an environment like that, and I wouldn't wish William on anyone after the xc as his back legs are very volatile. Anyway, set off and my head just wasn't in the right place, and nor was L's. He was terrible to the first, sticky over the next few, then put the brakes on at 6. Got a smack, came round and scrambled horribley over it. Two fences later came round a corner to a big wide thing, there was a bloody kid playing on it
, shouted and they got out the way, but don't think much of the fence judge. Got to the water, and only decided as I came round the corner I would attempt the direct route. Two strides out I knew we were f***ed, he got one front leg over, the other one pinned underneath, and the back legs on the other side
. My mind just went blank apart from the words "rotational fall", but every instinct made me cling on, and somehow he got all his legs over and we ended up in one piece on the far side. I am absolutely sure in BE that would have had a frangible pin on it and it would have broken. Had a good look round to see if there was any damage, couldn't see any so jumped the alternative into the water, carried on. Got to the big drop and he ran straight past the skinny. Got to the field with 17 and 18 and we went straight past 18a, then came back and jumped it beautifully. Carried on and finished, but was so disappointed. I nearly passed out at the finish, my head was spinning. If I'd been more with it I think we wouldn't have had the last two run-outs, I just had no focus left.
He didn't have any scrapes anywhere, god knows how, so I took him straight to the showjumping and popped him round to give him a bit of confidence - he did a lovely clear.
Part 6 - both!
Got William ready, warmed him up, went over to the showjumping to jump him in L's slot as I'd jumped L in W's, and the judges had gone
! Someone took pity on me and went and retrieved them (yes, they'd had a long day but I wasn't late and they shouldn't have gone really), so they turned up looking grumpy and William went in and jumped another clear
. He finished 4th.
Outcomes of the day? Well, I'm not going to the ODE they're entered in on Sunday - William has proved he is very confident at the moment, and I think L would benefit more from some xc schooling rather than potentially frightening himself even more.
Part 1 - ridiculous:
Hop in the lorry at 5.55, turn it on, it manages to start but clearly thought it didn't have enough diesel in it to get going. S mutters about inefficiency and other things but I was POOR last time I drove it and couldn't put anything in it. So, empty jerry can of petrol into car, belt down to petrol station, put diesel in it, and put diesel in lorry. Drive to top of the road in lorry to petrol station that only accepts my card, not any of Stefan's, and manage to put 20 litres in before my card naps terminally. Still haven't got enough in to get us to the event so stop AGAIN at motorway services and fill it right up. Get to the yard 45 minutes after planned. Set off, and there's a bloody deviation..... Finally get there and poor William gets tack hurled at him and trotted down to dressage and straight in. Judge appeared not to be paying attention at all, certainly wasn't looking as I came down the centre line. Both boys went up a level yesterday and the test was pretty tough, and to be honest William went badly. He really does need a warm-up and he didn't get one, simple as. I also was a little flustered and sailed straight past D where I should have halted and the judge didn't stop me so I carried on. He got 57.something (it's the same as FEI scoring so that's about 61% I think).
Part 2 - sublime:
Liberty's dressage, in contrast to William's, had a lovely warm-up, went in and I truly think he did his best test ever. He was balanced, straight, powerful, I know he can go behind the vertical, even though he feels good in the hand, but looking at Stefan's pictures it wasn't that often, and the judge gave him 56. Did get my sheet at the end and he had several 5s, he never gets 5s even if he falls over! Anyway, S said she spent most of her time fiddling with the papaerwork and barely watched half of it. Sour grapes? Oh yes.
Part 3 - ridiculous:
We then had a 5 hour wait until our next thing
Part 4 - sublime:
Finally it was time to start getting ready. As my xc times were close together I studded and booted L and put him back on the lorry. I gave William a good warm-up as he'd been stood around for so long. He was SO excited, nearly got me off a couple of times! We set off, hesitated a little towards the first but after that he roared round! I smacked him at 6, but I think that was more for me than for him and then there was no stopping him. I'd decided I'd give them a good run to check their fitness with Radolfzell just two weeks away, so we zoomed over the next few, came to the water, think I pointed and prayed, and he ate it for breakfast! Two fences later there was a step up to a gate, it was supposed to be 2 strides, he went on one. Pinged down the drop and over the skinny at 15. As we came into the field with the table and skinny combination I could see the competitor in front mucking about in front of 18a so just yelled lots, wasn't really looking at the fences, W charged over the table, took 3 long ones and hurdled through 18abc on 2 strides each instead of 3
Part 5 - ridiculous:
Tacked L up, trotted over to the warm-up (they were calling for me), blasted him round the warm-up a couple of times, jumped two fences, and was put in the start box. I must have been on him for 4 or 5 minutes when we set off. I was the 2nd and the last to go in that class, and the other two riders with two horses had lovely grooms to lead their 2nd horse up to the start, and take their first off them when they finished. S isn't really experienced enough to cope with a horse in an environment like that, and I wouldn't wish William on anyone after the xc as his back legs are very volatile. Anyway, set off and my head just wasn't in the right place, and nor was L's. He was terrible to the first, sticky over the next few, then put the brakes on at 6. Got a smack, came round and scrambled horribley over it. Two fences later came round a corner to a big wide thing, there was a bloody kid playing on it
He didn't have any scrapes anywhere, god knows how, so I took him straight to the showjumping and popped him round to give him a bit of confidence - he did a lovely clear.
Part 6 - both!
Got William ready, warmed him up, went over to the showjumping to jump him in L's slot as I'd jumped L in W's, and the judges had gone
Outcomes of the day? Well, I'm not going to the ODE they're entered in on Sunday - William has proved he is very confident at the moment, and I think L would benefit more from some xc schooling rather than potentially frightening himself even more.
