Mid October weekend plans

[Bernster]

Camp completed! Mock ode on the Sunday - a really nice format with help at each stage. Dressage wasn’t as much of a disaster as I thought it would be. Underpowered in the trot of all things! Had a blast jumping and went clear without tanking off or taking great leaps at things so I was really pleased.

Awful videos though - I hate my jump position but I’m hoping that’s partly due to nerves and not knowing him well, but I need to work on putting my hands forward over a fence, not lifting up and back.

Overall really pleased and learned a lot. I think it will help us build our partnership.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

Over the moon, don’t have my sheet back but results online and I got 62.39! Our pb is 60 and that was last year when I was having weekly lessons. So to come back after a year, a baby and having only ridden maybe 10 times since and to beat our previous scores feels fantastic!

 

[j1ffy]

Lovely to see so many people out and about doing well - Bernster and ownedbyaconnie, those outings sound particularly successful!

We did an 'away' hack again on Saturday, this time with Chilli's wingman, Pocholo. Had a lovely hack again and Chilli was greatly admired by my village's resident racing legend Then a short schooling session on Sunday which was very sensible, just one brief tizzy moment, so we did 20 mins of walk and trot then gate opening / closing practice and a potter around the woods. Very pleasant! One week until Chilli's first sleepover at AMD, which I'm really looking forward to.

 

[Jeni the dragon]

Lovely weekend catching up! Broadway is a great venue, though quite hilly!
Not quite brilliant outing on paper, dressage running miles behind so he'd gone off the boil a bit, and showjumping didn't play to his strengths, but cruised round a reasonably difficult cross country course to finish with a smile on his face!

 

[Jeni the dragon]

And then got to catch up with our ex eventer! His loaner is lovely and she's really having a super time with him! No one at the yard believes he's evented so she now has loads of photos to share! The village they hack through is incredibly picturesque so there are always loads of tourists out taking pictures and Jack loves posing for them!

 

[RachelFerd]

We survived dressage! Isaac's BD debut (and dressage away from home debut too) - for 62.something in the first test and 65% in the second. Many many many less than perfect things about both, but after a very difficult week schooling wise (vertical bucks and sucking behind contact at the same time) I was questioning my sanity in going. However a change of scene (and change back into an old faithful rubbish old Fulmer bit) seemed to put him in a better place. I think for whatever reason, the bombers lock-up that he initially loved became something he absolutely hated over the course of 3 weeks. He'll have an easy week this week to do some latent learning!!

He was also good with going indoors, boards and flowers - he spooked at flowers leaving the arena both times, but not during the tests!

 

[SpotsandBays]

Well done everybody!
I had my final sit of the year on my youngster. We even managed his first trot! (I was clearly feeling brave as he wasn’t on any sort of lead, and it was our first go in the paddock!)

 

[LEC]

I have had an excellent weekend - hedge hopping was brilliant. The horse started off being a naughty little pig but after a strong discussion she got going and stopped pissing about. Her big issue is she mucks about bucking instead of being in front of the leg and gets away with bucking 3 strides away at 90cm but at 1.10m hedges she loses all her momentum bucking and then dribbles to a stop. A strong discussion on staying in front of the leg and to accelerate into a hedge and she was away. Ditch issue reared it’s head but I will just keep going with that. Hopefully hunting will help. Ended up jumping some decent enough hedges even with other horses stopping next to her.

Yesterday, I did my first ever BD competition. Novice 24 - the horse threw away loads of marks where she should have been doing a prelim and isn’t really ready for a novice test BD but qualified for combined training champs. I know there is tonnes of improvement to come and she is a good jumper so now have 2 months to put some effort into her flatwork as don’t ever school her…..

 

[Bernster]

LEC - I took finnegan to a hedge hopping clinic as I thought it would help us get ready to hunt. He was uncharacteristically naughty - reared, napped, then bucked me off at one point! It seemed to scramble his brain that he was kind of hunting but not really. Sounds like yours was a bit more successful though!

 

[Alibear]

We finished off our season with a lesson on Friday, a clinic on Saturday and a show on Sunday. Amber has been a little flat lately, and the lesson quickly identified I was letting her run along on the forehand again! So I still need to work on that. I did start to get it for the odd moment. I can ask her to lift and engage herself, the challenge is persuading her to keep doing that consistently, but it's a start. It was glorious weather on Saturday, and I rode outside for the whole clinic and enjoyed it. We managed some good lope - halt work schooling and revisited several things to help with engagement. I just got a bit frustrated that they didn't stay when we went through a pattern in a correct showing outline. It was a game of got it, lost it, got it lost it, as some say. I fed her extra all weekend, but she's was still quite flat, and I had to rev her up on Sunday to show, and it was all a bit scrappy. We just couldn't get connected, and it didn't flow. The upside means I know what we need to work on over winter Everyone agrees that hacking in straight lines and keeping her stepping under behind will help, so that's our highest priority; we know what to work on in the school on other days. Farrier on Saturday and saddle fitter, now re-re-re booked (long story) for 26th, so I'm hoping that will all help put us back on track to progress for next year.

 

[oldie48]

mandkaz, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you and hope your horse is OK, didn't want to "like" your post!

I had a lesson on Mr D this morning, owner had schooled him yesterday and said he went very nicely, complimented me on how well I was riding him which pleased me greatly. She put out two lots of four poles, one at each end of the arena with inner area just big enough to do a 10m circle. It's interesting how many different exercises you can do with this sort of set up her focus is improving my use of the outside rein (yes again) and encouraging the horse to step under and use his hocks. We did circles inside and outside the square in all three gaits using the long sides to connect. I was very pleased with the quality of work, it's a lot better than when I first started riding him and also much more consistent. I am really starting to feel at home riding him. I've another session on Wednesday then I'm having a few days away with friends.

 

[nikkimariet]

Bit late but better than never!

Midweek went for a clear round on Rooni. He was soooo sensible. I made a hash of the 95cm but he put up with me. The 85cm was fab though.



A day of hacking for my boys on Saturday.

Rooni did 15 miles in 3 hours, loved every minute. He was keen but sensible!



Figgy did 5 miles locally and loved every minute. He’s such a good egg. I think he had lost a little more sight in his right eye though



Sunday Rooni went to pretend to be a jumper again! Were we clear? Were we heck.
But oodles of fun and both getting the hang of it He took a bold flyer to the last, so I’m a bit left behind here but I think he looks fab.

 

[J_sarahd]

So my pony is the best. As I mentioned before, this weekend was just hacking to get him out of the school. Saturday was on our own, just down the lane and back and Sunday we went with a friend and her pony on a bit of a longer one. We had to go through a field of cows and both boys were so well-behaved.

Last night I rode my friends horse and he is so sweet but god he’s hard work. It makes me grateful for how forward my boy is! I popped a few jumps on him and couldn’t see a stride to save my life. I would say I’m so used to my boy’s strides, which is true, but I jumped my other friends horse no bother up to 1.10 the other week so genuinely not sure why I rode like a sack of poo last night!

I’ve also spent a lot of time this weekend looking at 3.5t horseboxes and looking at loans and the price of keeping one. I’m aiming to get one in the new year, so fingers crossed I find a decent one.

 

[LEC]

Bit late but better than never!

Midweek went for a clear round on Rooni. He was soooo sensible. I made a hash of the 95cm but he put up with me. The 85cm was fab though.

View attachment 81335

A day of hacking for my boys on Saturday.

Rooni did 15 miles in 3 hours, loved every minute. He was keen but sensible!

View attachment 81332

Figgy did 5 miles locally and loved every minute. He’s such a good egg. I think he had lost a little more sight in his right eye though

View attachment 81333

Sunday Rooni went to pretend to be a jumper again! Were we clear? Were we heck.
But oodles of fun and both getting the hang of it He took a bold flyer to the last, so I’m a bit left behind here but I think he looks fab.

View attachment 81334

You should go and do the CT qualifiers! They do an Elem with 90cm.

Prelim and Novice are open to combinations who’ve not competed at Medium and above, and Elementary open to any combination at any level/eligibility no matter of their previous competition record. To qualify for the Championship, simply place in the top two in any class at any qualifier.

 

[nikkimariet]

You should go and do the CT qualifiers! They do an Elem with 90cm.

Prelim and Novice are open to combinations who’ve not competed at Medium and above, and Elementary open to any combination at any level/eligibility no matter of their previous competition record. To qualify for the Championship, simply place in the top two in any class at any qualifier.

On my to do list for next year! They’re both having November off as deserve a holiday

 

[Michen]

Bog helping with the bday celebrations!

 

[oldie48]

Love the pic, Michen. I really enjoyed my lesson on Mr D this morning. We managed to dodge the rain but he was on his toes as it was windy. Highlight of session was half walk pirouette into canter. His canter was just divine, so collected and up. He is such a dude!

 

[southerncomfort]

Didn't manage to do a thing over the weekend due to gales. ?

Had a lovely hack out today (apart from getting soaked through to my knickers!). Only our second ever solo hack without someone accompanying us on foot. We were out for around an hour and a half and he was absolutely perfect!

Unfortunately, as we approached home he started pulling hard on the reins and stretching his head right down to ground. He may just have been weary but this is the second time he's done it since his saddle was adjusted. ? Have messaged our physio and will give him a little holiday until he's been seen.

 

[Sprat]

A day of hacking for my boys on Saturday.

Rooni did 15 miles in 3 hours, loved every minute. He was keen but sensible!

View attachment 81332

Figgy did 5 miles locally and loved every minute. He’s such a good egg. I think he had lost a little more sight in his right eye though

That hacking looks fab, where abouts do you go? I don't think you are a million miles from me if you go to Onley. I'm really struggling to find anywhere nice to hack so would welcome any suggestions.

 

[nikkimariet]

That hacking looks fab, where abouts do you go? I don't think you are a million miles from me if you go to Onley. I'm really struggling to find anywhere nice to hack so would welcome any suggestions.

That one is Rolleston way Not at all, I’m very close to Vale View about an hour from Onley. This is about 30 mins from me and totally worth it, some lovely rural bits round that green belt. You should hop onto one of Danielle’s guided rides, she only uses publicly accessible routes no private land or tracks etc. I’d be happy to accompany too but Rooni is not 100% in traffic but we are however, gate experts and ok with loose horses and cows etc