Nickymac
Well-Known Member
Yet another morning with the alarm going off at 4.
Hey ho, at least I didn't have to drive the lorry as I was riding Austin (5yo in PAVO section) and Marlene (6yo in normal PN section) for their owners, so my contribution to the journey was map-reading.
Austin had been team chasing with the daughter last weekend, and apparently slipped up on a turn between fences (he is unshod). He didn't feel terribly straight warming up for the dressage, but did an ok test (the grass was v wet and slippy, so struggled a bit) to get 36.7. Showjumping was on an arena thankfully, but he wasn't his usual self. He never felt like he was taking me, so the nice forward strides I was seeing turned into horrid flat jumps - normally he makes a lovely shape whatever. So was gutted to have 3 down but did say to his owner I didn't think he was quite right.
Went to warm up for xc and he still felt a bit quiet (this is the one that normally ducks and dives, bucks and farts, just to keep you on your toes). We set off for the first fence and he suddenly decided to do a duck to the left, dive to the right and then take off. That would have been fine if his back legs hadn't disappeared from under him as he went back to the right, but they stayed distinctly left as we were in the air and he fell kinda over the fence, wiping me on it as he went, and we landed in a huge winded heap on the other side.
Big ouch. Being winded is always a bit of a shock, but when I recovered from that and realised yes, I could breathe, it felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to the right-hand side of my pelvis and back. Poor pony looked a bit shocked too, and we were both looking pretty unsound as we limped off back to the lorry. (I had of course managed to sweet talk the medic that yeah, of course I was fine, and was it ok to ride my other horse.....?) I was by this point ashen looking and feeling a bit pukey, but I thought it would pass, particularly once I had one of the magic pink Brufen pills.
Marlene's owner was very relaxed about whether I rode her or not, but I really, really wanted to. She's been a bit of a monkey so we're on a mission to get her to take the path of righteousness (ie. going the whole way round a course, not just as far as any fence that looks a bit odd) I got on her to warm up for dressage and wasn't feeling too bad, and she did a much nicer test than last time out to get 31.0. Showjumping she was lovely too, that being her best bit and, despite my best efforts to hook really badly into one, she jumped clear. I'd decided to go steady early on cross country, what with feeling a bit delicate, but then up the pace a bit when we came to the last field with the water in it (her least favourite thing). So off we set, steady eddie, until her eyes came out on stalks at the first bank and get my positive head on. I'm quite sure she susses out whether you're on the ball or not early on, then picks her moment to go green on you (oh I couldn't possibly jump that bank/drop/water, look how scary it is). So we were "purposeful" on and off the bank, and she felt like a different horse. She drifted a bit into the last field so I got after her, ready to jump the chair before the water (slope down into water, flower bed on way out) and expecting her to think about grinding to a halt as soon as she clocked the water but no, not even a moment's ear flicking or a backward thought, she cantered in, popped out beautifully and up the hill to the brush to finish - big pats.
So, is that a canny mare or what? Soooooo capable but just checking where the line in the sand is drawn each time. Annie (her owner, nice, tidy teenage rider) is going to have to turn into demon, determined, feisty rider next season I reckon, just until Marlene realises how life is (you ask nicely, she does it, easy as that).
So because I minced early on we were 8 seconds over the time, so I was 8th. Onwards to Oasby with her next weekend, to see if the penny has dropped.
(God I rattle on a bit, don't I?
)
Hey ho, at least I didn't have to drive the lorry as I was riding Austin (5yo in PAVO section) and Marlene (6yo in normal PN section) for their owners, so my contribution to the journey was map-reading.
Austin had been team chasing with the daughter last weekend, and apparently slipped up on a turn between fences (he is unshod). He didn't feel terribly straight warming up for the dressage, but did an ok test (the grass was v wet and slippy, so struggled a bit) to get 36.7. Showjumping was on an arena thankfully, but he wasn't his usual self. He never felt like he was taking me, so the nice forward strides I was seeing turned into horrid flat jumps - normally he makes a lovely shape whatever. So was gutted to have 3 down but did say to his owner I didn't think he was quite right.
Went to warm up for xc and he still felt a bit quiet (this is the one that normally ducks and dives, bucks and farts, just to keep you on your toes). We set off for the first fence and he suddenly decided to do a duck to the left, dive to the right and then take off. That would have been fine if his back legs hadn't disappeared from under him as he went back to the right, but they stayed distinctly left as we were in the air and he fell kinda over the fence, wiping me on it as he went, and we landed in a huge winded heap on the other side.
Marlene's owner was very relaxed about whether I rode her or not, but I really, really wanted to. She's been a bit of a monkey so we're on a mission to get her to take the path of righteousness (ie. going the whole way round a course, not just as far as any fence that looks a bit odd) I got on her to warm up for dressage and wasn't feeling too bad, and she did a much nicer test than last time out to get 31.0. Showjumping she was lovely too, that being her best bit and, despite my best efforts to hook really badly into one, she jumped clear. I'd decided to go steady early on cross country, what with feeling a bit delicate, but then up the pace a bit when we came to the last field with the water in it (her least favourite thing). So off we set, steady eddie, until her eyes came out on stalks at the first bank and get my positive head on. I'm quite sure she susses out whether you're on the ball or not early on, then picks her moment to go green on you (oh I couldn't possibly jump that bank/drop/water, look how scary it is). So we were "purposeful" on and off the bank, and she felt like a different horse. She drifted a bit into the last field so I got after her, ready to jump the chair before the water (slope down into water, flower bed on way out) and expecting her to think about grinding to a halt as soon as she clocked the water but no, not even a moment's ear flicking or a backward thought, she cantered in, popped out beautifully and up the hill to the brush to finish - big pats.
So, is that a canny mare or what? Soooooo capable but just checking where the line in the sand is drawn each time. Annie (her owner, nice, tidy teenage rider) is going to have to turn into demon, determined, feisty rider next season I reckon, just until Marlene realises how life is (you ask nicely, she does it, easy as that).
So because I minced early on we were 8 seconds over the time, so I was 8th. Onwards to Oasby with her next weekend, to see if the penny has dropped.
(God I rattle on a bit, don't I?
