jnb
Well-Known Member
(I posted this in the Photo bit but then realised here is more appropriate?)
I took my young cob to dressage at a new venue (for us) on sunday - he's done a couple of tests earlier this year ad despite being very green, has always bought a red one home (despite me, I hasten to add!)
I was really nervous as my friend who usually kicks me up the bum wasn't allowed to come as only one person per horse could accompany you due to COVID regs (which i agree with) plus the indoor was 20 x 40m and fully enclosed, he's only been in 1 indoor before which was huge with white boards rather than the fully enclosed walls.
It threw it down with rain (bathing a dirty coloured cob at 6.45am oh the joys!) and everything went wrong in preparation (hot horse shower hose leaking, someone parking in the gateway blocking in lorry, we were running late) however we arrived had our temperatures checked, threw the tack on, clambered aboard and found the warmup in fits and starts due to the electric tape shorting in the fences(!) and a scary stone water trough (who knew) and for once I actually remembered the BREATHE and warmed up properly instead of trying to stay out of everyone's way and hiding in corners.
The fateful time arrived @ 9:36, my cob was gobsmacked to see one side open from 4ft and a lovely fat pigeon sitting on the wall waiting to flap off at opportune moments so we bounced round the arena about 4m from the walls: "They're WHITE mummy, oh and look there's a handsome chap *preen*" - you guessed it there were mirrors which we haven't seen before so I reverted to all my bad habits at once, leaning forward, dropping my outside hands you name it.
Luckily the judge was either kind or pitying and let me have a good 3 minutes to reduce the bouncing and spooking to mild eye rolling and we trotted round.
We did our test, no one died and some bits were OK however not my finest point was fiddling with a perfectly good square halt at the end of the test (we won't speak about the dive bombing pigeon which my cob sensibly ignored and just got on with it,) he is a diamond and somehow knows how to turn it on!
Due to COVID, we then went home after leaving email address for results, the heavens opened and we all got soaked, my cob was like "Aaaaaah just like home "(Ireland) - me and OH, not so much!
To my amazement, I was tagged an hour later on the venue's Facebook page, to say we had WON!
Yippee! Good cobby - now if we can just master cantering in a school that would be fab - though it's difficult when you haven't got one.
So proud of him - from wild youngster to winner
Pic of us warming up outside as indoors tricky as lighting bad - you can see how hard it's raining also steam coming off cob as he turbo trotted /bounced around!
I took my young cob to dressage at a new venue (for us) on sunday - he's done a couple of tests earlier this year ad despite being very green, has always bought a red one home (despite me, I hasten to add!)
I was really nervous as my friend who usually kicks me up the bum wasn't allowed to come as only one person per horse could accompany you due to COVID regs (which i agree with) plus the indoor was 20 x 40m and fully enclosed, he's only been in 1 indoor before which was huge with white boards rather than the fully enclosed walls.
It threw it down with rain (bathing a dirty coloured cob at 6.45am oh the joys!) and everything went wrong in preparation (hot horse shower hose leaking, someone parking in the gateway blocking in lorry, we were running late) however we arrived had our temperatures checked, threw the tack on, clambered aboard and found the warmup in fits and starts due to the electric tape shorting in the fences(!) and a scary stone water trough (who knew) and for once I actually remembered the BREATHE and warmed up properly instead of trying to stay out of everyone's way and hiding in corners.
The fateful time arrived @ 9:36, my cob was gobsmacked to see one side open from 4ft and a lovely fat pigeon sitting on the wall waiting to flap off at opportune moments so we bounced round the arena about 4m from the walls: "They're WHITE mummy, oh and look there's a handsome chap *preen*" - you guessed it there were mirrors which we haven't seen before so I reverted to all my bad habits at once, leaning forward, dropping my outside hands you name it.
Luckily the judge was either kind or pitying and let me have a good 3 minutes to reduce the bouncing and spooking to mild eye rolling and we trotted round.
We did our test, no one died and some bits were OK however not my finest point was fiddling with a perfectly good square halt at the end of the test (we won't speak about the dive bombing pigeon which my cob sensibly ignored and just got on with it,) he is a diamond and somehow knows how to turn it on!
Due to COVID, we then went home after leaving email address for results, the heavens opened and we all got soaked, my cob was like "Aaaaaah just like home "(Ireland) - me and OH, not so much!
To my amazement, I was tagged an hour later on the venue's Facebook page, to say we had WON!
Yippee! Good cobby - now if we can just master cantering in a school that would be fab - though it's difficult when you haven't got one.
So proud of him - from wild youngster to winner
Pic of us warming up outside as indoors tricky as lighting bad - you can see how hard it's raining also steam coming off cob as he turbo trotted /bounced around!
