diggerbez
Well-Known Member
Sorry this is a little late...been having internet issues and was also tucked up in bed super early last night as was completely shattered from the whole thing! As some of you will know i was having a HUGE dilemma about whether i should even go to the event as groom/companion pulled out at the last minute...however, decided to go after some lovely folks on here offered to help...and i am very glad i did in the end 
so on saturday V and I trooped down south on a 4 hour drive down the motorway...fortunately Spotted Cat and her lovely friends had saved me a stable next to them and also a camping spot too... so at least i wasn't billy no mates! Massive thanks to SC for feeding me and entertaining me...was lovely to meet the Grumpy Bay One as well (he is grumpy...i can attest...but very lovely at the same time!)
V was extremely pleased that his stable had grass in it!
The first 24 hours were pretty grim if i'm honest...it just rained and rained and rained...my boots leaked, my wellies leaked, my coats (all 3 of them) were wet through...my dressage test was also pretty shocking...V's flatwork has been much much better of late but he was a bit wired and reverted to short and tight in the neck- not helped by the judge beeping us in before we'd had chance to have a lap round the outside to settle so there were some spooks in the test too that would normally not happen if he's had more time to settle. got a well deserved 41.5...i think that BE102 test is really hard with him because he gets fixed and so i lose shed loads of marks in the 10m loops...
Trot up:
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Probably the best bit of my test
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When i walked the XC course i was seriously scared. I'd entered the Open which was billed as 3ft3-3ft6 XC.... PN with a few Novice fences...the plan this season had been to be pretty much ready for Novice by June and so this would be a good test- clearly this didn't happen and, instead i've just done a few PNs and managed to fall off at one after seeing the most shocking non-stride to a corner...i honestly think that the course was more Novice than PN...maybe not quite as technical but it certainly felt big...was most worried by the double of podiums (they looked massive and the sort of fence i tend to get over-fiddly at), the trakhener, the normandy bank and the ditch pallisade which was mahooooosive! i was also worried that these 'questions' all came after each other- so if we had a dodgy jump at one there was no 'let up' fence to build confidence.
The absolute superstars of the whole weekend were HHOers Carefreegirl and PaddyMonty who gave up their free time over bank hol weekend to come and help me... this help was especially needed on XC day where i was slowly working myself up into a frenzy about how i was going to die PM was especially helpful with advice on how to tackle my timings for the roads and tracks and CFG took some brilliant photos...i cannot thank them enough for all they did (just goes to show that HHO CAN be a good place! )
the roads and tracks were good fun and the steeplechase was fab...loved it!
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managed to get within the time on phases A-C thanks to PM's advice and the use of my watch (kindly lent to me by another HHOer- Charlimouse!)
After a stern talking to by my new grooms i set off on the dreaded XC...and had a BRILLIANT time! i ended with a couple of time pens but was over the moon to jump clear! he felt very confident all the way round...he jumped the trakhener rather big (resulting in quite a loud shriek from me)...powered off the bank and again was very brave at the ditch pallisade
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oh and it had stopped raining too- which had improved everybody's mood! was lying in 8th place after the XC (definite improvement from 15th after dressage!)
SJ day- was one of the last to jump which wasn't good for my nerves and still ended up being in a mad rush to get warmed up...again massive thanks to carefreegirl for doing warm up fences for me! thought that the course was relatively small...but there were 2 doubles and both walked on 7...so definitely needed to come into them quietly. i didn't ride very well- often SJing at a comp i completely forget what i am doing...V jumped well but i overrode into the last double and therefore had the second element down...was pleased that he didn't spook at any of the fillers though- 12 months ago he would have probably had a paddy about some of them!
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In the end the 4 faults wasn't too expensive...i finished 8th (would have been 7th without them)...which i was really happy about- given that all i'd wanted to do was complete in one piece!
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so all in all i had a great...if knackering time! feel very positive about my horse and the prospect of moving up to novice at some point. eventing-wise that is it for me until after my wedding in august but i am going to use the time to get working on the flatwork and trying to push myself with the Showjumping!
would definitely recommend the MK3DE to people- i won the entry as part of a magazine competition- but i would like to return next year if i can!
i can offer a bottle of bulmers and some cheese and onion crisps for reading!
(the pics are courtesy of carefreegirl and the pro ones were purcahsed from ultimate images for facebook/internet use...so no button pushing please)
so on saturday V and I trooped down south on a 4 hour drive down the motorway...fortunately Spotted Cat and her lovely friends had saved me a stable next to them and also a camping spot too... so at least i wasn't billy no mates! Massive thanks to SC for feeding me and entertaining me...was lovely to meet the Grumpy Bay One as well (he is grumpy...i can attest...but very lovely at the same time!
)V was extremely pleased that his stable had grass in it!
The first 24 hours were pretty grim if i'm honest...it just rained and rained and rained...my boots leaked, my wellies leaked, my coats (all 3 of them) were wet through...my dressage test was also pretty shocking...V's flatwork has been much much better of late but he was a bit wired and reverted to short and tight in the neck- not helped by the judge beeping us in before we'd had chance to have a lap round the outside to settle so there were some spooks in the test too that would normally not happen if he's had more time to settle. got a well deserved 41.5...i think that BE102 test is really hard with him because he gets fixed and so i lose shed loads of marks in the 10m loops...
Trot up:
[Content removed]
Probably the best bit of my test
[Content removed]
When i walked the XC course i was seriously scared. I'd entered the Open which was billed as 3ft3-3ft6 XC.... PN with a few Novice fences...the plan this season had been to be pretty much ready for Novice by June and so this would be a good test- clearly this didn't happen and, instead i've just done a few PNs and managed to fall off at one after seeing the most shocking non-stride to a corner...i honestly think that the course was more Novice than PN...maybe not quite as technical but it certainly felt big...was most worried by the double of podiums (they looked massive and the sort of fence i tend to get over-fiddly at), the trakhener, the normandy bank and the ditch pallisade which was mahooooosive! i was also worried that these 'questions' all came after each other- so if we had a dodgy jump at one there was no 'let up' fence to build confidence.
The absolute superstars of the whole weekend were HHOers Carefreegirl and PaddyMonty who gave up their free time over bank hol weekend to come and help me... this help was especially needed on XC day where i was slowly working myself up into a frenzy about how i was going to die
PM was especially helpful with advice on how to tackle my timings for the roads and tracks and CFG took some brilliant photos...i cannot thank them enough for all they did (just goes to show that HHO CAN be a good place! )the roads and tracks were good fun and the steeplechase was fab...loved it!
[Content removed]
[Content removed]
[Content removed]
managed to get within the time on phases A-C thanks to PM's advice and the use of my watch (kindly lent to me by another HHOer- Charlimouse!)
After a stern talking to by my new grooms i set off on the dreaded XC...and had a BRILLIANT time! i ended with a couple of time pens but was over the moon to jump clear! he felt very confident all the way round...he jumped the trakhener rather big (resulting in quite a loud shriek from me
)...powered off the bank and again was very brave at the ditch pallisade [Content removed]
[Content removed]
oh and it had stopped raining too- which had improved everybody's mood! was lying in 8th place after the XC (definite improvement from 15th after dressage!
)SJ day- was one of the last to jump which wasn't good for my nerves and still ended up being in a mad rush to get warmed up...again massive thanks to carefreegirl for doing warm up fences for me! thought that the course was relatively small...but there were 2 doubles and both walked on 7...so definitely needed to come into them quietly. i didn't ride very well- often SJing at a comp i completely forget what i am doing...V jumped well but i overrode into the last double and therefore had the second element down...was pleased that he didn't spook at any of the fillers though- 12 months ago he would have probably had a paddy about some of them!
[Content removed]
In the end the 4 faults wasn't too expensive...i finished 8th (would have been 7th without them)...which i was really happy about- given that all i'd wanted to do was complete in one piece!
[Content removed]
so all in all i had a great...if knackering time! feel very positive about my horse and the prospect of moving up to novice at some point. eventing-wise that is it for me until after my wedding in august but i am going to use the time to get working on the flatwork and trying to push myself with the Showjumping!
would definitely recommend the MK3DE to people- i won the entry as part of a magazine competition- but i would like to return next year if i can!
i can offer a bottle of bulmers and some cheese and onion crisps for reading!
(the pics are courtesy of carefreegirl and the pro ones were purcahsed from ultimate images for facebook/internet use...so no button pushing please
)
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