Thistle
Well-Known Member
Felt really strange to be leaving to go SJ at 3.30pm on a Sun!
It was run as a JAS, short course of SJ, through a timed start then XC type jumps (but knock down) at XC speed. Also a style mark out of 60, broken into 10 sections out of 6.
Arrived just in time to see Novice teams prize giving, it was won by St Francis College, which is a school many of Bees friends attend. 2 of the team members are in our PC junior teams.
The 3ft (but built to 3'3" ) warmup class started approx 7pm with Bee about 2/3 way through. It was run as a scurry, Bee got all the tight turns but just touched the stile which fell. Think she finished just out of placings as hardly any clears. The times some of them achieved were incredible.
The outdoor warm up was horrible, very crowded and full of pushy riders with no manners. Kids constantly knocking the jump down and expecting others to put it up. Willough got pushed off a jump by someone turning across her and had 3 stops at the practice spread (this pony very rarely stops) so it all got a bit hairy. Thank God she relaxed when she got in the ring.
The Open champs started about 8.15, 60 in the class and Bee drawn last. Course was approx 3'6"
It was a very tricky course with 2 bogey fences both off silly turns. Only 3 clear when Bee went, 1 of those with time faults.
Willough started to jump a lovely stylish round, showed great change of pace into XC. Turned for the stile across the short side, it was 2 twigs over a water tray, everyone was catching it with their knees. She jumped it clear in front, the crowd gasped and she touched it behind. Jumped the rest clear to finish on 5 faults as she went over time by 0.2 sec.
She finished in 8th place as she had the 2nd best style mark of the day so we were delighted with her, especially as there were quite a few 'names' in her class including British pony team members
Eventually got home about midnight, Bee has to go to school at 7.30 am.
It was run as a JAS, short course of SJ, through a timed start then XC type jumps (but knock down) at XC speed. Also a style mark out of 60, broken into 10 sections out of 6.
Arrived just in time to see Novice teams prize giving, it was won by St Francis College, which is a school many of Bees friends attend. 2 of the team members are in our PC junior teams.
The 3ft (but built to 3'3" ) warmup class started approx 7pm with Bee about 2/3 way through. It was run as a scurry, Bee got all the tight turns but just touched the stile which fell. Think she finished just out of placings as hardly any clears. The times some of them achieved were incredible.
The outdoor warm up was horrible, very crowded and full of pushy riders with no manners. Kids constantly knocking the jump down and expecting others to put it up. Willough got pushed off a jump by someone turning across her and had 3 stops at the practice spread (this pony very rarely stops) so it all got a bit hairy. Thank God she relaxed when she got in the ring.
The Open champs started about 8.15, 60 in the class and Bee drawn last. Course was approx 3'6"
It was a very tricky course with 2 bogey fences both off silly turns. Only 3 clear when Bee went, 1 of those with time faults.
Willough started to jump a lovely stylish round, showed great change of pace into XC. Turned for the stile across the short side, it was 2 twigs over a water tray, everyone was catching it with their knees. She jumped it clear in front, the crowd gasped and she touched it behind. Jumped the rest clear to finish on 5 faults as she went over time by 0.2 sec.
She finished in 8th place as she had the 2nd best style mark of the day so we were delighted with her, especially as there were quite a few 'names' in her class including British pony team members
Eventually got home about midnight, Bee has to go to school at 7.30 am.
