Baydale
Well-Known Member
Yes, I know that title ages me, but there's only so much even an alliterative genius 
like me can do with Great Witchingham as a starting point. 
This won't be much of a report as it was just an outing to try and boost the Cheeky Boys' confidence levels after Oasby, but there are vids - hurrah, I hear you say, in an Enid Blyton voice - for you to chortle over, so make yourself a brew and get comfy.
Team Baydale had an extra member this time, as Lionel (Dunning) fancied a day out and a chance to shout at me in public, so SuperFran and I were muchly entertained on the journey by his tales.....lots of 
and and things never to be repeated. 
So much for us taking our sunglasses and t-shirts as it was cold and grey when we arrived with the threat of rain. I whizzed off and walked the course, which had been spiked as the ground was firm in places, and thought it was a nice PN, just what the CBs needed after being a bit rattled at Oasby Novice.
Noddy (Jup) was on first, feeling very chilled for him, so I went for the soft-but-slightly-floppy kinda test, hoping his cute face would get us marks that I didn't dare try and get with the wow factor. All was going well until he got a bit niggly about the left rein, resulting in a complete spaz attack right in front of the judge - I swear if he could've shouted "argh, help me, I've got barbed wire in my mouth!" he would have.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAvfLRhCtjs
Then onto Big Ears, who isn't quite there yet on the flat but was pleasing in how hard he was trying, other than the bit where something rustled in the hedge and he was convinced it was a horse-eating hedge monster. I find it hard enough to keep him straight and on the end of the rein ordinarily, so the weather was hardly conducive to dressage (and I use that word loosely) excellence. I'm loving Great Witch's use of long arenas btw, twas much appreciated 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFA-c8DbjDA
And I'm not a hunchback, but I was so cold I was shivering by this point and I really miss my hair as that little bun used to stop the rain running down my neck.
It was lovely to meet FinkleyGladiator who was stewarding and introduced herself, then said nice things about my matching boots, saddle and pony. 
The rain then got heavier and even the eternally cheerful SuperFran was losing the will to live, but we all tramped down to the soggy showjumping warm-up and did our best to not go A over T in the mud. Lionel parked himself by the ring and reported back on distances etc, then I watched a few before I went in and decided to make up my own mind about the related distances once I saw how Big Ears was jumping. There are some comedy moments with SF and LD's comments on the round: SF indignant that I couldn't possibly have done a dressage with a 4 at the front of it whilst LD is counting strides and sounding impressed with my ability to get 9 in a 6 stride related and 7 in a 5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4U2qkEVpYA
Noddy, having been brought up on the moors in Yorkshire was very at home in that mud, but showed his disdain for the height of the fences by not really putting a huge amount of effort in - just enough, obviously
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpphgwMV2NM
I was on my second jacket by this point, but it soaked through that in about 10 minutes and we must have all looked a picture of misery: LD on his quad with his non-waterproof waterproofs on, SF looking dalek-like in my OH's drizabone that was almost touching the floor and me, just sodden and miserable.
No more vids btw as I didn't buy the underwater version of the camcorder. However, if there had been you'd have seen me galloping round, grinning inanely at the amount of fun I was having.....NOT! It was truly horrible, slippery in places, boggy in others, the river had swelled and both boys were suitably suspicious at the first crossing to mince over the second in trot, holding their noses in case they went under. To cut a long story short, I got 8 time on Noddy and 18 on Big Ears, but it wasn't like I was ever going to get a rosette with 39.5 and 43.5 dressages respectively, was it? Ho hum, it's been noted as good experience should we ever have to compete in those conditions and both boys coped admirably, surprisingly Big Ears being the chirpier of the two if the photos are anything to go by. If you haven't died of boredom already and can be bothered to look they're here:
www.realtimeimaging.co.uk
Great Witchingham Spring HT
Saturday
BE100
1545-1630 Noddy is the top of page 2, second photo
or
1630-1700 - Big Ears is page 1, second row down, third photo in
I don't blame you if you can't be bovvered to do all that, or you could just lie and pretend you have. Anyhoo, Rome wasn't built in a day, enjoy the journey, onwards and upwards and all that guff, and I can offer you builders' tea, apples or pears - Ma Baydale is due to visit tomorrow so maybe there'll be cake then.
like me can do with Great Witchingham as a starting point. This won't be much of a report as it was just an outing to try and boost the Cheeky Boys' confidence levels after Oasby, but there are vids - hurrah, I hear you say, in an Enid Blyton voice - for you to chortle over, so make yourself a brew and get comfy.Team Baydale had an extra member this time, as Lionel (Dunning) fancied a day out and a chance to shout at me in public,
so SuperFran and I were muchly entertained on the journey by his tales.....lots of and and things never to be repeated. So much for us taking our sunglasses and t-shirts as it was cold and grey when we arrived with the threat of rain. I whizzed off and walked the course, which had been spiked as the ground was firm in places, and thought it was a nice PN, just what the CBs needed after being a bit rattled at Oasby Novice. Noddy (Jup) was on first, feeling very chilled for him, so I went for the soft-but-slightly-floppy kinda test, hoping his cute face would get us marks that I didn't dare try and get with the wow factor. All was going well until he got a bit niggly about the left rein, resulting in a complete spaz attack right in front of the judge - I swear if he could've shouted "argh, help me, I've got barbed wire in my mouth!" he would have.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAvfLRhCtjs
Then onto Big Ears, who isn't quite there yet on the flat but was pleasing in how hard he was trying, other than the bit where something rustled in the hedge and he was convinced it was a horse-eating hedge monster. I find it hard enough to keep him straight and on the end of the rein ordinarily, so the weather was hardly conducive to dressage (and I use that word loosely) excellence.
I'm loving Great Witch's use of long arenas btw, twas much appreciated http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFA-c8DbjDA
And I'm not a hunchback, but I was so cold I was shivering by this point and I really miss my hair as that little bun used to stop the rain running down my neck.
It was lovely to meet FinkleyGladiator who was stewarding and introduced herself, then said nice things about my matching boots, saddle and pony.
The rain then got heavier and even the eternally cheerful SuperFran was losing the will to live, but we all tramped down to the soggy showjumping warm-up and did our best to not go A over T in the mud. Lionel parked himself by the ring and reported back on distances etc, then I watched a few before I went in and decided to make up my own mind about the related distances once I saw how Big Ears was jumping. There are some comedy moments with SF and LD's comments on the round: SF indignant that I couldn't possibly have done a dressage with a 4 at the front of it whilst LD is counting strides and sounding impressed with my ability to get 9 in a 6 stride related and 7 in a 5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4U2qkEVpYA
Noddy, having been brought up on the moors in Yorkshire was very at home in that mud, but showed his disdain for the height of the fences by not really putting a huge amount of effort in - just enough, obviously
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpphgwMV2NM
I was on my second jacket by this point, but it soaked through that in about 10 minutes and we must have all looked a picture of misery: LD on his quad with his non-waterproof waterproofs on, SF looking dalek-like in my OH's drizabone that was almost touching the floor and me, just sodden and miserable.
No more vids btw as I didn't buy the underwater version of the camcorder. However, if there had been you'd have seen me galloping round, grinning inanely at the amount of fun I was having.....NOT! It was truly horrible, slippery in places, boggy in others, the river had swelled and both boys were suitably suspicious at the first crossing to mince over the second in trot, holding their noses in case they went under.
To cut a long story short, I got 8 time on Noddy and 18 on Big Ears, but it wasn't like I was ever going to get a rosette with 39.5 and 43.5 dressages respectively, was it? Ho hum, it's been noted as good experience should we ever have to compete in those conditions and both boys coped admirably, surprisingly Big Ears being the chirpier of the two if the photos are anything to go by. If you haven't died of boredom already and can be bothered to look they're here:www.realtimeimaging.co.uk
Great Witchingham Spring HT
Saturday
BE100
1545-1630 Noddy is the top of page 2, second photo
or
1630-1700 - Big Ears is page 1, second row down, third photo in
I don't blame you if you can't be bovvered to do all that, or you could just lie and pretend you have.
Anyhoo, Rome wasn't built in a day, enjoy the journey, onwards and upwards and all that guff, and I can offer you builders' tea, apples or pears - Ma Baydale is due to visit tomorrow so maybe there'll be cake then.
You're right, Cal is indeed very considerate and I'm an ungrateful cow for not realising his concern for me.