Rambo
Well-Known Member
So, this weekend we decided to venture beyong the boundaries of Kent / Sussex, armed with our £1.80 toll for the Dartford Crossing, we ventured to Norton Heath for a 2 day jumping fest, of Amateur Champs 2nd Round Qualifiers.
This was our first venture to Essex, and thus our first venture to Norton Heath, and I have to say, we were mightily impressed with the facilities on arrival. We settled the horses into their stabling for the weekend, and got ourselves entered for the necessary classes.
Trike was entered for one class on saturday...the 1m Amateur National Champs 2nd Round. There was additional pressure in the form of Kelly1982 (Trike's former owner) who was there competing her noew hossy
Anyway, Saturday was not going to be one of Trike's better days
He felt stiff coming off the lorry, and never really got going forward. When it came to our turn to jump, Trike entered the arena and his eyes literally popped out on stalks
It was all I could do to get a canter out of him and he is probably the first horse ever to jump a 1m BSJA track from a trot
Despite his problems, the only fault he made was a runout through the combination at No. 4...middle part...which he simply couldn't jump from a trot lol! So a disappointing 4 faults but could have a been a lot worse
Bo came next in the 2-phase 1.10m. This was the first 1.10m we'd jumped since August, and we had a few confidence issues lurking in the back of our minds...particularly regarding back rails of oxers
Anyway, he came out firing on all guns, and jumped a super double clear
We didn't push it against the clock but were satisfied with a decent DC. As it turned out, we were the slowest of 9 DC's in a field of 43, so they paid out 8 places....we thus missed a prize by one place
So, full of enthusiasm from the 1.10m, and confident that we had jumped 1.20m in the 2nd phase, we entered Bo for the 1.20m
Perhaps we should have realised that as this was a 'Last Chance' Amateur Champs 2nd Round (qualifying direct to the national finals!) that it might not perhaps be the straight-forward 1.20m we had been hoping for
As they were building the course, I was literally cr@pping myself ! This was a seriously LARGE 1.20m...and when we came to walk the course it appeared that it was more of a 1.25m / 1.30m than a 1.20m
Anyway, I hold my had p, and say, I decided before I jumped the class that there was no way I was going to get round
And so it was....I didn't get a good stride to No.1, which meant we were fighting to No.2 and had it down....round the corner to No.3...the first real test...a double of upright (1.20m) to oxer (1.20m+) off 2 forward strides...Bo backed off, I kicked, he said stuff you.......and I went over the handlebars
The photographer has a lovely sequence of me going through the motions as I turned a somersault lol! So, not a great a end to the day, but not a great surprise either :smirk.
So, onto Sunday, and the 90cm warm-up for Trike before we got down to business in the 90cm Am Champs 2nd Round. Well, he went much better than saturday, although I still felt I was having to ride him forward so much more than I do at home. Anyway, we were clear to the last ( a tricky little stile), where I saw the long one and took it....but he unfortunately had it down
So, onto the 2nd round itself, and again going much better than before, but just had the most unfortunate of rubs at No.4 ! I had taken a slight pull off the corner causing him to put the extra stride in and he just had the back rail
At this point I was starting to think nothing was going our way...Bo had a chance ride in the 90cm Am 2nd Round from an earlier qualification at Crockstead. So, I was starting to believe that I might actually like to get him qualified for the national finals.....he'd been on fire in teh 1.10m the day before, and this horse rarely has a pole......so what does he go and do.....has the back rail off the first fence...GRRR!!! Jumped a super round apart from that lol!
Finally, onto the last class of the day for Bo which was another 1.10m. This time it was bang upto height, and we went in full of confidence. He jumped a lovely round apart from a small hesitance at No.4 which caised him to take the back pole (
)...so...you guessed it....4 faults
We jumped 7 classes over the weekend.....in 5 of them we had 4 faults....in one we were DC but missed a placing by 1 place, and in the other we got ELIM
A frustrating weekend for sure, but Norton Heath is a great venue and is to be recommended to anyone thinking of going there. We will certainly be going back...but for now, chasing a 2nd Round at Sands Farm next weekend or somewhere else before the end of the month
Here's a couple of photo's from the weekend :-
Trike 1m Am 2nd Round :-
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d53/kirkkr/TrikeM_Norton_Heath_1m.jpg
Bo 1.10m :-
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d53/kirkkr/Rambo_Norton_Heath_1.jpg
If you got this far, well done and thank you...if not....you don't really care what I say do you
This was our first venture to Essex, and thus our first venture to Norton Heath, and I have to say, we were mightily impressed with the facilities on arrival. We settled the horses into their stabling for the weekend, and got ourselves entered for the necessary classes.
Trike was entered for one class on saturday...the 1m Amateur National Champs 2nd Round. There was additional pressure in the form of Kelly1982 (Trike's former owner) who was there competing her noew hossy
Bo came next in the 2-phase 1.10m. This was the first 1.10m we'd jumped since August, and we had a few confidence issues lurking in the back of our minds...particularly regarding back rails of oxers
So, full of enthusiasm from the 1.10m, and confident that we had jumped 1.20m in the 2nd phase, we entered Bo for the 1.20m
So, onto Sunday, and the 90cm warm-up for Trike before we got down to business in the 90cm Am Champs 2nd Round. Well, he went much better than saturday, although I still felt I was having to ride him forward so much more than I do at home. Anyway, we were clear to the last ( a tricky little stile), where I saw the long one and took it....but he unfortunately had it down
Finally, onto the last class of the day for Bo which was another 1.10m. This time it was bang upto height, and we went in full of confidence. He jumped a lovely round apart from a small hesitance at No.4 which caised him to take the back pole (
We jumped 7 classes over the weekend.....in 5 of them we had 4 faults....in one we were DC but missed a placing by 1 place, and in the other we got ELIM
A frustrating weekend for sure, but Norton Heath is a great venue and is to be recommended to anyone thinking of going there. We will certainly be going back...but for now, chasing a 2nd Round at Sands Farm next weekend or somewhere else before the end of the month
Here's a couple of photo's from the weekend :-
Trike 1m Am 2nd Round :-
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d53/kirkkr/TrikeM_Norton_Heath_1m.jpg
Bo 1.10m :-
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d53/kirkkr/Rambo_Norton_Heath_1.jpg
If you got this far, well done and thank you...if not....you don't really care what I say do you
