dixie
Well-Known Member
Well I can't have had a more perfect day. Lovely hazy sunshine, not too hot,not cold. Ground good to soft, they had worked miracles on the going after last weekend.
As a bit of background this is a lovely horse I bought last September, as a 6yr old showjumper. Been jumping BN and Discovery. I have been mostly trying to get used to his big stride over the winter and as there is no winter sj circuit around us anymore have not been able to get out much - this is an excuse for what happened later ! He's never done dressage on grass (done twice me with indoors) or xc, so it was all a bit suck it and see.
So this was our first bash at a 1DE, so picked the smallest class which was a 80cm. Fairly nice for a first timer, some questions though and I wasn't sure how he would handle the combinations and turning fences and the water and the fence on the small pimple mound or even galloping on without stopped after the first fence & of course the scarey people and fence judges.
Got up at 5am for the joy of plaiting. And I had to sew them as he likes to shake his head, a lot and they all come tumbling out.
Did a nice dressage, not wow but obedient mostly. Not too wobbly and only looked over to our neighbours a few times for a 35.5. Afterwards I realised it was the first time he had done dressage on grass, so a good start.
Warmed up sj lovely, went in the ring and it went to pot. I wanted to show him a jump as a bit spooky but he wouldnt go within 10 yards of it! Anyway got four down and one stop. No idea why. Had the first fence again despite lovely stride to it. Jumped the one he wouldn't go near first time but had it down. And had last down as second part of double and as it was very bright had ridden quite strong into it. Oh well, work in progress I suppose.
Over to Xc. Wouldn't go up walkway as someone had put a camping tent up. Ran backwards a long way. My big brave horse! Got to warm up eventually to be faced with a loose horse galloping towards us. Not a good intro. Jumped warm up fences nicely although I chickened out and just did the small one. Got in the start box and we were off. First couple of fences he looked a little bit but he mostly galloped on and took them on. Did all the tricky ones really well, went thro the water and over bright blue house thing lovely and best of all when we galloped back up the hill there was a whole cluster of fences which he goggled at but when I pointed him at the one I wanted he took it on, spotted the next fence on a related distance and went for it. In my mind we went clear but I got 20penalties for crossing my tracks! which I'm sure we didn't but never mind.
Sorry not photos. My mother came but she had the dog and she mostly gets grass or sky anyway !
So all in all, I'm over the moon with him & am sure the sj will come as I definitely know he can do it well, so need to look at what I am doing and get out a lot doing local sj, now that the nice weather is here.
As a bit of background this is a lovely horse I bought last September, as a 6yr old showjumper. Been jumping BN and Discovery. I have been mostly trying to get used to his big stride over the winter and as there is no winter sj circuit around us anymore have not been able to get out much - this is an excuse for what happened later ! He's never done dressage on grass (done twice me with indoors) or xc, so it was all a bit suck it and see.
So this was our first bash at a 1DE, so picked the smallest class which was a 80cm. Fairly nice for a first timer, some questions though and I wasn't sure how he would handle the combinations and turning fences and the water and the fence on the small pimple mound or even galloping on without stopped after the first fence & of course the scarey people and fence judges.
Got up at 5am for the joy of plaiting. And I had to sew them as he likes to shake his head, a lot and they all come tumbling out.
Did a nice dressage, not wow but obedient mostly. Not too wobbly and only looked over to our neighbours a few times for a 35.5. Afterwards I realised it was the first time he had done dressage on grass, so a good start.
Warmed up sj lovely, went in the ring and it went to pot. I wanted to show him a jump as a bit spooky but he wouldnt go within 10 yards of it! Anyway got four down and one stop. No idea why. Had the first fence again despite lovely stride to it. Jumped the one he wouldn't go near first time but had it down. And had last down as second part of double and as it was very bright had ridden quite strong into it. Oh well, work in progress I suppose.
Over to Xc. Wouldn't go up walkway as someone had put a camping tent up. Ran backwards a long way. My big brave horse! Got to warm up eventually to be faced with a loose horse galloping towards us. Not a good intro. Jumped warm up fences nicely although I chickened out and just did the small one. Got in the start box and we were off. First couple of fences he looked a little bit but he mostly galloped on and took them on. Did all the tricky ones really well, went thro the water and over bright blue house thing lovely and best of all when we galloped back up the hill there was a whole cluster of fences which he goggled at but when I pointed him at the one I wanted he took it on, spotted the next fence on a related distance and went for it. In my mind we went clear but I got 20penalties for crossing my tracks! which I'm sure we didn't but never mind.
Sorry not photos. My mother came but she had the dog and she mostly gets grass or sky anyway !
So all in all, I'm over the moon with him & am sure the sj will come as I definitely know he can do it well, so need to look at what I am doing and get out a lot doing local sj, now that the nice weather is here.
