Nikki N
Member
Hi all. First post since moving to South Africa.
I'd did my first affiliated show yesterday... lovely flower pots everywhere, decorated jump pillars (not sure they are called that) - had many visions of being turfed off at first jump due to lovely flower arrangement at the base (and not at the sides but in front of jump!!), horse thinks trees are horse eating dragons so flowers are in the same league.
anyway, they don't give you numbers here, you just go up find out who you are after and you have to remember it (so not easy thinking ok #12 has gone in, I'm 21 so there are 8 before me etc) - and I needed the loo. Hubby went off to check how long I had and was told ages - so off I went. 10 mins later I come back to find out that they had been calling me in to the ring over the intercom for five minutes and hubby had to withdraw me as he couldn't find me! So went the first class.
Second class - ring steward called me into arena... off I went. THREE riders later I was still in the arena waiting to be announced and given the bell... off I went to judges box... snotty comment was "oh you are here then" when woman knew full well I was there!! (me and woman DONT get on so sure she did it to wind me up). Anyway now I'm really mad as I've circled horse twice towards the start only to hear her announcing another rider starting. Then she finally announces me.
Three jumps later a smug announcement of "Nikki you've been eliminated" and for a murderous second I thought she was going to say I hadn't saluted her at the start (it is a rule afterall). Guess what I'd done - or not done to be correct, I hadn't actually gone through the start poles (went to outside of white pole).. What an idiot! I can't believe I gave her the satisfaction of eliminating me.
Horse jumped like a trooper - had a look at flowers, cat leaped first jump but stormed over next two - would have been a great, probably clear, round. Absolutely gutted that I did something so stupid.
Even worse my family came to support me (never seen me jump before as they lived in SA and I lived in UK hence both brothers being armed with taping equipment) so I missed my first class and got eliminated before first jump in the second. Excellent first go eh?
I'd did my first affiliated show yesterday... lovely flower pots everywhere, decorated jump pillars (not sure they are called that) - had many visions of being turfed off at first jump due to lovely flower arrangement at the base (and not at the sides but in front of jump!!), horse thinks trees are horse eating dragons so flowers are in the same league.
anyway, they don't give you numbers here, you just go up find out who you are after and you have to remember it (so not easy thinking ok #12 has gone in, I'm 21 so there are 8 before me etc) - and I needed the loo. Hubby went off to check how long I had and was told ages - so off I went. 10 mins later I come back to find out that they had been calling me in to the ring over the intercom for five minutes and hubby had to withdraw me as he couldn't find me! So went the first class.
Second class - ring steward called me into arena... off I went. THREE riders later I was still in the arena waiting to be announced and given the bell... off I went to judges box... snotty comment was "oh you are here then" when woman knew full well I was there!! (me and woman DONT get on so sure she did it to wind me up). Anyway now I'm really mad as I've circled horse twice towards the start only to hear her announcing another rider starting. Then she finally announces me.
Three jumps later a smug announcement of "Nikki you've been eliminated" and for a murderous second I thought she was going to say I hadn't saluted her at the start (it is a rule afterall). Guess what I'd done - or not done to be correct, I hadn't actually gone through the start poles (went to outside of white pole).. What an idiot! I can't believe I gave her the satisfaction of eliminating me.
Horse jumped like a trooper - had a look at flowers, cat leaped first jump but stormed over next two - would have been a great, probably clear, round. Absolutely gutted that I did something so stupid.
Even worse my family came to support me (never seen me jump before as they lived in SA and I lived in UK hence both brothers being armed with taping equipment) so I missed my first class and got eliminated before first jump in the second. Excellent first go eh?