rara007
Well-Known Member
Last weekend report as I was waiting for pictures!
September 2012 Pip was reserve open pony national champion- since then he has really been on the wind down as he was never going to make an advanced pony the season after is when Contrast came, he went on loan for a bit, came back and then since Contrast has gone has taken back over the role of driving pony. Last season we had great fun at 'scurry and trials' which is a mix of the sports but much more scurry to be honest. Now he is that bit older (and I'm that bit busier) it negates the need to get 'roads and tracks' fit and is also less miles on the clock. You also don't need to do any form of dressage.... Over the winter my mum (a novice driver) did a novice indoor event, resulting in an impressive 51% (49pen) dressage- a record for Pip
. He has always been fairly solid at dressage, but it doesn't come naturally to him. Anyhow, decided for some strange reason that doing an outdoor club ODE would be a fun way to test his fitness prior to starting our season of scurry and trials.
First up dressage- technically only actually schooled him once before it as well, that's dull
It was the 'old' intermediate national test so we did it extensively in 2008-2010 so know it pretty well. He genuinely really tried! He didn't hollow through any transitions, only had one confused moment where I brought him back too harshly (just from voice!) from medium trot then had to send him on again and it all got a bit confused, he stayed sensible in the one handed moves and stood and rein backed as and when told. We got 49 (outdoors this is 70% though!) so very pleased with him 
Just lacking a little 'schooling' fitness to maintain it 100% but if he'd cantered sideways bucking the whole test I couldn't have blamed him!
Onto the cones- since doing the short format events a 20 cone (with 3 or 4 'oxers' and a multiple) seemed like miles long! Always has been his weak phase.... Let him canter the first few then he settled into a nice rhythm, just getting 17 and 19 down as I lost concentration, and in true scurry style we made the time. We were 2nd (of a class of 4) after dressage and despite the two down maintained this going into the XC.
XC I had walked very pony friendly routes as I was a bit unsure of his fitness and he has never been the fastest so for a fun event there was no point in trying to relive the days that have passed. That and I've not done a solid fixed obstacle for a few years and they did seems awfully solid after a few years out! The boy loved it. We were 3rd/4 on this phase but actually as the results were that everyone performed opposite to how they did in the dressage and cones we ended up 4th/4 but we'd still had a great day and he couldn't have tried any harder for me!
Dressage warm up
Either warm up or cones:
cones;
waiting to start marathon:
marathon:
Not looking too shabby at the end- 11 years after his first event at this venue!
This coming weekend off up to Thame for out first scurry of the year
September 2012 Pip was reserve open pony national champion- since then he has really been on the wind down as he was never going to make an advanced pony the season after is when Contrast came, he went on loan for a bit, came back and then since Contrast has gone has taken back over the role of driving pony. Last season we had great fun at 'scurry and trials' which is a mix of the sports but much more scurry to be honest. Now he is that bit older (and I'm that bit busier) it negates the need to get 'roads and tracks' fit and is also less miles on the clock. You also don't need to do any form of dressage.... Over the winter my mum (a novice driver) did a novice indoor event, resulting in an impressive 51% (49pen) dressage- a record for Pip
. He has always been fairly solid at dressage, but it doesn't come naturally to him. Anyhow, decided for some strange reason that doing an outdoor club ODE would be a fun way to test his fitness prior to starting our season of scurry and trials. First up dressage- technically only actually schooled him once before it as well, that's dull
It was the 'old' intermediate national test so we did it extensively in 2008-2010 so know it pretty well. He genuinely really tried! He didn't hollow through any transitions, only had one confused moment where I brought him back too harshly (just from voice!) from medium trot then had to send him on again and it all got a bit confused, he stayed sensible in the one handed moves and stood and rein backed as and when told. We got 49 (outdoors this is 70% though!) so very pleased with him Just lacking a little 'schooling' fitness to maintain it 100% but if he'd cantered sideways bucking the whole test I couldn't have blamed him!Onto the cones- since doing the short format events a 20 cone (with 3 or 4 'oxers' and a multiple) seemed like miles long! Always has been his weak phase.... Let him canter the first few then he settled into a nice rhythm, just getting 17 and 19 down as I lost concentration, and in true scurry style we made the time. We were 2nd (of a class of 4) after dressage and despite the two down maintained this going into the XC.
XC I had walked very pony friendly routes as I was a bit unsure of his fitness and he has never been the fastest so for a fun event there was no point in trying to relive the days that have passed. That and I've not done a solid fixed obstacle for a few years and they did seems awfully solid after a few years out! The boy loved it. We were 3rd/4 on this phase but actually as the results were that everyone performed opposite to how they did in the dressage and cones we ended up 4th/4 but we'd still had a great day and he couldn't have tried any harder for me!
Dressage warm up
Either warm up or cones:
cones;
waiting to start marathon:
marathon:
Not looking too shabby at the end- 11 years after his first event at this venue!
This coming weekend off up to Thame for out first scurry of the year
