JenniferB
Well-Known Member
This has taken me ages to get done - blaming work on interrupting my HHO time lol!
Anyway, despite being entries secretary all day I managed to get some good helpers who allowed me to slope off for a wee while to jump the Disco at my local (literally across the road from the yard) show. Despite being just across the road the way in is rather lengthy, so the plan was to trailer the boy across. This was all going to plan until we went to load and notices the trailer had a soft tyre. Rather than take the big lorry (parking on the showfield was somewhat akin to Tetris as Measles will testify...) I decided to hack over which was...interesting.
Got there in one piece (just!) and went to stud up - here the problems began. Hacking down the stony road had knocked the starts of the threads and I couldn't get a stud in for love nor money. My super helper/assistant coach/sounding board had a go as I was getting a bit stressed, and B promptly stomped down snapping the tap in his shoe and rendering the hope of any studs useless. However, I'd been told the ground wasn't bad and a few had jumped without studs with no bother so decided to give it a go.
Worked in really sweetly, Shouty Man arrived in good time to build practice fences and generally be shouty and then it was my turn to go. Went in the ring and he firstly went really spooky, then turned into King Kong grrrr. Towed me to the first fence then I didn't get sat back up well enough to two so he had that out and then threw a tantrum - came past the gate haveing a right grumpy buck to himself. 3 was a double and he jumped in and out super strong, then the wheels fell off. The next fence was a curving 5 to a piddly upright, I took the tiniest of checks and he just about sat down with me - back legs slid under him big style. I had a circle and gave him a pat (despite hearing SM swearing at me from the gate lol!) and carried on. Popped it sweetly, then the next one, then got his King Kong head on again and did this over number 6:
http://www.photoboxgallery.com/stevenpics/photo?photo_id=7506425441&vendor_id=3092
Resulting in him landing and bogging off a bit to the next one (a silly wee upright again), me taking a check, him slipping under himself again and getting all hysterical and me circling away and retiring. A bit disappointing, but he clearly wasn't confident in his footing - what he jumped he jumped well and he isn't spooky in the slightest of all the fillers which is just such a novelty for me still!
SM's prognosis is that we really need to be jumping bigger tracks that I have to attack - when the fences are dinky I fiddle too much and try and get everything perfect. We had another chat about it yesterday as it's getting me down a bit - I'm super confident riding the racehorses and schooling over the fences flat out on them isn't a problem, I can let my reins slip and just let it happen; but when I'm showjumping I'm constantly micro-managing and it's causing me real problems - virtual slap needed I think ta!
And just because he's a handsome lad and that's me now had him two years (and I'm lucky to have brill equestrian photographers based at the yard) here are a few gratuitous piccies of us having a pop the other week:
http://www.equiscot.com/photo15166989.html#photo
http://www.equiscot.com/photo15166980.html#photo
And just cos he's a handsome lad:
http://www.equiscot.com/photo15166973.html
Can't offer anything for getting this far other than a virtual pat on the back I'm afraid, CC welcome!
Anyway, despite being entries secretary all day I managed to get some good helpers who allowed me to slope off for a wee while to jump the Disco at my local (literally across the road from the yard) show. Despite being just across the road the way in is rather lengthy, so the plan was to trailer the boy across. This was all going to plan until we went to load and notices the trailer had a soft tyre. Rather than take the big lorry (parking on the showfield was somewhat akin to Tetris as Measles will testify...) I decided to hack over which was...interesting.
Got there in one piece (just!) and went to stud up - here the problems began. Hacking down the stony road had knocked the starts of the threads and I couldn't get a stud in for love nor money. My super helper/assistant coach/sounding board had a go as I was getting a bit stressed, and B promptly stomped down snapping the tap in his shoe and rendering the hope of any studs useless. However, I'd been told the ground wasn't bad and a few had jumped without studs with no bother so decided to give it a go.
Worked in really sweetly, Shouty Man arrived in good time to build practice fences and generally be shouty and then it was my turn to go. Went in the ring and he firstly went really spooky, then turned into King Kong grrrr. Towed me to the first fence then I didn't get sat back up well enough to two so he had that out and then threw a tantrum - came past the gate haveing a right grumpy buck to himself. 3 was a double and he jumped in and out super strong, then the wheels fell off. The next fence was a curving 5 to a piddly upright, I took the tiniest of checks and he just about sat down with me - back legs slid under him big style. I had a circle and gave him a pat (despite hearing SM swearing at me from the gate lol!) and carried on. Popped it sweetly, then the next one, then got his King Kong head on again and did this over number 6:
http://www.photoboxgallery.com/stevenpics/photo?photo_id=7506425441&vendor_id=3092
Resulting in him landing and bogging off a bit to the next one (a silly wee upright again), me taking a check, him slipping under himself again and getting all hysterical and me circling away and retiring. A bit disappointing, but he clearly wasn't confident in his footing - what he jumped he jumped well and he isn't spooky in the slightest of all the fillers which is just such a novelty for me still!
SM's prognosis is that we really need to be jumping bigger tracks that I have to attack - when the fences are dinky I fiddle too much and try and get everything perfect. We had another chat about it yesterday as it's getting me down a bit - I'm super confident riding the racehorses and schooling over the fences flat out on them isn't a problem, I can let my reins slip and just let it happen; but when I'm showjumping I'm constantly micro-managing and it's causing me real problems - virtual slap needed I think ta!
And just because he's a handsome lad and that's me now had him two years (and I'm lucky to have brill equestrian photographers based at the yard) here are a few gratuitous piccies of us having a pop the other week:
http://www.equiscot.com/photo15166989.html#photo
http://www.equiscot.com/photo15166980.html#photo
And just cos he's a handsome lad:
http://www.equiscot.com/photo15166973.html
Can't offer anything for getting this far other than a virtual pat on the back I'm afraid, CC welcome!
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