JFTDWS
+++ Out of Cheese Error +++
I have very little understanding of how the points system works, or why it's important, but I like the idea that Mr F has one all the same. Apparently I've also shifted up a rider group... Which is a little ridiculous as all we did was rock up and cruise round a fairly mediocre test yesterday, but I shan't complain 
We were doing the E43 at Norton Heath, and it may have been a poor choice of BD debut as it was actually mobbed! At least 3 rings, big classes (by my standards anyway!), rather packed warm ups and a chaotic lorry park :eek3: I recall seeing something about young horse qualifiers on the schedule which I imagine is the explanation for this. Anyway, baptism of fire and all that...
He warmed up pretty well, and we didn't have any major crashes - which was little short of miraculous - and he rocked around the test pretty happily and without any major dramas from him. Some of the trot work, and his medium canter felt pretty nice, but I suspect the poor judge was sitting in her hut cracking her forehead repeatedly on the desk with despair...
In terms of simple, stupid mistakes, I had a few navigational issues, including, but by no means limited to, a spectacular half pass onto a forgotten 15m circle ("funny shaped circle!") and a rogue final halt at I rather than G... Literally throwing marks away!
His leg yield was about as sideways as a very straight thing, which I suspect reflects the knife embedded between my shoulder blades for the entire test. Et tu, Brute?! For reasons which do not need exploring at this juncture, I spent several hours the night before on a push bike - despite my protestations that only peasants ride bikes and it is more befitting of my status to ride a pony. (Mind you, I'm not sure quite what gave me the impression I am anything but a peasant!). It would be an understatement to say I was stiff in the morning, and probably blocking him a fair bit, as normally he's very much up for going sideways. I hope that was the issue anyway...
So it would be fair to say I wasn't expecting great things in the way of results. I was pleasantly surprised with his score of 61.4% - lots of marked docked for avoidable mistakes, and a number of very fair criticisms in the comments. But the judge was clearly prepared to give him marks when we did get it a bit better, and the result isn't a complete embarassment, even though it was far from our best performance. I'm taking this as a major encouagement - I'd be more than happy with 65% on our best days, given his conformation and lack of flash, and if we can get low 60s with our performance yesterday, I think that's possibly not an outrageous aim.
Of course, it helps when you can blind the judge with simply obscene amounts of bling... The poor woman will probably be seeking emergency medical attention for her burned retinas and sending us the bill... Does 3rd party liability cover this, or should I write on my entry forms in future warning the judge to bring protective sunglasses?! Seriously - look at the sparkle on his swish new Equiens browband:
(I know, I know, all the traditional nativists are shuddering and going to lie down in a darkened room! )
And other test pics... I'd really like this one if it weren't for the sign messing up the background.
And the final move, renamed specially for us: "vaguely aim for centre line and flop into a sweaty halt somewhere, anywhere between X and judge". We managed this sublimely...
I can offer tea and scones for your trouble if you've made it this far... It's too early for hard liquour and too hot for anything very exciting!
We were doing the E43 at Norton Heath, and it may have been a poor choice of BD debut as it was actually mobbed! At least 3 rings, big classes (by my standards anyway!), rather packed warm ups and a chaotic lorry park :eek3: I recall seeing something about young horse qualifiers on the schedule which I imagine is the explanation for this. Anyway, baptism of fire and all that...
He warmed up pretty well, and we didn't have any major crashes - which was little short of miraculous - and he rocked around the test pretty happily and without any major dramas from him. Some of the trot work, and his medium canter felt pretty nice, but I suspect the poor judge was sitting in her hut cracking her forehead repeatedly on the desk with despair...
In terms of simple, stupid mistakes, I had a few navigational issues, including, but by no means limited to, a spectacular half pass onto a forgotten 15m circle ("funny shaped circle!") and a rogue final halt at I rather than G... Literally throwing marks away!
His leg yield was about as sideways as a very straight thing, which I suspect reflects the knife embedded between my shoulder blades for the entire test. Et tu, Brute?! For reasons which do not need exploring at this juncture, I spent several hours the night before on a push bike - despite my protestations that only peasants ride bikes and it is more befitting of my status to ride a pony. (Mind you, I'm not sure quite what gave me the impression I am anything but a peasant!). It would be an understatement to say I was stiff in the morning, and probably blocking him a fair bit, as normally he's very much up for going sideways. I hope that was the issue anyway...
So it would be fair to say I wasn't expecting great things in the way of results. I was pleasantly surprised with his score of 61.4% - lots of marked docked for avoidable mistakes, and a number of very fair criticisms in the comments. But the judge was clearly prepared to give him marks when we did get it a bit better, and the result isn't a complete embarassment, even though it was far from our best performance. I'm taking this as a major encouagement - I'd be more than happy with 65% on our best days, given his conformation and lack of flash, and if we can get low 60s with our performance yesterday, I think that's possibly not an outrageous aim.
Of course, it helps when you can blind the judge with simply obscene amounts of bling... The poor woman will probably be seeking emergency medical attention for her burned retinas and sending us the bill... Does 3rd party liability cover this, or should I write on my entry forms in future warning the judge to bring protective sunglasses?! Seriously - look at the sparkle on his swish new Equiens browband:
(I know, I know, all the traditional nativists are shuddering and going to lie down in a darkened room!
)And other test pics... I'd really like this one if it weren't for the sign messing up the background.
And the final move, renamed specially for us: "vaguely aim for centre line and flop into a sweaty halt somewhere, anywhere between X and judge". We managed this sublimely...
I can offer tea and scones for your trouble if you've made it this far... It's too early for hard liquour and too hot for anything very exciting!
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And the browband really suits him btw!!
