Cruiseonamiro
Well-Known Member
Bit the bullet a while ago and decided that L's fifth ODE should be an affiliated one. I cannot begin to explain how nervous I was! Arrived VERY early, without my horse, as we had four horses going from the yard - my boy, two intros and a PN. Walked the xc and was still nervous. It seemed a big jump from pony club level! The course was well designed and flowing with lots of pretty things to look at!
My boy arrived, covered in stable stains, so we quickly washed him up and got ready to go dressaging. Well. He warmed up like an absolute dream, i've learnt a new way of riding him this week and he was working long and low quite happily. Took him into the arena and he was getting quite distracted, but the first half of the test was really nice. Then, I was so busy concentrating on keeping his attention, I forgot the test - again. This is a major thing for me as the more nervous I am the more often it happens. Once I'd forgotten the test; I ruined his flow, and my own, and we ended up on our worst ever dressage mark and one i'd like to forget of 43.
I was kicking myself for letting him - and my instructor, who was there - down again. I knew I should try and push it out of my mind but I was so nervous going into the sj. The warm up was appaling; his canter was stilted and he needed to go for a good gallop. The sj was up to height and a course that should have suited him. Let him get slightly long coming towards number four; our first pole on the floor. Was pinging until a tight left hand bend to number seven. Now we know that he has some pain on the left rein (circles his nose, nods a bit and dips slightly but only bridle lame - physio out asap!) and I should have realised how much his canter was failing. He came round the corner, hesitated, and, at the point when I was closing my leg, stopped. I need to be far quicker off the mark with these things! Then had time faults too - ended up on our worst sj score ever of 15!
Cue tears from me. We'd been working so hard all week and yet again, i'd let him down. I realised that 90% of my issues are in my head. We need to work on the canter and that will help, but I need to chill out! So that's what I did. Got my head together, and went xc.
He was amazing! Put the NS universal in him for the first time and I could stop and steer! We were flying; he didn't look at anything, not even the spooky sun lounger before the water. The offset double he jumped like a dream with my new brakes - I had so much fun and a massive grin on my face the whole way round! Came home with 0.4 of a time penalty; only three people made the time in my section and felt like this was a major achievement for us after our previous troubles with making the time.
So all in all, a day I will most definitely learn from. Pics to follow!
My boy arrived, covered in stable stains, so we quickly washed him up and got ready to go dressaging. Well. He warmed up like an absolute dream, i've learnt a new way of riding him this week and he was working long and low quite happily. Took him into the arena and he was getting quite distracted, but the first half of the test was really nice. Then, I was so busy concentrating on keeping his attention, I forgot the test - again. This is a major thing for me as the more nervous I am the more often it happens. Once I'd forgotten the test; I ruined his flow, and my own, and we ended up on our worst ever dressage mark and one i'd like to forget of 43.
I was kicking myself for letting him - and my instructor, who was there - down again. I knew I should try and push it out of my mind but I was so nervous going into the sj. The warm up was appaling; his canter was stilted and he needed to go for a good gallop. The sj was up to height and a course that should have suited him. Let him get slightly long coming towards number four; our first pole on the floor. Was pinging until a tight left hand bend to number seven. Now we know that he has some pain on the left rein (circles his nose, nods a bit and dips slightly but only bridle lame - physio out asap!) and I should have realised how much his canter was failing. He came round the corner, hesitated, and, at the point when I was closing my leg, stopped. I need to be far quicker off the mark with these things! Then had time faults too - ended up on our worst sj score ever of 15!
Cue tears from me. We'd been working so hard all week and yet again, i'd let him down. I realised that 90% of my issues are in my head. We need to work on the canter and that will help, but I need to chill out! So that's what I did. Got my head together, and went xc.
He was amazing! Put the NS universal in him for the first time and I could stop and steer! We were flying; he didn't look at anything, not even the spooky sun lounger before the water. The offset double he jumped like a dream with my new brakes - I had so much fun and a massive grin on my face the whole way round! Came home with 0.4 of a time penalty; only three people made the time in my section and felt like this was a major achievement for us after our previous troubles with making the time.
So all in all, a day I will most definitely learn from. Pics to follow!
