henryhorn
Well-Known Member
I hardly slept all night and and was up and ready by 5.30am, CCj loaded Chocx and we were on the road by 6am.
Then it started to go pear shaped! I'd travelled around 40 miles when I realised I was on the A303 heading for London not the Dorchester Road I should have been, tried not to panic especially when I found I'd brought the wrong lead for the sat nav system and we had limited use as the battery was running out.
A massive detour took us via Ilminster and across country via little villages to reach the event at around 9am, rather later than planned.
C went off to walk the course, having been medicated with lots of calpol and sudafed as she finds swallowing tablets impossible.
An hour later she was back looking ashen faced and near to tears, the course was really difficult compared to what they had attempted previously and the medicine wasn' toworking, she was alternating between shaking and being roasting hot.
(I wasn't much better and was swallowing pills like sweets).
At this point we met Lec and Spotted Cat, and bless them they were utterly supportive and encouraging. Both were in Novice and had done good XC rounds so came back to tell C the course rode beautifully. She and Chocx were in the Land Rover Challenge, to qualify you had to be in the first ten at a West Country event, and having studied the form the night before on BE, we were in the top 9 of those entered re wins,so as the rosettes and prizes went to 20th place we felt we may have a chance.
Feeling lousy she got on him only to have a last minute row with me when we realised his stallion tags (and two sets of spare ones I had bought) had been removed from the box and his bridle and were sitting in the tackroom here..
Chocx owner shooed C away before I did something nasty to her and we made temp stallion tags instead.
She came back having done a nice dresage test for 29.
Chocx owner went over to do the practice jump for them and he jumped a super exuberant clear, the planks fell over in the wind as he approached so he had to jump them at 2' 6" instead..
By this time they were lying in 5th place so C decided to have a go at the XC, if it felt bad she was going to retire.
He stormed round with just one refusal at a massive bush fence , they weren't straight, had the wrong stride and he stopped, but flew it next time.
The course really was a challenge, over a biggish log into water, several jumps shared with the Novice and lots of difficult fences.
It threw it down while they jumped it and C said she could hardly see and could hear nothing but the wind rushing past her hat, and the smile on her face when they finished said it all.
In the end the were 12th and won a lovely set of Woof travelling boots, which Choc wore to come home in..
The new Saracen feed regime obviously works (Prep 14 and equijewel for anyone interested) but the real highlight of the day for us was the support from our fellow H and H eventers; poor Spotted Cat was pounced upon by Chocx owner and sent off marching him round in the rain after his round , we didn't know whether to laugh or cry or explain she had just finished her own Novice round!
The strength of this forum is the willingness of the members to help each other.
I felt humbled today, what super people those two are, and I felt proud to know them..
C is out emptying the box, I reckon she will be in bed quite soon, her bug is getting worse, mine slightly better.
Now to see if we can get him in Bath and West and Aldon; retire, certainly not, he can finish the season. Oh and C got 8 for her riding and some lovely comments from the judge..
After our shakey start, a pretty good day overall.
Then it started to go pear shaped! I'd travelled around 40 miles when I realised I was on the A303 heading for London not the Dorchester Road I should have been, tried not to panic especially when I found I'd brought the wrong lead for the sat nav system and we had limited use as the battery was running out.
A massive detour took us via Ilminster and across country via little villages to reach the event at around 9am, rather later than planned.
C went off to walk the course, having been medicated with lots of calpol and sudafed as she finds swallowing tablets impossible.
An hour later she was back looking ashen faced and near to tears, the course was really difficult compared to what they had attempted previously and the medicine wasn' toworking, she was alternating between shaking and being roasting hot.
(I wasn't much better and was swallowing pills like sweets).
At this point we met Lec and Spotted Cat, and bless them they were utterly supportive and encouraging. Both were in Novice and had done good XC rounds so came back to tell C the course rode beautifully. She and Chocx were in the Land Rover Challenge, to qualify you had to be in the first ten at a West Country event, and having studied the form the night before on BE, we were in the top 9 of those entered re wins,so as the rosettes and prizes went to 20th place we felt we may have a chance.
Feeling lousy she got on him only to have a last minute row with me when we realised his stallion tags (and two sets of spare ones I had bought) had been removed from the box and his bridle and were sitting in the tackroom here..
Chocx owner shooed C away before I did something nasty to her and we made temp stallion tags instead.
She came back having done a nice dresage test for 29.
Chocx owner went over to do the practice jump for them and he jumped a super exuberant clear, the planks fell over in the wind as he approached so he had to jump them at 2' 6" instead..
By this time they were lying in 5th place so C decided to have a go at the XC, if it felt bad she was going to retire.
He stormed round with just one refusal at a massive bush fence , they weren't straight, had the wrong stride and he stopped, but flew it next time.
The course really was a challenge, over a biggish log into water, several jumps shared with the Novice and lots of difficult fences.
It threw it down while they jumped it and C said she could hardly see and could hear nothing but the wind rushing past her hat, and the smile on her face when they finished said it all.
In the end the were 12th and won a lovely set of Woof travelling boots, which Choc wore to come home in..
The new Saracen feed regime obviously works (Prep 14 and equijewel for anyone interested) but the real highlight of the day for us was the support from our fellow H and H eventers; poor Spotted Cat was pounced upon by Chocx owner and sent off marching him round in the rain after his round , we didn't know whether to laugh or cry or explain she had just finished her own Novice round!
The strength of this forum is the willingness of the members to help each other.
I felt humbled today, what super people those two are, and I felt proud to know them..
C is out emptying the box, I reckon she will be in bed quite soon, her bug is getting worse, mine slightly better.
Now to see if we can get him in Bath and West and Aldon; retire, certainly not, he can finish the season. Oh and C got 8 for her riding and some lovely comments from the judge..
After our shakey start, a pretty good day overall.
