JustKickOn
Well-Known Member
It's been a while since I last posted a report, and there is lots to update on!!
Life has been bit hectic these last few months. I started a new job in March so have had a lot going on with learning new things there! I'm able to work flexi hours though, so that will be a bonus in winter with early mornings!
The last competition little black mare and I did, we ended up having to change our entry to HC, as she had a complete hissy fit going into the arena, whipped round on a sixpence and stood up and waved at the judge. Disappointed and unsuccessful to say the least, more frustrating when she did a 62% test with comments regarding having so much potential but all rather tense. That was December, and over the winter months with less time, I was able to consider various options, but the one I went with was to abandon competing and to see how things were come summer time. I spent the dark months getting up at the crack of dawn to fit in a 30 minute session before work, hacking at the weekends and generally giving both of us a break.
This is what jumping was like- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7arRb-iNwM&list=UUJEUu5hDFkK3N4iUbyQI35w
We have been on a few fun rides, and really enjoyed our jumping on them, just going over what I felt comfortable with. Some of you may remember my jumping posts last year. Not. Pretty. Other than the fun rides, I had left the jumping and pretty much given up on it. Until now... Our confidence grew over the few fun rides, and I got a bit brave and went a stuck 4 jumps up in the field. The day I walked down with her, and cantered round the field and was able to stop was enough for me to tell myself to be brave and just go for it. LBM trotted into the jump, popped it, and came straight back to walk. I was gobsmacked. We went round and did another one, where she threw her back end in the air after, stuck her head down, got a smack and then came back to trot. I did another, she was foot perfect and I left it at that. And I've just been ticking her over then each week, varying which exercises we do.
And then I got really brave and entered a one day event...
I was really looking forward to it, but thanks to Sod's Law, the heavens opened and the XC was cancelled, and the event changed to a Combined Training. I felt ready for it dressage wise, but there was a niggle in the back of my head that it would all go to pot with the show jumping. The day before the comp, I went to the local tack shop to pick up some plaiting bands, and something caught my eye, and my mind started imagining... NAF Magic Syringes. For £12.50 for 3, it was worth a shot.
Sunday morning, LBM had a syringe in with her breakfast, she was plaited up, and off we set. She traveled quiet as a lamb (unusual for her), was chilled as anything to get ready, and was just such a star with her behaviour. Usually she is flying all over the place, with three of us trying to get tack on ASAP before she disappears having pinged back off the lorry!
On I got, LBM standing nice and still, and we went for a little hack up the lane and back, round the fields and into the warm up. Her trot felt nice and light, her canter went a little downhill, and when I tried to pick her up, she tucked in and went a bit deep. Long rein, stretched her back out again, and her canter was better, a little behind my leg, but nice. Into the test, she was a little spooky trotting round. Anyone who has been to Solihull, and done a test in their outdoor at the cross country end will know how the horses can be a little looky. Well, LBM pulled her socks up and did a nice test. Stupid pilot forgot to keep the outside rein and leg on, and she skipped out the arena. Twice. And the had a spooky moment at a white board where she got a boot and she went all bambi legs on me! Other than that, it was a nice test, and her walk felt particularly good, and the judge agreed giving us an 8!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1__SEBmiJnY
Straight back to the lorry, quick change of bridle and I had a quick kit change, and off we went to the show jumping.
Video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8T709Ia_tI&list=UUJEUu5hDFkK3N4iUbyQI35w
I think my comment at the end sums it up. I was over the moon. I can't even describe how nice it was to have control (bar my wait, wait WAAAAIT moment!) and to feel safe doing a round. There wasn't a single moment where I though she was going to stop, and she looked after me when I got it wrong.
At this point, I didn't know my score. Didn't even care about my score, I was just happy to be out and enjoying what we were doing. I went of on another little hack and rode round a field, when chief groom called over to me.
She announced that I had been eliminated.
I was gutted.
Then a wry grin went across her face, and she announced I was sitting in 1st place with two more to jump, with a dressage score of 68.3%. I cried. And cried and cried and cried, and I don't think I stopped for about 10 minutes while cuddling Ky. Horses are happiness.
We ended up finishing in 2nd, with a nice polka dot blue ribbon, some lincoln fly wash, a £10 venue voucher and a blue chip bag! and I was definitely all thanks to the NAF Magic. It felt like somebody had lifted Ky's visor, and said, there you go, bit of clarity and rationalization for you. I'm now well stocked up on them for future events, and will be trying them for clipping too.
I definitely need to shorten my reins up for both dressage and jumping, and need to sit on my bum and bit more and not peck on landing over a fence, but that can all be a work in progress now my confidence has been reinstated!
Pre dressage pic
And then onto the next competition. A friend and I were both having withdrawal symptoms from fun rides, and I needed my XC fix, so went entered a hunter trial and went for the pairs class! It was 2'3"-2'6", and they really were up to height, with some big wide fences.
Ky had half a Magic syringe, and jumped lovely in the warm up, again with control and no rushing or firing.
Off we set as a pair round the course, pop over the first, pop over the second, and we pinged over the third. The both backed off going into the 4, but a tap-kick-growl and Ky went over first, up the bank and then second over the next part, down the hill we followed our partner, they flew over ad then Ky ground to a halt. I pony club kicked and was then pinged into orbit, and out the side door, sort of, hanging on the side determined not to fall off, I scrabbled back on. Through the water, ping, both ran out at the big blue dragon (friend's bogey fence which she had doubts about, her horse ran out and Ky followed) pinged it with some encouragement, pop, into the double pop-pop straight over part B - the ditch, much to our surprise. Then onto some barrels with a rail over the top, my bogey fence. I dropped Ky about two strides out and just stopped riding, so she obliged and said if you won't then I'm not going to, cut in front of our partner and we both had a run out. Flew over second time round, onto the downhill scary one no problem, over the roll top and then another run out due to some confusion between myself and my partner over a skinny! Pop over the tyres, bounced up the steps, down a drop, an almost stop at the last big one and we were done.
The adrenaline was pumping, and we could have gone round again!! It was boiling hot, so cooling and washing the horses down was the top priority. As we had just finished washing off, the organiser started to call out the results. First place went to one pair over the far side of the field, and then we heard "Second place goes to Eliz..." and I just jumped around with joy!! We had come second!! I was so so so over the moon, as was my partner and the support team!! Another successful day, and confidence building steadily each time.
Onwards and upwards, the next few events have been eyed up, and if anyone works for NAF - Thank you for such a fabulous product!!
Over and out, still smiling
JustKickOn and Little Black Mare
Life has been bit hectic these last few months. I started a new job in March so have had a lot going on with learning new things there! I'm able to work flexi hours though, so that will be a bonus in winter with early mornings!
The last competition little black mare and I did, we ended up having to change our entry to HC, as she had a complete hissy fit going into the arena, whipped round on a sixpence and stood up and waved at the judge. Disappointed and unsuccessful to say the least, more frustrating when she did a 62% test with comments regarding having so much potential but all rather tense. That was December, and over the winter months with less time, I was able to consider various options, but the one I went with was to abandon competing and to see how things were come summer time. I spent the dark months getting up at the crack of dawn to fit in a 30 minute session before work, hacking at the weekends and generally giving both of us a break.
This is what jumping was like- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7arRb-iNwM&list=UUJEUu5hDFkK3N4iUbyQI35w
We have been on a few fun rides, and really enjoyed our jumping on them, just going over what I felt comfortable with. Some of you may remember my jumping posts last year. Not. Pretty. Other than the fun rides, I had left the jumping and pretty much given up on it. Until now... Our confidence grew over the few fun rides, and I got a bit brave and went a stuck 4 jumps up in the field. The day I walked down with her, and cantered round the field and was able to stop was enough for me to tell myself to be brave and just go for it. LBM trotted into the jump, popped it, and came straight back to walk. I was gobsmacked. We went round and did another one, where she threw her back end in the air after, stuck her head down, got a smack and then came back to trot. I did another, she was foot perfect and I left it at that. And I've just been ticking her over then each week, varying which exercises we do.
And then I got really brave and entered a one day event...
I was really looking forward to it, but thanks to Sod's Law, the heavens opened and the XC was cancelled, and the event changed to a Combined Training. I felt ready for it dressage wise, but there was a niggle in the back of my head that it would all go to pot with the show jumping. The day before the comp, I went to the local tack shop to pick up some plaiting bands, and something caught my eye, and my mind started imagining... NAF Magic Syringes. For £12.50 for 3, it was worth a shot.
Sunday morning, LBM had a syringe in with her breakfast, she was plaited up, and off we set. She traveled quiet as a lamb (unusual for her), was chilled as anything to get ready, and was just such a star with her behaviour. Usually she is flying all over the place, with three of us trying to get tack on ASAP before she disappears having pinged back off the lorry!
On I got, LBM standing nice and still, and we went for a little hack up the lane and back, round the fields and into the warm up. Her trot felt nice and light, her canter went a little downhill, and when I tried to pick her up, she tucked in and went a bit deep. Long rein, stretched her back out again, and her canter was better, a little behind my leg, but nice. Into the test, she was a little spooky trotting round. Anyone who has been to Solihull, and done a test in their outdoor at the cross country end will know how the horses can be a little looky. Well, LBM pulled her socks up and did a nice test. Stupid pilot forgot to keep the outside rein and leg on, and she skipped out the arena. Twice. And the had a spooky moment at a white board where she got a boot and she went all bambi legs on me! Other than that, it was a nice test, and her walk felt particularly good, and the judge agreed giving us an 8!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1__SEBmiJnY
Straight back to the lorry, quick change of bridle and I had a quick kit change, and off we went to the show jumping.
Video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8T709Ia_tI&list=UUJEUu5hDFkK3N4iUbyQI35w
I think my comment at the end sums it up. I was over the moon. I can't even describe how nice it was to have control (bar my wait, wait WAAAAIT moment!) and to feel safe doing a round. There wasn't a single moment where I though she was going to stop, and she looked after me when I got it wrong.
At this point, I didn't know my score. Didn't even care about my score, I was just happy to be out and enjoying what we were doing. I went of on another little hack and rode round a field, when chief groom called over to me.
She announced that I had been eliminated.
I was gutted.
Then a wry grin went across her face, and she announced I was sitting in 1st place with two more to jump, with a dressage score of 68.3%. I cried. And cried and cried and cried, and I don't think I stopped for about 10 minutes while cuddling Ky. Horses are happiness.
We ended up finishing in 2nd, with a nice polka dot blue ribbon, some lincoln fly wash, a £10 venue voucher and a blue chip bag! and I was definitely all thanks to the NAF Magic. It felt like somebody had lifted Ky's visor, and said, there you go, bit of clarity and rationalization for you. I'm now well stocked up on them for future events, and will be trying them for clipping too.
I definitely need to shorten my reins up for both dressage and jumping, and need to sit on my bum and bit more and not peck on landing over a fence, but that can all be a work in progress now my confidence has been reinstated!
Pre dressage pic
And then onto the next competition. A friend and I were both having withdrawal symptoms from fun rides, and I needed my XC fix, so went entered a hunter trial and went for the pairs class! It was 2'3"-2'6", and they really were up to height, with some big wide fences.
Ky had half a Magic syringe, and jumped lovely in the warm up, again with control and no rushing or firing.
Off we set as a pair round the course, pop over the first, pop over the second, and we pinged over the third. The both backed off going into the 4, but a tap-kick-growl and Ky went over first, up the bank and then second over the next part, down the hill we followed our partner, they flew over ad then Ky ground to a halt. I pony club kicked and was then pinged into orbit, and out the side door, sort of, hanging on the side determined not to fall off, I scrabbled back on. Through the water, ping, both ran out at the big blue dragon (friend's bogey fence which she had doubts about, her horse ran out and Ky followed) pinged it with some encouragement, pop, into the double pop-pop straight over part B - the ditch, much to our surprise. Then onto some barrels with a rail over the top, my bogey fence. I dropped Ky about two strides out and just stopped riding, so she obliged and said if you won't then I'm not going to, cut in front of our partner and we both had a run out. Flew over second time round, onto the downhill scary one no problem, over the roll top and then another run out due to some confusion between myself and my partner over a skinny! Pop over the tyres, bounced up the steps, down a drop, an almost stop at the last big one and we were done.
The adrenaline was pumping, and we could have gone round again!! It was boiling hot, so cooling and washing the horses down was the top priority. As we had just finished washing off, the organiser started to call out the results. First place went to one pair over the far side of the field, and then we heard "Second place goes to Eliz..." and I just jumped around with joy!! We had come second!! I was so so so over the moon, as was my partner and the support team!! Another successful day, and confidence building steadily each time.
Onwards and upwards, the next few events have been eyed up, and if anyone works for NAF - Thank you for such a fabulous product!!
Over and out, still smiling
JustKickOn and Little Black Mare
