Quick Nurstead Report - One of those Rubbish on paper days!!

[Hattikins]

Will keep it brief, no exploding at all! YAY! Did a quiet test for 36 which was fairly middle of the road, happy with that! Plenty of room for improvement though. Onto SJ, to me doing only my 3rd ever Novice and 2nd this season, it looked pretty up to height and was mostly poles and very few fillers. Anyway she jumped very well for 4flts. Went XC at 10.40 and it was already very hot, breeze hadnt come up yet and Hattie was looking very hot and sleepy! Was slightly worried we were going to struggle with the hills in the heat as done very little fast fittening work with her purely because we wanted to keep explosions to a minimum....Went beautifully out of start box over 1, 2, 3, step up to brush at 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, absolutely fantastic through the 3 roll top hanging log thingies on a slight curving line, 2strides to 2 strides. Onto 11, 90degree turn to skinny log pile, straight down 2 steps landing down hill then sharp right over very acute off set brushes, which she jumped superbly! I was so impressed! Then onto owl hole and by this time and could feel she was flagging, had negotiated several hills by this point and she was feeling it! Popped the owl hole and then the gate at 17ish, then right handed turn to huge upright profiled corner....poor girlie just ran out of puff, so took her round to the alternative, 2 palisades on an 180deg turn and she just couldnt - totally run out of steam and that was the end of our Nurstead campaign just 4 fences from home!

Very annoyed with self for not just taking the alternative straight away and nursing her home but that's my lack of experience again. She was such an incredibly good girl over all the technical stuff. So despite the big fat E! Im so so happy with Hatts and are now going to get some fittening work in, we have 5 weeks ish before Borde Hill Novice, with Hambledon PN nice easy run in between. Will also up her food as she's on hardly any hard feed! So in hindsight it's totally our fault for not feeding her and fittening her for a hilly novice track on a warm day. Lesson learnt! Lots to take away from it and feeling very positive!

Thank you for listening to my ramblings! Scotch eggs and Mr Kipling chocolate cake slices are here for the taking!

 

[BBs]

Ah hard luck hon. But sometimes better she pulled herself up than kept going and pulling something.
You both live to fight another day

 

[HammieHamlet]

well done for today - we were watching the SJ when you came in - she looked great... was almost expecting a very buzzy 'exploding' girlie, but she actually looked very laid back...

We also saw you at the 3 log thingies, which she jumped superbly - especially the third one!

Shame that you got so near to the end, but that corner is a frightner, and I certainly wouldnt want to negotiate it... At least you know she would have handled the rest of the course easily.

Well done x

 

[Rosiefan]

That sounds like a decent day and when she's a bit fitter you'll leave 'em all standing I bet. Well done
edited to add, having read that after posting it - I meant leave everyone else standing - not leave all the jumps standing (doh, I'm so stoopid)

 

[tinkerbell88]

I'm sure when she is fitter you will do really well. I think I saw you at the corner as I was walking the course at that time. I'm really sorry to say but she did look tired but I liked the way you patted her and walked off quietly, unlike a certain professional rider who was also eliminated at the corner who hit, kicked and pulled her poor horse in the mouth all the way back to the collecting ring!
Atleast the first two phases were great! The sj caused quite a few poles to fall.

 

[Fiona]

We don't do fast work with our IDx mare, and she was fit enough for a hilly novice last season. Each horse is different I suppose, and can see you didn't want to over do it and have her 'exploding' fit as she is so sharp.

Well done for the dressage and SJ though, and sounds like she proved ehrself over the first half of the XC course.

Fiona