Hattikins
Well-Known Member
All in all a very encouraging weekend. Took little coloured chappy for the saturday intro and he coped incredibly well in the heat with his times at mid day . Produced what I felt was a really lovely test, only one transition I'd liked to have improved as he resisted the contact slightly but still very happy. Went on to jump a lovely clear SJing and whizzed round the XC way inside the time (I just dont know how he manages it - he's only 15hh and chunky and Im never trying to go fast on him but he is SO nippy round the turns and wastes no time over and away from fences...he only goes in a nathe snaffle and i never have to take a pull to steady him so maybe thats why!?) Turns out he posted a 26.5 dressage! Which was the best in the section so we won our second intro!! So very very chuffed to bits with him, he's really such a joy to ride and I'm so lucky to have been given the ride on him this year ( and well done to eventingismygame with T who did extremely well to come 4th and have written a lovely report )
Onto to my ginger girlie who I havent evented since our rather disasterous SJing incident at Hambleden. She's had two runs with a long legged man, one great, one good but not so XC as she'd clearly had enough of someone telling her what to do and she threw several toys out of the pram with him and made his life a little difficult - being wiggly and generally not really helping matters! So hoping she may prefer me on her again(!!) we did our homework last weekend and did the Felbridge PN Combined Training which she came 2nd in so was feeling positive about the SJing again, and then we took her to Rackham for the sunday PN.
Dressage was kind of worth glossing over as I was first to go in and the judge never turned up! Lots of very very fed up, hot competitors who had all spent 30mins already warming up then had to spend another 30mins waiting for a replacement judge which was luckily found. Poor Hatts was completely off the boil, she posted a 30.5 test which in the circumstances sounds good and it was, out of the first 7 competitors (ironically the ones that had also had to wait around for ages) and then suddenly the judge started marking REALLY irratically - she gave several in the teens, the winner was on a mark of 10 !!!!!! But in between those tests she was giving the odd mid 30/early 40 score - wierd! Think she got herself in a bit of a pickle maybe? Anyway didnt really matter to me as the SJing was the important bit for us and Hattie was back to her old self She jumped what felt like a lovely clear round, full of confidence and feeling really happy and forward going. So lots of pats and fuss.
Onto the XC and, well, it looks rubbish on paper as came home with 40pens (one at the second fence where I took her for granted and she just seemed to say 5 strides out "hang on Mum I dont believe you're with me - please say you are?" and I just was too slow and blase about it to help her out) and the second was at the step into the water - the water was orange and clearly she was unimpressed! But she went in. But what's more she gave me the most lovely happy horse ride round the rest of the course, she met everything really well, jumped all the trickier combinations full of confidence and also jumped the tricky corner combination that i was really worried about, with ease. So all in all a very encouraging result I feel! Think lesson learnt is to ride every fence with me giving her my 100% backing and therefore instilling her with confidence - it's definitely a case of trust with her at the moment, but that all feels very doable which I'm pleased about! Think I've nearly got my happy confident eventer back
Thank you for reading that ramble, and mini gingerbread men and tea for all!
Onto to my ginger girlie who I havent evented since our rather disasterous SJing incident at Hambleden. She's had two runs with a long legged man, one great, one good but not so XC as she'd clearly had enough of someone telling her what to do and she threw several toys out of the pram with him and made his life a little difficult - being wiggly and generally not really helping matters! So hoping she may prefer me on her again(!!) we did our homework last weekend and did the Felbridge PN Combined Training which she came 2nd in so was feeling positive about the SJing again, and then we took her to Rackham for the sunday PN.
Dressage was kind of worth glossing over as I was first to go in and the judge never turned up! Lots of very very fed up, hot competitors who had all spent 30mins already warming up then had to spend another 30mins waiting for a replacement judge which was luckily found. Poor Hatts was completely off the boil, she posted a 30.5 test which in the circumstances sounds good and it was, out of the first 7 competitors (ironically the ones that had also had to wait around for ages) and then suddenly the judge started marking REALLY irratically - she gave several in the teens, the winner was on a mark of 10 !!!!!! But in between those tests she was giving the odd mid 30/early 40 score - wierd! Think she got herself in a bit of a pickle maybe? Anyway didnt really matter to me as the SJing was the important bit for us and Hattie was back to her old self She jumped what felt like a lovely clear round, full of confidence and feeling really happy and forward going. So lots of pats and fuss.
Onto the XC and, well, it looks rubbish on paper as came home with 40pens (one at the second fence where I took her for granted and she just seemed to say 5 strides out "hang on Mum I dont believe you're with me - please say you are?" and I just was too slow and blase about it to help her out) and the second was at the step into the water - the water was orange and clearly she was unimpressed! But she went in. But what's more she gave me the most lovely happy horse ride round the rest of the course, she met everything really well, jumped all the trickier combinations full of confidence and also jumped the tricky corner combination that i was really worried about, with ease. So all in all a very encouraging result I feel! Think lesson learnt is to ride every fence with me giving her my 100% backing and therefore instilling her with confidence - it's definitely a case of trust with her at the moment, but that all feels very doable which I'm pleased about! Think I've nearly got my happy confident eventer back
Thank you for reading that ramble, and mini gingerbread men and tea for all!