Reilee at Kelsall Hill BE100, pics and vid

[ScampiBigMan]

In the spirit of fairness, Nix got her own thread so thought Reilee should too as her photos are lovely too.

XC vid with some extra scenery included
Reilee Kelsall BE100 XC

Great pics taken by Matt Nuttall photography (I have many more than this...(!)). Continued with more pics in next post below.

 

[ScampiBigMan]

We are locked down in our home county from 6pm today so glad we got a good few outings in whilst we could and lovely to have videos and photos to enjoy. Off to take Reilee up the mountain now before the rain returns tomorrow!

 

[Bernster]

Sorry about the local lockdown. Hope it passes soon. Glad you’ve had some runs though. You have 2 fabulous horses She pops though easily. And you stupendously long legs?! Lucky thing!

 

[dixie]

Fabulous pictures.
She looks a bit like my horse in colouring and build - I can only hope he will eventually jump like that too !

 

[Roxylola]

I am very disappointed by your lack of sound effects. I've been reliably told you could hear my squeal and "good boy" following the 80 hedge back at the start line ?
She looks fabulous so fit and shiny and eating up those fences ?

 

[IrishMilo]

Beautiful horse.

 

[lar]

Lovely horse - although your cameraperson is making me feel a bit nauseous!

We were FJ at the ski jump so the back of my head makes a brief appearance on the vid

 

[HufflyPuffly]

You look fabulous and how easy does she make it look!

 

[ScampiBigMan]

Sorry about the local lockdown. Hope it passes soon. Glad you’ve had some runs though. You have 2 fabulous horses She pops though easily. And you stupendously long legs?! Lucky thing!

Local lockdown not going down well round here due to the large size of our coounty and how all the N Wales counties fit together. Doesn't encourage staying local as much as a radius limit would. Plus the discrepancy with English local lockdown rules...
Yes, they're both great (& share the same sire) - taken years for us to get here and had to start again with a yearling and a 4yo after losing my previous two eventers over a couple of yrs (not eventing related). Trust both of them to try their best which is all can expect and ask. Yes, my legs are long - both horses are over 17hh but don't really look it when I'm on them(!)

Fabulous pictures.
She looks a bit like my horse in colouring and build - I can only hope he will eventually jump like that too !

V orange then . Reilee has plenty of power & scope, needs to have more adjustability in her shape as well as stride - for SJ particularly but this takes time and practice. We'll keep keeping on. Her breeder was worried about her as a foal as she had such big shoulders and quarters but the vet said not to worry, she would sort herself out and grow into them eventually .

I am very disappointed by your lack of sound effects. I've been reliably told you could hear my squeal and "good boy" following the 80 hedge back at the start line ?
She looks fabulous so fit and shiny and eating up those fences ?

I talk and pat them all the way round but does tend to be quiet, I get very caught up in the moment and concentrating on the line and balance. Plus, I have been round the 90, 100 & Novice Kelsall courses q a few times...& they haven't changed much for a few yrs so am prob a bit more blase than somewhere less familiar. Am never smiling in photos on or off a horse - always thinking of something .

Yes Reilee does a good impression of a pampered horse with her shininess, not bad for living out 24/7 with mud brushed off to ride! Really, really appreciate having two dark coloured horses after having a couple of greys over the years. She is also v easy to get fit & keep fit - despite putting much less effort into everything than Nix.

Well done on your Kelsall outing, he looked like he was really enjoying himself in your photos!

Beautiful horse.

Thank you, is funny when you've had them from a foal /yearling - they are always the little horse. She has taken a long time to grow into herself but really has started to this year.

Lovely horse - although your cameraperson is making me feel a bit nauseous!

We were FJ at the ski jump so the back of my head makes a brief appearance on the vid

Thanks, Reilee prob doesn't get as much praise /credit as she prob should as Nix is such an extrovert and show-off. Yes, he struggles with glare on the screen & hates when we disappear behind hills /trees as then has to keep scanning to find us. He couldn't figure out what the two white lines were until he realised it was the gallops & he wasn't going to find us there!

Good to 'see' you there!

You look fabulous and how easy does she make it look!

Thanks very much, was a relief to get a good round with her again after my failure to ride properly to the last few fences at Stafford. Normal service resumed before the end of the season . Helped that Kelsall was all on forward strides again (like Chomlondeley Castle); the team that do Stafford, Brand Hall & Weston tend not to build on forward strides & can have some quite fiddly /tricky type combinations, so makes it a bit trickier with my two horses as they (and I) prefer the bold, forward courses as easier to get into and stay in a rhythym. She did cruise round Kelsall and was barely blowing or sweating at the end, very pleased with herself. Hopefully we will get to be at the same event next year .

 

[dixie]

He’s very orange?

 

[Bernster]

I love that you have half siblings! Who’s the sire?

i also thought that maybe I was a bit rude to comment on your height, didn’t mean to come across that way and sorry if it did, I was just envious of your ability to really ride (And you ride very nicely), as my stumpy legs means I’m always tapping away at my horse’s side!

 

[Roxylola]

I have leg envy too, I make 15hh look more like 17hh ?
I love watching videos of more advanced rounds that are still achievable - like I could watch horses go round badminton but it's so far from where I'll ever be it becomes meaningless. Watching 100s and novice rounds I feel like I can aspire to is really good.
She just looks so balanced relaxed and rhythmic there, shes going to be fab.
I'll have to bug you next year about similar forward striding courses as I felt it suited us really well not that it makes a huge difference for an 80 but every little helps ?

 

[ScampiBigMan]

He’s very orange?

He is indeed, Reilee is my 2nd orange horse & she looks a little like my first one in some of these pics. He is jumping v nicely there

 

[ScampiBigMan]

I love that you have half siblings! Who’s the sire?

i also thought that maybe I was a bit rude to comment on your height, didn’t mean to come across that way and sorry if it did, I was just envious of your ability to really ride (And you ride very nicely), as my stumpy legs means I’m always tapping away at my horse’s side!

No problem, didn't take it that way. Thanks for the kind comments, is great when a round feels like that one - most do on these two horses as they are so willing and really want to learn during our training sessions at home, so at an event we are able just to execute. Took me a while to get event riding fit this year as not able to go swimming and just as feel am back to where I should be... it's all over (typically(!)) Riding from core is work in progress for me but is a way for leg length not to matter too much.

OBOS Quality 004. Reilee also has Cavalier Royale and Zero Watt on her dam side & one of my previous good horses was by Zero Watt (big reason why I bought Reilee as they were related then too). Loved Reilee's attitude so much (before had even backed her) that looked for another by the same sire. Had read about their fantastic attitude and wanting to jump anything in their path, so wanted to try one out. Ended up with two and it is very true that they will try their heart out to get you to the other side of the fence - once they trust you.

 

[ScampiBigMan]

I have leg envy too, I make 15hh look more like 17hh ?
I love watching videos of more advanced rounds that are still achievable - like I could watch horses go round badminton but it's so far from where I'll ever be it becomes meaningless. Watching 100s and novice rounds I feel like I can aspire to is really good.
She just looks so balanced relaxed and rhythmic there, shes going to be fab.
I'll have to bug you next year about similar forward striding courses as I felt it suited us really well not that it makes a huge difference for an 80 but every little helps ?

I am a firm believer in ryhthym, line and balance for jumping - get those right & jumping happens much more easily & smoothly. Too easy to start overcomplicating things without getting the basiscs well established first. I know the feel I aim for before I move up a level & generally it is the SJ which takes a bit longer to be reliable than the XC. This is because my horses, generally, are big, scopey & powerful and it takes longer to develop the adjustability I want for higher level SJ rounds (height & width are not the problem(!)). They are more adjustable with the XC type qns as those qns are more natural obstacles (which intuitively they seem to read better more reliably) & use angles q often which gives me more options in how to ride. & we get to stride on in between too, which helps

Thanks for the kind comments, yes was v pleased with how easily she did it and how happy she was at the end. Just the adjustability to improve again more & a bit more consistency in concentrating around SJ(!)

No problem, I think they are much preferable for XC riding and tends to be how the higher level courses are built anyway - so a good type of course to be good at!