bigboyrocky
Well-Known Member
Bit of background for those of you who dont know - got Rocky as a 4yo when i had just turned 12... had lots of issues to begin with due to baisically being over horsed and not having good instruction (not by choice) to help us out.. Battled through those issues just about and had a few sucessful runs at PN (or BE100 should i say), but he was never truley off my leg and thinking forward and enjoying it.. me not being strong enough, meant that if we ever had any issues XC we would get eliminated due to him not being off my leg, and baisically it wasnt doing either of our confidence any favours, as we were both young and still learning. Steps and ditches were our big bogey fences, and i baisically had no chance if he said no... you get the picture. On the whole, dressgae is pretty average - obedient but not good paces. SJ he finds super easy.
Anyway, as we werent getting anywhere we decided to stop eventing him (and just concentrate on our DR+SJ for a while), and so he has had nearly 2yrs off from eventing. Last Sept he went XC schooling once and was a v good boy (didnt jump anything too big or scary, but we didnt have any major issues), so i decided to enter him into an ODE at pontispool which was yesterday. Went schooling a couple of weeks ago, and he was very good, so with that in our mind, and the amount his confidence has come on at home in those two years, we were aiming to set out positively!
So.... Late times, 2:00 DR, 4:41 SJ, 5:23 XC... Luckily meant i had time to walk my XC after DR as i was cr*pping myself last night having not seen the XC, and think i would have been even more if i had seen it!
The ground was very hard so studded all round, and went over to warm up, giving myself about 35 mins. Warmed up nicely with lots of little breaks, but about 5mins before we were due to go in, he just went totally dead and downhill and leaning on my hand... yup too much warm up, but it was too late to change that, so went in and did a test that reflected how he was feeling for the last 5mins warm up. He was nodding a little bit too which almast made him look lame at times, but i can assure you he wasnt - just very tired. Came out thinking it would be a late lat 30's test, and after seeing other results in my sec, probably more like 40s as they were all late 30's/40's. Anyway, just before SJ mum told me i'd got 32, which i was gobsmacked at, but couldnt complain! A couple after me got some good marks (one 24 which i *think* was the only 20's test!) and so i was left in =4th.
Heres the vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjxgXg2dgjA (CC Welcome, but i dont think the test really reflects how hes been working recently, and i think i know what the issues were.)
Walked the XC and then onto SJ - I think the long rest did him good as he certainly discovered a new lease of life and ballooned me out the saddle a couple of times in the warm up! Just going crazy, bucking, bouncing, and just generally taking the p*ss, but didnt let me down and went in and jumped an ahem, exhuberant (!) clear round! Excuse my riding - hands going back to being a bit restrictive, but i had to borrow a friends saddle as mines on trial with someone, so thats my excuse 
SJ Vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1TnaxDTJK0
XC was lovely, a few questions, first 4 fences came up thick and fast, then No.5 was a log, 2 strides, down a slope into water, then out a slope the other side to another log, No.7 was a double of houses with the 1st going into the woods on a curving 5 or 6 strides - cant remember which, No.8 was a trakhaner, No.9 was a House in the woods, left curving 4 or 5 strides (depending on line) up a step, then a curving right hand 4 strides to a house/boat thingy, No.11 a House/haycart thingy then steep downhill slop into the water, then slightly uphill out of the water, and then a step down, No.13 was a double of hedges on about 10 strides with a dip in between them, and then 2nd last was another trakhaner.
Well, what can i say... AMAZING!!!!
He looked at the 2nd house in the woods, but with a good old squeeze went on and jumped it nicely, a bit of a look at the 1st trakhaner, but a slap down the shoulder and he jumped it fab, and then the rest he was just insane So so so pleased with him - when he was last eventing he wouldnt have got past fence 5 - the first water, so its such an awesome feeling to have a confident horse he just felt amazing
I'd set out to just go clear as the ground was hard and not push for the time at all. However i did push on up the hills a little bit, but slowed him up on the flat and downhill parts and also gave him lots of time to think at all the questions as i wanted him to be learning, rather than just chasing him over things (because i now know hes off my leg), and hence came home with 4.8 time penalties, however i was absoloutly thrilled.
Here is a vid of the last fence XC (all mum managed to vid) and as you can see he finished ears pricked and still full of running. Massive massive pats and kisses after we'd finished and i almost started crying
Just so nice to have him back
XC Vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXpGg0bFTO4
Had moved upto 2nd after SJ, and the girl on 24s score wasnt up when we looked after my XC... Turns out she had retired XC and we had won!! Got a lovely rug, leadrope, set of bandages and a lovely blue rosette to add to rockys little collection
So thrilled with my chap
Heres a link to the pro photos, and i think we will have to order a few as i really like a couple of them
http://www.jayphotos.co.uk/events/1...ool/Class 3 Open 90cm/195__Rocky/#14AJ10-3568
Thanks for reading - veggy stir fry for all
(ETA - I know he is extreeeemmlyyyyy fat!! Not being able to do enough canter work, and we cant really starve him anymore than he is being(!), however we are working on it!)
Anyway, as we werent getting anywhere we decided to stop eventing him (and just concentrate on our DR+SJ for a while), and so he has had nearly 2yrs off from eventing. Last Sept he went XC schooling once and was a v good boy (didnt jump anything too big or scary, but we didnt have any major issues), so i decided to enter him into an ODE at pontispool which was yesterday. Went schooling a couple of weeks ago, and he was very good, so with that in our mind, and the amount his confidence has come on at home in those two years, we were aiming to set out positively!
So.... Late times, 2:00 DR, 4:41 SJ, 5:23 XC... Luckily meant i had time to walk my XC after DR as i was cr*pping myself last night having not seen the XC, and think i would have been even more if i had seen it!
The ground was very hard so studded all round, and went over to warm up, giving myself about 35 mins. Warmed up nicely with lots of little breaks, but about 5mins before we were due to go in, he just went totally dead and downhill and leaning on my hand... yup too much warm up, but it was too late to change that, so went in and did a test that reflected how he was feeling for the last 5mins warm up. He was nodding a little bit too which almast made him look lame at times, but i can assure you he wasnt - just very tired. Came out thinking it would be a late lat 30's test, and after seeing other results in my sec, probably more like 40s as they were all late 30's/40's. Anyway, just before SJ mum told me i'd got 32, which i was gobsmacked at, but couldnt complain! A couple after me got some good marks (one 24 which i *think* was the only 20's test!) and so i was left in =4th.
Heres the vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjxgXg2dgjA (CC Welcome, but i dont think the test really reflects how hes been working recently, and i think i know what the issues were.)
Walked the XC and then onto SJ - I think the long rest did him good as he certainly discovered a new lease of life and ballooned me out the saddle a couple of times in the warm up! Just going crazy, bucking, bouncing, and just generally taking the p*ss, but didnt let me down and went in and jumped an ahem, exhuberant (!) clear round!
Excuse my riding - hands going back to being a bit restrictive, but i had to borrow a friends saddle as mines on trial with someone, so thats my excuse SJ Vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1TnaxDTJK0
XC was lovely, a few questions, first 4 fences came up thick and fast, then No.5 was a log, 2 strides, down a slope into water, then out a slope the other side to another log, No.7 was a double of houses with the 1st going into the woods on a curving 5 or 6 strides - cant remember which, No.8 was a trakhaner, No.9 was a House in the woods, left curving 4 or 5 strides (depending on line) up a step, then a curving right hand 4 strides to a house/boat thingy, No.11 a House/haycart thingy then steep downhill slop into the water, then slightly uphill out of the water, and then a step down, No.13 was a double of hedges on about 10 strides with a dip in between them, and then 2nd last was another trakhaner.
Well, what can i say... AMAZING!!!!
He looked at the 2nd house in the woods, but with a good old squeeze went on and jumped it nicely, a bit of a look at the 1st trakhaner, but a slap down the shoulder and he jumped it fab, and then the rest he was just insane So so so pleased with him - when he was last eventing he wouldnt have got past fence 5 - the first water, so its such an awesome feeling to have a confident horse he just felt amazing I'd set out to just go clear as the ground was hard and not push for the time at all. However i did push on up the hills a little bit, but slowed him up on the flat and downhill parts and also gave him lots of time to think at all the questions as i wanted him to be learning, rather than just chasing him over things (because i now know hes off my leg), and hence came home with 4.8 time penalties, however i was absoloutly thrilled.
Here is a vid of the last fence XC (all mum managed to vid) and as you can see he finished ears pricked and still full of running. Massive massive pats and kisses after we'd finished and i almost started crying
Just so nice to have him back XC Vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXpGg0bFTO4
Had moved upto 2nd after SJ, and the girl on 24s score wasnt up when we looked after my XC... Turns out she had retired XC and we had won!!
Got a lovely rug, leadrope, set of bandages and a lovely blue rosette to add to rockys little collection So thrilled with my chap
Heres a link to the pro photos, and i think we will have to order a few as i really like a couple of them
http://www.jayphotos.co.uk/events/1...ool/Class 3 Open 90cm/195__Rocky/#14AJ10-3568
Thanks for reading - veggy stir fry for all
(ETA - I know he is extreeeemmlyyyyy fat!! Not being able to do enough canter work, and we cant really starve him anymore than he is being(!), however we are working on it!)
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haha
