Sparkles
Well-Known Member
Took B to the show this afternoon. First one this year for him [And his third one ever I think?], only done fun rides this year with him which he's bronced, pranced and leapt the whole way round. LOL.
Anyway. Decided to take him to the show today, last night quite randomly. He was quite happily living out atm all muddy in the field
haha.
So our day
Bought him in this morning in the sodding rain, gave him a nice hot bath [which he was still shivering like mad bless him, but he was a mud-monster!!!] and left him in for a while to warm up in his thermatex and munch through his breakfast and haylage
Sorted his tack out and put it all together and a good clean [nearly forgot to swap his browband though lol!
Shock horror.]
Plaited him all up and got him all ready to go, sporting a bright pink lycra hoody
Got other horse all bathed and ready too and got the trailer ready and loaded with all the bits and bobs
Realised it was then only 11am! And had 3 hours spare still lol. So had time to be bored down the house drinking tea cursing the time to go quicker! haha.
Anyway. Went back up and loaded them up [though had a slight stud dilemma with the other horse which made us half hour late! My bad
]
Anywho, loaded them up and off we went. Arrived at show no glitches
Sorted the boys out and went off to do my entries. Whre I made a big boo-boo! I was going to pay by cheque and do them all together but had some cash on me for drinks and stuff...however the tent for the jumping and showing were seperate So paid by the limited cash I had one me to enter us in the Novice jumping. Then went to pay by cheque over at the other tent to enter the riding horse class....at which point I proceeded to mess up writing the one and only cheque I had left for it!!!
Anyway, they took pity on me I think and were so so so nice to let me send my entry in the post to them after instead Lovely lovely people! I was so grateful So was all entered for the two classes I has planned on doing; riding horse and the novice showjumping [as my horse not a careful jumper nor have I ever taken him showjumping or jumping at all at a show! Or even done a proper course at home really! LOL. So the 2'9 was fine by me ].
Anyway went to get B and found a very excited fire breathing dragon had replaced my placid pony. LOL. So anyway, got on him...found he'd tucked up a fair bit travelling and my one and only girth no longer fitted And could fit my wrist through it on top hole.
Anywho. Couldn't change a thing about it, so got on and off we went.
Went to warm up on a whinnying, snorting jogging neddy and managed to have a couple of canters [or bounces!] round before they then proceeded to call my class in!!! So had to go in 'cold' with no warm up or working in sadly which was the one thing I'd tried to avoid, but hey ho, can't change it so go with the flow
Riding horse class I didn't anticipate coming anywhere anyway, went in and he was v.v.tense and just 'on the edge and nearly past it' type feeling. Jogged in the walk a little bit and wouldn't quite relax really. Had a lovelt canter going when they called it, but we got to the far end and he threw in a rather noticable plunge and leap in in front the judge Anyway, finished the group and got pulled in 3rd [out of 4 lol] and then did our individual, but took 3 attempts to pick up right leg canter but then did a wonderful individual show after that finally!
Then got pulled in 4th overall so still got a rosette. Judge was lovely and I was just so pleased with B anyway as it was his best yet all things considered [no rodeoing!!] I honestly didn't care where we got placed. I was all smiles and the judges comments were 'very very tactfully ridden. Even though he was very skitty, there were some bits which were absolutely spot on. Keep taking him out and he'll settle soon no doubt. Very well ridden.'
Then were just chatting about him etc and both her and her steward were just so so nice and helpful
Anyway. Got our rosette and and had a nice canter round
End of riding horse class.
Then was down for jumping. I'd put my number to go down last in it as it started the same as the riding horse class so thought I'd have time....
Went to the wrong warm up to start with, ended up in the BSJA'ers warm up ring...scary stuff! LOL.
So I trotted round to the normal showjumping warmup, entered it and my number was called to go in the ring! I hadn't even done a warm-up fence yet or done anything other than our hideous riding horse class lol.
Nor did I even know the course!
So I entered and asked the steward where the first fence was (!!! haha) at which they looked amused and pointed to the fence which was the first one...at which point the bell rang! So off I went and had to guess the course as I was going round! LOL. Not something I plan to do again!
But managed it, somehow, AND CLEAR?!? On my little non-SJing neddy!!
So left the arena and finally realised I was clear and through to the jump off?!
Bustie got our first jump off!!
So, still in disbeleif at not knocking any...we went in for our jump off when it was our place...AND WENT CLEAR AGAIN!!!!!
And then came 5th overall!!!! So collected rosette again, and had a nice canter round
Though, I would not recommend jumping still in a show saddle with no knee rolls....alongside a loose girth!!! LOL.
That was meant to be me done at that point [double clear AND fifth was more than I could have hoped for!!!]...however, then, somehow, I had a brave moment and got entered in the Open class.
Which was fine.
Till they changed the heights and I saw how fricking BIG they were 0.0 And. One huge arse solid wall for the last fence. Which just well. Cripelled me. LOL.
I actually went white and my words were 'WTF was I thinking...'
Cue course walk being called and my number already down. GULP. I went in, did not look at any of the jumps on purpose and was happy just knowing the vague order of jumps. And went out again. White.
Anyway. Rooted to the spot in the warm up. Finally mustered up the courage to do some warm-up spreads and bless his heart, B jumped out of skin and we ended up doing 4ft3ish parallel spreads with air to spare. Which got my confidence up...a Bit.
Anyway. I was last to go. Cue white as a sheet again. Did the course, but I ballsed it up and didn't ride forwards enough and had 3 poles down overall
HOWEVER. The wall and huge triple bar, we cleared by MILES. And he didn't even bat an eyelid at the wall. I made sure I bloody well rode for it and my god mylittle horse put his best at it and absolutely SOARED it. Made upfor the rest of the round! [Which was all my error, not his! I got scared and backed off ]
So that was my day! VERY epic post I apologise. But words cannot describe how pleased I am with B. He tried his absolute heart for me today, especially me riding like a complete idiot, he really had my back and sorted me out no end. I absolutely adore him I really do. I didn't go to win or place or even get a rosette! They were all completely lovely bonuses to a lovely day out. Which was all I wanted, a lovely outing with my neddy Which I got. I couldn't have asked any more or less from him today. He was a star.
So thankyou x
Anyway. Decided to take him to the show today, last night quite randomly. He was quite happily living out atm all muddy in the field
haha.So our day
Bought him in this morning in the sodding rain, gave him a nice hot bath [which he was still shivering like mad bless him, but he was a mud-monster!!!] and left him in for a while to warm up in his thermatex and munch through his breakfast and haylage
Sorted his tack out and put it all together and a good clean [nearly forgot to swap his browband though lol!
Shock horror.]Plaited him all up and got him all ready to go, sporting a bright pink lycra hoody
Got other horse all bathed and ready too and got the trailer ready and loaded with all the bits and bobs
Realised it was then only 11am! And had 3 hours spare still lol. So had time to be bored down the house drinking tea cursing the time to go quicker! haha.
Anyway. Went back up and loaded them up [though had a slight stud dilemma with the other horse which made us half hour late! My bad
]Anywho, loaded them up and off we went. Arrived at show no glitches
Sorted the boys out and went off to do my entries. Whre I made a big boo-boo! I was going to pay by cheque and do them all together but had some cash on me for drinks and stuff...however the tent for the jumping and showing were seperate
So paid by the limited cash I had one me to enter us in the Novice jumping. Then went to pay by cheque over at the other tent to enter the riding horse class....at which point I proceeded to mess up writing the one and only cheque I had left for it!!!Anyway, they took pity on me I think and were so so so nice to let me send my entry in the post to them after instead
Lovely lovely people! I was so grateful So was all entered for the two classes I has planned on doing; riding horse and the novice showjumping [as my horse not a careful jumper nor have I ever taken him showjumping or jumping at all at a show! Or even done a proper course at home really! LOL. So the 2'9 was fine by me ].Anyway went to get B and found a very excited fire breathing dragon had replaced my placid pony. LOL. So anyway, got on him...found he'd tucked up a fair bit travelling and my one and only girth no longer fitted
And could fit my wrist through it on top hole.Anywho. Couldn't change a thing about it, so got on and off we went.
Went to warm up on a whinnying, snorting jogging neddy and managed to have a couple of canters [or bounces!] round before they then proceeded to call my class in!!! So had to go in 'cold' with no warm up or working in sadly
which was the one thing I'd tried to avoid, but hey ho, can't change it so go with the flow Riding horse class I didn't anticipate coming anywhere anyway, went in and he was v.v.tense and just 'on the edge and nearly past it' type feeling. Jogged in the walk a little bit and wouldn't quite relax really. Had a lovelt canter going when they called it, but we got to the far end and he threw in a rather noticable plunge and leap in in front the judge
Anyway, finished the group and got pulled in 3rd [out of 4 lol] and then did our individual, but took 3 attempts to pick up right leg canter but then did a wonderful individual show after that finally!Then got pulled in 4th overall so still got a rosette. Judge was lovely and I was just so pleased with B anyway as it was his best yet all things considered [no rodeoing!!] I honestly didn't care where we got placed. I was all smiles and the judges comments were 'very very tactfully ridden. Even though he was very skitty, there were some bits which were absolutely spot on. Keep taking him out and he'll settle soon no doubt. Very well ridden.'
Then were just chatting about him etc and both her and her steward were just so so nice and helpful
Anyway. Got our rosette and and had a nice canter round
End of riding horse class.Then was down for jumping. I'd put my number to go down last in it as it started the same as the riding horse class so thought I'd have time....
Went to the wrong warm up to start with, ended up in the BSJA'ers warm up ring...scary stuff! LOL.
So I trotted round to the normal showjumping warmup, entered it and my number was called to go in the ring! I hadn't even done a warm-up fence yet or done anything other than our hideous riding horse class lol.
Nor did I even know the course!
So I entered and asked the steward where the first fence was (!!! haha) at which they looked amused and pointed to the fence which was the first one...at which point the bell rang! So off I went and had to guess the course as I was going round! LOL. Not something I plan to do again!
But managed it, somehow, AND CLEAR?!? On my little non-SJing neddy!!
So left the arena and finally realised I was clear and through to the jump off?!
Bustie got our first jump off!!
So, still in disbeleif at not knocking any...we went in for our jump off when it was our place...AND WENT CLEAR AGAIN!!!!!
And then came 5th overall!!!! So collected rosette again, and had a nice canter round
Though, I would not recommend jumping still in a show saddle with no knee rolls....alongside a loose girth!!! LOL.
That was meant to be me done at that point [double clear AND fifth was more than I could have hoped for!!!]...however, then, somehow, I had a brave moment and got entered in the Open class.
Which was fine.
Till they changed the heights and I saw how fricking BIG they were 0.0 And. One huge arse solid wall for the last fence. Which just well. Cripelled me. LOL.
I actually went white and my words were 'WTF was I thinking...'
Cue course walk being called and my number already down. GULP. I went in, did not look at any of the jumps on purpose and was happy just knowing the vague order of jumps. And went out again. White.
Anyway. Rooted to the spot in the warm up. Finally mustered up the courage to do some warm-up spreads and bless his heart, B jumped out of skin and we ended up doing 4ft3ish parallel spreads with air to spare. Which got my confidence up...a Bit.
Anyway. I was last to go. Cue white as a sheet again. Did the course, but I ballsed it up and didn't ride forwards enough and had 3 poles down overall
HOWEVER. The wall and huge triple bar, we cleared by MILES. And he didn't even bat an eyelid at the wall. I made sure I bloody well rode for it and my god mylittle horse put his best at it and absolutely SOARED it. Made upfor the rest of the round! [Which was all my error, not his! I got scared and backed off
]So that was my day! VERY epic post I apologise. But words cannot describe how pleased I am with B. He tried his absolute heart for me today, especially me riding like a complete idiot, he really had my back and sorted me out no end. I absolutely adore him I really do. I didn't go to win or place or even get a rosette! They were all completely lovely bonuses to a lovely day out. Which was all I wanted, a lovely outing with my neddy
Which I got. I couldn't have asked any more or less from him today. He was a star.So thankyou x
