digitalangel
Well-Known Member
After having my boy off for 6 months due to injury it was fantastic to finally get out to a big local show to try my boy at his first prelim class since last year.
Was fairly nervous on the day, and i was taking others from my yard in my lorry, so arrived with my boy and my pony at around 9am. This was my first mistake - taking the pony as well. My boy is fairly neurotic at the best of times but his big insecurity is being alone or away from other horses - so i decided to take the pony too just to play it safe - but it actually made him worse!!!
The warmup was on grass, so i decided to enter the Intro A class as a warm-up for him - so after a small warmup, we tried to enter the arena. He was super super tense, and really unhappy, and attempted to destroy the arena by kicking the boards, trying to get back to my pony. eventually got him settled but because i was all wound up we ended up going wrong and missing out the first circle at B! Corrected, and around halfway through the test he calmed down nicely and 'switched on' and forgot about my pony and the 2nd half of the test was a breeze.
I thought i had thrown it away because of going wrong so took him back to the lorry and didnt think about it and tried to focus on remembering the second test!
our 2nd test was at 12pm, and i left 40 minutes to prepare - not warm up but i left my pony back at the lorry (supervised!) and took him away by himself. Quietly tried to walk him around the warmup, but he screamed his head off for around 40 minutes. Attempts to just stand still met with spinning, running backwards and rearing. Lovely.
About 10 minutes before our time he finally settled a bit and we had a nice-ish warmup, just worked on getting him relaxed and listening.. but when we were waiting for the previous test to finish he was rearing and spinning again.. but i just tried to ignore it as best i could!
Got him into the arena.. and oh my god he just switched on! he felt amazing trotting around waiting to begin and it just got better and better! Straightest centre line ive ever ridden from A ( got an 8 ), really nice rythmical trot around the arena, and down the diagonal, he did look at my OH filming though so a 7 for trot around to A, 20 M circle a little shallow and transition lazy ( he is harder to get into right rein canter due to the past injury and is out of practice! ) beautiful walk and turns between E and B ( got a 9!!!) better strikeoff on the other rein( got an 8 ) - idiotically i thought he had struck off disunited so i made him disunite for a stride or two before i realised, but didnt lose too many marks. Got a bit distracted on the free walk so could have stretched a little more. Lovely down the centre line but threw away marks at the halt by not adjusting. Big pats, left the arena on a high!
Got my boy sorted out back at the lorry, then went to collect my results. I burst into tears so find out i had WON the Intro A at 61% and had come 3rd in the Prelim with 67.5% - our BEST result ever!!
I got my first ever 1st rosette and trophy and a lovely medal and rosette for 3rd.
Cried in happiness and surprise all the way home and stuffed myself full of Quality St and champagne when i got home. And H&H mag of course!
Anyway heres some pics from the prelim ( stills from vid ) none of the Intro im afraid! and some other bits and bobs
prelim 7 down the centre line
working trot.
working canter right
working canter left
salute - and bad halt.
me and my boy!
trophies and rosettes
my reward!
Youtube vid can be found here - CC welcome - nasty comments not welcome!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccO_Ly3lkbE
bikkits to all that got to the end!
Was fairly nervous on the day, and i was taking others from my yard in my lorry, so arrived with my boy and my pony at around 9am. This was my first mistake - taking the pony as well. My boy is fairly neurotic at the best of times but his big insecurity is being alone or away from other horses - so i decided to take the pony too just to play it safe - but it actually made him worse!!!
The warmup was on grass, so i decided to enter the Intro A class as a warm-up for him - so after a small warmup, we tried to enter the arena. He was super super tense, and really unhappy, and attempted to destroy the arena by kicking the boards, trying to get back to my pony. eventually got him settled but because i was all wound up we ended up going wrong and missing out the first circle at B! Corrected, and around halfway through the test he calmed down nicely and 'switched on' and forgot about my pony and the 2nd half of the test was a breeze.
I thought i had thrown it away because of going wrong so took him back to the lorry and didnt think about it and tried to focus on remembering the second test!
our 2nd test was at 12pm, and i left 40 minutes to prepare - not warm up but i left my pony back at the lorry (supervised!) and took him away by himself. Quietly tried to walk him around the warmup, but he screamed his head off for around 40 minutes. Attempts to just stand still met with spinning, running backwards and rearing. Lovely.
About 10 minutes before our time he finally settled a bit and we had a nice-ish warmup, just worked on getting him relaxed and listening.. but when we were waiting for the previous test to finish he was rearing and spinning again.. but i just tried to ignore it as best i could!
Got him into the arena.. and oh my god he just switched on! he felt amazing trotting around waiting to begin and it just got better and better! Straightest centre line ive ever ridden from A ( got an 8 ), really nice rythmical trot around the arena, and down the diagonal, he did look at my OH filming though so a 7 for trot around to A, 20 M circle a little shallow and transition lazy ( he is harder to get into right rein canter due to the past injury and is out of practice! ) beautiful walk and turns between E and B ( got a 9!!!) better strikeoff on the other rein( got an 8 ) - idiotically i thought he had struck off disunited so i made him disunite for a stride or two before i realised, but didnt lose too many marks. Got a bit distracted on the free walk so could have stretched a little more. Lovely down the centre line but threw away marks at the halt by not adjusting. Big pats, left the arena on a high!
Got my boy sorted out back at the lorry, then went to collect my results. I burst into tears so find out i had WON the Intro A at 61% and had come 3rd in the Prelim with 67.5% - our BEST result ever!!
I got my first ever 1st rosette and trophy and a lovely medal and rosette for 3rd.
Cried in happiness and surprise all the way home and stuffed myself full of Quality St and champagne when i got home. And H&H mag of course!
Anyway heres some pics from the prelim ( stills from vid ) none of the Intro im afraid! and some other bits and bobs
prelim 7 down the centre line
working trot.
working canter right
working canter left
salute - and bad halt.
me and my boy!
trophies and rosettes
my reward!
Youtube vid can be found here - CC welcome - nasty comments not welcome!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccO_Ly3lkbE
bikkits to all that got to the end!