Lolo
Well-Known Member
I've not done a report in a while because I've had a little thing called finals going on... But I have officially finished my degree, and am now deliberating over my options- do I want to be an engineer, or a maths teacher! Meanwhile Al has been going great guns with her team so I'll try to keep this novella vaguely interesting ![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
First, we said goodbye to the lovely Tango. We advertised him at a fairly optimistic price we felt, and thought it would take a while to sell him. However, the phone rang off the hook and he sold to the first people who tried him and has now gone to be a Master's horse for a lovely local pack. It is the perfect home for him and while we'll miss him he couldn't have gone anywhere better!
So with a slightly condensed team Al began to plan her season in earnest. Reg is just going on jollies now while Smokes is having a more 'anywhere at all' approach to get him the competition exposure he really needs.
So Reg got a reprieve from the first two outings of SJ and an ODE at Blackwater Farm. Smokes excelled himself SJ with a lovely DC to come 4th out of a huge class, and he won some prize money! We're surprised his ego could fit in the lorry on the way home... His next outing was a bit of a trial with a nose net- he was getting increasingly unsettled and head-tossy, and Al thought that as it has come on at the same time that all the pollen is coming out it would be worth a shot.
He did a really sweet dressage test, so much more settled and happy, and he really showed that there's a lot to come from him as he becomes more established. He scored a 35, which was a nice improvement from his last outing!
[youtube]Ra7tO9sJiiA[/youtube]
Al was a bit apprehensive about the SJ, as last time she rode like a bit of a tit and she really doesn't want to let him down. But her worries were unfounded and they did a storming clear round, with him giving the fences his customary foot clearance. They went on to the XC where he showed how much he learns from each outing and did a lovely clear round. This was good enough to earn him another 4th place frillie- very proud of him, he's come on so much!
[youtube]21HVi8kQXkQ[/youtube]
As a reward (Reg says this is no reward...!) Smokes was booked in for a Terry Boon dressage lesson. Al really wanted a new pair of eyes on them as she was feeling a bit flat about their flatwork. It was a huge success, Terry really worked well with them and gave her lots of little adjustments and really pushed them to improve. She came away feeling really inspired and confident. Some of the things she's really focussing on now are keeping the weight in her elbows and making sure the aids come from there rather than her wrists, and really keeping her concentration on Smokey. It sounds odd, but years of naughty ponies have her determinedly looking up and staring essentially into the middle distance- Terry pointed out you never see a pro doing that, she needs to really focus on Smokes and what he's doing and to look at him and learn his cues. It was such a good lesson, Al is saving her pennies to go back.
[youtube]1ydHT62e_ZA[/youtube]
This is just a short clip of them working on the canter transitions.
Their final outing for this report was both boys going to Poplar Park for the PC 90cm ODE. Reg was told to be on his best behaviour because a family were coming to see him...
Obviously, Reg came off the lorry in one of his moods. He sometimes gets like that and there's not much you can do- he's not properly naughty, just deeply belligerent and sulky. He did a very pouty dressage with lots of tail swishing and grumpy face pulling for a well-deserved 41, and refused to be sweet talked in the break before his SJ. Normally polos and cuddles can bring him round but he was not to be appeased. In the SJ he was completely wild. He rocketed round doing a very good hokey cokey impression (head up, knees down, ra ra ra...) and Al just held on tight and tried to steer. He took out two fences but did his best to take out even more. Mum was with the family who were viewing him cringing! When they got to the XC warm up he decided it was time to play nicely and did his customary clear round inside the time- he is a big personality!
He came a very undeserving 6th (at no point of that outing did he do anything rosette worthy!), and in his post-XC cool down did allow himself to be cuddled and kissed and stuffed with polos, and decided he did actually like everyone again. Luckily the family who came to see him thought it was funny that everyone was so aghast as his behaviour and said if that was him at his worst then they'd like to see him again...
Smokes was, as ever, the Perfect Peter to Reg's Horrid Henry act. He did a really sweet test for 35, which left him 5th after the dressage. He is improving so much. In the SJ he was doing a really lovely, fluent round until he lost his footing into a related distance. He was really honest to take off but landed unbalanced and so had a green run out at the second part. But he was straight back in the game and completed the rest of the course really strongly, and in a much more flowing and relaxed manner.
[youtube]PtI4Dy_bXQQ[/youtube]
Finally, the XC. Al was a bit apprehensive as the course was very twisty and trappy, and she wasn't sure if he was ready for it confidence-wise. However he gave her the best feeling he has done and really took her to the fences. She was so pleased with him, he was absolutely brilliant!
[youtube]G-J7_TxFGPw[/youtube]
He came 7th in a far more competitive section than Reg's. Al and mum also met the lovely Rosiefan there- well done to Rosie on her amazing results!
So that's most of the adventures up to date. There's only really one other thing that occurred and that was a photo shoot for a lovely photographer who wanted a horsey shoot to add to her portfolio and after working with Reg and Al for the wedding shoot asked if Al would like to do it with her gang. There are some beautiful shots, but this is my absolute favourite.
All credit to the amazing Eliza Boo. It captures their relationship absolutely beautifully and it is most definitely being framed and hung in pride of place!
Finally, we've had Smokes for a year now. He has been an absolute delight for the entirety of that time and Al is ever so lucky to have found her little lunatic.
Hope this hasn't been too epic for you all! I can offer nutella and strawberry pancakes, or marmite toast... I'm being very lazy in my post-exam haze![Big Grin :D :D](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
First, we said goodbye to the lovely Tango. We advertised him at a fairly optimistic price we felt, and thought it would take a while to sell him. However, the phone rang off the hook and he sold to the first people who tried him and has now gone to be a Master's horse for a lovely local pack. It is the perfect home for him and while we'll miss him he couldn't have gone anywhere better!
So with a slightly condensed team Al began to plan her season in earnest. Reg is just going on jollies now while Smokes is having a more 'anywhere at all' approach to get him the competition exposure he really needs.
So Reg got a reprieve from the first two outings of SJ and an ODE at Blackwater Farm. Smokes excelled himself SJ with a lovely DC to come 4th out of a huge class, and he won some prize money! We're surprised his ego could fit in the lorry on the way home... His next outing was a bit of a trial with a nose net- he was getting increasingly unsettled and head-tossy, and Al thought that as it has come on at the same time that all the pollen is coming out it would be worth a shot.
He did a really sweet dressage test, so much more settled and happy, and he really showed that there's a lot to come from him as he becomes more established. He scored a 35, which was a nice improvement from his last outing!
[youtube]Ra7tO9sJiiA[/youtube]
Al was a bit apprehensive about the SJ, as last time she rode like a bit of a tit and she really doesn't want to let him down. But her worries were unfounded and they did a storming clear round, with him giving the fences his customary foot clearance. They went on to the XC where he showed how much he learns from each outing and did a lovely clear round. This was good enough to earn him another 4th place frillie- very proud of him, he's come on so much!
[youtube]21HVi8kQXkQ[/youtube]
As a reward (Reg says this is no reward...!) Smokes was booked in for a Terry Boon dressage lesson. Al really wanted a new pair of eyes on them as she was feeling a bit flat about their flatwork. It was a huge success, Terry really worked well with them and gave her lots of little adjustments and really pushed them to improve. She came away feeling really inspired and confident. Some of the things she's really focussing on now are keeping the weight in her elbows and making sure the aids come from there rather than her wrists, and really keeping her concentration on Smokey. It sounds odd, but years of naughty ponies have her determinedly looking up and staring essentially into the middle distance- Terry pointed out you never see a pro doing that, she needs to really focus on Smokes and what he's doing and to look at him and learn his cues. It was such a good lesson, Al is saving her pennies to go back.
[youtube]1ydHT62e_ZA[/youtube]
This is just a short clip of them working on the canter transitions.
Their final outing for this report was both boys going to Poplar Park for the PC 90cm ODE. Reg was told to be on his best behaviour because a family were coming to see him...
Obviously, Reg came off the lorry in one of his moods. He sometimes gets like that and there's not much you can do- he's not properly naughty, just deeply belligerent and sulky. He did a very pouty dressage with lots of tail swishing and grumpy face pulling for a well-deserved 41, and refused to be sweet talked in the break before his SJ. Normally polos and cuddles can bring him round but he was not to be appeased. In the SJ he was completely wild. He rocketed round doing a very good hokey cokey impression (head up, knees down, ra ra ra...) and Al just held on tight and tried to steer. He took out two fences but did his best to take out even more. Mum was with the family who were viewing him cringing! When they got to the XC warm up he decided it was time to play nicely and did his customary clear round inside the time- he is a big personality!
He came a very undeserving 6th (at no point of that outing did he do anything rosette worthy!), and in his post-XC cool down did allow himself to be cuddled and kissed and stuffed with polos, and decided he did actually like everyone again. Luckily the family who came to see him thought it was funny that everyone was so aghast as his behaviour and said if that was him at his worst then they'd like to see him again...
Smokes was, as ever, the Perfect Peter to Reg's Horrid Henry act. He did a really sweet test for 35, which left him 5th after the dressage. He is improving so much. In the SJ he was doing a really lovely, fluent round until he lost his footing into a related distance. He was really honest to take off but landed unbalanced and so had a green run out at the second part. But he was straight back in the game and completed the rest of the course really strongly, and in a much more flowing and relaxed manner.
[youtube]PtI4Dy_bXQQ[/youtube]
Finally, the XC. Al was a bit apprehensive as the course was very twisty and trappy, and she wasn't sure if he was ready for it confidence-wise. However he gave her the best feeling he has done and really took her to the fences. She was so pleased with him, he was absolutely brilliant!
[youtube]G-J7_TxFGPw[/youtube]
He came 7th in a far more competitive section than Reg's. Al and mum also met the lovely Rosiefan there- well done to Rosie on her amazing results!
So that's most of the adventures up to date. There's only really one other thing that occurred and that was a photo shoot for a lovely photographer who wanted a horsey shoot to add to her portfolio and after working with Reg and Al for the wedding shoot asked if Al would like to do it with her gang. There are some beautiful shots, but this is my absolute favourite.
![1908000_846541845373476_6088901881221993643_n.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-xap1%2Ft1.0-9%2F1908000_846541845373476_6088901881221993643_n.jpg&hash=fa82a3e4f31407f17b06a5e5966dbba6)
All credit to the amazing Eliza Boo. It captures their relationship absolutely beautifully and it is most definitely being framed and hung in pride of place!
Finally, we've had Smokes for a year now. He has been an absolute delight for the entirety of that time and Al is ever so lucky to have found her little lunatic.
Hope this hasn't been too epic for you all! I can offer nutella and strawberry pancakes, or marmite toast... I'm being very lazy in my post-exam haze