Lolo
Well-Known Member
Reg and Al were at the Area 8 eventing qualifiers today, and it was an undeniable semi-triumph.
They were in the B team, which consisted of them, a girl on a pony who makes Reg look careful SJ, and a horse who has never gone XC before (and the rider can count on one hand the times they've XC'd at 1m). So expectations were low, the pressure was off and there was a lot of laughter!
Reg warmed up really well for the dressage, and went in and the test started well with all 7s and 8s. And then Al had a moment... To put this moment into context, this test is the only test used for PC intermediate eventing for the past 4 years. Al has been doing this test for this entire time almost exclusively. And somehow, she forgot it
Al decided she couldn't be wrong so improvised... The judge booped, and Al ended her freestyle (which was very nice), for a quick discussion in the middle. Unfortunately, Reg went a bit off the boil and the 7s and 8s turned into 6s They scored a 37, which while mid-field, was a bit disappointing.
Onto the SJ, where they had plastic poles in very shallow cups... Not Reg's best thing. He tapped the first, it tumbled and he proceeded to take out another 5. Of them, 2 were acceptable. The rest were him being a careless monster! He actually jumped well though and made a nice shape over the fences. If they'd been deeper cups or wooden poles then maybe things would be different. Al's not bothered, as she feels she rode him well and if you ignore the poles the round was nice to watch.
(if your horse isn't lifting his feet, it's worth trying to lift them for him)
This attitude is quite an odd one, I suppose, for 99% of you. But I think when you have a horse like Reg your goals are a bit different!!
Finally, they were onto the best bit. Al walked it with her team, and came back and reported that it was 'beefy'. She then went a bit quiet, and elaborated with "and quite technical". We asked if there was anything in particular that was a challenge, and she described the entire course... However, the pressure was off and they were keen
He set off with his usual happy lollop, and began motoring after fence 1.
Took his own stride to the second, before jumping the first question of a hanging log into space then through the dip to another log well. Then a 'let up fence' (every let up fence was bang up to height!) and back on themselves through the coffin easily. They flew down to the first water, which was a big ask. Bear in mind this is a BE100 equivalent...
Reg, of course, said this was very easy and locked on as soon as he saw it. They jumped another let up fence, and then onto the first corner. Reg was bang on into it, a skinny then the big corner then another skinny on a curved line, and then stormed down to the trakehner.
("I think we might get time, I just let him canter between fences"... Yeah, when your horse has a stride like that it's unlikely!)
He flew it easily and then the big skinny hedge with ease. They then had another big test, with going up and down a mound to a skinny flowerbed with a slight drop, then a very tight 'C' turn to a big, narrow, corner and then 3 strides to a full up skinny. Reg said this was easy peasy
They then jumped the pipes, and met this horror:
Al used the kick and sit back technique here, and Reg flew it like a pro
Then a big old hut thing, a tight turn to another big fence, and then another skinny to a spooky palisade. Reg was high on life by this point and could have probably made it home alone. Al tested this theory at the next fence... Up a mound, a hayrack into space with a steep slope down, and then quickly back up to a bright pink wedge fence on a curved line. Reg slipped as they started going towards the wedge fence, and Al was left with no reins and at an unfortunate angle to the saddle. Reg had locked on though, and scrambled over- he was so honest to go! Al managed to heave herself back into the plate and they went onto the second water- another hanging log onto a steep slope, with a tight turn to a big log coming out. Reg was awesome again, and they flew the last two fences with ear-to-ear grins
[video=youtube;OfN0fKakGcI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfN0fKakGcI[/video]
Please watch the video, he is so awesome in it and they've never looked like a better partnership
Al grinned for pretty much 3 hours straight after that!
Her team had faired ok- one had a stop, and the other managed to get round with some learners and some stops, which isn't bad considering. They had a lovely debrief afterwards laughing about their respectively rubbish scores.
Only the XC caused such total carnage that despite the awful SJ score, Reg and Al came 8th!! Icing on the cake, as Al was already over the moon with her boy I know it sounds awful to most of you, but I never thought we'd be here seeing Al and Reg place at area eventing. He is the product of her endless hard work and determination and although he'll never be a DC machine, or win big, he's taught her so much and is an utter pleasure to know. As his owner said when Al texted her the news, some day Al might be doing something bigger and better than this and it won't be with Reg, but it will undeniably be because of him. Such a special boy, we're lucky to have him.
A very proud big sister here, they might not have won (our branch's A team did though!) but they achieved an awful lot more than we ever thought possible. Thank you for reading
They were in the B team, which consisted of them, a girl on a pony who makes Reg look careful SJ, and a horse who has never gone XC before (and the rider can count on one hand the times they've XC'd at 1m). So expectations were low, the pressure was off and there was a lot of laughter!
Reg warmed up really well for the dressage, and went in and the test started well with all 7s and 8s. And then Al had a moment... To put this moment into context, this test is the only test used for PC intermediate eventing for the past 4 years. Al has been doing this test for this entire time almost exclusively. And somehow, she forgot it
Al decided she couldn't be wrong so improvised... The judge booped, and Al ended her freestyle (which was very nice), for a quick discussion in the middle. Unfortunately, Reg went a bit off the boil and the 7s and 8s turned into 6s They scored a 37, which while mid-field, was a bit disappointing.
Onto the SJ, where they had plastic poles in very shallow cups... Not Reg's best thing. He tapped the first, it tumbled and he proceeded to take out another 5. Of them, 2 were acceptable. The rest were him being a careless monster! He actually jumped well though and made a nice shape over the fences. If they'd been deeper cups or wooden poles then maybe things would be different. Al's not bothered, as she feels she rode him well and if you ignore the poles the round was nice to watch.
(if your horse isn't lifting his feet, it's worth trying to lift them for him)
This attitude is quite an odd one, I suppose, for 99% of you. But I think when you have a horse like Reg your goals are a bit different!!
Finally, they were onto the best bit. Al walked it with her team, and came back and reported that it was 'beefy'. She then went a bit quiet, and elaborated with "and quite technical". We asked if there was anything in particular that was a challenge, and she described the entire course... However, the pressure was off and they were keen
He set off with his usual happy lollop, and began motoring after fence 1.
Took his own stride to the second, before jumping the first question of a hanging log into space then through the dip to another log well. Then a 'let up fence' (every let up fence was bang up to height!) and back on themselves through the coffin easily. They flew down to the first water, which was a big ask. Bear in mind this is a BE100 equivalent...
Reg, of course, said this was very easy and locked on as soon as he saw it. They jumped another let up fence, and then onto the first corner. Reg was bang on into it, a skinny then the big corner then another skinny on a curved line, and then stormed down to the trakehner.
("I think we might get time, I just let him canter between fences"... Yeah, when your horse has a stride like that it's unlikely!)
He flew it easily and then the big skinny hedge with ease. They then had another big test, with going up and down a mound to a skinny flowerbed with a slight drop, then a very tight 'C' turn to a big, narrow, corner and then 3 strides to a full up skinny. Reg said this was easy peasy
They then jumped the pipes, and met this horror:
Al used the kick and sit back technique here, and Reg flew it like a pro
Then a big old hut thing, a tight turn to another big fence, and then another skinny to a spooky palisade. Reg was high on life by this point and could have probably made it home alone. Al tested this theory at the next fence... Up a mound, a hayrack into space with a steep slope down, and then quickly back up to a bright pink wedge fence on a curved line. Reg slipped as they started going towards the wedge fence, and Al was left with no reins and at an unfortunate angle to the saddle. Reg had locked on though, and scrambled over- he was so honest to go! Al managed to heave herself back into the plate and they went onto the second water- another hanging log onto a steep slope, with a tight turn to a big log coming out. Reg was awesome again, and they flew the last two fences with ear-to-ear grins
[video=youtube;OfN0fKakGcI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfN0fKakGcI[/video]
Please watch the video, he is so awesome in it and they've never looked like a better partnership
Al grinned for pretty much 3 hours straight after that!
Her team had faired ok- one had a stop, and the other managed to get round with some learners and some stops, which isn't bad considering. They had a lovely debrief afterwards laughing about their respectively rubbish scores.
Only the XC caused such total carnage that despite the awful SJ score, Reg and Al came 8th!! Icing on the cake, as Al was already over the moon with her boy
I know it sounds awful to most of you, but I never thought we'd be here seeing Al and Reg place at area eventing. He is the product of her endless hard work and determination and although he'll never be a DC machine, or win big, he's taught her so much and is an utter pleasure to know. As his owner said when Al texted her the news, some day Al might be doing something bigger and better than this and it won't be with Reg, but it will undeniably be because of him. Such a special boy, we're lucky to have him.A very proud big sister here, they might not have won (our branch's A team did though!) but they achieved an awful lot more than we ever thought possible. Thank you for reading
