Lolo
Well-Known Member
Odd because every time we say how he went people commiserate and we're all standing there singing Smoke's praises for all we're worth
The day started early. 4am early. I am a student, this is not a time I tend to wake up to- fall sleep to/ glance at as it passes sure, but not wake up to. We vaguely scrubbed him and checked he had all four legs before pointing him towards the lorry. Luckily he's as snoozy as we were and it was a half asleep Team Reggie that trundled off to Burghley.
Al was the very first on, which was nice as it meant she had pretty much the entire warm up to herself, and Smokes settled really nicely. They've been working really hard at home in getting him to really seek the contact and stretch and soften and he's producing a really lovely trot now. His canter is still a bit too big for him to find his balance but it's slowly coming on. He tries so so hard and improves in every session
[youtube]sPmq_8PQ6VA[/youtube]
Here is the test, Al focussed on keeping him really calm and soft, and letting him really show his new trot off but trying to keep the canter really forwards rather than worrying about how elegant it looks. He really tried, and it was the best test he's ever done.
(he's got a bit too much oomph behind, and it can get a bit all on the forehand so Al really aimed to keep him up and forwards)
He got lots and lots of pats and polos when he came out, and was very pleased with himself!
Amazingly he scored a brilliant 33.6, which left him 4th after the dressage in a class of 35!
Al set off for the SJ and he was a bit worried in the warm up- the rain left the ground a tiny bit greasy and he was slipping a bit. She kept it very simple and he went into the arena looking really confident. He did one of the nicest rounds I think I've seen from them, he was meeting the fences really nicely and keeping a good rhythm. Until fence 9. He saw the optical illusion filler and it really spooked him He's not the naughty stop type, and he was really freaked out by it and so had three stops. Al suddenly had the idea to show him the landing side, tried again and he did a very big jump keeping an eye on the fence right until he landed. BUT he landed and came straight back to Al and moved really happily on so Al let him keep that and jumped the last fence. It was very naughty of her and she apologised to the SJ judge when she came out- she just didn't want to tell him not to keep going when for the past year if something's gone wrong he's been really worried for the rest of the round. So while they got the big E, there were lots of big smiles too.
[youtube]ha-QAYlKw9U[/youtube]
Video of the round- the course was very twisty and spooky, and he was so brave.
And some photos... I think he finds 90cm a bit big?
(super spooky fence!)
And so Al ran off to beg the organisers to let her run XC, and Smokes busied himself pulling a shoe off while standing still. Mum then legged it off to the farrier while Smokes stood with his hoof held slightly pathetically high, having a doze. The shoe was put back on and Al was given permission to run XC if she promised that she would pull up if he felt remotely unhappy, and if she was pulled up she would stop straight away. This is Al's general approach anyway so having said thank you about a hundred times she got to the warm up. Meanwhile, I'd been slowly turning green as problem after problem occurred... Al had said the course was quite stiff, and as ever she was queen of the understatement!
Smokes set off really happily, with his standard keen bean face on, and flew round. Al finished the course grinning from ear to ear she was so pleased with him, he really understood every single question, locked on and tried his absolute hardest. They did a textbook clear round!
[youtube]Jxj_34ZPg7M[/youtube]
Smokes in action...
And some of my rather shaky photos- FB has made them look oddly grainy...
And what Smokey thinks of this eventing malarkey...
He would have been inside the time as he came in 30 seconds after the previous person, who got something like 4 time penalties.
So that's the most epic report I've written in a while, but I think little White Smoke deserved his praises singing a bit- he takes Reg's shadow quite a lot, and today he really shone. Rhubarb vodka for those who trekked on through, and maybe some brownies if we've left any over (unlikely!)...
The day started early. 4am early. I am a student, this is not a time I tend to wake up to- fall sleep to/ glance at as it passes sure, but not wake up to. We vaguely scrubbed him and checked he had all four legs before pointing him towards the lorry. Luckily he's as snoozy as we were and it was a half asleep Team Reggie that trundled off to Burghley.
Al was the very first on, which was nice as it meant she had pretty much the entire warm up to herself, and Smokes settled really nicely. They've been working really hard at home in getting him to really seek the contact and stretch and soften and he's producing a really lovely trot now. His canter is still a bit too big for him to find his balance but it's slowly coming on. He tries so so hard and improves in every session
[youtube]sPmq_8PQ6VA[/youtube]
Here is the test, Al focussed on keeping him really calm and soft, and letting him really show his new trot off but trying to keep the canter really forwards rather than worrying about how elegant it looks. He really tried, and it was the best test he's ever done.
(he's got a bit too much oomph behind, and it can get a bit all on the forehand so Al really aimed to keep him up and forwards)
He got lots and lots of pats and polos when he came out, and was very pleased with himself!
Amazingly he scored a brilliant 33.6, which left him 4th after the dressage in a class of 35!
Al set off for the SJ and he was a bit worried in the warm up- the rain left the ground a tiny bit greasy and he was slipping a bit. She kept it very simple and he went into the arena looking really confident. He did one of the nicest rounds I think I've seen from them, he was meeting the fences really nicely and keeping a good rhythm. Until fence 9. He saw the optical illusion filler and it really spooked him He's not the naughty stop type, and he was really freaked out by it and so had three stops. Al suddenly had the idea to show him the landing side, tried again and he did a very big jump keeping an eye on the fence right until he landed. BUT he landed and came straight back to Al and moved really happily on so Al let him keep that and jumped the last fence. It was very naughty of her and she apologised to the SJ judge when she came out- she just didn't want to tell him not to keep going when for the past year if something's gone wrong he's been really worried for the rest of the round. So while they got the big E, there were lots of big smiles too.
[youtube]ha-QAYlKw9U[/youtube]
Video of the round- the course was very twisty and spooky, and he was so brave.
And some photos... I think he finds 90cm a bit big?
(super spooky fence!)
And so Al ran off to beg the organisers to let her run XC, and Smokes busied himself pulling a shoe off while standing still. Mum then legged it off to the farrier while Smokes stood with his hoof held slightly pathetically high, having a doze. The shoe was put back on and Al was given permission to run XC if she promised that she would pull up if he felt remotely unhappy, and if she was pulled up she would stop straight away. This is Al's general approach anyway so having said thank you about a hundred times she got to the warm up. Meanwhile, I'd been slowly turning green as problem after problem occurred... Al had said the course was quite stiff, and as ever she was queen of the understatement!
Smokes set off really happily, with his standard keen bean face on, and flew round. Al finished the course grinning from ear to ear she was so pleased with him, he really understood every single question, locked on and tried his absolute hardest. They did a textbook clear round!
[youtube]Jxj_34ZPg7M[/youtube]
Smokes in action...
And some of my rather shaky photos- FB has made them look oddly grainy...
And what Smokey thinks of this eventing malarkey...
He would have been inside the time as he came in 30 seconds after the previous person, who got something like 4 time penalties.
So that's the most epic report I've written in a while, but I think little White Smoke deserved his praises singing a bit- he takes Reg's shadow quite a lot, and today he really shone. Rhubarb vodka for those who trekked on through, and maybe some brownies if we've left any over (unlikely!)...