rara007
Well-Known Member
First 'proper' event of the year. It's Pips second season of scurry and also the first year he's come out fit since I am now employed so have a very nice girl to work him for me in the week!
First drama was the saga of the non loading pony... never really been an issue, until this week... He is a poor traveller and has got worse as he's got older due to a few traumatic journeys. We did get him on after about 4 attempts so in the scheme of bad loaders very mild but still- this pony has been going out and about 18 years- horses! Journey there was uneventful and he travelled well. True to being frustrating be loaded straight on to have pony dinner in the back of the lorry- horses!
I think as far as he's concerned scurry is just one big sleep and eat really!
Sunday morning soon enough came and it was time for our first run. These scurry ponies really are wild, you have to be careful they don't... totally sleep through their turn?
Fortunately he did wake up in time and at 12th to go out of 31 we put down the fastest time so far at 74 seconds. The first run is traditionally the 'class' of the very small and small pairs (each turn, of 4, for the 'public' there is a 1st-6th which is simply the order you finish in, but prize money and championship qualification wise each class has a 'class' assigned, though there's no rosettes for this that is what everyone actually aims for). Two people did manage to get slightly ahead of us (both small pairs) so the end result was 3rd- clever pony
Sunday afternoon was the 'class' of the large pairs. Managed to knock 3 seconds off my earlier time to be fastest of the session but over steered in a hazard so got a ball off which is 5 pen, so end result was 76. Third again! This time behind a large pair and another single.
Monday morning and then time for the singles class. Traditionally I do poorly in this
And with the pressure of having had a ball down the day before and a single beating us as well as a lot of good ponies in the class (18 singles!) I had to drive clear. Not the smoothest drive as he was getting a little into his old ways (falling in through the shoulder on straights!) but left them all up in a respectable 72. Fortunately that was enough to secure the singles class- I think that's the first time I've won it despite having taken championships last season! We were second of the run, behind on of the small pairs again- never argue with a shetland let alone two of them! Time for the championship. I enjoy it at the larger entry shows where it is the top 6 from each class, it really makes it feel something and everyone tries to take all the stops out. To keep consistent we secured third place- behind the winning small pair (shetlands) and the winning large.
In addition to the main event we also got three runs at the isuzu challenge which is a race against a truck doing a mirror course to us, three rounds with three different ponies. He tried his heart out in all three! We were beaten once but beat him the other two times- though that bit is only for fun. We did have one slightly scary moment in the weaves on the home straight where the backstep nearly overtook me, the next run we were asked to not do them all though that actually proved even more challenging as he's not dim- he understands you go through each gap!
Sadly (and expensively) ended up on the hard shoulder of the M25 monday afternoon thanks to a blow out but no harm done and fortunately Pip is pretty chilled about that kind of thing so caused no fuss.
Peeping out!
A shire horse pair chilling:
and some action shots:
still full of gallop coming to the finish this season
lead change in obstacle 2:
Isuzu weaves:
Next up for us is Hampshire weekend after this! Sadly decided both Chatsworth and Bolesworth are too far to go to really as it is just for fun as both of those would be awesome shows. Aiming for countryfile live, equifest and Blenheim though
Thanks LizzieJ for holding us down!
First drama was the saga of the non loading pony... never really been an issue, until this week... He is a poor traveller and has got worse as he's got older due to a few traumatic journeys. We did get him on after about 4 attempts so in the scheme of bad loaders very mild but still- this pony has been going out and about 18 years- horses! Journey there was uneventful and he travelled well. True to being frustrating be loaded straight on to have pony dinner in the back of the lorry- horses!
I think as far as he's concerned scurry is just one big sleep and eat really!
Sunday morning soon enough came and it was time for our first run. These scurry ponies really are wild, you have to be careful they don't... totally sleep through their turn?
Fortunately he did wake up in time and at 12th to go out of 31 we put down the fastest time so far at 74 seconds. The first run is traditionally the 'class' of the very small and small pairs (each turn, of 4, for the 'public' there is a 1st-6th which is simply the order you finish in, but prize money and championship qualification wise each class has a 'class' assigned, though there's no rosettes for this that is what everyone actually aims for). Two people did manage to get slightly ahead of us (both small pairs) so the end result was 3rd- clever pony
Sunday afternoon was the 'class' of the large pairs. Managed to knock 3 seconds off my earlier time to be fastest of the session but over steered in a hazard so got a ball off which is 5 pen, so end result was 76. Third again! This time behind a large pair and another single.
Monday morning and then time for the singles class. Traditionally I do poorly in this
And with the pressure of having had a ball down the day before and a single beating us as well as a lot of good ponies in the class (18 singles!) I had to drive clear. Not the smoothest drive as he was getting a little into his old ways (falling in through the shoulder on straights!) but left them all up in a respectable 72. Fortunately that was enough to secure the singles class- I think that's the first time I've won it despite having taken championships last season! We were second of the run, behind on of the small pairs again- never argue with a shetland let alone two of them! Time for the championship. I enjoy it at the larger entry shows where it is the top 6 from each class, it really makes it feel something and everyone tries to take all the stops out. To keep consistent we secured third place- behind the winning small pair (shetlands) and the winning large. In addition to the main event we also got three runs at the isuzu challenge which is a race against a truck doing a mirror course to us, three rounds with three different ponies. He tried his heart out in all three! We were beaten once but beat him the other two times- though that bit is only for fun. We did have one slightly scary moment in the weaves on the home straight where the backstep nearly overtook me, the next run we were asked to not do them all
though that actually proved even more challenging as he's not dim- he understands you go through each gap!Sadly (and expensively) ended up on the hard shoulder of the M25 monday afternoon thanks to a blow out but no harm done and fortunately Pip is pretty chilled about that kind of thing so caused no fuss.
Peeping out!
A shire horse pair chilling:
and some action shots:
still full of gallop coming to the finish this season
lead change in obstacle 2:
Isuzu weaves:
Next up for us is Hampshire weekend after this! Sadly decided both Chatsworth and Bolesworth are too far to go to really as it is just for fun as both of those would be awesome shows. Aiming for countryfile live, equifest and Blenheim though
Thanks LizzieJ for holding us down!
