SpottedCat
Well-Known Member
So the cute beige one has not been to any parties yet as I have been rather concentrating on the grumpy bay one. Today I managed to rope my husband in (he must have been feeling spectacularly weak after his 50mile cycle ride yesterday to agree to come SJ) so I braved taking them both. I had four fault-itis on the grumpy bay one, and no pics or vids, so we'll gloss over him and concentrate on the cute beige one!
The cute beige one is 6, and aside from hunting with his last owner, has done nothing, and this was his first party. He's done some group lessons with me, been XC schooling, and jumped some courses in lessons, and he's been good as gold in everything he's been asked to do, so today I thought I'd take him SJ. This is what he looked like before Xmas when he arrived:
Well, the warmup was rather overwhelming for him, so discretion being the better part of valour and all that, I decided walking round the car park was our best bet. Unorthodox, but effective
We missed the 2ft6, so he went straight in at 2ft9. I think the best way to describe it, was effective rather than stylish (I have a vid but have not watched back so do not know if it is suitable for forum consumption yet!) - but he jumped everything in front of him, and barring the last fence in the jump off, left them all up too, and for a first outing, I don't think you can ask for more than that really, can you?
Picture (I have permission to post because the incredibly forward thinking Craig Derrick sells you a print and a CD with no copyright for £15, so huge thanks to him, all venues should have a photographer like him! Friendly staff, sensible prices and I can post the pic wherever I like including in adverts). You'll have to excuse my riding, this took all my concentration bless him as he was a bit over-awed!:
Bit of a difference from the first picture?! I am very pleased with him, he's a dude. I think he may get to stay till next year and go to some more parties, it was good fun feeling him gain confidence, and I would quite like to do some little ODEs on him I think.
ETA: Please all note my matchy-matchy SJ style - saddlecloth and jump
The cute beige one is 6, and aside from hunting with his last owner, has done nothing, and this was his first party. He's done some group lessons with me, been XC schooling, and jumped some courses in lessons, and he's been good as gold in everything he's been asked to do, so today I thought I'd take him SJ. This is what he looked like before Xmas when he arrived:
Well, the warmup was rather overwhelming for him, so discretion being the better part of valour and all that, I decided walking round the car park was our best bet. Unorthodox, but effective
We missed the 2ft6, so he went straight in at 2ft9. I think the best way to describe it, was effective rather than stylish (I have a vid but have not watched back so do not know if it is suitable for forum consumption yet!) - but he jumped everything in front of him, and barring the last fence in the jump off, left them all up too, and for a first outing, I don't think you can ask for more than that really, can you?
Picture (I have permission to post because the incredibly forward thinking Craig Derrick sells you a print and a CD with no copyright for £15, so huge thanks to him, all venues should have a photographer like him! Friendly staff, sensible prices and I can post the pic wherever I like including in adverts). You'll have to excuse my riding, this took all my concentration bless him as he was a bit over-awed!:
Bit of a difference from the first picture?! I am very pleased with him, he's a dude. I think he may get to stay till next year and go to some more parties, it was good fun feeling him gain confidence, and I would quite like to do some little ODEs on him I think.
ETA: Please all note my matchy-matchy SJ style - saddlecloth and jump
), the stuff travelling through the carpark, the ring with stuff going on and the loudspeakers just distracted him a bit!
