jess_asterix
Well-Known Member
Me and Herbie have blotted our copybook recently!
After Salperton where we went really well he had no events for 6 weeks until Chomondley Castle Novice, went there having not jumped a stick and feeling out of practice with not much canter work having been done due to the ground and not having time to get to gallops!
Dressage was unbelievably average, did a short warm up due to withdrawals and it was quite hot, he broke in his medium, canter when he should have walked and we halted in the wrong place. 39.5 our worst EVER mark
Onto SJ, didn't walk the course (slapped wrists!), ground was quite hard but he warmed up ok and we went in to jump a nice clear, opting to put an extra stride in before the planks.
Having walked the XC I thought it was pretty technical, with plenty of skinnies and very upright rails, with a brush to a brush corner early on and the water was pretty nasty. The ground was hard to and I debated whether to run out not but decided to!
Had a bit of a wait in the collecting ring and then we were off, good over 1 and 2 but landed sticky and not really running, 3 was good, 4ab he locked onto the line and jumped well, Didnt really want to gallop onto 5 a boat and hung in the air hitting it behind (very unlike him!) up the hill over the oxer spookily and onto the brush combination, had to work hard to keep him straight and took the flag out. Let up fence next then a log on top of the hill which he chipped a stride in to and then jumped the skinny arrowhead well. Landed and he wasn't going so smacked him on the bum and then jumped the ditch palisade well. Still felt he wasn't going much so tried to encourage him abut more, over the straw cart then he really started backing off the water so I smacked him and he completely refused to go at all, 3 times so a big fat E on his record all because I smacked him near the fence and he didn't like it. Tbh I'm lad he did as I should have pulled up earlier as he wasn't himself, he was hating the ground.
Never mind, always another day.
Went water schooling the next day just in case it had scared him but he was great so no worries there!!
Next up was ALW Novice, never been there before but what a lovely event, such friendly people and great ground XC, I'll definitely be going again!
Dressage, warmed up for much longer and he was working well although 5 minutes before we went in started swinging his quarters in drastically on the left rein???!! Tried to correct as much as I could but tension crept in. Did everything in the right place though this time just need to get less tension and make sure all transition are more through. Need some lessons but need to find a new trainer!!
SJ, didn't walk the course again!!! Naughty! Warmed up average, surface was deep and only did a couple of jumps, went in jumped 1 and 2 well then tried to ride 2 to 3 on 6 strides like I had seen everyone else do and I should have added a stride, he is the kind of horse who would always rather be deep, and we were a mile off it and he very justifiably stopped, he had no chance. Came round popped it and jumped the rest clear but felt really lethargic, muppet rider. Weren't going to challenge the leaders with a 36.5 dressage anyway!!!!
http://bit.ly/17mO6lG
Deliberations before XC about whether he was feeling himself, blood tests, energy food etc the. I decided I would ride him in spurs for the first time in 2 years..... My god, he was a different horse, buzzing in the warm up, flew out the start box and never once dropped off my leg or thought about wavering off his line. Best round we have ever jumped by far!
Clear well inside the time
http://bit.ly/1cye7oX
http://bit.ly/1eHoKBF
So, I have entered Sapey. I need some dressage lessons, I have booked a SJ lesson. Basically I think we both needed a serious kick up the ass as we had got complacent!!!!
So at Sapey I am going to try and get all 3 phases right
On another note my 4 yo is going really well, we canter out hacking on open fields, jump small fences (in a slightly excited manner) and have been hound exercising
And I've been on pony club duty with the sis....
So there's an update and to tell you all the bad bits as well as the good haha!
After Salperton where we went really well he had no events for 6 weeks until Chomondley Castle Novice, went there having not jumped a stick and feeling out of practice with not much canter work having been done due to the ground and not having time to get to gallops!
Dressage was unbelievably average, did a short warm up due to withdrawals and it was quite hot, he broke in his medium, canter when he should have walked and we halted in the wrong place. 39.5 our worst EVER mark
Onto SJ, didn't walk the course (slapped wrists!), ground was quite hard but he warmed up ok and we went in to jump a nice clear, opting to put an extra stride in before the planks.
Having walked the XC I thought it was pretty technical, with plenty of skinnies and very upright rails, with a brush to a brush corner early on and the water was pretty nasty. The ground was hard to and I debated whether to run out not but decided to!
Had a bit of a wait in the collecting ring and then we were off, good over 1 and 2 but landed sticky and not really running, 3 was good, 4ab he locked onto the line and jumped well, Didnt really want to gallop onto 5 a boat and hung in the air hitting it behind (very unlike him!) up the hill over the oxer spookily and onto the brush combination, had to work hard to keep him straight and took the flag out. Let up fence next then a log on top of the hill which he chipped a stride in to and then jumped the skinny arrowhead well. Landed and he wasn't going so smacked him on the bum and then jumped the ditch palisade well. Still felt he wasn't going much so tried to encourage him abut more, over the straw cart then he really started backing off the water so I smacked him and he completely refused to go at all, 3 times so a big fat E on his record all because I smacked him near the fence and he didn't like it. Tbh I'm lad he did as I should have pulled up earlier as he wasn't himself, he was hating the ground.
Never mind, always another day.
Went water schooling the next day just in case it had scared him but he was great so no worries there!!
Next up was ALW Novice, never been there before but what a lovely event, such friendly people and great ground XC, I'll definitely be going again!
Dressage, warmed up for much longer and he was working well although 5 minutes before we went in started swinging his quarters in drastically on the left rein???!! Tried to correct as much as I could but tension crept in. Did everything in the right place though this time just need to get less tension and make sure all transition are more through. Need some lessons but need to find a new trainer!!
SJ, didn't walk the course again!!! Naughty! Warmed up average, surface was deep and only did a couple of jumps, went in jumped 1 and 2 well then tried to ride 2 to 3 on 6 strides like I had seen everyone else do and I should have added a stride, he is the kind of horse who would always rather be deep, and we were a mile off it and he very justifiably stopped, he had no chance. Came round popped it and jumped the rest clear but felt really lethargic, muppet rider. Weren't going to challenge the leaders with a 36.5 dressage anyway!!!!
http://bit.ly/17mO6lG
Deliberations before XC about whether he was feeling himself, blood tests, energy food etc the. I decided I would ride him in spurs for the first time in 2 years..... My god, he was a different horse, buzzing in the warm up, flew out the start box and never once dropped off my leg or thought about wavering off his line. Best round we have ever jumped by far!
Clear well inside the time
http://bit.ly/1cye7oX
http://bit.ly/1eHoKBF
So, I have entered Sapey. I need some dressage lessons, I have booked a SJ lesson. Basically I think we both needed a serious kick up the ass as we had got complacent!!!!
So at Sapey I am going to try and get all 3 phases right
On another note my 4 yo is going really well, we canter out hacking on open fields, jump small fences (in a slightly excited manner) and have been hound exercising
And I've been on pony club duty with the sis....
So there's an update and to tell you all the bad bits as well as the good haha!
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