dafthoss
Well-Known Member
Well its been ages since I posted much about YP on here. I think the last thing I posted was about the rc fun day we did.
Well we had rc team selection evening and its safe to say it was a disaster
YP wasnt even thinking about jumping any thing. I dont know why and neither did the instructor, we put all the back rails down, made it all tiny but it made no diffrence he just wasnt having it. Left feeling rather rubbish and worrying that he wasnt right some where. Sadly I didnt have time to dwell on it as on the way home we got a phone call that a member of my family was really ill and currently being rushed to hospital, just dumped the pony back and went and sat in A&E until 3am.
Pony took a back seat for a little bit with every thing else that was going on so he had a bit of time off and we just chilled out hacking.
Another jumping lesson (same instructor) and he was on fine form again. Focus was on getting more canter, he likes to sit in a comfy little canter but he needs to open up a bit more. So it was a wake him up send him on along the long side and then jump and he was loving it, making all the distances on horse strides and not going for the extra one. Even popped through the two little skinny xc type fences that had been left up foot perfect
. Sadly as we cant jump at home until the field dries up he hadnt jumped since the previous session so my jumping position seems to have gone with my trust in him .
I know I look bad theres no need to tell me, will be working on it as soon as I can.
So then we had another jumping lesson booked through pony club this time with a new instrictor that we have never had before but had been told lots of good things about. Pony was absolutley on one from the moment we started, apart from having a melt down at the pile of unused jumps in the corner and pretending he had never been schooled in his life for most of it! Comment of the day was 'why does your horse have his head to the out side and his ears up your nose?'
erm I was asking him the same...
Any way he jumped brilliantly and the canter definantly didnt need more, apparently show jumping at speed was his new game
. He wasnt being the easiest being very stiff and charging whilst being behind my leg at the same time but we worked on it he kept jumping well and was locking on to all the fences, even if they wernt the right ones 
. We discussed getting him to let go at the base of his neck as thats where he gets tense when he is nervous and becomes stiff and hollow, which when he did he went beautifully.
Only this photo of him on the flat as mum was feeling ill and isnt the best with the camera at the best of times so didnt manage to get any of us actually jumping. So this is him after letting go and starting to listen.
Then on saturday we had rc area 7 show jumping. Was thankfull for all the lessons previously and almost felt prepared, despite the last minuite two days in london as mum was too ill to take her brownies I got swapped in at the last second. Knew he would probably go babyish on me as it was indoors at a new venue and he hadnt competitivly show jumped since last year! Warmed up really concentrating on getting him to let go with the base of his neck, which he did nicely and was staying in front of my leg at all times, feeling really lovely. Went in and he did go babyish on me and dropped off my leg. But he jumped, didnt really look at much but did have one stop at a fence, one of them really annoying ones where no matter how hard I kicked he was still stopping. But jumped every thing else happily, didnt have a great canter through the double as he was back in his little canter but he was cleaver and managed to put a trot and a canter stride in it so he didnt get burried in the bottom of the second one.
Second round he warmed up much the same if a little keener to jump, took a flier at the last warm up fence I did so left it on that and went in. He felt a lot more grown up and I got his proper jumping canter straight away, he even offered it before I asked. Flew every thing clear and even managed to put just the one in the double this time.
No pics from my camera as it had a hissy but we now know whats going on and as its done it twice in 6 months (always at important things, typically) its going back at the weekend so hopefully new one wont do so.
Link to pro pics
first round
and
second round
My jumping position still seems to be rubbish
even though I popped my stirrups up a bit to see if that would help.
We also broke down on the way back so what was already going to be a 2 and a bit hour journey ended up taking for ever as we waited for the break down man to come with 2 horses on the lorry. Finally arrived back at the yard at about 10pm to put the pony to bed.
Then sunday we went to the local venue to do two prelims, I wouldnt have normally done such a long journey the day before and then competed again but we took our friend and her boy out to both their first ever competition so I had to book us in for it before she changed her mind
.
He warmed up well and was feeling nice and forwards. Went in and instead of doing his normal trick and dropping me he did the opposite and kept trying to canter, he felt like he was looking for a jump the entire test! The canter we had a few discussions in about appropreate speed and where we were going. So whilst it was a nice change from normal we lost marks for accuracy as he was late in a few of his downwards transitions and there was a bit of tension creeping in at times. He got a 56.something% which was fairly good in a low scoring class (winner was on low 60s with a lovely test), no frillies as it was a big class but despite him making me work quite hard I was happy.
Second test I had done lots of trot work in the warm up making him really take the contact down and to let go with his neck and it seemed to work. Second test was much nicer, he was much more rideable and willing to work with me so we were much more accurate (but he was still keeping an eye out for a jump). Scored lower than the first test which was a shame but was a diffrent judge and another low scoring class. All comments of the day about his tension and how it was affecting the contact and his rhythm (my reins being to long in the first test didnt help! but I did shorten them up in the second)
Pro pics from the first test, I'll post the ones from the second when they go up
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.ph...82780626.72356.295808323862419&type=3&theater
I need to shorten my blimmin reins in the test as he does come up and make them to long where as in the warm up he is fine with that length, I think I did it in the second test but I havnt seen the photos so cant be sure but it felt a lot better. Excuse the moment one in canter, he didnt believe he should have to circle.
And one final one of him this morning after going for a gallop, boy can he now go when you ask him I actually had trouble getting him to walk between galloping! Interval training what???! just gallop lots....
Happy speedy pony ears (after I persuaded him that walk was a nessesary part of this hack)
White chocolate if you got that far, sorry its been such a long one
Well we had rc team selection evening and its safe to say it was a disaster
YP wasnt even thinking about jumping any thing. I dont know why and neither did the instructor, we put all the back rails down, made it all tiny but it made no diffrence he just wasnt having it. Left feeling rather rubbish and worrying that he wasnt right some where. Sadly I didnt have time to dwell on it as on the way home we got a phone call that a member of my family was really ill and currently being rushed to hospital, just dumped the pony back and went and sat in A&E until 3am. Pony took a back seat for a little bit with every thing else that was going on so he had a bit of time off and we just chilled out hacking.
Another jumping lesson (same instructor) and he was on fine form again. Focus was on getting more canter, he likes to sit in a comfy little canter but he needs to open up a bit more. So it was a wake him up send him on along the long side and then jump and he was loving it, making all the distances on horse strides and not going for the extra one. Even popped through the two little skinny xc type fences that had been left up foot perfect
. Sadly as we cant jump at home until the field dries up he hadnt jumped since the previous session so my jumping position seems to have gone with my trust in him . I know I look bad theres no need to tell me, will be working on it as soon as I can.
So then we had another jumping lesson booked through pony club this time with a new instrictor that we have never had before but had been told lots of good things about. Pony was absolutley on one from the moment we started, apart from having a melt down at the pile of unused jumps in the corner and pretending he had never been schooled in his life for most of it! Comment of the day was 'why does your horse have his head to the out side and his ears up your nose?'
erm I was asking him the same... Any way he jumped brilliantly and the canter definantly didnt need more, apparently show jumping at speed was his new game
. He wasnt being the easiest being very stiff and charging whilst being behind my leg at the same time but we worked on it he kept jumping well and was locking on to all the fences, even if they wernt the right ones . We discussed getting him to let go at the base of his neck as thats where he gets tense when he is nervous and becomes stiff and hollow, which when he did he went beautifully. Only this photo of him on the flat as mum was feeling ill and isnt the best with the camera at the best of times so didnt manage to get any of us actually jumping. So this is him after letting go and starting to listen.
Then on saturday we had rc area 7 show jumping. Was thankfull for all the lessons previously and almost felt prepared, despite the last minuite two days in london as mum was too ill to take her brownies I got swapped in at the last second. Knew he would probably go babyish on me as it was indoors at a new venue and he hadnt competitivly show jumped since last year! Warmed up really concentrating on getting him to let go with the base of his neck, which he did nicely and was staying in front of my leg at all times, feeling really lovely. Went in and he did go babyish on me and dropped off my leg. But he jumped, didnt really look at much but did have one stop at a fence, one of them really annoying ones where no matter how hard I kicked he was still stopping. But jumped every thing else happily, didnt have a great canter through the double as he was back in his little canter but he was cleaver and managed to put a trot and a canter stride in it so he didnt get burried in the bottom of the second one.
Second round he warmed up much the same if a little keener to jump, took a flier at the last warm up fence I did so left it on that and went in. He felt a lot more grown up and I got his proper jumping canter straight away, he even offered it before I asked. Flew every thing clear and even managed to put just the one in the double this time
. No pics from my camera as it had a hissy but we now know whats going on and as its done it twice in 6 months (always at important things, typically) its going back at the weekend so hopefully new one wont do so.
Link to pro pics
first round
and
second round
My jumping position still seems to be rubbish
even though I popped my stirrups up a bit to see if that would help. We also broke down on the way back so what was already going to be a 2 and a bit hour journey ended up taking for ever as we waited for the break down man to come with 2 horses on the lorry. Finally arrived back at the yard at about 10pm to put the pony to bed.
Then sunday we went to the local venue to do two prelims, I wouldnt have normally done such a long journey the day before and then competed again but we took our friend and her boy out to both their first ever competition so I had to book us in for it before she changed her mind
. He warmed up well and was feeling nice and forwards
. Went in and instead of doing his normal trick and dropping me he did the opposite and kept trying to canter, he felt like he was looking for a jump the entire test! The canter we had a few discussions in about appropreate speed and where we were going. So whilst it was a nice change from normal we lost marks for accuracy as he was late in a few of his downwards transitions and there was a bit of tension creeping in at times. He got a 56.something% which was fairly good in a low scoring class (winner was on low 60s with a lovely test), no frillies as it was a big class but despite him making me work quite hard I was happy. Second test I had done lots of trot work in the warm up making him really take the contact down and to let go with his neck and it seemed to work. Second test was much nicer, he was much more rideable and willing to work with me so we were much more accurate (but he was still keeping an eye out for a jump). Scored lower than the first test which was a shame but was a diffrent judge and another low scoring class. All comments of the day about his tension and how it was affecting the contact and his rhythm (my reins being to long in the first test didnt help! but I did shorten them up in the second)
Pro pics from the first test, I'll post the ones from the second when they go up
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.ph...82780626.72356.295808323862419&type=3&theater
I need to shorten my blimmin reins in the test as he does come up and make them to long where as in the warm up he is fine with that length, I think I did it in the second test but I havnt seen the photos so cant be sure but it felt a lot better. Excuse the moment one in canter, he didnt believe he should have to circle.
And one final one of him this morning after going for a gallop, boy can he now go when you ask him
I actually had trouble getting him to walk between galloping! Interval training what???! just gallop lots.... Happy speedy pony ears (after I persuaded him that walk was a nessesary part of this hack)
White chocolate if you got that far, sorry its been such a long one
