Girlracer
Well-Known Member
Evening all, it's been a while!
I thought I would pop in and stop lurking as I have been recently and do a little competition report.
August bank holiday Monday, a wash out as usual, perfect day for our first one day event.
Really we entered this competition before we are at a point to be competitive, and really the less said about the dressage the better. However the in the interests of 'getting my excuses in early' King takes many of the characteristics most commonly associated with the TB part of his breeding and makes sure he lives up to it, it was also raining... a lot, the dressage was on grass which was very slippy and did I mention it was wet?
Quite frankly I said beforehand that as long as he kept a lid on it, we stayed in the arena and did everything we were meant to I would take that as having gone well. But then he warmed up well, really well in fact, and suddenly I forgot that I was on a horse at it's second ever competition, it's first ODE about to do it's first dressage test... on grass... in the wet. However he soon reminded me as we walked into the arena he grew a hand spooked at the flowers then subsequently trotted round resembling a fire breathing dragon. I smiled to the judge, a lot, in some vein hope that she may take pity on me and maybe even give me a 'well ridden'. But it wasn't to be, and in fact I just managed to get more points deducted for talking to my horse. So as I say the less said about that the better.
However, all the fun was to come, wasn't it?
So a quick change and a bit of mud removal and on to the show jumping warm up. I will be honest this could have gone better. Considering he's a 16.1 sports horse by Mill Law and we were at a 70cm UA ODE we had many opportunities to be shown up by children on ponies, this happened plenty. It seemed we forgot how to jump anything other than a X pole and we headed to the arena expecting to complete a demolition derby.
Thankfully however we entered the ring and it all came flooding back and we completed a nice forward confident round for 4 faults, which was at a double away from the other other horses which he hesitated at. But that's okay, it's all about learning.
So on to the XC, another quick change, a nice opportunity for 'I'm part TB don't you know' to take over.
When I had walked the course it wasn't quite what I had hoped for, rather than spread out and flowing it was in fact twisty turny and spread out... over two small fields. I was concerned about a very unfriendly narrow corner at number 3, had it been later on in the course I wouldn't have been however I did feel as the third fence it was a little harsh. So walking around waiting to go, I remembered falling off breaking my arm at the beginning of the year, reminded myself I was on a horse who whilst green would look after me an off we went....
We got all the way to number three, then I saw how dreadfully cut up the ground was forgot how to ride and we had a run out. Frustrating however he popped over it and promptly flew round the rest and we some how didn't get lost.
And so we returned home with a cricket score but very happy with our first attempt. And next we head to Swalcliffe at the end of the month for the 80.
I thought I would pop in and stop lurking as I have been recently and do a little competition report.
August bank holiday Monday, a wash out as usual, perfect day for our first one day event.
Really we entered this competition before we are at a point to be competitive, and really the less said about the dressage the better. However the in the interests of 'getting my excuses in early' King takes many of the characteristics most commonly associated with the TB part of his breeding and makes sure he lives up to it, it was also raining... a lot, the dressage was on grass which was very slippy and did I mention it was wet?
Quite frankly I said beforehand that as long as he kept a lid on it, we stayed in the arena and did everything we were meant to I would take that as having gone well. But then he warmed up well, really well in fact, and suddenly I forgot that I was on a horse at it's second ever competition, it's first ODE about to do it's first dressage test... on grass... in the wet. However he soon reminded me as we walked into the arena he grew a hand spooked at the flowers then subsequently trotted round resembling a fire breathing dragon. I smiled to the judge, a lot, in some vein hope that she may take pity on me and maybe even give me a 'well ridden'. But it wasn't to be, and in fact I just managed to get more points deducted for talking to my horse. So as I say the less said about that the better.
However, all the fun was to come, wasn't it?
So a quick change and a bit of mud removal and on to the show jumping warm up. I will be honest this could have gone better. Considering he's a 16.1 sports horse by Mill Law and we were at a 70cm UA ODE we had many opportunities to be shown up by children on ponies, this happened plenty. It seemed we forgot how to jump anything other than a X pole and we headed to the arena expecting to complete a demolition derby.
Thankfully however we entered the ring and it all came flooding back and we completed a nice forward confident round for 4 faults, which was at a double away from the other other horses which he hesitated at. But that's okay, it's all about learning.
So on to the XC, another quick change, a nice opportunity for 'I'm part TB don't you know' to take over.
When I had walked the course it wasn't quite what I had hoped for, rather than spread out and flowing it was in fact twisty turny and spread out... over two small fields. I was concerned about a very unfriendly narrow corner at number 3, had it been later on in the course I wouldn't have been however I did feel as the third fence it was a little harsh. So walking around waiting to go, I remembered falling off breaking my arm at the beginning of the year, reminded myself I was on a horse who whilst green would look after me an off we went....
We got all the way to number three, then I saw how dreadfully cut up the ground was forgot how to ride and we had a run out. Frustrating however he popped over it and promptly flew round the rest and we some how didn't get lost.
And so we returned home with a cricket score but very happy with our first attempt. And next we head to Swalcliffe at the end of the month for the 80.
