We did it! In fact, we did it twice! [Hunter Trials]

[NU ABO]

Seriously, I cannot express how pleased I am with my clever little boy!

Weekend before last we had a go at our first ever Hunter Trial at Alconbury (for the soaring heights of 70cm). Having walked the course on Saturday, constantly telling myself that 'It's fine, we can jump these fences, he won't take off with me, I'm sure' and then proceeding to dose up on Rescue Remedy spray and gum (I didn't even know there was a chewing gum version!) and have a nice early night (well 10.30 is early for me at least)

I had the plan in my head, and as usual with shows I can never get up nicely which means I end up panicking that I haven't got everything and we won't get to the venue on time and everything might fall to pieces around me! (I swear, I'm not actually an anxious person, at least I shouldn't be)

Thankfully I must have had the luck of the gods on my side, because everything was remembered and I sort of had enough time to spare. I mean it wasn't like I wanted to spend long warming up anyway... he's not very good at warming up around large groups of horses. A good walk, trot and canter on each rein and pop a couple of the warm-up jumps before our rounds is perfectly fine, otherwise he ends up overexciting himself. We are working on it though!

Then out onto the course we went and I couldn't believe how calm, collected and easy he was going round the course. Oh sure he kept wanting to go faster, and had it not been so slippery I might have let him stretch out a bit more, but I didn't want to risk him slipping over. Granted we did have a fall, when he got barked at by the fence judges dog, spooked and my foot slipped out of the stirrups (I bought new stirrup treads the day after!)

But he listened the whole time, jumped brilliantly (I think we might try the 80cm next season) and mostly cantered the whole course (we only didn't canter when it safer to trot, so for tighter corners). So apparently I don't have to be concerned about his fitness level.

A couple of pictures:

http://www.grahamgannonphotography.com/p708295972/h17D6DC31#h17d6dc31

http://www.grahamgannonphotography.com/p708295972/h8CE28F#h8ce28f

And some great ones of the fall:

http://www.grahamgannonphotography.com/p708295972/h5f1a013#h5f1a013 (all the pictures are there actually, but the above two are my favourites)



So fast forward to the weekend just gone and we went to the Little Downham Hunter Trials at Ely Eventing Centre (a bit higher this time at 75cm, I know we should slow down right!). A bit more hassled this time, and like an idiot I forgot my whip.
He was more excitable in the warm-up this time, trying to take off and giving a few little bucks but it was fine, we still did our standard warm-up.

Then out on to the course where he proceeded to refuse the first jump (granted I think that was my fault for trying to holding him back too much), but then we carried on, he was a bit more 'looky' this time and we ended up with four refusals and one obstacle (the steps) that I avoided completely because I'd already seen a couple of people mess up on them and as he was already refusing things and I wasn't super confident with them I didn't want to risk it (we were eliminated by that point anyway). But he was still very very good and cantered the whole course again (longer course this time, still no stamina worries). I need to work on taking him over jumps before going down a slope, because he kept refusing when he couldn't tell what was beyond the jump so it's a bit of confidence thing I need to work on with him. It'll come with more practice I think!

Some pictures from Ely:

https://www.theimagefile.com/?skin=309&Action=VF&id=14067847402&pcp=81&ppwd=40649frf

https://www.theimagefile.com/?skin=309&Action=VF&id=14067847802&pcp=81&ppwd=40649frf

https://www.theimagefile.com/?skin=309&Action=VF&id=14067848002&pcp=81&ppwd=40649frf

https://www.theimagefile.com/?skin=309&Action=VF&id=14067848602&pcp=81&ppwd=40649frf


So all in all it's been a very positive experience. We'll be doing the Eventer Trials (SJ and XC) at Keysoe EC next month and then possible same thing in December. Then we'll get cracking with the Hunter Trials next season again (I think I'm hooked now!)


Tea and cookies for all who've made it through this

 

[claracanter]

Lovely report, well done.
Great photos ( apart from the fall)
Sorry about the jump judges dog, what a nuisance.

I will have to find the rescue remedy chewing gum, sounds like a brilliant idea.

 

[oldie48]

Well done, he's a handsome chap but looks quite big!

 

[NU ABO]

Lovely report, well done.
Great photos ( apart from the fall)
Sorry about the jump judges dog, what a nuisance.

I will have to find the rescue remedy chewing gum, sounds like a brilliant idea.

Thank you

It's a bit of a nuisance, but we've experienced that now, so hopefully next time if I spot a judge's dog I'll be able to encourage him to not listen at it XD

The chewing gum is great. I basically had the spray the night before, the morning of and then on the road. Then when I got there I had one of the chewing gums and kept chewing on it throughout my ride.

Well done, he's a handsome chap but looks quite big!

Thanks! He is my handsome boy, but he's actually only 15.1, I think it's cause I'm quite small at 5'3"ish I make him look bigger, and he makes himself look bigger when he's excited by things!

 

[*hic*]

I remember him going round Ely. I thought he looked bigger but IIRC he's quite wide. I thought he was a lovely chap.

 

[Farcical1]

That's two events I'm aiming at next year. We've schooled round both once each, so need to get out and do some more. Those heights look plenty big enough to me!

 

[EmmaB]

Well done! He's lovely looking! There's some great pics there, good luck for keysoe!

 

[Sparkles]

Well done! Lovely clean boy too! Cleaner than my mostly grey lol.

Just on a H&S note....please be careful chewing gum whilst riding from a choking hazard point of view. I still remember vividly as a child, my mum rushing to do first aid on a girl who had choked badly outside our street [unconscious, very nearly choked herself] after falling off her bike and having gum in her mouth. My views always been the same could happen on a horse and been a bit OCD about it!

 

[NU ABO]

I remember him going round Ely. I thought he looked bigger but IIRC he's quite wide. I thought he was a lovely chap.

He has extremely wide shoulders (he's a ****** to find nice fitting rugs for!) and I think that makes him appear bigger to people.

That's two events I'm aiming at next year. We've schooled round both once each, so need to get out and do some more. Those heights look plenty big enough to me!

We'd actually never schooled round Alconbury before, but it reminded me a bit of Waresley (which both me and Jack love, because he loves cantering up and down hills)
Technically the jumps are plenty to big enough to get us started, but he respects bigger jumps more and makes a better shape over them, hence why I feel we should move up we I feel confident enough.

Well done! He's lovely looking! There's some great pics there, good luck for keysoe!

Thank you! Debating whether to do it both November 23rd AND December 21st, or just do to November one... I guess I'll see how he likes it

Well done! Lovely clean boy too! Cleaner than my mostly grey lol.

Just on a H&S note....please be careful chewing gum whilst riding from a choking hazard point of view. I still remember vividly as a child, my mum rushing to do first aid on a girl who had choked badly outside our street [unconscious, very nearly choked herself] after falling off her bike and having gum in her mouth. My views always been the same could happen on a horse and been a bit OCD about it!

Thank you, but you'd think different if you saw him up close! Especially at Ely because I just couldn't be bother to wash him down before it, so he was a bit of a dirty ****** XD

Usually I wouldn't have thought about chewing gum going round the course, I was going to bin in when I got near the catering van, but I ended up forgetting about it until I was heading out (he was getting himself excited by this point) and by then it's too late to do anything about it!