pootleperkin
Well-Known Member
I'm knackered but happy after this weekend! Apols in advance if photos are huge...I haven't got the energy to resize them tonight!
We took Sky to her first proper dressage party yesterday - an unaffiliated event not far from home.
We had entered Intro A and prelim 12, but tbh, I just wanted to get her out and see how she behaved. She was very, very good - she has never been in a busy collecting ring before, but was well behaved and gave me a little concentration after a while. She even coped with folk nearly riding into her etc!
Anyway, intro A was a great warm up, and would have been even better if numpty Mother hadn't forgotten the first trot walk trot, but overall she gave me some nice work so I came out pleased. On to P12 and we had to CANTER at an event for the first time ever! The brave pants have been on recently and actually, I am thinking I can throw them out and put some more comfortable ones on very soon as she isn't worrying me in the slightest, so the canters weren't any problem, and again she did some very nice work for her first ever 'proper' test!
So, the results were read out for the intro. In a big turnout of competitors, I was hoping to be placed, but not actually win, which is what we did, with 75%!!
She also came 4th in her Prelim, with 77% (!!!!!!) and some lovely comments from the judge. The judge did seem to be using her full range of marks! I was chuffed to get 8's for my riding. So, suitably pleased, we took her home - OH and I were very proud parents!!
pics:
and vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDkLBogxaAA&feature=share&list=UUe1z5pVY0OKDqERhr281J4Q
She was v funny on last 10m 1/2 circle onto centre line - just ran out of gas and said she would prefer to go the other way and home seeing as she had been so good!
On to today, and G was going to his first proper ODE (i.e., not a mini-ODE run in one field over tiny wee jumps - he did one of those 4 years ago....!). It was at Northallerton who have a BE course, so I knew it should be properly run and built.
We got there in good time and I had a friend who rides BE100 with me to walk the course with and groom for me. I was happy with the course, not big at 75 cm -ish, but just what we need in terms of getting him to see different places and questions.
He was Mr Chilled today - strolled off the trailer, and warmed up for dressage well. He seemed to like being on grass, though there were complaints of the arenas being bumpy and slippy. He did a nice test - v flowing - we have been working on him being more forward and at times he might have had moments of being a bit too forward, but on the whole, it was good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhw3YQUypDc&feature=share&list=UUe1z5pVY0OKDqERhr281J4Q
With only 30 min between each section, he warmed up well, locking onto his practice fences - I didn't want to over do any practice as I was worried about him running out of juice! We jumped a clear but slightly precarious SJ round - we both enjoyed it and could just do with more match practice
Finally onto XC - I was determined not to let him stop at anything after our training with Mistatiger and Blyth Tait recently. He actually jumped the practice fence first time without any stickiness, so I was pretty happy. We judged the start box just right and he was a bit wiggly to the first, but we went over ok. We both nearly ran out of energy in the second field, but found our second wind after two doubles of houses. He hasn't seen many steps or drops, but managed the step near to end after a little goggle moment, then took his time into the water, but went. The final fence was a drop, stride and up and he had a little look, but a growl and kick sent him on to the finish. So, a double clear at his first ODE!!!
I then discovered he had only got 25.5 penalties for his dressage (again I got an 8 for my riding, so I was super pleased with that - I have been trying so hard to improve my game too), so we were leading the section! Only the optimum time could stop us winning and we were within the time, so no penalties there either! So, we won!! The closest score to us was 33 penalties. We had the best dressage of all the 75 cm restricted sections, which amounted to around 65 horse and rider combinations, so I was super pleased to say the least
A great weekend all round - I'm so proud of my gang!
Pic that we won as part of our prize - a lovely one of him, though I look a bit tense!!
I ate all the cookies, but have some Twixs about the place somewhere
We took Sky to her first proper dressage party yesterday - an unaffiliated event not far from home.
We had entered Intro A and prelim 12, but tbh, I just wanted to get her out and see how she behaved. She was very, very good - she has never been in a busy collecting ring before, but was well behaved and gave me a little concentration after a while. She even coped with folk nearly riding into her etc!
Anyway, intro A was a great warm up, and would have been even better if numpty Mother hadn't forgotten the first trot walk trot, but overall she gave me some nice work so I came out pleased. On to P12 and we had to CANTER at an event for the first time ever! The brave pants have been on recently and actually, I am thinking I can throw them out and put some more comfortable ones on very soon as she isn't worrying me in the slightest, so the canters weren't any problem, and again she did some very nice work for her first ever 'proper' test!
So, the results were read out for the intro. In a big turnout of competitors, I was hoping to be placed, but not actually win, which is what we did, with 75%!!
She also came 4th in her Prelim, with 77% (!!!!!!) and some lovely comments from the judge. The judge did seem to be using her full range of marks! I was chuffed to get 8's for my riding. So, suitably pleased, we took her home - OH and I were very proud parents!!
pics:
and vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDkLBogxaAA&feature=share&list=UUe1z5pVY0OKDqERhr281J4Q
She was v funny on last 10m 1/2 circle onto centre line - just ran out of gas and said she would prefer to go the other way and home seeing as she had been so good!
On to today, and G was going to his first proper ODE (i.e., not a mini-ODE run in one field over tiny wee jumps - he did one of those 4 years ago....!). It was at Northallerton who have a BE course, so I knew it should be properly run and built.
We got there in good time and I had a friend who rides BE100 with me to walk the course with and groom for me
. I was happy with the course, not big at 75 cm -ish, but just what we need in terms of getting him to see different places and questions.He was Mr Chilled today - strolled off the trailer, and warmed up for dressage well. He seemed to like being on grass, though there were complaints of the arenas being bumpy and slippy. He did a nice test - v flowing - we have been working on him being more forward and at times he might have had moments of being a bit too forward, but on the whole, it was good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhw3YQUypDc&feature=share&list=UUe1z5pVY0OKDqERhr281J4Q
With only 30 min between each section, he warmed up well, locking onto his practice fences - I didn't want to over do any practice as I was worried about him running out of juice! We jumped a clear but slightly precarious SJ round - we both enjoyed it and could just do with more match practice
Finally onto XC - I was determined not to let him stop at anything after our training with Mistatiger and Blyth Tait recently. He actually jumped the practice fence first time without any stickiness, so I was pretty happy. We judged the start box just right and he was a bit wiggly to the first, but we went over ok. We both nearly ran out of energy in the second field, but found our second wind after two doubles of houses. He hasn't seen many steps or drops, but managed the step near to end after a little goggle moment, then took his time into the water, but went
. The final fence was a drop, stride and up and he had a little look, but a growl and kick sent him on to the finish. So, a double clear at his first ODE!!! I then discovered he had only got 25.5 penalties for his dressage (again I got an 8 for my riding, so I was super pleased with that - I have been trying so hard to improve my game too), so we were leading the section! Only the optimum time could stop us winning and we were within the time, so no penalties there either! So, we won!! The closest score to us was 33 penalties. We had the best dressage of all the 75 cm restricted sections, which amounted to around 65 horse and rider combinations, so I was super pleased to say the least
A great weekend all round - I'm so proud of my gang!
Pic that we won as part of our prize - a lovely one of him, though I look a bit tense!!
I ate all the cookies, but have some Twixs about the place somewhere
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