tigers_eye
Well-Known Member
Just stuffed my face with Dominoes so now ready to tell you about SoE today!
Got there, unloaded William, went to do dressage. Warming up I couldn't get anything like our nice trot at home, it was hard and uneven, and he remembered how to move like a stuffy little pony
. The walk and canter don't seem to suffer so much, but the trot really does when he doesn't like the ground, still, it's the same for everyone, and the going was better in the arena, so can't moan really. Went round his test quite sweetly, although pilot rode possibley the worst-shaped 20m canter circle ever performed, and forgot to walk at the marker so socked him the teeth a few yards past when brain kicked in
.
Back at lorry unload Liberty and realise that William has completely mauled one side of his neck on our way there
. There was blood in several places, and it was coming up in lumps
, so William was promptly banished to the lorry by himself where he was ignored for several hours. Got Liberty ready, went over, and they were running quite late, so he went off the boil a bit (whilst I over-boiled in black jacket etc!), but did a pretty nice test apart from falling into trot in one of the transitions.
Turned out W got 40.2 (just a series of 6's really, judge said needs to step under more to get anything higher), and L got 35.something.
Then hurtled round the xc on foot, trying to remember the 2 courses. Thought both were pretty stiff, not sure I agree with HJ's estimation of it being a straightforward Novice! And the PN had two pretty tough skinnies, and 3 ditches (L's favourite!). I liked them though, and thought the Novice had quite a 1* feel about it - plenty of combinations and some bright stuff like the podium at the next to last. Went past the sj on my way back and saw a couple of disastrous rounds, the ground in there was not as good on the xc and some horses clearly didn't feel safe.
Jumped on Liberty, popped him over a couple of fences then went in. Asked for a longish one at the 3rd, then after that he point blank refused to jump normally, he chipped in tiny extra stride at every fence, he even got 2 strides in the double (and left it up!), which is amazing for a beast his size! Had one down, so spoilt his record
. Off to xc, was absolutely appaling going to the first, thought we were going to end up walking up the intermediate instead! Got going after that and jumped really very well, was very pleased at the skinnies as I practised them for the first time this week and it obviously clicked. Came home inside the time.
Back on to William now. Checked his studs and found the thread in both fronts was buggered which didn't fill me with hope
. As he'd been on the lorry so long, and after drawing the conclusion that the warm-up atmosphere upset him at Portman I warmed him up round lorries for a while, then went off to just pop a couple of fences on him. He stopped
, and was just very upset by the whole thing. Took him in the ring, and he was sunny and happy and jumped a clear - HURRAH - I was starting to think we were doomed to always have 4 faults round Novice sj tracks!
Off to xc, he got very excited as there are lots of horses crossing in front of the warm-up area. Set off, nice round first loop, then really opened himself up coming back past the start, then started going all over the place coming to the 1st water, which had a corner on the way out on a very short hairpin bend that had no easy way to get to it... Cleared it somehow, set off for next fence (fairly narrow upright log with one stride taking you through a hedgeline to quite a big drop on an angle), had a rubbish shot at the log, then he just ran along the hedge... pilot absolutely furious with self, I should have stopped looking at the log - we couldn't have got a worse stride anyway - and ridden the second part
. Jumped round the rest fine, and finished just outside the time.
It was my own bloody fault for thinking after the sj that we he might be able to get his 1st point.....
Turned out Liberty ended up 10th, so got a rossie, but still can't get over a plethora of muppet moments
Off to put pics in galleries.
Got there, unloaded William, went to do dressage. Warming up I couldn't get anything like our nice trot at home, it was hard and uneven, and he remembered how to move like a stuffy little pony
Back at lorry unload Liberty and realise that William has completely mauled one side of his neck on our way there
Turned out W got 40.2 (just a series of 6's really, judge said needs to step under more to get anything higher), and L got 35.something.
Then hurtled round the xc on foot, trying to remember the 2 courses. Thought both were pretty stiff, not sure I agree with HJ's estimation of it being a straightforward Novice! And the PN had two pretty tough skinnies, and 3 ditches (L's favourite!). I liked them though, and thought the Novice had quite a 1* feel about it - plenty of combinations and some bright stuff like the podium at the next to last. Went past the sj on my way back and saw a couple of disastrous rounds, the ground in there was not as good on the xc and some horses clearly didn't feel safe.
Jumped on Liberty, popped him over a couple of fences then went in. Asked for a longish one at the 3rd, then after that he point blank refused to jump normally, he chipped in tiny extra stride at every fence, he even got 2 strides in the double (and left it up!), which is amazing for a beast his size! Had one down, so spoilt his record
Back on to William now. Checked his studs and found the thread in both fronts was buggered which didn't fill me with hope
Off to xc, he got very excited as there are lots of horses crossing in front of the warm-up area. Set off, nice round first loop, then really opened himself up coming back past the start, then started going all over the place coming to the 1st water, which had a corner on the way out on a very short hairpin bend that had no easy way to get to it... Cleared it somehow, set off for next fence (fairly narrow upright log with one stride taking you through a hedgeline to quite a big drop on an angle), had a rubbish shot at the log, then he just ran along the hedge... pilot absolutely furious with self, I should have stopped looking at the log - we couldn't have got a worse stride anyway - and ridden the second part
It was my own bloody fault for thinking after the sj that we he might be able to get his 1st point.....
Turned out Liberty ended up 10th, so got a rossie, but still can't get over a plethora of muppet moments
