miss_c
Well-Known Member
I had an interesting run-up to the ICC, first being a Novice reserve, then a Novice individual, then a Prelim team member, then back to Novice individual, and finally back to being a Prelim team member due to a lame horse. Then on Friday, two days before the competition, I seriously hurt my back tidying the muck heap. (The moral of that story? Tidying the muckheap is bad for you...) Fortunately I was able to see my fabulous osteopath (who had some rather choice words for the state of my back) on Saturday morning.
On Sunday we set off for Summerhouse at the very civilised time of 8am this morning, arriving with plenty of time to hand in my biography form and get ready. While Genie had her massage pad on my lovely osteopath put me through some stretches in preparation and in the hope my back would hold out. Goodness knows what we looked like to anybody next to the lorry!
Genie worked in really well in a busy warmup and I found that we were ready before time. Fortunately (for me) the horse before us had withdrawn so we were able to go in early. The test itself felt good, I felt I lost her a little in the walk at the end of the test and the final trot centre line definitely wasn't our best. However on the whole I was very pleased (and my back didn't die halfway through!) so was hopeful of a good score although you can never tell and usually when I think I've got a good score the opposite happens.
Bless the pony she only went and came 2nd in our arena on 71.1%! We had everything to play for on Monday in the spookier indoor arena and I hoped that we could at least maintain our placing. Genie was very pleased to get home to find a hay net waiting in her stable. I on the other hand was late with my next painkiller and my back is started to let me know about it. Our other team members also had a good day and we finished the first day in 6th.
On Monday my alarm went off at 4.15am (there really should be only one of those in a day!) and off to the yard I went, with the pony loaded at 5.30am to head to Summerhouse. I had a bit of trouble tacking up and jumping on board for the arena walk due to my back but I managed and Genie as always didn't look at anything... it would have been typical though that if I didn't do it she would have spooked at something!
We had a 50 minute or so break before I needed to tack up and work in for our 8.13am test so Genie had her massage pad and I tried to limber up my back. My wonderful osteopath and also trendybraincell arrived in time to help me re-tack up and supervise my warmup in which Genie was absolutely as good as gold. I went into the test arena pleased with how she was feeling and hopeful of a good test, instantly relaxing when kat_bath who was writing gave me the biggest grin ever!
P19 has always been a bit of a bogey test for us, but it felt SO easy. Our free walk was not our best and our stretchy trot was practically non-existent but I came out of it very pleased with her and how I had ridden it. Genie was untacked and loaded and I took her straight home before my score was up - she was home and out in the field by 9.30am!
Genie seen to, I headed back to Summerhouse to find we had won the P19 on a massive score of 73.86%! Unfortunately (for us anyway) the overnight leader was in 2nd and very close behind us so in the end we were pipped into 2nd overall individually. However she is a lovely lady and her horse is stunning so I really cannot complain at being so close behind her.
It was a long wait until prize giving at the end of the day but it was worth it. We won a front riser pad (although my saddle fits...) which wasn't quite the iPad mini that the BYRDS winners got (!!!!!!) but as I have already said, I really cannot complain. Overall our team climbed to 4th which was a fantastic result and I am so proud of Genie. There was a fantastic team spirit in the Avon camp and I must add an enormous thank you to our County Coordinator who did a fabulous job organising us all and was incredibly supportive all weekend.
So all in all I had an amazing, albeit long, weekend. To come 2nd individually and also get team 4th was more than I could have hoped for and I am so so so so proud of my little coblet. We're not your typical dressage competitors but it's nice to think that we can still strut our stuff and do well. There's pictures on my blog that I cannot post here but there's some pretty rubbish quality ones from Mum's phone! Next up for us is the BD Senior Inter-Regionals at Keysoe in less than 2 weeks! Eeeeeep!!!!
Thank you for trekking through this essay, please help yourself to cookies!
On Sunday we set off for Summerhouse at the very civilised time of 8am this morning, arriving with plenty of time to hand in my biography form and get ready. While Genie had her massage pad on my lovely osteopath put me through some stretches in preparation and in the hope my back would hold out. Goodness knows what we looked like to anybody next to the lorry!
Genie worked in really well in a busy warmup and I found that we were ready before time. Fortunately (for me) the horse before us had withdrawn so we were able to go in early. The test itself felt good, I felt I lost her a little in the walk at the end of the test and the final trot centre line definitely wasn't our best. However on the whole I was very pleased (and my back didn't die halfway through!) so was hopeful of a good score although you can never tell and usually when I think I've got a good score the opposite happens.
Bless the pony she only went and came 2nd in our arena on 71.1%! We had everything to play for on Monday in the spookier indoor arena and I hoped that we could at least maintain our placing. Genie was very pleased to get home to find a hay net waiting in her stable. I on the other hand was late with my next painkiller and my back is started to let me know about it. Our other team members also had a good day and we finished the first day in 6th.
On Monday my alarm went off at 4.15am (there really should be only one of those in a day!) and off to the yard I went, with the pony loaded at 5.30am to head to Summerhouse. I had a bit of trouble tacking up and jumping on board for the arena walk due to my back but I managed and Genie as always didn't look at anything... it would have been typical though that if I didn't do it she would have spooked at something!
We had a 50 minute or so break before I needed to tack up and work in for our 8.13am test so Genie had her massage pad and I tried to limber up my back. My wonderful osteopath and also trendybraincell arrived in time to help me re-tack up and supervise my warmup in which Genie was absolutely as good as gold. I went into the test arena pleased with how she was feeling and hopeful of a good test, instantly relaxing when kat_bath who was writing gave me the biggest grin ever!
P19 has always been a bit of a bogey test for us, but it felt SO easy. Our free walk was not our best and our stretchy trot was practically non-existent but I came out of it very pleased with her and how I had ridden it. Genie was untacked and loaded and I took her straight home before my score was up - she was home and out in the field by 9.30am!
Genie seen to, I headed back to Summerhouse to find we had won the P19 on a massive score of 73.86%! Unfortunately (for us anyway) the overnight leader was in 2nd and very close behind us so in the end we were pipped into 2nd overall individually. However she is a lovely lady and her horse is stunning so I really cannot complain at being so close behind her.
It was a long wait until prize giving at the end of the day but it was worth it. We won a front riser pad (although my saddle fits...) which wasn't quite the iPad mini that the BYRDS winners got (!!!!!!) but as I have already said, I really cannot complain. Overall our team climbed to 4th which was a fantastic result and I am so proud of Genie. There was a fantastic team spirit in the Avon camp and I must add an enormous thank you to our County Coordinator who did a fabulous job organising us all and was incredibly supportive all weekend.
So all in all I had an amazing, albeit long, weekend. To come 2nd individually and also get team 4th was more than I could have hoped for and I am so so so so proud of my little coblet. We're not your typical dressage competitors but it's nice to think that we can still strut our stuff and do well. There's pictures on my blog that I cannot post here but there's some pretty rubbish quality ones from Mum's phone! Next up for us is the BD Senior Inter-Regionals at Keysoe in less than 2 weeks! Eeeeeep!!!!
Thank you for trekking through this essay, please help yourself to cookies!