what do you do after a bad/disapointing round?

[LeannePip]

Pony had her first ridden comp today (shown a lot as a youngster) she's rising four been jumping since christmas and training really well, went to a local eveners challenge today not far from the yard for a bit of fun, half sj'ing half xc - we schooled there on thursday so jumped the whole course while no one was watching but despite schooling and jumping fillers act at home perfectly fine today almost blew her little brain and we were eliminated after the first fence as couldn't get any where near the second after a lot of rearing and bunny hopping not something I'm keen to encourage :S Strange Hoss. so after being eliminated we walked out and i gave her a pat baring in mind she's just a baby and theres always another day and some silly people were mumbling about not patting a naughty horse because it encourages bad behaviour or something, granted they don't know her and how old she is ect but what did they want me to do!? continue beating her untill she gave in and we got back to the lorry? I'm a working pupil so the person i work for got on her later and took her round the cross country section so it wasn't like 'she won' and she actually jumped clear after she'd calmed down a bit - so what do you do after a disappointing round?

photo of the one jump we managed to get over!!

 

[Venevidivici]

I try not to blub or think 'All that bl***y time and effort wasted !!!' Seriously tho,I generally forget about it after a week or so and have another bash at it another day

 

[diggerbez]

honestly....put horse back in box and if she's around i go straight to trainers to work on whatever the issue is. at the end of the day it all comes down to why ou think they have done it- if they have past form and are just being naughty (been there got the tshirt) then there comes a point that you have to ask how long are you going to persevere for- but if there are reasons then you should go away and do a bit more schooling and try again....FWIW i think those eventer challenge things are very mindblowing for horses- even experienced ones.... nice piccie

 

[Rosiefan]

I agree with diggerbez, it's more or less the norm for youngsters to be amazed at the kind of jumps you get at that sort of comp. I don't believe in beating them - in my opinion all that does is confirm that they were right to be afraid.
We're taking several youngsters to a similar show today and are expecting some stroppiness from the more cautious ones.

 

[Leg_end]

I would agree with the others and would add that this is slightly different as it was her first ever comp so she would have not seen a lot of what was there. What did your trainer say?

 

[.Redmerl]

I always let babies do a bit of dr for first outing. So being not quiet 4 and doing show x for first outing is a big ask

 

[kerilli]

i think you did absolutely right to pat her and 'stick the wheels back on' even after being E'd for her silly behaviour. 10/10 for that.
One thing I cannot STAND is people taking out their temper/embarrassment on a horse after leaving the ring, doesn't matter who it is, never good to see.
Glad to hear she went well later.
fwiw though
I think that is a pretty big first fence for a rising 4 year old's first ever comp... i usually try to find a minimus that is small enough that we can pop (or even walk!) over everything first time, esp if there are scary new fillers, planks, whatever. once you've got 1 under your belt you know how they'll behave, obviously, and you can pop a reasonable sized course... but if they are a bit gobsmacked by everything else going on, for their first ever course I believe the fences need to be small enough that they can just get over them somehow/anyhow until their brains come back into focus!
If they're feeling distracted/overwhelmed by everything else AND a bit impressed by the size of the fences (and don't get me wrong, you may be jumping 3'6" tracks at home, but in public for the first time things are hugely different!) then a bright/careful mare will say "can't cope!!! downing tools!!!"
(btw, at last year's dressage demo at Burghley, Ferdi Eilberg said he always takes their young dr horses to a sj show as their first ever outing, because if they're silly and full of it they can use some energy jumping instead of the rider trying to 'keep a lid on them' to get a test done... so i don't think taking her to a jumping show was a bad decision).

 

[LeannePip]

thanks guys, yes we are going back to work on it all, she's doing some more schooling and were going to take her away to school round a course of jumps, i will explain the reason we took her there as it does seem like I'm throwing her in at the deep end! this yard is about 2 miles from the yard so they could be out without having to go on a loooong journey our closest sj place is addington which is 45mins away which, if you've ever been to addington, it is EXTREMLY mind blowing! which is the reason we were at th eveners challenge, we are also good friends with the organisers of this event as we use their facilities rather a lot and they agreed to let us school the babies there two days previously as we weren't going to be in a competitive position, they were also really low on entries so we were hoping there wouldn't be many horses nd this was the smallest class they had so we went to test the water! unfortunately there were a lot more horses and late entries so it was buzzing! but we got over once fence so theres a lot to work on! busy Summer!!

 

[Goldenstar]

Eat chocolate that's what I usually do.

 

[Leg_end]

Eat chocolate that's what I usually do.

And drink wine

 

[Goldenstar]

Yes and gin but choc immediately after is more PC when you driving a lorry home !!!!

 

[Leg_end]

Yes and gin but choc immediately after is more PC when you driving a lorry home !!!!

Have to avoid the gin on a bad day otherwise it makes me emotional!

 

[brighteyes]

If it's out of character, don't get in a funk about it. Your nerves will have transmitted loud and clear, even the tiniest ones and horses are soooo sensitive to changes in atmosphere.

That's an impressive jump there for a baby so don't despair. Echo what everyone has said - and well done you for the pat and OK don't worry. Now your horse has no more negative experiences to add to the traumas of his first competition. I do think dressage is an excellent starter competition, though. All of the nerves and none of the E's

 

[Jesstickle]

Every round with BH is a bad one so I have got very used to it and just laugh now! I usually then think, well at least I didn't fall off, and that helps The best advice I was ever given was something Kerrili has already said. Only go to something you can walk over first time out. I aim to go to things where I know that I'll get through the wings. Yes, I do look ridiculous doing the minimus clear round on my big WB horse against a load of ponies on the lead rein, but hey, everything has to learn the ropes somehow! Now I spend my time looking ridiculous jumping a metre from trot. I really hope that by the end of this summer I might actually not look like such a tit on every outing!

I have a brilliant pic of BH 'jumping' at his first ever outing last year. The jump is tiny and he's still only just managing to clear it!!

 

[Tank_08]

i come out the ring and say never mind!!
i give pony loads of hugs and kisses and call her some names then go home and give her a treat because, even if she was a naughty pony, i'm proud of her!
then i eat loads of chocolate and discuss it with family members who laugh about it with me, then discuss the day with a friend who comments only on the naughty bits and gives me a funny look when i laugh about the bit where she bucked/refused/i fell off!!!
so whatever happens i'm happy

 

[Princess Jess]

I usually then think, well at least I didn't fall off, and that helps

Haha totally agree!

At the end of the day there's nothing you can do to change the result so just look on it as a positive as its highlighted any issues and next time you can come back and do even better.

Lovely photo by the way, I'm sure you'll both be great with a little more experience and a calmer horse!

 

[Rowreach]

What Kerilli said.

My youngsters do ridden showing classes for their first outings - I like them to be able to see and experience the atmosphere, and hopefully behave themselves, whilst not asking them too many challenging questions! Then they'll do a little dressage, and then I find them a training show (we have lots of them here at some good venues, like Cavan, so you can take them jumping at an unimportant stress free show but still get the atmosphere of the venue). Generally at these shows if your horse has an issue with a fence, they'll put it down for you - it's all about making sure you get round if possible

I probably take my youngsters a bit too slowly for some people, but I'd rather have a calm relaxed horse jumping nicely round a 75/80cm course than asking it to jump bigger whilst also coping with the show ground atmosphere

Having said that, things still occasionally go awry, in which case I pat the horse and buy chips

 

[showjumpingfilly]

Honestly? Ok, i will admit to being cross when i walk out the showjumping arena.
I then have a quick discussion with my trainers, tell everyone i quit and am putting the horses up for sale, walk the horse off around the car park and calm down trying not to cry. At the last show i did shed a few tears, i'd been staying there a few days in sub zero temperatures, hit the deck, been bronked with, bucked, reared, given a million time faults and been eliminated in all but one of the classes i'd taken my two horses in. So I allow myself that cry!
By the time I've untacked and rugged up, and put tack back in the lorry i'm over it. I get changed, stuff chocolate and go and find my trainers to help them warm up etc.
I get frustrated whether it's my horses' or my fault it went wrong.
I get very annoyed if it's my fault, I work damn hard and am so so determined to succeed that then going in the ring and riding like a tit is just not on and I really could kick myself. If it's my fault I pat the horse, i've given them a bad experience so I want them to calm down and hopefully forget about it, and walk out.
But I will admit to being frustrated if the horses do something completely unnecessary and cock it up, again because i've put so much effort into getting there and it feels like the end of the world when I walk out not having been able to get over the first fence!!! 99.9% of the time it's rider error, but I think anyone who thinks the horse is never at fault is deluded. (Not necessarily anyone on here) They have minds of their own and they will use them. Mine certainly do!!
Things like napping to my other horse drive me round the bend, especially when this horse is supposed to be aiming towards 130 this year and won't even jump a small newcomers because it wants to see it's friend!

But I forgive and walk away even more determined to succeed. More training, more school hire, more manning up.

Every setback is a set up for a comeback.

And I won't stop til I get where I want.

 

[Lennyfan]

I'm with showjumpingfilly, generally my bloody fault anyway so no point in being cross with him (except of course, the moments where we fail to get near a fence because the doofus has spotted some dear old granny sitting by the side of the arena in a shade of pink that he just can't stand), that possibly makes me a little stroppy!

But, as already stated, try not to dwell, more training, more schooling, more rescue remedy (possibly valium), all so we can have the joy of that day when it all goes perfectly! I've only been riding 35 yrs, sure that day must come up at some point!

 

[OliviaSJ]

pig out in the cafe , moan to my mum and send wingey texts to my trainer . lol once ive pulled myself together just try and end on some sort of good note by either popping the practise fence nicely , go in hc or try and get to trainers or another show soon as poss (obv not same day but a few days after )