What were your highs and lows of 2009?

[Saf]

in order

High - finished 12th at Hartbury winter comb trg
- only getting 4 flts at fox
- getting a point at first event of season
Low - Getting to first Int BE being 13th after dressage only to be CR in the SJ
Finding out Saf was injured and missed next 10 weeks of event season
High- Coming back from injury to get placed at all 3 Area Festivals at Ele

Managing to go double clear at last event, 3 more points this year

Low- Having my Ops and realising its going to take a while to be back to normal
High- Still in pain but riding yesterday and managing a 1/2 qual for the regionals
Now has over 80 BD points
Finishing the season with sound horse, whom I love to bits, does everything I
ask of her with no questions asked=the horse I love=My Saf

 

[Nailed]

My highs -Buying Cato.

My lows-
Spending time and money and still not being able to fix my little man,
Finally loosing my little Man in May.

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

it was just the back end of 2208 but the ultimate low was selling my naught orange mare-i really thought we'd get to GP, she was so freaky talented for the piaffe/passage/changes but so unpredictable.in the end i totally lost my desire to ride, and conceeded she didnt share my goals. i never thougth id get to that place and it was heartbreaking.

high point would be buying Star-he is the horse of a lifetime and in just a year has come on so much, and given me back my riding joy. i wouldnt sell him for all the tea in china!!!!

 

[Eventerlad15]

Highs-

*Getting Shanagarryyy on lease
*Buying Duncan
*Completing Weston Park 1*

Lows-

*Duncan going lame in April, not competing till march and missing a 1*
*Some shocking dressage scores again
*Shannah packing it in at my first Intermediate due to lack of fitness.

 

[Nats_uk]

HIGHS
Earning money on B's BSJA card
Earning 23 BD points
Breaking the 70% barrier at BD Novice

Jumping our first Newcomers

Getting our first ODE placing with a clear XC round Keysoe's Intro course

Passing trailer test

LOWS
Missing Inter-Nations due to a silly abscess
Getting eliminated at our first Petplan's due to me forgetting whip rule!!!

Had most of summer off due to B's eye problems & operation
Having to end the year putting B out on loan due to financial circumstances

 

[TableDancer]

Good thread

TBH I've had a pretty dreadful year - before you leap in, no - no horrific injuries etc but a string of disappointments in a sport which costs a fortune does make you question why you bother

So...

Lows: Pretty much everything since July: PP's confidence crisis XC which has resulted in a series of highly-embarrassing bucking/leaping/rearing/broncing incidents in the middle of various fields at events around the country

Insufficient funds to buy any youngsters to bring on meant down to one to event for the first time in many years - and that one didn't want to play

Highs: Struggling to find any but, going back a long way, winning the Open JAS at Hartpury - a complete and very pleasant surprise

PP going clear round his first Intermediate and making it feel like a PC track. Selling D to a great SJ home where he is thriving and they are delighted - made less than half I'd been offered before his injury last year, though, so slightly bitter sweet

EHOA Camp this autumn with my mates

And, I guess, the moment I decided I wasn't going to sell PP after all, but persevere and try and teach him eventing is fun and ok after all. Felt really happy once I'd made the decision, but may feel differently come the spring

So there you are, having said I was struggling for highs, I've found some

 

[deskbound]

[permanent] low: silly job with silly hours rendering me unable to justify buying a horse

Highs: realising the above and making baby steps to fix the situation

, watching my sis win some prizes at Int and qualify 5yo for BYEH Champs

, riding at first event in 6.5 years (share horse) and realising I still could!!!

Roll on 2010......

 

[Worried1]

Great post

In chronological order..
Highs:
Blitz coming back sound to make the winter regionals even if he was a turd in the test

Finally opening the yard and almost instantly being full
Doing my first BD elementary on Diva
Diva going to Hartpury for the CPDI and becoming an 'International' horse
Ron being placed at Kent County
Blitz coming 5th at the Summer Regionals and just missing out on a wildcard for the nationals.
Taking Finn out for the first time and winning his first BD prelim
Getting a new Softrack surface installed - it's amazing!
Finding out I was pregnant

Lows
Blitz implaing himself on a fence post
Mr Worried getting binned and compacting his verterbrae and having to take time off
Diva's allergic reaction and subsequent dire performance at the regionals
Struggling with a shite surface for most of 2009 thanks to a certain 'leading' manafacturer.

 

[SpottedCat]

Lows:
Too many to mention with the horse - I feel like I have been wading through treacle for the past 18 months. I have had to deal with ulcers making him pack in SJing, putting him out on loan so OH could go and work abroad, being made redundant, having no job when we got back from abroad, over a year of horse having awful diarrhea, going back to jumping 2ft3 unaff with my Novice horse, having to buy two new saddles due to old ones I bought only 18 months ago not fitting and to top it all off we are looking likely to miss our first BD this weekend as said 'old' saddles have crippled his back. I could scream with frustration at the time, money and energy I am spending trying to get back to the starting point let alone making any bloody progress!

Highs:
I am seriously struggling with this, but actually, to put a positive spin on it, I feel there is finally light at the end of the tunnel! I got engaged to my partner of the last nine years and we are getting married in April and have two honeymoons planned - what fun! I have successfully started a company in the middle of a recession and am doing well enough to be able to take time off as and when I please to play ponies - result. The lovely Jonny at Silverliningherbs has succeeded where the vets have failed and my horse now has normal poo - result. I do have two very beautiful new saddles - what's not to like about that? The horse is getting his back done at 12 today so with any luck that plus the new saddles plus Jonny's input will mean that 2010 is in fact the year in which we get back to where we were. I am an eternal optimist really, and things could always be worse

 

[vam]

Lows: Its been the most rubbish year, lost my horse of 14 years in may.
This lead to me loosing all my confindence in my ability to actually ride and feeling like i will never ride properly and competivley again.

Highs: none yet. Slowly feeling like i want another horse and that my ambitions are achiveable. Will be looking after new year so hoping for a fresh start.

I still swing from wanting to give up, to wanting to ride and do all the things i wanted to do before.

Not been good really.

 

[charlimouse]

Highs:
*Millie gaining more points at BE Novice (at the beginning of the season)
*Murphy being placed at IN at Chatsworth
*Murphy's fab dressage and SJ at intermediate BE events
*Jem coming 10th, 4th and 2 wins at her first 4 BE events
*Winning my first Elementary dressage test
*Colin coming 2nd at his first competition
*Putting Millie in foal

Lows:
*Millie injuring her back, cant be ridden for at least a year.
*Murphy rearing over vertically and bolting xc at bishop burton
*Having to retire Murphy half way round an intermediate xc track when we were in the lead because we couldnt get over the worlds tiniest ditch that wasnt even flagged.
*Murphy being injured due to an incompetent saddler
*Millie nearly dying of colic
*Colin being intermittently lame
*Colin trying to bronc at every oppourtunity
*Not being able to sell Jem, despite a good BE record, and a low price.
*Jem slipping on the flat xc whilst in lead in her first PN
*Finding out I have broken my back and damaged my spinal cord
*Nearly drowning in a water bucket

So all in all not my best year, hopefully 2010 will be better!!!!!!!!!!

 

[druid]

Highs
TB doing his first Elementary
TB getting his qualifying scores
Backing my 3yo and finding his both easy and talented
Finding a great loan home for my ISH
Having a fantastic summer riding some top SJers (horses, I hasten to add

)

Lows
TB going out on loan as we don't "click" (Also a high as he's now jumping 1.10-1.20m classes!)
WB having yet another hospitalisation worthy injury
Missing out on the National Champs, again.

 

[not_with_it]

Lows:
Gin not coming right at the beginning of the year after damaging her sacroiliac.
Horsebox breaking and still not being fixed.

Highs:
Gin being scanned in foal.

All in all its not been a very good year.

 

[Pidgeon]

Low was getting eliminated at a mini HT in May as he was napping towards the other horses and wouldn't go over fence 2

High was coming 5th in Novice HT (over BE Intro course) at first attempt and winning £10 too

 

[amandaco2]

highs-
breaking 70% barrier with 6 year old at prelim.
+ getting placed 2nd in our first novice test.
doing our first DTM and coming 2nd against some affil novice level horses.
starting jumping with the 6 year old
Pig not getting lami for a 3rd year on the run
buying Bessie the horsebox


lows-
losing my Dad

has to be crappest thing to ever have happened to me

 

[_April_]

Horsey Highs

Getting a trailer and a 4x4
Just passed my trailer test last week

Getting double clears at our first BSJA shows together
7th in our first XC together
6th at our first ODE together


Horsey Lows

Big fat E XC at our first BE - too nervous!
Tara off for 3 weeks with a cut leg after an accident out hacking

 

[FrodoBeutlin]

Highs: competing in Germany
Lows: competing in Germany

 

[Joss]

Highs:
Being involved with Some Day Soon. After 10 years of him being a nearly good horse all of a sudden he is 'top class' 3rd at Bramham & European Silver medalist - AMAZING
Clear & inside the time XC at Floors OI, wasnt sure I could actually go that fast XC!
OH & Echo's countless wins & placings at BE, especially winning only their 2nd Novice event
Many happy nights spent staying over at events & having a very social time
Got some great new friends
Hopefully buying Boris - but time will tell

Lows:
Confidence disaster at Central Scotland OI
Blair CCI* - an absolute disaster from start to finish
General show jumping uselessness
Making the decision to have my 31 year old pony PTS, I had owned him for 22 years.
Trying to make the decision to allow someone else to event Bruno - although I have not entirely made this one yet but have gained another horse anyway just in case

 

[Quadro]

Highs- being told onyx would live

(after being told he would never be sound and never make it !)
very naughty baby pony getting his 1st dc and BSJA then money
jumping onyx again
getting a DC on onyx
onyx winning BSJA money again (on sat

)

Lows- blair was just to much for baby pony
not having enough money to compete as much as id like
only just getting onyx back to form at the end of the year

 

[Puppy]

Highs
* Being alive, after the horse darn near killed me!

* Getting my jaw unwired at the end of Feb, after being doubled in the face two days before Christmas '08

* Getting back on Be after all our surgery and our first hack out alone after that.

* Non horsey - lots of good rowing stuff.
* Surviving such a challenging year

* Vague hope/ambition that next year I might actually get well enough to ride again, and if so, buy another horse to compete... *fingers crossed*


Lows
* After all that we've been through, Be is now being written off as LOU; I am losing my dream horse at only 8 ears old

* Not horsey, but she was always by my side at the yard; my beloved Puppy dog dying

* Star looking like retirement is in sight for her too.
* As a delayed result of being kicked in the face I am now suffering from terrible whiplash limiting what I can do with horses (and rowing etc).
* I have been in pain every minute of 2009, and today it feels just as bad as it did 10 months ago

It can only get better hey?!

 

[ColouredFan]

HIGHS

A win and 2nd place at Novice
Qualifying for 2010 NRF's
Qualifiying frankie for the Novice champs at Gatcombe
Finally getting my 8 year shoulder injury operated on
Buying the sweetest most genuine project horse to sell on and him accepting everything in his stride!

LOWS
Not being able to ride for 2 months after op
Getting Eliminated at Gatcombe and subsequently finding out frankie had a huge hole in his tendon
Having frankie on Box rest, initially told for 12 months. so far we are 4 months in.

 

[MerryMAL]

I did post on this, but I can't find it anymore

Highs: Getting Lottie, getting a clear round at a show on Toby (huge achievement on him) and getting Toby into an outline.

Lows: getting eliminated out of too many SJ rounds to mention

that bleddy pony... and making the decision to stop riding him full time

Roll on 2010!

 

[alidegg]

Highs:
*Qualifing for the pc champs in Eventing
*Having an amazing time at the pc SJ areas getting a triple clear

* Learning huge amounts at PC camp and having a fab time with great friends
*Feeling like I could actually kind of do this dressage lark!
*Winning a Novice test on a 13hand pony in a long arena

My first ever dressage wine

*Having some great days hunting and *whispers... witnessing a kill

One of the most incredible, exciting things EVER!!!!
*Actually enjoying showing :0 and winning :0 even if it was a working hunter class it still counts!!
*Managing to do the above against all odds!!
*Getting Reggie my new boy on loan from an extremely supportive owner who thinks the world of him. I am SO grateful to her for giving me thin oppertunity

Lows:
*Narrowly missing out on qualifing for pc SJ champs on a truly incredible pony who will be sorely sorely missed
*My darling pony breaking down at the PC champs on the XC course

*No longer being able to ride the two naughty ones who were really just massive characters and a joy to know and ride (at times!!)
*Breaking my collerbone and being told it would stop me acheiving all the things I hoped to do that summer (see Highs!!!) It did stop me doing work experience with a top SJer and competing at the Norfolk Show :/
*Feeling like I let my team down at the Norfolk Show due to the above

Overall a pretty decent year that I don't think I would change much about even with hind-sight

 

[_Rach_]

lows.
Selling thes best pony i ever had

Mils
Getting eliminated at Be events for jumping the wron gsodding fences.
Forgetting my test at Catton and being eliminated.
Falling off Twiz and landing on my knee. (which still isnt better 5 months later)
Falling off in the water tray at Collingham and not being able to drive very well after


Highs.
Finding mills the best home in the world

Getting Twizzy

getting a 29 dressage score!!!!!!!!wooooo
Learning that Twizy really does have an amazing jump and talent

Bring on 2010. Cna only get better... ? Right

 

[sleepingdragon10]

Lows:- Having to leave a lovely yard, and give up my daughters loan pony, because of the nasty people on it

I was deeply hurt by their actions but hey, sh*tt happens! HIGH:- Lukey...backing him myself with the help of my lovely instructor, watching him change in so many ways, and being able to dream of all the fun we're going to have together.

 

[Weezy]

HIGHS

Selling P to the most fantastic home!

Buying Ted

LOWS

Ted deciding that hunting isn't for him