what's your proudest competiton moment and why?

charlimouse

charlimouse

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It seems to me like there have been a few arguments/unhappy posts on here recently. Not sure if it is down to the bad weather, or perhaps cabin fever has hit all the eventers! So I decided to cheer us all up by asking an uplifting question:

What has been your proudest moment in competition and why?
 
winning our first ever 3' WH at our 3rd ever show - then going on to win champion of WH's.. then champion of all hunters... then show champion :D

yes - it was only local - but for a cheapo far-from-perfect horse who came to me unridable from back problems and totally upside down and unschooled at the age of 10 - oh - and who headshakes (and the day happened to be dull ;)) it meant a HUGE amount to me :) i don't think we'll ever better that day :D
 
Can I have one for each horse? I can? Why thank you...

My first Foxhunter win on my coloured boy was one that I'll remember for a long time - I remember going clear in the first round and thinking 'oh hell, I have to jump off now!'. It was a split class and there were only two Fox clears (about 8 opens) and I was second to go, against a rider I would classify as a pro. I just about passed out when I saw how much the fences had gone up, but as the previous rider rubbed out a pole I knew I only needed a steady clear. God bless my 15.2hh ex riding school coloured cob, he popped round quite the thing for a clear and the class! Got a nice write up in the Scottish Farmer as well.

With Jack probably riding for the area team in the main ring at Blair was probably one of my favourites. We were jumping the smallest section but it was the strongest 1m track I've seen in a long time, with some seriously spooky fences and 'interesting' lines - think stile, turn 90 degrees to a triple bar, then a dogleg to a water tray amongst other things. I went to walk the track and threatened to go back to my bed! Had a fence and a couple time in the first round and a fence in the second, but contributed to our team coming second. The prize giving and galloping round that main ring with the commentator's voice echoing off the mountains was just one of those 'goosebump' moments!

Not done a lot of competition with Bonzo, but it's a tie between winning his first ever XC or going to Blair BS as a totally green 5yo and getting through the start and finish every day - hoping to have some more exciting competition moments with him this season!
 
When my old man, who was practically written off when I had him, came 8th at the Milton Keyne's 3 day event, at the grand old age of 21!
I cried lol! :D
 
Although it has a sad tinge to it but still the best day of my life...

Last year my beautiful 7 year old, Ettie was off work with a suspected sacrilliac injury. For the first time she wasn't ultra fit, so had a bit of weight on...so I took her inhand showing - Part-bred arab inhand. I have always attempted to show her as a part-bred but never been sucessful. She was normally a nutcase but this one day (after not having the left the yard for several months) she was an absolute star. She went in the ring and just flowed, perfectly behaved.

We were pulled in last to begin with, which I was resigned too, as in showing we always came last. Then after the individual bit, we got pulled up to first.

We won and went on to become Reserve champion. I was so happy I think the judge thought I was mad.

After three years of owning & competing her it was out first and last ever 1st. It turned out in the end that she didn't have a sacrillac injury but crippling Osteo arthritus of the hips, very rare. We lost her three months after the competition.

It was truly a crescendo of our partnership and definetly my proudest moment.

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Getting second place at dressage first time out on my youngster, doesn't sound very exciting (just a prelim) but he's not been easy and I've worked dam hard with this horse when others would of washed their hands of him, it was nice to get something back and glimmer of what we can do in the future, nothing in the world could of prepaired me for how I felt, I was so cholked up I couldn't breath let alone talk....how silly is that :rolleyes: :o

But it's a feeling I will always cherrish with him and a feeling that I will always remind myself off every time I put my foot in a stirrup.
 
Going to the Trailblazers SJ final, we had qualified for the 85cm class and was thrilled to be there because in 2003 we thought she would never be ridden again let alone compete. As a 6 year old she was diagnosed with navicular syndrome in both front feet and DJD in her right hock, no drugs or shoeing made a difference, LOU was claimed. However after being turned away for several months she came sound and hasn't been lame since. We got into the JOs on both days but sadly she decided to put in a really dirty stop out of the blue and I went over her head on the Sunday, but we were still in the top 20.
 
I have two...

A year after getting my coloured horse, winning the trophy for 'Most Improved Horse' at my Riding Club's AGM. It was completely unexpected and I admit I cried :o

Winning Eland Lodge's Unaff ODE. It was peeing it down with rain, and I'd hung around for ages waiting for the results thinking I'd been placed in the top 10. When the final results went up I couldn't find my name and thought I'd waited for nothing, then I saw my name was right at the very top!! I won a rug and a £40 gift voucher, I'd never won anything like that before! I cried, again :o :D

Nothing huge, but no matter what I do from now on, those two memories will take some beating! Not bad for a horse that was bought purely for hacking as jockey had no desire to ever do anything more :D
 
Easily jumping a double clear at Highclere.

Why - because I am a complete and utter wuss at jumping, having lost my nerve on an ungenuine horse. Got myself a lovely boy and it was my 2nd ever PN, I was green walking the couse and felt sick most of the time !!!
 
My 16year old horse (who Ive owned for 16years) has had a ridiculous amount of health issues - I have been told to pts several times - won her first novice last week and when my score went up i thought i was actually gonna cry! It was a huge huge achievement esp because she simply struggles so much compared to a completely sound horse but tried so hard for me! I could never explain in words exactly what it meant to me to be able to take her out and compete against all the odds!
 
We won the Most Improved trophy in the first year I owned him. And our RC chair at the time had a special little trophy made up for me to keep forever. It was all down to him- I went from being in floods of tears before jumping anything and needing to be persuaded over trotting poles to pinging round 2'6 and doing a 2'6 ODE and being placed. The little trophy we got to keep constantly reminds me that if I want to and try hard enough, I can do anything.

Can I have a second one? Watching my sister complete her first 90cm ODE with her new horse with a clear XC and a nice dressage. Very proud big sister moment!
 
Probably my first ever BSJA class with April, who came as an unhandled broodmare in August. It was my first ever time jumping BSJA, and April's first BSJA competition too and we won the class at Rowallan in November :D I was so proud of her, considering what she was like in August.
 
Riding round Hickstead last year in the ROR finals. Made all the tears of frustration, all the visits to the vets for various injuries (The grooms there say 'put her in her usual stable'). Didn't even know there was a Final at Hickstead I only took her as it's the only way I could compete at county level. When the judge asked me if I'd qualified, I asked what for ? (how embarressing) and when he said Hickstead in 5 weeks times I said 's**t no ! Extra embarressing. Clever ponio.
 
coming 2nd at the yorkshire show without a doubt.

mainly because it was my first show on him (just gelded as a 10yr old 7 weeks to the day before) and my dad was there, and i proved we could do it (hes difficult at the best of times, let alone at somewhere like that and my first time out on him)

an awful lot of people said we should have won (should of heard the cheer when they said our name over the tannoy, was amazing believe me, makes me cry thinking about it cos i could still hear dad over the top of it all lol) but i dont care particularily.
he floated round the ring and felt fantastic, he just let me sit and look pretty :)

very very happy, but sad that he wont be able to see us do it again if that makes sense.
*wanders off to find pic*
 
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Probably just getting a double clear at Strathallan pre novice last year. The dressage score of 32 was a big enough achievement for Max that day, but a DC after the rubbish time i'd been having with him was a big deal :) Didn't even get placed but I didn't actually care cos I was delighted with him!
 
Going clear inside the time cross-country in the CCI* at Blair, my first three-day, on a horrible wet day when not a lot of people did so.

Six years later, going clear in the time in the CCI* at Hartpury after lots and ups and downs with the horse, plus a respectable dressage and showjumping, to finish just in the top half.

Finishing second in a novice section at Wilton, my best ever BE placing.

Oh, wait, that's three moments, do I really have to choose?
 
my first clear round !! :D:D
On a mare I had bought on myself, my first horse too!
It really bought a tear to my eye, I nearly gave up on her so many times, she tried to kill me so many times but behind that big naughty horse there was a little sweetheart with a heart of gold, it was the moment i had been waiting for for 2 years.
Sounds silly my proudest moment was a going clear round a 1"6 course :rolleyes:
 
Lots of lovely memories, but I think my proudest was coming 5th at Kreuth CCI** a few years ago. There were about 60 starters, and we finished best of the British contingent and beat loads of names including Andrew Hoy :) Actually went into the SJ lying 2nd which was amazing but the adrnaline got to me and we had 2 down :( Luckily SJ had caused carnage and we only dropped to 5th.

That horse, Herbie, was my horse of a lifetime but I struggled to keep him sound - we used every tactic under the sun to get him through the second trot up at Kreuth and sadly that was the last event he ever did. Although I had great plans to run him at 3* the following seaon (he had already gone clear in his first Advanced) I think in my heart of hearts I knew that was probably it, which made it even more emotional...
 
Coming 2nd at the PC SJ champs at Hickstead was quite nice. Especially considering I was in the 'B' team as my mum wasn't on the comittee ;). The A team had all the matching saddlecloths ect, we had nothing and were a team made up of misfits but we came 2nd out of 48 teams, they came nowhere and we had our pictures taken for magazines ha ha! I got the most beautiful rossette too and 14 years later it's still hanging in my bedroom :)

Winning the area event champs was nice too...

However!

My BEST moment was the first rosette I won on my first youngster a couple years ago, my late mare who was very very tricky. We came 5th in a prelim test with 63%. Blood, sweat and tears went into winning that ribbon and that also has pride of place in my
bedroom. I cried with joy when I won that rosette, don't think I've ever been so happy :D.
 
being the rider of the leading pony when bsja kept top pony tables. Also representing England on ponies and horses. I love competing in team comps.

more recently since switching to eventing - coming second at Turnberry BE90 after only owning my horse 6 months and the first 3 spent just getting him to stop freaking out and thinking I was going to beat him.

This season, I would like to top that! maybe second at a BE100! :D
 
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My very proudest moment was coming invidual 3rd at the open pc area showjumping on a horse who I brought on myself. I bought him as a rising 4yo and everyone thought I was insane as he was practically wild and I was only 13 - to be fair they were right he definately wasn't suitable but we struggled on and on and luckily in the end he did turn out to be the horse of my life.

Anyway back to the competition moment.. It started when we went to a training session with PC, he jumped very well but I didn't even no it was team try outs so was absolutely shocked when I got a phone call saying they decided to pick us for the team - I seriously had no idea what i'd let myself in for when I agreed to do it.

The biggest i'd ever competed at previosly was the 3ft3 - 3ft6 class at a local show. I arrived, saw this massive arena with a white picket fence with these huge proffesional looking fences and nearly passed out, then when they said that was just the first round and they would go up I could have died! I was adament I wasn't going to do it. My friend and trainer convinced me to give it a go. I sat and watched a few and no one was jumping clear - it was more like watching a demolition derby! Then it was my turn. We went in and he was amazing just rolling one pole, I was over the moon.

Then the second round the fences had gone up close to 1.20 (the trainer said it was one of the biggest PC tracks she had seen - didnt help my nerves!!). We were last to go and 59 or so horses later no one had jumped clear so in we trotted then before I knew it we had jumped round - CLEAR! I cried! It was just unbelievable - he was amazing!
Oh and to top it off this happened when he had just gone 6 so he was one of the youngest there.

So one long essay later there we go, my proudest competition moment ever. He has given me may happy moments since but that one will always stand out, I think it will take a lot to top it.
 
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jumping a 2ft clear round last year on the ponio that i backed, after a 15year break and serious confindence crisis. we're now at 3ft and rising:D
 
My proudest moment is galloping through the finish line on cloud.
It was our first competition, for me and her, and it had been such a struggle to get there.
I could not have been more proud of her. It was the perfect end to our first, and last :( camp.
I didnt care that by doing a special XC and SJ course i had no chance of placing. I didnt care that we were really slow. I didnt care that my plaits had fallen out.
It was just the fact we had finally got there, she was so well behaved and was loving every single minute.
And now, as i face losing her, its a lovely memory to hold onto.
 
Well, mine was my last showjumping competition on my boy a couple of years ago. Was only a local unaffiliated show so nothing special like some on here and we didnt win anything but a rosette. We won the 3'6 Derby class. The reason its my proudest competition moment is not cos we won (though, that was nice!!) but because it was my first time competing him since i'd had a very nasty car crash a few years earlier. My leg was very badly damaged (nearly lost it!) and it took 2 big surgeries and over a year of physio to be able to walk again. The doctors told me I would never, ever be able to ride again, let alone compete. But, I do ride and that competition proved I could still compete, albeit not as neat and tidy as we used to be lol :D

From that show - I was bloody terrified!!!lol Thank god for my wonderful pony.

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A tough one but I think jumping double clear and being placed 10th in our first BE Novice which was also a very competitive JRN section. He'd never jumped so well and I was so proud that i'd got Shrimp (and me!) there all by myself :)
 
Doing my first Novice! I was 17 and had only just started BHTA (as it was then). I'd done Isleham PN at the start of the season and the next event near us was Poplar, but Poplar wasn't running PN, it started at N. My (non horsey) father said he didn't really want to drive miles to get to a PN; could I just do Poplar N, as it was close? I walked the XC and thought I might die. I'd done loads of PC etc, but I'd not seen anything like this Novice before. Neither had my horse! I kicked for all I was worth and we zoomed round clear. I did then go on and get placings with this horse, but I think that the sensation that yes, I can make this step up, was just amazing. The sad thing is, now I'm going to have to go Intermediate to replicate it!
 
Winning the Grand Prix at the 2* in Vittel in 2008. We had won the 6-bar the evening before,(including falling off after the finish...) and Amaretto was only 8 so had thought he would be tired. It was on the new GP system when the best 25% go back for the 2nd round and even though there were only 4 clears there were several riders with faults to put the pressure on. As last to go, having had the fastest clear in the first round, everyone else had had fences down and I ONLY had to go clear to win....
So,yep,we went clear and after beating riders like Simon Delestre and Juan-Carlos Garcia, had a proper blub while they were playing God save the Queen.....
My first GP win with a horse I bought as a foal,get goose-pimples just typing this :-))
 
Having my entry accepted for Badminton in 2003, the youngest rider in the field that year, which had always been my ambition, on my Junior horse who had never evented when we bought him. I don't think I cried but I remember my mum ringing me going THERE'S AN ENVELOPE HERE WITH BADMINTON'S LOGO ON IT CAN I OPEN IT PLEEEEASE?! Haha! My horse broke down a couple of weeks after that envelope arrived and never evented again. Taught me not to be too ambitious. Quite proud of homebred William too sometimes.

Some mega achievements in this list, everyone should savour the good moments because we all know what heartbreakers horses can be!
 
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