dafthoss
Well-Known Member
Well we entered the unaff ht at ely today, was hoping for a nice run to end the season on. YP has been full of him self since moving yards and I was hoping this would mean we could move on between fences and start moving at a real xc pace.
I, in all my madness, decided to try him in his flat work bit as he has been galloping really well in it and I have jumped him a few times at home in it without a problem. I just felt that although he wasnt backing off the contact before he wasnt moving on as well as he could with the roller snaffle.
I arrived to find YP prancing round his field which left me looking like this
much to the suprise of my friend/groom for the day and my dad who just wished me luck they have no faith.
When we were leaving the actual village of little downham I get a phone call from the mother who had decided to stay at home today, saying she had fallen over and was being taken to the doctor by her brother. Didnt think much of it and she assured us she would be fine so we carried on.
Arivved early(!) for once, mainly because I didnt walk the course the day before so didnt know the estimated times. So had plenty of time to walk the course and get ready. Thought there would be a few questions for him, mainly the log down the hill on a curving line to a skinny log, a bright pink corner and the logs in the water. The rest looked nice and doable but the ground was going to cause problems as there was standing water in places and it was very wet.
YP warmed up like he always used to was nice and forwards off my leg. Which is just the way I like him, think canter and he goes even if it does mean spooking at jumps you go past .
Any way he set off like he had a rocket up his backside (well for him any way) locked on to his first one and landed running . Had a sneaky sideways look at the smaller options at 2 but jumped his and was off. Slightly backed off 3 but popped it and moved on down to 4. Again over 4 without a second thought and feeling really fab. Had a real which one now mum at 5, over the barells and then a sneaky look at the dip which he really didnt need to look at and over the pink corner!! Yep little YP jumped the bright pink blimmin corner without me even having to get after him . He was feeling super grown up at this point and I was really enjoying it.
He then saw a big patch of mud and the ground got sticky and he went back to being wobbly and backwards. Had a good look at the water but agreed to walk through and picked up trot half way so we could get over the little log on the way out. Moved on when asked to the table and made it feel really easy.
Then we had a right moment where he saw a fence from the BE novice the other week, which was obviously really scarey despite me not even asking him to go near it and a crowd of people. The little git slammed on the breaks and attempted to spin for home but after a bit of pc kicking he decided he could go on as it wasnt really worth getting him bottom smacked. Through the sunken road which he had a good look at the step down despite never having had a problem with steps down. But again after another unstylish pc kick he popped off and out the other side. He did for once push on down the straight after the sunken road.
Got to the ditch palicade double, where he proceded to stick his head down the ditch to have a good look inside despite never having been ditchy. Any way fence judge was a bit mean and gave him a 20 for having a look even though he didnt step back. Grr! However he locked on to the palicade after so I'll let him off as we were never going to be inside the time after his little incident earlier.
Now he then had the rails with some hedge inbetween which he previously loved (pic in my siggy) so I was fairly happy to just sj him over it as it has a drop on landing which when your pony has such short legs is really quite noticable. Only he had other ideas and only seemed to remember about 3 of his legs thankfully I wasnt infront of him and slipped my reins on the way down to let him do his thing. Sadly this also ment I landed in front of the saddle but he did find a fith leg which saved us both. Then I had the dilema of pulling up and sorting my self out or letting go of the reins and pushing my self back before sorting my knitting out and carrying on. I aimed him in the direction of the next fence and dropped my reins and tried to shove my self back where I should have been. Only pony had other ideas and merrily headed in the opposite direction . But safley back where I should be and we headed off towards the water.
I hope this link works to the pro pics from the incident, if so just keep clicking to the next one. If not they seem to work if you click little downham then on to any picture and then click the links I posted.
http://www.theimagefile.com/?skin=309&Action=VF&id=9475785402&ppp=0&ppwd=72693bcn
He had another good look at the water and then decided he could just about trot through but couldnt do the logs despite my insistance he could walk over them (he has in the past) git pony! And frustraitingly hopped straight over on second attempt .
Like so
http://www.theimagefile.com/?skin=309&Action=VF&id=9475648402&ppp=0&ppwd=72693bcn
Then we hit the I know better than you stage and this is where I need some advice. As he sailed up to the white roll top refusing to listen to a thing I said trying to nip between the gap, then propmtly stopped. He got a smacked bottom and then casually popped it with a 'well you should have said that one'.
like so
(taken by a friend on my camera before any button pushers get carried away!)
Then to the log combo which he popped straight through, strange creature didnt even wobble at the skinny despite the turn being very slippy.
And then we had a paddy at the white chair which he has jumped several times before so more smacked bottoms of him! and again he then popped it as if it was nothing.
He was a brat to the next few fences as I just couldnt get hold of him in front so he was taking the pee big time!
But managed to get him back focused to jump the last nicely
So a mixed day, he went well, had a paddy, saved our back sides then became a brat...
So the french link didnt suit for xc, he goes forward in it but I cant get hold of him when he decides to be a brat. The snaffle I have that has the mouth piece similar to a tom thumb, with the copper rollers he wont gallop in but I can get hold of him when needed and the same with the cs tongue saver he has. So suggestions on a post card for any thing between the two? He wont go in a single joint and is very picky about poll pressure to the point that any thing with poll pressure has to have two reins and be used sparingly. And hates jumping in a pellham and gets a bit hysterical about his face being toched in it.
Apart from that, I think thats the end of our xc/eventing season so a winter of sj and dressage lessons ahead. Potentially thinking about stepping his sj up a level just to have a go at a few clear rounds and see how he finds it as he has done it at home and pc with ease and maybe a bit of hunting so I can see if I can get him a little less precious going xc ready for next season.
Back to the mother turns out she spent the afternoon in A&E with her brother and has two fractured ribs so any extra healing vibes apreciated and sweeties a pelnty if you get this far!
I, in all my madness, decided to try him in his flat work bit as he has been galloping really well in it and I have jumped him a few times at home in it without a problem. I just felt that although he wasnt backing off the contact before he wasnt moving on as well as he could with the roller snaffle.
I arrived to find YP prancing round his field which left me looking like this
much to the suprise of my friend/groom for the day and my dad who just wished me luck they have no faith. When we were leaving the actual village of little downham I get a phone call from the mother who had decided to stay at home today, saying she had fallen over and was being taken to the doctor by her brother. Didnt think much of it and she assured us she would be fine so we carried on.
Arivved early(!) for once, mainly because I didnt walk the course the day before so didnt know the estimated times
. So had plenty of time to walk the course and get ready. Thought there would be a few questions for him, mainly the log down the hill on a curving line to a skinny log, a bright pink corner and the logs in the water. The rest looked nice and doable but the ground was going to cause problems as there was standing water in places and it was very wet. YP warmed up like he always used to
was nice and forwards off my leg. Which is just the way I like him, think canter and he goes even if it does mean spooking at jumps you go past . Any way he set off like he had a rocket up his backside
(well for him any way) locked on to his first one and landed running . Had a sneaky sideways look at the smaller options at 2 but jumped his and was off. Slightly backed off 3 but popped it and moved on down to 4. Again over 4 without a second thought and feeling really fab. Had a real which one now mum at 5, over the barells and then a sneaky look at the dip which he really didnt need to look at and over the pink corner!! Yep little YP jumped the bright pink blimmin corner without me even having to get after him . He was feeling super grown up at this point and I was really enjoying it. He then saw a big patch of mud and the ground got sticky and he went back to being wobbly and backwards
. Had a good look at the water but agreed to walk through and picked up trot half way so we could get over the little log on the way out. Moved on when asked to the table and made it feel really easy.Then we had a right moment where he saw a fence from the BE novice the other week, which was obviously really scarey despite me not even asking him to go near it and a crowd of people. The little git slammed on the breaks and attempted to spin for home
but after a bit of pc kicking he decided he could go on as it wasnt really worth getting him bottom smacked. Through the sunken road which he had a good look at the step down despite never having had a problem with steps down. But again after another unstylish pc kick he popped off and out the other side. He did for once push on down the straight after the sunken road. Got to the ditch palicade double, where he proceded to stick his head down the ditch to have a good look inside despite never having been ditchy
. Any way fence judge was a bit mean and gave him a 20 for having a look even though he didnt step back. Grr! However he locked on to the palicade after so I'll let him off as we were never going to be inside the time after his little incident earlier. Now he then had the rails with some hedge inbetween which he previously loved (pic in my siggy) so I was fairly happy to just sj him over it as it has a drop on landing which when your pony has such short legs is really quite noticable. Only he had other ideas and only seemed to remember about 3 of his legs
thankfully I wasnt infront of him and slipped my reins on the way down to let him do his thing. Sadly this also ment I landed in front of the saddle but he did find a fith leg which saved us both. Then I had the dilema of pulling up and sorting my self out or letting go of the reins and pushing my self back before sorting my knitting out and carrying on. I aimed him in the direction of the next fence and dropped my reins and tried to shove my self back where I should have been. Only pony had other ideas and merrily headed in the opposite direction . But safley back where I should be and we headed off towards the water. I hope this link works to the pro pics from the incident, if so just keep clicking to the next one. If not they seem to work if you click little downham then on to any picture and then click the links I posted.
http://www.theimagefile.com/?skin=309&Action=VF&id=9475785402&ppp=0&ppwd=72693bcn
He had another good look at the water and then decided he could just about trot through but couldnt do the logs despite my insistance he could walk over them (he has in the past)
git pony! And frustraitingly hopped straight over on second attempt . Like so
http://www.theimagefile.com/?skin=309&Action=VF&id=9475648402&ppp=0&ppwd=72693bcn
Then we hit the I know better than you stage and this is where I need some advice. As he sailed up to the white roll top refusing to listen to a thing I said trying to nip between the gap, then propmtly stopped
. He got a smacked bottom and then casually popped it with a 'well you should have said that one'. like so
(taken by a friend on my camera before any button pushers get carried away!)
Then to the log combo which he popped straight through, strange creature didnt even wobble at the skinny despite the turn being very slippy.
And then we had a paddy at the white chair
which he has jumped several times before so more smacked bottoms of him! and again he then popped it as if it was nothing. He was a brat to the next few fences as I just couldnt get hold of him in front so he was taking the pee big time!
But managed to get him back focused to jump the last nicely
So a mixed day, he went well, had a paddy, saved our back sides then became a brat...
So the french link didnt suit for xc, he goes forward in it but I cant get hold of him when he decides to be a brat. The snaffle I have that has the mouth piece similar to a tom thumb, with the copper rollers he wont gallop in but I can get hold of him when needed and the same with the cs tongue saver he has. So suggestions on a post card for any thing between the two? He wont go in a single joint and is very picky about poll pressure to the point that any thing with poll pressure has to have two reins and be used sparingly. And hates jumping in a pellham and gets a bit hysterical about his face being toched in it.
Apart from that, I think thats the end of our xc/eventing season so a winter of sj and dressage lessons ahead. Potentially thinking about stepping his sj up a level just to have a go at a few clear rounds and see how he finds it as he has done it at home and pc with ease and maybe a bit of hunting so I can see if I can get him a little less precious going xc ready for next season.
Back to the mother turns out she spent the afternoon in A&E with her brother and has two fractured ribs so any extra healing vibes apreciated and sweeties a pelnty if you get this far!
