Hunter trials, eventing and show jumping championships is what we've been doing and not a minute to write!
I'll keep these write ups brief and then hopefully I'll stay caught up.
First up was an 85cm pairs hunter trial. Whilst we didn't have the result I hoped for, it was a good confidence boost and made me want more! My friend's horse had never done a hunter trial before and unfortunately had a few run out, as well as Lexi having one which meant we were eliminated halfway round but it definitely wetted my appetite.
Next outing was Goring BE90. Lexi warmed up beautifully for the dressage then decided the boards were pony eating things and we had a tense test for 35. Show jumping followed along the same lines. She went beautifully until a related distance into the trade stands which backed her off and we catapulted into the air and I just didn't get myself together enough to ride the second fence and we had a stop. The rest was fine although we clocked up an almighty number of time faults.
The xc was lovely bar my nerves and I almost cried in the warm up as both warm up jumps were my hated hanging logs but she gave me a brilliant ride. She didn't hesitate at a thing and it felt like clockwork. We finished exactly on the optimum time so I was one happy camper.
Next was the show jumping championship in Wales. I had Lexi in the 105m and Squirrel playing in the 85. I was tempted to drop Lexi down a height as my nerves were still there but I went for it in the end.
Squirrel behaved terribly the whole weekend. He got loose on numerous occasions, had fast times but a pole in each class, bucked and eventually pulled a sickie with a fat leg for his last class which mysteriously went down by the time we left.
Lexi stresssed the life out of me for not eating the first two days but eventually settled. I rode terribly in our first warm up class and had 3 down so I was pretty cross that Friday night.
Saturday loomed and I pulled myself together to win the morning warm up with the only clear round! The first championship class went okay with a fast time but an unfortunate pole in the jump off which Left us in 7th place.
Sunday morning we managed a fast clear in the warm up for another win! In the championship class she was just brilliant. I honestly have never ridden a jump off with turns so tight and it was good enough for third. Next time we just need to speed up more in between the fences! A 7th and s 3rd put us in Bronze position overall. I was overjoyed, I've never done so well at the winter leagues.
We were meant to go to Munstead last week but a poorly dog led to a withdrawal. So we went to Tweseldown 'this week for our last 90 before moving back to 100.
She was a fire breathing dragon warming up for dressage. Zoomy, bucky and more zoomy. Then went in for her test and relaxed! Our downwards transitions have become rubbish, she jogged in the free walk as usual and overall she could of been 'more' but the relaxation is the first step to all of those and I was pleased with a mark of 32.3 which left us in s good position.
The SJ was a small ring and twisty but she jumped well and left all the fences up so we were in an exciting place going xc.
The xc was filled with hanging logs to the point where I did hypnosis on saturday to calm my nerves.
Fence one was a hanging log which she skipped over, fence two a pheasant feeder. She spooked s little and got deep and after that I started riding. Fence 3 was a gappy log oxer which she jumped great. 4 another gappy table which she popped nicely. 5 was a hanging log to ditch which was fine. By then we were in our element, over another gappy table (which I refused point blank to go near xc schooling) then over a couple of angled brushes.
Good pull up a hill and she didn't want to steady for the (gappy) table on top so we gave that a clunk and I collected her for the hanging log to drop to triple brush which she did like an old hand. Then another couple of easy fences before the water. We literislly havnt bothered with water for months. There wasn't one at Goring, we didn't get to it at the hunter trial. But she easily popped the hanging log in, cantered all the way through the water and over the house coming out. Then a log pile, before the final fence.
A dragon brush owl hole. We were cruising on point for time. Then she saw what we were aiming for. She darted left. Then right. Then left. Then right. Dropping her shoulder aaaaand off I stepped. Bang went the air jacket (I forgot how horrible they are!) o got back on and it took two more attempts but she did jump it.
I just don't think she realised she was supposed to jump it. She didn't want to go near it let alone over it. We would of been third instead of last beyond those who didn't complete BUT she's usually so bold and genuine I don't really mind.
Our next outing is Chepstow 100 in a couple of weeks and I CANNOT WAIT!!! Although some owl hole schooling is in our near future I think! And some Pilates for me as my lack of core strength is, frankly, pathetic.
I will try and add some photos to this post in due course,
My phone is not co operating.
