A BCA disaster, and a nearly there Offchurch and Tweseldown

I havn't written for a while because truth be told I was fed up.

We went to BCA and Lexi did a good test for 30.3. However the showjumping phase was big and our nerves failed us. We went home on a big fat E.

Enough was enough. Back to basics. I dropped my offchurch bury entry down to 80cm because
I just wanted a nice day. I was getting sick of walking xc courses I didn't end up riding and sick of wondering if it was going to be a nice day whilst plaiting.

At a fair trek away I'd never been to Offchurch Bury but it was an easy drive and a beautiful venue. Lexi warmed up quite nicely for the dressage although she didn't feel entirely connected from the leg to hand. My downwards transitions were both rubbish but beyond that I felt it was a decent test.

I almost fainted when I saw my score.

A WHAT?! A 22.8?! Okay maybe an 80 but the judge clearly wasn't an let's encourage the lower levels with the score comparison.

No pressure then going SJ...

This was the first time competing and second time jumping in Lexi's new flower hackamore. Warming up, I wasn't convinced I had brakes but she was forward and she needs to learn to go more
Forward into a fence so for now it seems to be working.

She did a lovely, easy clear which was just the confidence boost I needed. Even if they were building tiny, she took me into everything which was just what we needed.

Then I had the debate. Do I try the hackamore xc? I havnt jumped her in s bit in ages albeit a Dr Cooks bitless not the flower hackamore. I wasn't sure I'd have brakes. But equally I would always wonder otherwise...and best to test it at 80 (even if for the one And only time at a BE event that I'll ever be in the lead by 4 points on a 22.8)

I decided to try. And I wish I hadn't. She set off spooky and I found it very very difficult to steer in the hackamore. Finally at fence 5 the inevitable happened. She spooked at people on the corner and I couldn't steer her properly and we had a stop.

Well that sucks.

She did settle after a few more fences and finished boldly, bang on the optimum time even with a stop (she's a bit too quick for grassroots 😳)

Almost but not quite. Our dressage still saw us to be 13th which shows how good her dressage was.

Tweseldown report will come!