Cloud 9

I'm on cloud 9 and I know from bitter experience that this is a dangerous place to be - the only way is down and usually its down with a bang..

But I'm going to enjoy it whilst it lasts.

As expected,  Tweseldown BE was cancelled. We rerouted and went BS instead.

We went to Wellington - a venue I have neglected over the years and I must go there more often. Unaffiliated its quite pricey which is partly why I havn't been there often, but affiliated it doesn't make much difference.

We went for the British Novice and the 95cm dengie qualifier.

They didn't have a 1m and I didn't feel brave enough for a 1.05m BS class.
I figured it would be a nice quiet day, first two classes, home for lunch right?

Well I didn't consider that EVERYONE would be going there. 60 in both my first classes.

It was a well built course with a good jump off, and we were going for it.

Lexi was superb. She didn't miss a beat and I even rode well. We took a turn no one else did; angled an oxer and inside fence 2. She turned quicker than I expected and I lost a stirrup and had to jump the last two jump off fences without a pedal (guess those no stirrup dressage lessons paid off!) and she won by 4 seconds!

This class was split into BN and Open; turned out there were 45 in the BN and 15 in the open so I'm very proud she won!

The 95cm was 1 class and it was fierce. We went out there and I was in lala land until after the second fence of the jump off when I remembered where I was and kicked on. She pinged this fence on a hell of an angle (photo doesn't do it justice!)

weee! Isn't she ADORABLE?!

 

 



We went into the lead but with 40 more to jump after me, sadly we didn't keep it. We finished in 3rd though which out of 60 sure isn't shabby! Being BS we actually won some prize money and Lexi paid for her entries with £4 profit. We won't talk about the diesel costs haha but it meant we could have a cheeky indian takeaway thanks to her!

 

 

Lexi had different plans for her dinner treat...

me :O

 

I've been walking on cloud 9 since. It suddenly feels like everything I've worked for in the last 4.5 years has come together. The sweat (buckets), tears (swimming pools), blood (marginal) and A&E trips (Okay, 1 thanks to her) have given me this fab little horse who will generally go out and do her job and do it well. Apart from when she's sore or mad at me.

 

 

I'm just feeling proud. Proud that I've managed to make her into this great all rounder. Proud I've made a horse who does half pass and a medium trot that feels like floating. Proud that my dressage instructor says advanced medium is our 2018 aim. Proud that she can win big, competitive BS classes. Proud that she will hack out on the buckle yet only needs a click of my tongue to speed up. Proud that as long as I ride her right, she will do literally anything. Hopefully I'm just cynical and nothing will go wrong and we're about to enter our prime; where I've put the work in and now we can reap the rewards and go out and enjoy ourselves.

 

 I won't count my chickens. It never stays this good for long but I'll enjoy it whilst it lasts.

 

I've managed to squeeze in 1 more BD entry before my membership ends. I'm almost sad about that in a way but equally feeling that way is good as when I'm an officer next year, weekends off will be less regular than now so continuing with BS and BD means I can compete more weekdays.

 

 

We're next meant to be eventing on the 25th and that's my birthday so I will be PISSED if it is also rained off. It needs to stop raining. Lexi's legs are rotting off and she's too much of a hypochondriac to let me treat them. 

 

Xc xc xc snow and cold

It has been a busy few weeks and as per usual I have not blogged.

We have been xc schooling twice, both to Tweseldown and Lexi was frankly delicious. She jumped very well on both occasions and we are getting braver and braver, jumping numerous BE100
Combinations. We did have a discussion regarding jumping a house into the water - she wasn’t sure and I wasn’t brave enough to keep my leg on when she slowed down but we got there in the end.

We then went to a combined training. I took Squirrel for lols and he was terribly behaved although junpedna lovely double clear! His lorrypark behaviour was shocking though. Rude 20 year old beast.

Lexi was a dream. We did the novice 28 and 90cm and scored a pleasing 67.5% and clear SJ for second place. She was delicious!


We were supposed to go to our first event of the season last weekend until the world ended as the Beasrbof the East swept in. We are supposed to be at tweseldown this coming weekend but with rain forecasted I’m not too hopeful!

I jumped her today over a 105cm-110cm course and she is on point so I really wanna get this season started!

The show jumping that was not to be and dressage in the snow

Life has not been going all too smoothly in camp One Eye and Unicorn lately.

The One Eye side has been terrorising his sharer including galloping off up to the field in full tack, destroying his bridle and pulling off a shoe. She sent me a very sweet text saying she would understand if I wanted someone more competent.

I sent back three photos of him loose in full tack in the field from the past.

Team Unicorn tried to go show jumping. I still need my cricklands double clear.

I was happily driving along the dual carriageway and suddenly a light came on on the dash board. "Brake Booster". Then an alarm sounded. Excellent.

I drove on until I found a layby and called the breakdown service. Once they arrived, we called the police as there was no way I was going to unload the princess on the side of a busy national speed road and attempt to reload her into a new horsebox.

So they came and shut the road.
As it were, she bounded up the ramp like the seasoned competition horse she now is. Plus I was holding a lunge whip.

Yes that is police in the background.

We went home and Susie (the iszuzu horsebox) went to lorry hospital.

£560 and a week later, we set off for dressage.

I had been highly anticipating this show. Both tests were outdoors and Lexi works better outside. I didn't account for the snow, the rain and the 3 degree temperature.

I'd entered and paid so like the fool I am, I loaded up and we went.

Mareface was not impressed.

 

Despite the weather and the settling snow as I drove towards the venue, she warmed up well. Until the loudspeakers at horse level in the warm up sounded. Ah.  Terrifying.

 

We set off down the centre line and the test started okay, if a little tense after the pony eating loudspeaker debate. Until someone walked on the gravel near the arena. We demonstrated an excellent reverse round 30m of the arena at speed and earned a 3 and a "disobedient." We also then clocked the photographer. Also terrifying.

 

Unfortunately the test was a bit of a write off from that stage. We scored 58% - our worst mark EVER - and came a resounding last. Comments stated "Not an easy ride for you today"

 

 

 

The second test was better. Elementary 59 is a horrifying test on paper but Lexi does well with the constant changes of direction and questions. Our medium trots still aren't as lovely out as at home and she still felt tense but it was going comparatively much better. Until I forgot the test AS USUAL. It went a bit pear shaped after that as I became a bit flustered.

 

We still managed to score 66.42% which given I went wrong and I know she has a LOT more to give, is quite pleasing.  

 

I think she just needs much more mileage. We haven't done a lot of pure dressage and out eventing we go into a quiet, secluded field, miles away from everyone else. She needs more exposure to distractions. I'm not sure where we came in the class, I didn't wait to see and the results aren't up yet.

 

One Smug pony!

 

 

 

I'd like to get another BD outing next month but it depends a little on my XC schooling schedule which is the priority. We won a voucher to go to a nice venue which I'm hoping to use as it will pay for both myself and my instructor which saves a fair wack of money which means I can afford to do a BD too....but I'm not sure if they will open in time if the current weather conditions continue!

 

We're show jumping next weekend which is pretty much my last shot at my cricklands D/C as I'm working the next few weekends so fingers crossed!!



 

Show jumping

I think one of my New Years resolutions will be to blog more. I love reading back the years I blogged loads. I find it unmotivating to do it on my phone as it’s hard to get pictures and I don’t have much time to get the laptop out but...it’s good to read back.

A few weeks back I went show jumping at Crofton Manor again. It was almost identical to the outing before.

90cm. Jumped well until we got to an oxer going into a wall. Stop. Jumped second time and went well until the next oxer going into the wall where we had the second stop.

I went back in H/C and we did a fab double clear. I decided to enter the 1m again afterall as my nerves needed to jump the bigger class and she flew! It was unaffiliated as I want my cricklands ticket so it wasn’t the biggest class and unfortunately as we went h/c before we weren’t eligible to qualify but we went double clear and she was asking for bigger

!

Pride before a fall

whar not to do before you go show jumping.

• Watch 1.30 SJ and happily sigh when you see how smal yornjumps are
• Go indoors for the first time in over a year and not think anything of it
•  Sir there for the ride and don't put your leg on

We got to fence 4 before Lexi rewarded my uselessness with an elimination.

Quickly swapped my discovery entry for a HC, went back in, put my leg on, jumped double clear with a fast jump off time.

Lesson learnt.

Or was it?

Next elementary BD outing.

• Dwell on how much easier the test are
• Ride like an idiot the week before
• Be casual about learning tests
• Think how useful the prize money would be and how I would spend it.

New venue. Dark indoors. Cue spooky horse. Lexi didn't particularly want to go anywhere near the judge's or spectators. And I went wrong. In both tests.

Second test was better. 64% and 66%. We weren't last anyway.

I will do better. My horse is as good as I ride her so time to pull it together!

Aston le Walls and season round up

I was determined to end on a good note. We've had mostly a rubbish season and I wanted to go out on a high.

The day dawned much nicer than the previous year's event which was torrential rain and the blowers on the lorry broke so we had to go home soaked with the windows open! Not pleasant.

Lexi started the day like a dragon as she usually does at Aston but settled and produced a nice test. I didn't really ride the first half - it seemed very simple after the previous week! Then pulled myself together. We produced a customary clear round SJ and went to get ready for cross country.

I had been a bit worried as we were eliminated at a fence going into the water at our last outing here so I was thrilled to see they offered an alternative. Usually I would push her to go direct but I wanted a nice outing to end the season so I decided to take it.

I mucked up my course mapping so I wasn't sure of my minute markers so I just decided to ride forwards and hope the alternative would take enough time to prevent us getting too fast penalties.

What can I say? She was awesome. Popped fence 1, fence 2 needed a smack on the bum as there was a herd of ducks on the other side of the jump! The next part of the course was going into the low sun and we could barely see but we were going then. The alternative went well although the sharp U bend to go into the water resulted into a loss of rhythm and we casually walked into the water. From then on we were flying. I had my old girl back. We even took a flier to the corner and she gave me that wonderful feeling of being on autopilot. We sailed round and finished on the optimum time, on our dressage score to win!!!


I've learnt a lot this season. I've learnt my horse is as good as I am. I've learnt we can do an excellent dressage test. I've learnt I'd rather drop down a level than screw up higher. We've scored over half our dressage tests sub 30 and clocked up 12 consequtive clears SJ.

We didn't make novice. We didn't even make be100. But that will come, we're back on track and we know each other a whole lot better now.

Elementary debute

I won't lie I was pooping buckets because our elementary debut. My aims were simple. Do not disgrace ourselves. Score over 55%.

I found the warm up difficult. I'm used to big fields not a 40 x 40 school with 8 other horses! And with it being elementary and medium tests, it was impossible to know if someone intended on suddenly going sideways or forwards, whether it was true canter or counter canter, or if they would suddenly do a direct transition from canter to walk.

I went in for my first test, 44, which was in their indoor. Lexi was quite spooky in the indoor so the test felt tense. The first walk to canter resulted in a bit of a kick as she wasn't expecting it at all! But she went. We completed the test and did everything where it was meant to, but I felt it was definitely a bit lacking.

We had a little wait for 59 which upon reading it, I felt was a horrifying test and I couldn't quite believe we were attempting it. It was a 60 x 20 arena and my first long test with her and second long test ever! I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was much more fluid and I positively beamed when we hit a super walk to canter transition bang on the marker. My left leg yield was rather L shaped through her shoulder but overall I was pleased - the best test we could of done.

I swear I almost fainted when I saw the scores. 69% in the first test which was 2nd in the bronze section and 3rd overall. I then looked at 59....we scored 67% under a different judge and only won it all overall!! I was overjoyed and gobsmacked. I couldn't believe it.

Lots of praise for the dressage pony!