Well what an adventure!
The Govers very kindly let us borrow their lorry because ours is not quite done yet. So Saturday morning we started making tracks at about 9.30 to Longleat in torrential rain. We arrived to see knee deep mud and tractors pulling tractors pulling lorries in and out! Due to some skillful driving on Dad's part we managed to get in without getting pulled in.
I walked the xc course it looked like such a good course and the people who rode it said it flowed really nicely, even though the ground was wet and boggy.
I did my dressage in mud and torrential rain, with very noisy sea lions behind me, which was interesting! It was the first test I have done wholly in sitting trot and after really getting my dressage in rising trot, I have to start all over again in sitting and develop that feel for when she is to long and really getting her back end underneath me. I did however have a blonde moment and I thought I was meant to do a medium trot but I was in fact meant to do leg yielding. As soon as I went across the diagonal I new I had gone wrong! Hey ho first time for everything, so it would have been a 33 but it turned out as a 35 because of the the 2 marks penalty as I went wrong but apart from that I was overall quite pleased.
After having a good look at the show jumping we decided that if it was not right to run when I was in there then I would retire but I had planned my routes to try and avoid the slippery bits, BUT as things go there was no need, the whole thing got cancelled because it was way to dangerous to carry on which was disappointing but in the end it was for the best and the safest option, so we packed up and got towed out.
But of course that wasnt just the end there is never a dull moment with the Unlucky Uptons a bolt from the gear box had come off leaving us with only 5th gear and stuck on a hill of a slip road but somehow my lorry driver who I have officailly employed (my father) did a very swift maneuver and managed to get us up the rest of the the hill gosh nows how and into a petrol station where we sat for 2 hours for the breakdown people to come. So over all it was a very adventurous day, we got home at 10pm!
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Friday, 17 June 2011
Catch up........
Sorry I haven't written much lately, end of year exams, GSCE and modules all going on in the last month! One more to go next week.
Longleat International tomorrow. 3 and half hours drive and weather going to be awful, but still looking forward to it. (I am officially mad). I practiced the test tonight on Jake while the rain came down in sheets, so hopefully I will remember it. Our lorry is nearly mended but not quite so we have borrowed the Gover's lorry, which should be a bit more comfortable in the rain than a car and trailer!
Will update you with the soggy highs and lows after Longleat.
Longleat International tomorrow. 3 and half hours drive and weather going to be awful, but still looking forward to it. (I am officially mad). I practiced the test tonight on Jake while the rain came down in sheets, so hopefully I will remember it. Our lorry is nearly mended but not quite so we have borrowed the Gover's lorry, which should be a bit more comfortable in the rain than a car and trailer!
Will update you with the soggy highs and lows after Longleat.
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Film editing will not go down as one of mine and Mum's strong points!
Spent the whole day trying to work out how to edit video clips so I could do the Dodson and Horrell / Horse and Hound Bursary. Finally finished, I gave it my best shot.
Friday, 3 June 2011
Borde Hill
Best dressage!!!!! I think all that dressage without stirrups has really helped me, Stella and I scoring a 31.5, I was even more chuffed with this because I had learnt the wrong test and had to learn the right one on the way, never dull moment!
Show jumping has been a mission, in practice Estella has decided to turn very green on me and spook at absoultely everything which has meant some very sticky jumps and my hunting seat has been required much more then I would like, so with this in mind I booked a lesson with good old uncle Ken the day before Borde Hill and we worked on both Stella and me. We came to the conclusion that she is green but to help her I need to be less stiff and loosen my reins and just relax and I need to stop seeing the stride.
So with this all fresh in mind I did my show jumping at Borde Hill and the first 5 went very well and we then got to the start of the triple which was an oxer but we got way to deep which ment Estella couldn't get the stretch for the back rail so we took that down and cleared the next two a little sticky but clear. Normally after Stella has knocked one she will not touch a thing and be extra careful but we think what happened was she over reached and this meant she didnt pick up that front leg quickly or snappy enough and then procceeded to knock 2 more. When we looked back on the video that my dad took, we were on the correct stride ect, but we can see she took a knock on that front leg before.
We procceeded to the Cross Country which was causing a few problems at the tricky combinations they threw in near the end but I was determind I wasnt going to take any alternatives and I was going to take all straight routes even The Brush to The Corner on a downhill slope and I tell you what, I have never walked a fence so many times and talked to so many people about the combination. I collected as much information about it as possible to then added what I thought I should do. I visualised the feeling and the exact striding and not only did we go clear we nailed the line in that combination it was the best feeling I have ever had!
But we did get quite a few time penalties XC, I expected that as it is not a galloping course and Stella is slow through the air over the jumps and 12 faults show jumping but oh well we got best dressage and I had a fantastic Cross Country ride!
Show jumping has been a mission, in practice Estella has decided to turn very green on me and spook at absoultely everything which has meant some very sticky jumps and my hunting seat has been required much more then I would like, so with this in mind I booked a lesson with good old uncle Ken the day before Borde Hill and we worked on both Stella and me. We came to the conclusion that she is green but to help her I need to be less stiff and loosen my reins and just relax and I need to stop seeing the stride.
So with this all fresh in mind I did my show jumping at Borde Hill and the first 5 went very well and we then got to the start of the triple which was an oxer but we got way to deep which ment Estella couldn't get the stretch for the back rail so we took that down and cleared the next two a little sticky but clear. Normally after Stella has knocked one she will not touch a thing and be extra careful but we think what happened was she over reached and this meant she didnt pick up that front leg quickly or snappy enough and then procceeded to knock 2 more. When we looked back on the video that my dad took, we were on the correct stride ect, but we can see she took a knock on that front leg before.
We procceeded to the Cross Country which was causing a few problems at the tricky combinations they threw in near the end but I was determind I wasnt going to take any alternatives and I was going to take all straight routes even The Brush to The Corner on a downhill slope and I tell you what, I have never walked a fence so many times and talked to so many people about the combination. I collected as much information about it as possible to then added what I thought I should do. I visualised the feeling and the exact striding and not only did we go clear we nailed the line in that combination it was the best feeling I have ever had!
But we did get quite a few time penalties XC, I expected that as it is not a galloping course and Stella is slow through the air over the jumps and 12 faults show jumping but oh well we got best dressage and I had a fantastic Cross Country ride!
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Practice, practice and practice again!
Couple of weeks break from competing and putting all my energy into practicing everything I have learn't. (And of course I am revising for my end of year exams)!
Stella
Forty minutes riding without any stirrups each time I school is definately the way forward for Stella and I, it frees me up and I am able to move my legs more, she responds so well. It helps our lateral work, I also feel so much more and she is a lot looser. If only I could ride with no stirrups in a dressage test!
Pearl
Has enjoyed a week of hacking, . She also has a grazing muzzle (one of my birthday presents)! Which she absolutely hates and puts her in a thoroughly bad mood. We are desperate to get some weight off of her!
Glimpse
Has started taking the contact down with the lightest touch on the rein. She has started jumping, proving very easy to do, but then shes not gone through her teenage stage yet, she is still only 4. We know how 5 year olds can be!
Jake
Is happily enjoying retirement in the field, with his friends and being hacked out. I did have a little schooling session with him the other day, he was just amazing, he just floats accross the school.
Stella
Forty minutes riding without any stirrups each time I school is definately the way forward for Stella and I, it frees me up and I am able to move my legs more, she responds so well. It helps our lateral work, I also feel so much more and she is a lot looser. If only I could ride with no stirrups in a dressage test!
Pearl
Has enjoyed a week of hacking, . She also has a grazing muzzle (one of my birthday presents)! Which she absolutely hates and puts her in a thoroughly bad mood. We are desperate to get some weight off of her!
Glimpse
Has started taking the contact down with the lightest touch on the rein. She has started jumping, proving very easy to do, but then shes not gone through her teenage stage yet, she is still only 4. We know how 5 year olds can be!
Jake
Is happily enjoying retirement in the field, with his friends and being hacked out. I did have a little schooling session with him the other day, he was just amazing, he just floats accross the school.
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Rewarding Day
My little horse Pearl who has taken so long to produce is finally proving herself and growing up.
Today Gail Stephens and I both went to Mattingly unaffiliated to do the Intro. Considering this was only her second event and first intro of the season I was a little concerned about the Show jumping and the Cross Country.
She was so relaxed when we got there I thought there was something wrong with her (usually she has ants in her pants when we first arrive). I tacked her up and went to warm up for the dressage, she was fooling me, there was nothing wrong with her at all! She put in a few bucks and then bronked and galloped off with me up to the dressage arena, nearly knocking Mum over in the process! I couldn't get any sense out of her at all, she was so very excited, but then 5 mins before I went in, I got some awesome work out of her and she preformed a stunning test - I mean there were still blips like canter transitions being a bit exuberant and sometimes she wasn't quite acive enough behind, but next time I am going to try the test in sitting trot so I can wrap my legs around her and have some smother transitions, she does seem to go better when I am sitting.
Show jumping was up to height and had lots of fillers in - she had a pole, but I tell you what I was chuffed, she was totally listening to me and even though she had that pole she didn't freak out because she knocked it, she just stayed totally focused.
On the cross country I had an awesome ride it was a a big course for Pearly and she has been having confidence problems and won't take me forward, I am constantly pushing her to go on and she is very wobbly, that was how she started today. She had a stop at the second fence, but she didn't spook, she just didn't lock onto it so I re-presented her and she popped it. But after that fence, she got told to focus, she gave me a little buck and I knew I had got through to her and from then she took me all the way around, for once I was having to pull her up before the fence to set her up which is exactly what I wanted. She was fantastic I don't mind about the stop or the pole, I was just chuffed with the fact she has improved So much!!!!!
http://www.johnbritterphotography.com/eventpics/matt11/8/images/thumbs/thumb44.jpg
Today Gail Stephens and I both went to Mattingly unaffiliated to do the Intro. Considering this was only her second event and first intro of the season I was a little concerned about the Show jumping and the Cross Country.
She was so relaxed when we got there I thought there was something wrong with her (usually she has ants in her pants when we first arrive). I tacked her up and went to warm up for the dressage, she was fooling me, there was nothing wrong with her at all! She put in a few bucks and then bronked and galloped off with me up to the dressage arena, nearly knocking Mum over in the process! I couldn't get any sense out of her at all, she was so very excited, but then 5 mins before I went in, I got some awesome work out of her and she preformed a stunning test - I mean there were still blips like canter transitions being a bit exuberant and sometimes she wasn't quite acive enough behind, but next time I am going to try the test in sitting trot so I can wrap my legs around her and have some smother transitions, she does seem to go better when I am sitting.
Show jumping was up to height and had lots of fillers in - she had a pole, but I tell you what I was chuffed, she was totally listening to me and even though she had that pole she didn't freak out because she knocked it, she just stayed totally focused.
On the cross country I had an awesome ride it was a a big course for Pearly and she has been having confidence problems and won't take me forward, I am constantly pushing her to go on and she is very wobbly, that was how she started today. She had a stop at the second fence, but she didn't spook, she just didn't lock onto it so I re-presented her and she popped it. But after that fence, she got told to focus, she gave me a little buck and I knew I had got through to her and from then she took me all the way around, for once I was having to pull her up before the fence to set her up which is exactly what I wanted. She was fantastic I don't mind about the stop or the pole, I was just chuffed with the fact she has improved So much!!!!!
http://www.johnbritterphotography.com/eventpics/matt11/8/images/thumbs/thumb44.jpg
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