Masterton A+P: A comedy of rider errors

Sometimes you just have a show where you don't get it together as a rider. This was definitely that show. The horses jumped really well though so it wasn't all bad. The first class was a 1.15m class in ring two. It was a pretty kind track but I arrived to late (I was working in the morning) to walk the course. Connie jumped pretty well just a lazy rail but I really stuffed up when I cantered straight past the third fence. Stupid! Still first course error in ages. Kate was in the same class and also jumped well though spooky and then had a stop at the liverpool at the last fence. It was my fault because I held her too much, I should have ridden up a bit more. Still she was clear other than that and I was happy.



When I arrived the next day I found the amateur class had been moved forward and into ring 1 which is really unfair to do changes the morning of. It would have been the spookiest track I jumped for an amateur all year. You can see in the pictures there was quite a lot of fill in the combinations. Connie jumped so so well and I stuffed up eh. On the corner to the treble I took a pull instead of just riding around the corner and I didn't get there and had a super awkward jump over the first fence and had to pull out of the combination. On the second approach she jumped through it so well and I was much better to the double. She was clear though apart from the stop and there were only six clears. Hiss! Poor Connie she is very forgiving of my mistakes.

Kate was super spooky again and I had lots of rails. Well three, all in the combinations. I haven't yet jumped her through a double with fill in the first and second elements and I was so worried about her landing in a stop that I sat up to early. This killed her back end so she dropped onto the rails. Still I finished the round and I wasn't that confident that I could. Like my mate said better to sit up early and have a rail than to have a stop/fall. A lady on the sideline said I should take her off of the grass to be less spooky and I was like she isn't on any grass. I then had an epiphany. I think it's the really nice quality oat chaff that I have switched her onto because she can't have Lucerne without getting skin problems over the Summer. So at the moment she is getting really boring food until I can get some peavine and clover chaff, but already she is less spooky. A bit dumb to not figure this was the issue for weeks but there you go.