Edgecumbe Pony Club Gymkhana

The day started really poorly when I got Truckie stuck. It looked like a small mound of loose earth. Yea not so much, giant lump of chicken shit. :( Soo Embarrassed and not a good start for my day at all. So I hyad three horses to ride, Bill, Malinki and Connie.

With Bill it was a bit of a big ask seeing as she had been in work a week. She was definitely fit enough living on the side of a very steep hill but it was an ask mentally for us both. I just an not confident riding her, I roll up into a little hunchback of nerves. She was actually really good, a little hot and chewy but actually coped pretty amazing. Especially considering I rode her so poorly. In the end this other girl, who just adores Bill, basically talked me into riding her. Bill trotted around the 80cm really nicely, she had a stop at the double but she was looking at the judges more than anything. She went straight over the wall. She is just so little and wiggly and hard to read so I struggle with her a bit. Still she comes with me to the next show to jump the practice rounds so that will be good for her and I.

Malinki jumped the 90cm and the 1m. I had been riding her in a pelham just to help me when she leans and because she is so big- 17.1hh- it means it's easier to organise her but in the warm up she was behind the bridle so I changed it to this ancient nickle snaffle I have thats about the only bit I own big enough for her doongie head. She was heavier in it and had a tendency to lean on it but she was also happier in it so thats good enough for me. She did two lovely smooth rounds, very calm and collected. Tapped a lot of rails. Every so often she just feels super over a fence, and I think I'm influencing it but I'm not sure what I'm doing so definitely planning on having a play with that. I suspect I need to hold her up more at the base of the fence. She was second in the 90cm and third in the 1m. She would have won it having done an amaizing inside turn for such a big horse, but we bludged out the last rail, I should have collected her back and added the stride but I didn't and I think we took it out about knee height. Bless her. She is a lovely girl, my rein broke before the jump off when her rein got hooked in my cousins bridle and I could just trot her back to the truck with one rein and then just canter straight into the ring.

By the time Connie came up the ground had started to cut up and was pretty deep. It was a big 1.10m track, square oxers and relatively tricky- some corners you had to be very aware of to make in time and again the ground was pretty treacherous. The three rounds before me didn't go that well, there was a million rails and a couple of eliminations so I was like damn. Connie though is pretty much the bomb. She cantered around and took the rail at three though I rode up a little much to it. Then the hoodoo was sort of broken and other people had good rounds, but there was only one clear and Connie was second on four faults.

The general carnage and ground meant that only two people started in the 1.15m class and it was also a big track. First up was me :O Still I have Connie and she was spectacular, even if I took a few bigger distances and jumped a good clear round. She is ready to 1.20m this coming weekend. The other horse had a rail and I opted not to jump-off. Connie actually had a massive stumble on landing after the first fence and I only just managed to get her organised for the second fence, so IU definitely wasn't going to jump in the ground again. She has nothing to prove anyone. Definitely nervous and excited for the coming weekend. Fingers crossed for nice weather, she just feels so good at the moment.

  

Pukahu Show

 

In all honesty I couldn't have asked for a better start to the season. Connie was a stooper star! She definitely earned her way back into her special sparkle halter. Friday night was like the coldest night ever it was not a good time. I was glad Dan came with me for the weekend because I would have frozen without his body heat. Still it was a pretty nice day even though the wind was cold. My frst class was the 1.10m young rider/amateur class and it was built disappointly small. I wanted to make sure I was on form heightwise but it wasn't to be. Still I was very nervous doing the first round of the season. She jumped really well, I had one sort of moment to the liverpool where I got a bit deep but basically it's all good. A little stiff maybe but on video it looks to flow a lot better than it felt. And it was good enough for second so I can't complain.

 

The nex day was the amateur class series class and what do you know they heavens opened with a cold rain. I worried about how my fair weather princess would cope but she was very brave and jumped awesome again. Better this time, very consistent but again the track was very soft with no real tricky parts and again uilt very small. 21 horses in the jump-off!

Connie is not a very quick horse and she isn't a big mover and she isn't the cattiest so she isn't really a great horse in a jump off. Still she was awesome in this jump-off. So good with her turning and I love that the turns look so smooth, not like I'm hauling her around, she is right there with me. I thought we were flyign but we really aren't that fast! Still it was a tough enough time that we won! Woo. I had decided I wasn't going to chase the series to hard and focus on moving up in height and try get to 1.30m this season, but now I have 10 big fat points! We will see what happens eh.

And saved for prosperity because it may never happen that I'm leading a series ever again.

 

There is a gymkhana tomorrow that I'm riding three horses in so I'll let you know how that goes. Had a pretty awesome day today, wicked to be cantering a  17.1hh hanoverian stallion down the beach, what a feeling.

Practice day 2

Malinki- 1.05m

Connie 1.20m

Trumps!

Sorry I'd write more but I'm supposed to be packing for the first show right now. Update soon!

Practice Day

I had three horses to ride at the practice day. The first was my friends young horse that I had hunted a few times and she came out in the 80cm. I got on and came to the sinking realisation that the little (big actually she is around 17hh) horse is really not ready for jumping. It's easy to canter along in a straight line, but when you try and rate or turn her not a whole lot happens. She really needs to be taught to soften in her neck and shoulders and it will all start to come together. Schooling people it's important.

The jump is all there, she is very cute it's the rest that needs work. I have been riding Malinki for a week now and I have her to sell on behalf of. 8yo 17hh WB/irish mare that is pretty well bred. Needs lots of schooling and strength, but is so easy and straightforward. What you see is what you get. I'm hoping she will develop a bit more personality as we go. Pictures of her from the 90cm then. I did the 1m as well. She jumped really well just had a few rails and it's partly a strength thing, and she needs to get closer to the base of the fences and jump up more but that will come. Grids and schooling. She also needs about 100 pounds of condition. I'm riding her in a pelham because in the snaffle she gets really heavy and dull.

The thing with practice days is that they really show up your riding weaknesses. This are my killer flaws at the moment. 1. My hands are rolling over which is locking my forearms and killing the lightness of my hands. 2. I'm not thinking far enough in advance so I'm reacting to the course too late, I need to be more pro-active.   3. I care too much what people watching think. 4. I'm really not fit enough! I was dead by the end of the day. 

Connie did the 1m and the 1.10m. Man she is so awesome. Little and unorthodox and unusual but my favourite little buddy who is like comfortable old socks. Such a gem, I adore her, even for all her diva behaviour. Couldn't wipe the stupid grin off my face. She is feeling really good so far, stronger and more forward than she usually is at this time of year. So pictures of Connie! Saturday there is another practice day and I am taking Trumps, Connie and Malinki. Though not 100% on Trumps. I'm not sure we are ready to debut in public.

A big weekend

My friend from home came up to visit me this weekend and it was so amazing to see her. She cuts straight through the crap and I trust her opinions and knowledge implicitly. She thought that Malinki had a lot to offer if I could get her a lot stronger and feed her up some, which is pretty easy I make everything fat. I had a practice day on Saturday and rode 7 rounds on various horses so I'll update on that tomorrow when I get the few photos I got off the camera.

The other thing I did this weekend was ride for the first time the stallion I am working. He is a hanoverian stallion and he is gorgeous and pretty straightforward and huge! The sheer presence is amazing and the neck and the face. He even feels so powerful to ride. He hasn't been ridden for two years but the only thing he did was have a bit of a bounce at the canter. He gets tired really quickly and is quite lazy. He has had a shoulder injury in the past so we aren't sure if he will stay sound but fingers crossed eh. It's a thrill to riding a horse of this quality.

Connie got worked as well even though my friend and I had smashed a bottle of gin the night before! It wasn't much of a workout but she definitely feels stronger this year than this time last year so that can only be positive. She was good at the practice day, really it's me with the big issues. My hands have gotten average, less smooth and I'm rolling my knuckles on top. Still it's definitely fixable. Hunting makes you stick good and brave, but so mad for the little details like you know position and stuff. I need to find a trainer of sorts. Hoping my mate comes back because she is awesome at that sort of thing. 

So here is I think the first full size photo of Connie since the end of last season. And yes I really don't need the draw reins they aren't doing anything haha. She looks very well this year.