Horse of the Year 2013

Isn't he a truely classically stunning animal! He is so awkward looking but it works for him so we don't fight it too much. For me his jumping is so much more important. And he is just the most amazing horse. So honest and genuine. He is easy to ride and he isn't. He is easy because he is so basic, but  he is so unorthodox to sit on. Still he is totally amazing and so much more than I deserve.
The pictures below are me walking down to the 1.25m horse of the year class, explaining to my firend how it was so big and wide.

 

 

My first class of the show was a 1.20m class. I had one rail and it was my fault but I can't remember where it was and what exactly I did. Horse of the Year runs for 6 hot dusty days they all sort of merge lol! The next day another 1.20m class and my boss said jump the first fence and just let him travel down in the 5 strides to the second. I should have added, on Butch it's best to add down my lines, because it keeps him quieter and more together and stops him jumping through his fences. I did the five and was dead in no mans land, dived through the fence, nearly died, stopped him bolting from the ring and carried on for just that rail. (That is the round that is in the video from fence 3. It's purely accidental you missed the fun, Dan was day dreaming).

 

The next day I did the 1.15m class but I should haven given him the day off in hindsight. He isn't anywhere near as strong as I'd like to be and by the end of the week the strain of the show was starting to show, he got flatter to his fences and just generally less scopey.

 

 

The photos below are from the 1.25m horse of the year class.

 

 

 

On the Friday I did my first 1.25m class on him, which is awesome considering I have been riding him for all of 6 or 8 weeks. It's still a very new relationship. I feel like I look like a nosiy rider on him, but basically on the video the rounds have all been quite smooth. I thought I was in trouble in the 1.25m because the mounted games finals were in the next ring and before the bell I could feel his heart pounding. Still only one rail again and he jumped like a super star. Such an awesome horse.

 

 

So to the final day and the big class of my show, the 1.25m horse of the year class. Very nervous. I'm always nervous, but on Butch I'm not scared of the height of the fences, just stuffing him up really. I know I'm his biggest handicap. Well anyway i made a bloody good stuff up of it. Had the first rail, but it was his rail not mine. But then long show so I don't hold it against him. Then was going ok and had an absolute mare, when I just killed his canter, strangled him with the bridle and put him in the fence. He landed on his knees and I thought I was ok until I realised I was on his ears. Poor poor Butch. Still he is fine and I was fine just mortified because all the family had turned out to watch. 

Cantered over a fence in the warm-up and called it a day. Hopefully he wasn't rattled, though he is fairly dumb so it shouldn't bother him. I just am a bit gutted really, to go so well all week and let him down on the big day. Nevermind it happens to the best of us.

He is the video:



Overall it was a good show. Foxton next wekend and then it's breakers and hunting. Never ends!!

HOY

Packing for horse of the year. Don't know if I'm dreading it or excited. My bosses top horse is out which is a shame because watching him is always fun. Here we go again!

New Horse

Ok so the cat may as well come out of the bag. My partner has brought me Butch. He is a 12yo old TB who is pretty low mileage, and is an awesome jumper and field hunter. Of course he is very ugly and quite unorthodox. That being said he is awesome. Just a genuine honest horse, who if you keep him quiet and don't rattle him will jump the moon. Now I don't know if any of my readers have been around that long, but 5 years ago Butch came to my place to hang out and jump small tracks after a fall as a 6yo. So these pictures are from then. Yes he is a camel and no he has only gotten less attractive.





Here is one from now



I hope I can do him justice. He isn't a grand prix horse but he will cruise around the 1.30m and give me heaps more mileage. I just have to learn to not press him at the jumps because he jumps straight through the front rail on the oxer if I do that. Anyway, here is a video of our first 1.20m together from the weekend. You can see where I pressed him. Forgive my riding, I have trouble sitting on his jump and have gotten way too fat, which I definitely plan to fix.

So here he is my new BFF:

Cross Country Schooling

Even us showjumpers get our brave pants on and go cross country schooling. The horses love the change of pace and it helps get them going forward and being bold. I evented a long time ago when I was much braver and I have to say the solid fences look so much bigger than the painted rails!! I got braver as we went though. My little sister rode Honey and I rode Erl, though sometimes I popped honey over some things- i'm in the maroon breeches. As an aside Kims lower leg is amzing and it's been years since she did any serious jumping- bitch! Anyway, pictures are more interesting than my words so here some are. All photo credit to Belinda who is a fabulous equine photographer- link here.

Such a fun night and so amazing to ride with my sister again after her being in Canada for ages. Very much like us in our younger more pony club less grown up days. Both horses were fabulousness, the only trouble I had was at the Trakenher (more because I was scared!) and at this cow painted fence which was yuck! Hoping to do a low key event later in the season which will be a nice change of scene. God I love my job! For those that want to know there are a mixture of training and pre-training fences which is a range of 80cm to 1m. Not that big in showjumping terms but pure terror as far as I'm concerned in eventing terms. Lucky Erl took such care of me.

That new horse smell

How good of a smell is that??? Delicious. I'm very excited about this haha. But I'm not going to tell you anything more until money changes hands. Had a good show the weekend just been, picking up a third in the 1.10m on Erl Grey and several places in the showhunter on a clients horse called Folly though showhunter seems so fast and reckless with all that two pointing and forward rides down the lines!! Frightening stuff. Folly is a very good dressage horse though and does beautiful flying changes.

Tomorrow I have a clinic with Sean Cubbit, my second one with him. He is a rider from Ireland whom has been riding in Germany for ages and seems pretty onto it though last time it was so hot at the end of the lesson I was working really hard not to puke. Definitely a loy more riding fit and strong now and feeling happier in my position and balance again. Office work is really notr that good for staying fit as a rider. Definitely not as good as riding for a living. I love my job right now. More soon.

Masterton A&P Show

So I had a pretty easy show with only 4 horses and we only did the Friday and Sunday so we could got to the Rugby on Saturday. Though I do have pictures yay. I'm still just having the odd four faults and making that one silly error that stops me from jumping clear. It's very very frustrating for me the ever perfectionist. Still I'm only getting to know the horses and in one instance I made the right ride but the horse didn't come with me. Without further ado here are three of the team-

Erl Grey- Holsteiner X

 

 

Honey- Stationbred- Coastie cross Seriously how cute are those giant ears!!

 



 

 

 

Butch- OTTB- very unusual looking and unorthodox, but check out the back end!! Unfortunately I had the wrong saddle on him and I really struggled to stay with him.

 

I have Feilding A and P next weekend and we are taking 6 horses and I'm doing hunters and jumpers so I may just die!!At least it's on a sureface so I don't have to stud!



Mucho busy

Goodness me it hs been very very hot lately and  my poor flabby excuse of a body has struggled ot adjust to physical labour again. I really need to lose some weight but like so many of us know, it's so damn hard! I'm such a suger junkie. Nevermind. Things are interesting here, I'm finding it very hard but I suspect I just need my depression meds again. I thought I would try without them, but it would seem I'm something of a lifer. I know as soon as my brain keeps repeating that I'm worthless and I want to cry all the time that I'm not ok.

The horses here are mostly lovely. I'm madly in love with this awkward ungainly fantastic chestnut thoroughbred called Butch. People have tended to let him down and he has ende up bit of a boomerang. If I had the money I would buy him in a heartbeat. Getting on him is like getting into bed with your favourite blanket, its comfortable and reassuring because he is just so incredibly genuine.

Onme mare I don't see eye to eye with because she was bottlereared and has a real chip on her shoulder. Even the babies and the poorly schooled sale projects all approach with pricked ears and are happy except for this version. That been said I get to compete her tomorrow which is a bit of a oh yay :/  I had my first show last weekend and mostly went ok, apart from the odd mistake and circle. I 1.10med Butch and a holsteiner cross called Erl who is lovely but needs more riding and skill and Butchy. Still by the end of the show it was a lot smoother just the odd mistake leading to four faults or time faults and the occassional circle where needed.

I'm also riding a young horse for my own friend/client who is a bit of a mongrel but a very very promising and genuine young horse. I have included a video of her for you to watch. She is still very awkward and needs more strength and schooling but she wants to do all the right things and feels quite scopey so I'm hoping to keep the ride on her for as long as possible. The only down saide is getting announced as Rebecca Presow riding U Honey which sounds a bit racy.



I'm getting heaps of saddle hours and I think if I wasn't getting so depressiony I would feel pretty positive about the improvements I am making.I really really miss having my good horse Connie who is out at the turnout block and may have injured her DDFT in her foot which is why she isn't improving despite having her feet rebalanced. That could take 8 months to come right which is sucky. My boss hates Anbdalusians and Connie stopped on her and pooped in a class at HOY once and wouldn't go despite strong persausion so is not her biggest fan. This meant I had a bloody good laugh the  other day when she mixed up her fancy 4yr old Cassini filly with Connie. It is scary how alike they are to be fair.