Beauty and Rich

[winnieandben]

Just catching up with this, you have come a long way together.

She is a lovely looking girl 

[raingodz]

Sadly not been around much due to one thing and another, but on Sunday Bea and I did our first Showjumping competition.

The day did not start that well, Bea was a bit excited when warming up by all the kids on wizzy ponies, and then I did not ride her forwards well over the first few jumps of the 50cm clear round so ended up with one down.  Basicaly jump two had a split filler with stars on, there was a gap in the middle I aimed for, but her attention was more on the fillers than me or the jump.

I had intended to only do the clear round, but I kind of had also hoped I would have done a bit better ie gone clear, so to give my self a second go I entered the 60cm class.

She was alot calmer and we trotted round the jumps.  I am pleased to say we went clear in the slowest time by about 30 seconds lol. But this meant I was in to the jump off and in ouw first competition too . They put the jumps up a little and we were first in for the jump off.  It was going well until the end when I had the last two jumps down.  so I ended up 9th out of about 20.  So not bad for our first ever jumping competition

I am very pleased with her becuase she did not run out or refuse any of the jumps.

Here are the photos:

60cm class:


Jump off for the 60cm class:

[laura D]

  Fantasitc!! lovely pics - you really both look like you are thoroughly enjoying yourselves 

[TashaKat]

What a good pone    She's looking great, Rich, well done 

[epona]

BRILLIANT!!!! 

You both look AMAZING! 

[raingodz]

Thanks everyone.  It was a very friendly placem and the arena surface was greate especially considering how much rain we have had.

This is us both grinning at the end of the jump off - odd how we both have the same expression on our face!

[Mandeigh]

Hey nice job! 

[Torsornin]

  looking great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[shoveltrash]

LOVE the jumping photos!!!
fantastic!

[winnieandben]

Great jumping pics 

[Amanda1950]

Well Done

Great pics!

[raingodz]

thanks everyone, was good to get our first showjumping competition compleated safely and enjoyabley (although at 6am till the end of the clear round I did feel a bit sick!).

[Heather]

Well done you two!! She is a really useful mare, as well as being very pretty, Rich!!


Heather

[raingodz]

Thanks Heather, she was such a good find, can't quite belive I have had her 18 months now.

We are having a quite couple of weeks at the moment, as I will be going on tour playing music.  So here is a couple of photos of us relaxing

[raingodz]

Time has been vanishing again, but I did not quite realise that is has been quite so long since I last up dated our blog.

The end of August was quiet for us, partly due to me going away and partly due to all the rain.  But in to September and it was time to start work again, and get our selves in shape for the winter dressage season.  At the begining of this year we were challenged to score 60% in a prelim or novice dressage test before the end of the year.  The end of the year is arriving faster than I would want.  I have not ridden dressage competatively since Barlow Show, where we got 56% in a Prelim test.

There seemed no point to keep hammering away at the competitions as the test sheets all say the same thing - needs more collection, needs to be rounder, needs more bend.  And so to work on this.  From the ground we put in some work in teaching reinback, and then developed this to a point where when riding we could do trot, halt, reinback, trot.  Then we have also worked on varying speed of trot while riding circles using leg yealds to decrease and in crease the size between 15m and 25m.

Next was to work on some strightness and balance in trot.  We did serpentines with circles at the end of each loop and then worked with in the school so that we were atleast 2 or 3 meters away from the school fence.  This seemed to work well I think, some how it seemed easyer to ride streight and in more of of an out line, not sure why!

Any way, not sure when the next dressage test will be, but I think we are now to see what the judges have to say about us now! so will let you all know how we get on when we find a test to do.