Well, it was Foxcote Unaffiliated Pre Novice on Tuesday! It had the potential to be a very very bad day because a) Ross can nap and refuse to do anything and b) Rosie hasn't competed at this height for a while because she doesn't have much confidence at the moment so we would easily have been eliminated in the SJ!!
Well I got there to do my Dressage on Rosie at 1:30, she did a very nice test so I hoped we would get a good mark! We got 34.4 which was fairly good in the section but I was a bit disappointed with. It turns out the judge wanted her to work more from behind...
I then had a THREE Hour wait before Ross' Dressage. So we walked the course in the scorching heat and had ice creams!
Ross wasn't feeling very obliging when I warmed up and the test was horrible to ride. He fixes his neck and locks his jaw against you. However, the test apparently looked really good. We got 34.8 which I was very disappointed with. The judge even gave Ross a 6 for his paces and said ''correct paces'' which for Ross is in my mum’s words ''very naughty'' because Ross has the most amazing elastic paces. You literally would struggle to find better paces! Sigh!
Well I got there to do my Dressage on Rosie at 1:30, she did a very nice test so I hoped we would get a good mark! We got 34.4 which was fairly good in the section but I was a bit disappointed with. It turns out the judge wanted her to work more from behind...
I then had a THREE Hour wait before Ross' Dressage. So we walked the course in the scorching heat and had ice creams!
Ross wasn't feeling very obliging when I warmed up and the test was horrible to ride. He fixes his neck and locks his jaw against you. However, the test apparently looked really good. We got 34.8 which I was very disappointed with. The judge even gave Ross a 6 for his paces and said ''correct paces'' which for Ross is in my mum’s words ''very naughty'' because Ross has the most amazing elastic paces. You literally would struggle to find better paces! Sigh!
Ross Dressage
I then jumped off Ross and got on Rosie for the Show jumping. It was an up to height course but mostly uprights which is good for Rosie's confidence. So I wasn't too worried. She was great over 1,2,3,4ab then I came round to a narrow style at 5 and I went for a long one which you NEVER do with her so she put another stride in and had it down. Totally my fault. Great over 6, the double at 7 was a bit hairy, 8 and 9 were fab. So four faults. Totally kicking myself!
Rosie SJ
I then changed quickly for the Cross Country and went over to the start. She flew a little hedge at number 1 and 2, backed off but jumped well over a large number 3, perfect over a wall at 4 and a box at 5. Popped down over another wall at 6, 7 was a bullfinch type thing which she jumped HUGE as she didn’t want to touch the brush bits!!! Then sharp left turn over 8 a large palisade. Popped down the step to skinny at 9, flew 10 and 11 a ditch log to tyres. Launched over the palisade at 12 which apparently had a drop behind that I didn’t know about and almost fell off!! Popped 13ab and 14 the ditch palisade. Launched over the drop over stream at 15, great over 16, hesitant over the 2nd drop stream at 17 and lovely over the last. Super clear!!
I then leapt off Rosie changed and leapt on Ross for my Show jumping. We went in and jumped off perfect strides over 1, 2 and 3. 4ab was a little deep, and the rest of the course was really good, so a great clear. It turns out the SJ caused carnage and out of 25 people there were only 5 clears.
Ross SJ
Got back to the lorry got off and changed AGAIN and took him Cross Country. It was fabulous. No napping, no hanging, just lovely round he was really enjoying himself! Super over everything, no dodgy moments at all. So he got an awesome double clear!
Results!! Rosie finished on 38.4 and was 7th and Ross finished on 34.8 and was 2nd, so two rosettes!! Unfortunately had I not been a Muppet SJ on Rosie, she would have been 2nd and Ross 3rd, Oh well!
