Wow - this weekend was so much fun! After a really quiet Christmas and New Year (lovely!), we set off for 3 days at Addington, with Lion King (Leo) and Immy's horse J-Donder (Dolph). We also went with a few friends and their horses and it was just a really nice time.
Leo jumped his first few Foxhunter classes and was absolutely fantastic! I haven't ridden at this level for two or three years and even then it has only been on one horse, so there is a lot for both of us to learn, but he only had the 2nd fence down, and just pinged round the rest of it (single phase so still jumped a long enough course!) Really thrilled with him, it was a very big and spooky track with some tricky lines and he was just so rideable and scopey.
The next day we did the Newcomers and Fox, and it was so annoying! He jumped absolutely brilliantly in the Newcomers, not even breathing on a pole, but we had a major miscommunication turning back to a fence and I ended up lined up to the left wing and had to circle! Sooo annoyed, I would never ride that turn like that again, and it really should have been his 4th Newcomers clear :/
In the Fox, he was a superstar, it was the Blue Chip Karma Qualifier, so it really was big and technical, with problems left right and centre, stops, eliminations and cricket score rounds on good horses, and Leo was a star and just took it all in his stride. I think that is where the eventing has helped him, he is literally unspookable in terms of scary jumps! I had the first part of the double down as I saw a bit of a forward shot and ended up quite flat going in, but he made up for it by jumping near the top of the wings on the way out!! (See pic, maroon and white oxer going away from us!)
From then on, he just stormed round, giving the triple feet as well and just having a couple of tired mistakes towards the end. We have done a lot of jumping at 1m and 1.10m for a long time and it is a completely different ball game, and by that last fox, we were both a little mentally flat, but both learnt so so much and can't wait to jump a few more bigger courses on him to gain some more positive experience.
The next day I wanted him to go into the ring and just have a bit of fun, so he sped round the 1.05m speed class to go flying into the lead with a turn I thought no-one would be able to do(!), which sadly proved wrong as when we came back at the end of the class he'd been beaten into 2nd! Gutted! But thrilled with how he jumped all weekend and will be aiming him at Hand on Wednesday 15th Jan for his (hopefully!) last NC DC and his next Fox.
Dolph is 4 rising 5 and jumped some really nice rounds, just still (understandably) a bit green, but so confident and scopey and sure to be a really nice horse!
The next day we did the Newcomers and Fox, and it was so annoying! He jumped absolutely brilliantly in the Newcomers, not even breathing on a pole, but we had a major miscommunication turning back to a fence and I ended up lined up to the left wing and had to circle! Sooo annoyed, I would never ride that turn like that again, and it really should have been his 4th Newcomers clear :/
In the Fox, he was a superstar, it was the Blue Chip Karma Qualifier, so it really was big and technical, with problems left right and centre, stops, eliminations and cricket score rounds on good horses, and Leo was a star and just took it all in his stride. I think that is where the eventing has helped him, he is literally unspookable in terms of scary jumps! I had the first part of the double down as I saw a bit of a forward shot and ended up quite flat going in, but he made up for it by jumping near the top of the wings on the way out!! (See pic, maroon and white oxer going away from us!)
From then on, he just stormed round, giving the triple feet as well and just having a couple of tired mistakes towards the end. We have done a lot of jumping at 1m and 1.10m for a long time and it is a completely different ball game, and by that last fox, we were both a little mentally flat, but both learnt so so much and can't wait to jump a few more bigger courses on him to gain some more positive experience.
The next day I wanted him to go into the ring and just have a bit of fun, so he sped round the 1.05m speed class to go flying into the lead with a turn I thought no-one would be able to do(!), which sadly proved wrong as when we came back at the end of the class he'd been beaten into 2nd! Gutted! But thrilled with how he jumped all weekend and will be aiming him at Hand on Wednesday 15th Jan for his (hopefully!) last NC DC and his next Fox.
Dolph is 4 rising 5 and jumped some really nice rounds, just still (understandably) a bit green, but so confident and scopey and sure to be a really nice horse!
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