BSJA 20th June

Well I think today was a bit of an improvement!!

Jumped at home on wednesday and Deanna was awesome. Sitting and waiting and jumped some decent sized fences with complete ease so was very chuffed with her.

Today we went and jumped BSJA at a local venue. Opted to play it safe and do the CR first. Wise move as Deanna went in and had several run outs at number 3 - not spooking ones, more 'well Mum, you havent got me quite straight so frankly why should I'. She was taking the pee to be honest but equally I wasnt doing my job.

Went again and she popped round clear without a fuss.

Waited for the first class to start (BN/90cm) and Deanna got a bit wound up in the warm up due to a sudden appearance of lots of big WBs! Opted to go in first as Deanna was already warmed up - jumped the first two nicely but flattened so had 2 down. Then naughty mare run out at number 3! Now I shouldnt of been complacent but having already jumped it she didnt really have any excuse! Got round the rest clear to finish on 8 faults. SO not fantastic, but a definite improvement!!

Well theres only one way to go..

up?

Following elimination on sunday, we decided to go evening jumping on thurs. NOT AGAIN. God I hate unaffiliated, out of control ponies all over the place - D was very nearly kicked in the face when one idiot child smacked her pony and it kicked out...ever heard of a red ribbon!?

Anyway. Had been planning to ride in spurs tonight but warming up I was getting too scared to kick her properly as she did react to a bit of spur, and I didnt want to kick - end up jabbing her and making things worse. So took them off..

2.9ft had a silly stop at the 2nd, no idea why. ok 2nd time and then jumped round clear. 3ft = complete disaster. They kept the course exactly the same as it was getting late, jumped the first two fine, 3rd fence was a double. Spread in front with fillers then just poles and i think a very small hanging filler behind (but had jumped thru before!). Jumped in lovely then ducked out 3 times so eliminated. There was light bouncing off the pole so I think that put her off..

 

but really I have to stop making excuses. I just cant ride her at shows, she was fine last night - going forwards, waiting if I told her to but we're still having stupid stops all over the place. Mums in a stress now as she doesnt see the point in going and paying entry fee's just to get eliminated so dont know if we're doing BSJA on saturday or not.

At a complete loss with what to do with myself :(

Few pics...

Shouldnt of got out of bed...

Arrrrgh kept debating whether to go to MF today, Ive been hearing bad things about the surface plus the weather was terrible when I woke up. Deanna jumped super yesterday in my lesson though...

So I decided to pop along today.  Got there in good time as my plan was to be an early one in, get round them come home before the rain! She warmed up ok so I was ready for the "prompt 9am start" however they were, unadvertised, running a CR which went on for fecking ages! About 9:30 we walk the course, was very up to height and lots of tight turn backs just in the first phase so not a very nice BN!  Managed to get in 2nd and as soon as I got in the arena Deanna was paying no attention. Running round and getting very flat, had a *@/*!! stop at the first!! was SOO cross, gave her a good smack and she jumped it nice 2nd time but as soon as she landed she was backing off again, slithered over 2 and kicked and flapped thru the double at 3. Jumped 4 quite nicely then it was round the corner past the collecting ring for 5, shes not usually nappy but she backed off majorily round the corner so que more kicking and flapping - 5 was a double, then down to an upright. Got thru the double but going towards the upright she was soo flat we ended up very deep so 2nd stop  

Normally would have stayed and jumped the next class as ideally we needed to back into the ring. But at the BN was mainly 1m, I didnt want to know how big they'd build the actual 1m (it was also a scope Q so probs even bigger!!) and as we got back to the lorry it started to absolutely bucket down.  

Just feel totally useless now. She goes so well in lessons and I can get her really short and bouncy, she's totally forwards into my hand so I can take a pull into a fence and make her wait - but at a show if I take a pull she just backs off even more so I end up just having to kick round the whole course and let her run and jump. Fine for the 90cms but Im desperate to move up and was hoping to start 1.10ms this month but not the way we're going atm     

I might do Overa BSJA next sat as its usually pretty quiet there but we'll see.

Schooling in the field, cow pony and a few randoms..

Very boring few weeks due to exams however they have finally finished WOOOP. Typically as soon as my exams finish however the weather gets completely awful!

Hey ho few schooling pictures from when the sun was still shining!!

Next up some careful stretching that the physio has asked we do.  The stretch down to behind her fetlock really works her abdominals, you can see them working as she stretches either side. Then the stretches back around me makes her bend through the middle of her neck - she's very flexy at the poll and base of her neck but tends to stiffen through the middle so these stretches should help that...though I do have to be careful she doesn't stretch too hard and almost crush me!!

Right final treat for you all! Deanna has an AMAZING new rug, I dont think I need to say anything else..

23rd and 24th May

So last week was the area eventing as we were elim in the SJ and Deanna was just not right. She did a lovely sweet dressage test, then warming up for the SJ she was a nightmare, stopped at an Xpole and was running around getting very strong which is unlike her. The course was barely 90cm and should not have caused any problems what so ever, almost stopped at the first and by the 5th we were out. Didnt take her XC as it just wouldnt have been safe, she was not a happy bunny.  

So enter physio. Had a session on thursday and physio told me to jump yesterday, and if all ok compete today then call her to tell her how she felt ect.  

So yesterday....(first time using super Mum's home made wings. Other than the white stands and one plastic pole everything else is home made [:D])  

Something tells me she was feeling fine xD  

So off out BSJA today, had a silly rider error stop in the 80cm - just jumped it as a warm up and Deanna was really paying attention. Got out act together for the BN and finished 4th :D:D Hooray

80cm

90cm first round

Jump off - total rider error in the jump off spinning back to the wall so had a stop :( But she jumped super

17th Area 7 ODE...bad day

What a rubbish day.Walked the course on saturday, the XC was huge! 

Our course was meant to be "2.9ft some may be 3ft" yet the course was the exact same intro BE course as last week and we measured every fence and only 2 were at 85cm everything else was over height.

Thankfully lots of complaints were made and the biggest fence, 1.10m, had been taken out. Everything else was the same however...

Arrived sunday morning, off to the dressage and thought Deanna had done a lovely test. Round and controlled, good transitions - a snort going into the 2nd canter ruined that movement a bit but otherwise everything seemed good. Bit dissapointed to find I got 40.1 or 59.9% so not amazing. 

Then off to the showjumping. Very easy course, hardly any fillers and barely 90cm. Deanna was having none of it :( Stopped in the warm up and was totally unfocused, rushing around everywhere. Went into the ring, almost stopped at the first fence, 2 stops at the 3rd fence. Got her over then, but only to have another stop at the 5th fence so eliminated.

I think I was the only person out of 55 juniors to get eliminated, and my horse jumps DC's round BSJA discovery courses...ridiculous :(

Didnt dare take her XC, if she was stopping at X poles in the warm up theres no way I'd take her round an up to height XC.

Working on 3 theories...

1) She's tweaked her back so didnt want to jump, physio out asap

Unlikely, as she was jumping fine last week and I cant see her having done something the field in that time. We'll see.

2) Hormonal, possibly in season so her ovaries are hurting and the movement when jumping is painful.

A possibility, trying to look into it a bit more at the minute. She doesnt show any other 'marey' signs though so if her ovaries were bothering her that much I'd of thought she would be showing other signs.

3) Terrible day, I rode badly, D took the piss.

Few pics from the dressage...

3rd and 4th confidence building!

Well after our "adventures" falling over out XC last weekend we had a bit of a regroup this weekend. Started with an SJ lesson on sunday with my lovely instructor, needed to check that D was jumping ok first then cracked on with getting me jumping better as I was not riding positively...too scared of falling off and hurting myself again!

Things got better the more we did so thats a good sign!

Onto today (Monday) and we headed straight back out onto the XC course. Camera batteries died very quickly though which is a real shame :( She jumped super though and I started riding a lot better by the end :)