After a hectic assigmnent deadline that involved an all-nighter and several cans of monster, I headed home to relax and spend some quality time with my four-legged friend. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any show jumping or arena eventing to do that coincided with that weekend, so I thought why not dry my hand at dressage? It is a large part of eventing after all, and I needed to embrace it some day!
I opted for prelim 12, as it seemed to be the test that would suit Star the most. Bearing in mind that I hadn't ridden for 3 weeks, and only had two days to ride and practice the test, I was not feeling optimistic.
She managed to contain her excitement and we managed to ride a pretty fluent test, despite finding out that I had been practicing it wrong half an hour before I was due to go in! We ended up with 66% which was good enough for 4th place, which I was super happy about, as I wasn't even expecting to get a rosette! Go, Star!
Also, a huge congratulations to my friend Cathy Allcock who won both Prelim classes with her new horse UCS Billie Jean on their first time out!
I've got my eye on some Dressage and Show Jumping events in December after all my coursework and exams have finished, so I will keep you updated.
I came home from university for the weekend to take part in an Arena Event at Eland Lodge Equestrian. I love Arena Events at this time of year, because the ground is often unpredictable, but you still get to do a bit of cross country, even if it is confined to an arena. The course is also often quite long, so it's good for maintaining winter fitness.
I did the open class, which was 1 metre. The format of arena events varies across venues, but for this one, the Show Jumping was not timed, and the Cross Country phase had an optimum time of 51 seconds. The rider with the lowest score over the two phases won. In the event of a tie (more than 1 rider with a double clear), the winner would be the person closest to the optimum time.
Fence 1 of the Show Jump phase
Fence 1 of the Cross Country phase
Half way round!
One before last jump - going so fast I lost my hat silk!
I went round in a time of 48.3 - just under 3 seconds quicker than optimum time - to come 2nd! I was really pleased, especially since the winner was only 1 second closer to the time than I was!
Thank you to my Mother once again for videoing!
Eland Lodge is one of my favourite places to compete, as I feel like I've grown up there. It was our go-to venue when I first started competing, and it's so lovely to see the Coupland family doing so well hosting the events, so a HUGE thank you to them.
Vicki is competing at the next Arena Event on 10th November, but for now it's back to University! See you soon,
I am currently at university working towards finishing my first assignment of my final year. Vicki is riding Star for me and keeping her fit while I'm away. I have an Eventer Trial booked for 27th October, so I will be sure to get lots of pictures and videos for your entertainment! For now it's back to work...
The key to maintaining a successful competitive life while at University is being lucky enough to have someone at home to keep your horse fit for you in the week. My little helper is Vicki. She does me a massive favour by riding Star in the week and also played a key part in regaining strength in Star's leg after her injury by competing her over the smaller heights, so it's only fair that she enjoys some of the success too, and I couldn't wait to go along and support her.
We headed off to Hartshill Riding Club for the 2'6" in their annual Mini One Day Event.
She started off with a 32.6 dressage. This was very good since it was only the second competitive dressage test Vicki has ever ridden on Star!
She then rode a perfect round of Showjumping to go clear.
Waiting to go cross-country...
She then rode a fantastic cross country round, but just flattened over one fence, to end with 4 faults.
Photo from the Hartshill Riding Club Facebook Page
So to kick off the Winter shows I took a trip up to Hargate just to get back into the swing of things. This was my first show in two years, and I was so so excited!
We started with the 85cm, just to keep things nice and small as although Star has been competing with my friend, I was still definitely rusty! We jumped a steady double clear to finish 2nd. Since we jumped double clear we also qualified for Trailblazers 2nd rounds!
We then jumped the 95cm, and I decided to have a bit more of a go in the jump off, as it was the same course and I had already done the turns once. Unfortunately she just got a little flat over the planks and knocked them, however we were the fastest 4-faulter and finished 4th.
I had a fabulous team of people behind me, and between them they got some fantastic pictures! Also a huge thank you to my Mom for videoing, she doesn't like watching, so she did very well to capture it all for me :)
Our next event is the Eland Lodge Arena Event on 28th October. I can't wait!
It can be very daunting going into a One Day Event for the very first time, but here's a few tips I've picked up along the way to help things run that little bit smoother for your very first event. Most unaffiliated ODE organisers are very forgiving of any mistakes, but there are a few rules you can familiarise yourself with so that you make as few as possible.
Before The Event
Try to pick a venue that you are familiar with and that you have competed at before.
Make sure you know the dressage test, and have practiced it many times in advance! There is nothing more stressful than finding out you have learnt the wrong test, and frantically trying to get it into your head whilst warming up your horse, who then picks up on your nervousness and flips his lid. Trust me, been there, done that, don't wanna go back!
Ensure that you are ready for the level you have entered, especially the cross country.
Try and find a hunter trial at the height that you have entered, so you can get the feel of running a full course. There is a big difference between going cross country schooling and riding a full course.
Walk the course the night before! There might be a Show Jumping course walk on the day, depending on which event you go to, but where possible please try and walk the cross country course the night before. Although you can walk it on the day, it will be while there are horses going round it, and your concentration won't be fully on the course, as you have to watch out for horses, so it is much better to go up the night before, walk the course and get a feel for the general layout of the event. You can take pictures of each jump if this helps you remember.
Don't worry about forgetting the course overnight, you won't! :)
If you plan on using studs on the day, make sure you have ridden in them before, and your horse is familiar with them. That goes for numnahs, boots, bits, and all other tack, don't try anything new without having test-run it at home!
Bath and plait the night before - the less you have to do on the day, the better!
Get there in plenty of time - if you are pushed for time you won't have the chance to enjoy it as much as you deserve!
On The Day
Dressage
Make sure your tack is dressage legal. This means no martingales, no whips, no boots, no bright numnahs and most importantly, a bit that is dressage legal. Most events are run under BE rules and the majority of riders use a plain eggbutt or loose ring snaffle, however if you are unsure whether your flatwork bit fits the bill then make sure to check out the BE rule book to avoid any unnecessary drama which could result in elimination.
Be sure to check the rules on spurs, if you wish to use them.
Wait for the judge to beep their horn before you start your test!
Smile! :)
Show Jumping
Wait for the buzzer before you go!
Walk the course, preferably the night before when you walk the cross country course. But if that isn't possible, then find out when the Show Jumping course walk is, and go to it!
Remember there might be a time limit on the show jumping before you start to pick up time penalties, so yes, take your time, but don't dilly dally!
Be sure to go through both the start and finish lines / timing beams.
Enjoy it :)
Cross Country
Boot up! Even the most careful horses are liable to knock the odd jump, and unlike Show Jumps, the Cross Country jumps are much more solid, so be sure to protect your horse's legs properly!
If you plan on using studs, make sure you have a stud girth!
Tape up your horse's boots to stop them coming off!
Get creative with your Cross Country colours. Cross Country is the one chance to add a bit of pazazz to your outfits and it will help any friends or family spot you on the course!
Unplait your horse - while this is completely up to you, it is something that I always do. It gives the horse a nice break from the plaits, and also gives you something to grab onto in case you need it!
And lastly, just enjoy it. It doesn't matter where you finish, as long as you try and get round it. If you encounter any problems you can always go away, practice, and try again.
Time to introduce my wonderful horse. For the past few years I have been riding my sister's horse, Towerhill Star. She is a 17 year old Connemara mare with springs in her feet and a massive heart. In 2011 she suffered a ligament injury after an Event, but is now back up to peak fitness and ready to take the 2014 eventing season by storm.
