S is for...

S is for a summer of schooling, socks, studying, sunshine, success and scales of training plus many more that have been the theme so far this summer!

The last few months have flown by and I've been a bit behind on my blog but it gives me lots to write about as there's so much to catch up on. 

The showjumpingshire has been limited to walking out on hacks as her arthritis has got quite bad but hopefully if we can shift some of her excess weight it might help her get more mobile, however she is still bright eyed and full of mischief so there's life in the old girl yet.

I am very proud to say after all the hard work and set backs with Socks we have finally made it out competing!!!!  We decided to attempt an unaffiliated dressage evening competition, amazingly my jacket and breeches still fitted as they have been at the back of the cupboard for a year due to lack of horsepower!  The evening was better than I could have hoped, little Socks not only managed to stay in the arena for the test but coped with seeing white boards and a warm up arena for the first time to get placed bringing home a rosette and scoring over 70%!!! We have been schooling working on the scales of training and earlier in June had fun training at the Unicorn Trust with the TTT then at Hartpury for the BD South West Senior camp, for the first time ever we completed a test in a long arena (I had to do a quick crash course on where the extra letters were) and scored respectfully over 60% in our first novice with lovely feedback from the judge.  

Not wasting time I decided to jump in and take Socks to her first affiliated competition to see how it went.  We went to Summerhouse in Gloucester, a venue she hadn't been to before (and I had never seen it without jumps in the arena, looked very strange) I was absolutely amazed with how she coped, other than a little spooky causing tension she performed well and to top it off brought a rosette home and scored high enough to earn our first qualification to the Area Festivals :)

For now we are enjoying being back out competing but I am missing my showjumping so much, hopefully not for too much longer!!!  In the meantime I have also been busy studying towards a sports psychology qualification to add something extra to my teaching and also hopefully help me too gain 'the winning mind'!

Showjumpingshire's first competition of 2013

We made it to our first competition of 2013, finally!   Amazingly even the sun came out as we made our way to Summerhouse to brush off the cobwebs and remember how to ride a course - and hopefully a jump off.  Everything still fitted thankfully as my show jacket and boots have not seen daylight since about October last year, Ranger the dog came along for support and we arrived with plenty of time to leisurely get ready and walk the course.  I decided to enter the Katherine James Scope qualifier and had the aim of a double clear for the day, we were quite far down the list so watched a few rounds before going to get Picnic.  The course seemed to be testing quite a few riders and I hardly saw anyone jumping clear, it was table A7 so had a separate jump off, the top 6 qualify for Scope but you have to jump clear in the first round.

I went to get Picnic who was looking very excited about the occasion and completely embarrassed me near the warm up area when she wouldn't stand at the mounting block for me to get on!!!  After a kind offer of help from a spectator to hold my wild horse while I mounted, a quick check of how many to go before us we went off to warm up.  Picnic was so pleased to be back out and rather excited so took a little while to gain her concentration but overall she felt good.  On entry to the arena I felt like I was on a green 4 year old as she wobbled around the edge of the arena spooking left and right at everything, flowers, numbers, advertising boards, people!  I kicked on and got the best canter I could and headed to number one, thankfully on landing she switched into competition mode, realised where she was and was off pulling my arms out to get to the next fence, all the combinations rode well and as we made our way round the course it felt like we had never been away, had a brief moment as she tapped the last fence when we got a bit quick on a long run to the last but thankfully it stayed up and we were clear and waiting for the jump off, good pony!  The jump off had a very tight turn back to number two - we hadn't practised any of these so I was a little worried if we'd make the turn.  I warmed her up again as the last few were jumping and she felt a little overconfident not really listening and thinking she knew best, I managed to settle her then it was our turn, I couldn't get Picnic to focus and perhaps because we were a little out of practise we knocked fence number one, arrgghhh, so with that down we just pushed on making every turn inside we could and I was pleased with Picnic even though she got a little over exhubruent over the last taking a stride out!  We ended up 7th bringing home some prize money but unfortunately missed out on qualifying by a place, but for our first time out and both a little rusty we decided to end on a good note and make our way home get the diary out and plan the next trip.

 



The keys that nearly vanished

March has been an interesting month, competitions and training had been planned out starting with a lesson at Summerhouse in Gloucester to polish up on our course jumping followed by our first competitive outing, but in the true horse tradition nothing goes to plan!

Feeling super organised putting the lorry on charge overnight, I loaded it up, trimmed Picnics feathers, pulled her mane and generally got her looking respectable to go out in public.  Then for the first time ever (and I hope the last) I couldn't locate the lorry keys, now of course I have previously struggled to find them for about 10 minutes but never before actually 'lost' them.  I hunted everywhere, the tack room, the car, at home but they seemed to have vanished and there is not a spare set either, so after lots of cursing and feeling very stupid I made the phone call to cancel my lesson explaining the lorry would not start but did miss out the reason why because I had no key... I felt too embarrassed to actually admit this.  Realising what not having a spare set meant made me even more annoyed for losing them as I would need new locks all round plus arranging somehow to install a new ignition and didn't even want to think what it was going to cost!  I turned everywhere upside down hunting for the missing keys and it wasn't until I was tidying the tack room and putting the bin out I made a desperate last search attempt pulling on my rubber gloves and picking out every item from the bin piece by piece,  as I neared the bottom of the bag and still no sign I was about to admit defeat when I heard keys jangling as I picked up an empty coffee container and there they were, somehow they had fallen in the bin and inside the container, relief!  

Lambing time for the Ryeland Sheep

Having keys to the lorry meant we had wheels again but would now have to wait to get out and about as I had a busy week of training, lessons to teach and it is also lambing time with our Ryeland sheep so lots of late nights and early mornings but they are so cute its all worth it.  March has not been all bad with newborn lambs running around and I started Socks my 4 year old back in work after her winter break which she is finding very exciting but convinced she really should be doing much more than walking.    This has being helped greatly by winning Maxavita's 'try something new competition' where we won 3 months supply of Maxacalm and as you can see Socks couldn't wait to get in the first tub!  I also this month attended a training day with Charles de Kunffy on the principles of correct training which I thoroughly enjoyed and always love the opportunity to be able to take away different exercises and ideas to use both for my own horses and when teaching others.   

Socks with her competition prize of
3 months supply of Maxacalm

Summerhouse SJ - the ShowjumpingShire is back!!!

Video from the weekend at Summerhouse