April 2004
* Tuesday the 13th *
Walked for an hour, taking a young horse out for the first time.
* Monday the 12th *
Day Off.
* Sunday the 11th *
Reefton ODE was really great. It was raining most of the day, so the ground was quite boggy and slippery.
For my Introductory dressage test (NZPCA Junior Test N) we did well, coming 5th with 62.5%. I also did the Training dressage test as a non-competitor (NZPCA HT Test DC) which was superb! We got the same score as the winner - 65%. For that test, out of all the teams training members as well (it was also the West Coast Trophy), we had 2nd best test (the person who won, their horse's name was Simply Red (1) and we had to be Simply Red (2)!
In the show jumping, we had no jumping penalties but was over time (had to trot in one spot because it was quite slippery), gaining 1 penalty. That put us into 4th for the combined training.
Cross country was ok (my goal was to get over every obstacle), but really great for his experience. For jump #1 (hanging log/pole), he went to the side a little on the approach but was soon straight so got over that no problem. Jump #2 (gate) we jumped it from a stand still (I wasn't going to let him refuse!) #3 was a little picket wall and did that no problem. #4 (hay bales in a little box kind of thing) was horrible. First attempt was a refusal, second he tried - just put his front feet over, but didn't follow with his back end, so was another refusal. After that he didn't even try to jump it. We never got over it - after 5 attempts, I just carried on (this other girl and I think it was over 65cm, because Red should have been able to walk over 65). #5 was a little pole before a stream. We walked over the log, and didn't want to go in the sand type stuff before the river, so mum walked in front and followed her. #6 was a coal train, but was out for Intro as the ground got too slippery. #7 was a bank, and we walked down it. #8 was a little drop into the water jump and then out and over a little log. We walked through that. #9 was another bank. Red went down more freely than the other one. #10 (two jumps like #1) Red started getting into it and started jumping well. #11 was a log pile, #12 a log, #13 tyres, #14 a box like the hay was in, #15 a log, #16 a log pile, a gallop to a bridge which was #17 and we walked across and up to #18 which was another log. #19 was a stone wall with a pole over top. Cantered down and through the stream, and then we galloped a bit and trotted through a gate and cantered to #20 (some planks) and then #21 which was some planks with a wagon wheel on each end (the photographer was there). Then we did a little canter to the finish. I bet if #4 was about 3/4 of the way through the course, he would have jumped it no problems.
Well that was it, I was REALLY happy about the result.
* Saturday the 10th *
Day Off.
* Friday the 9th *
Travelled to Inangahua. Went for a hack up the road, mostly walking
with a bit of trotting, but on the way back, we were riding with someone else
and their horse trots quite fast, so we cantered most of the way.
* Thursday the 8th *
Too wet.
* Wednesday the 7th *
We did the normal warm-up, minus the canter. We then did trot circles
and canter circles, and then lengthening of stride. He was very
good! We then went to the beach and did a few trot/canter sets of me in
cross-country position to strengthen my lower leg a little more!
* Tuesday the 6th *
Too wet.
* Monday the 5th *
We cantered for 2 1/2 to 3km and we did that in 7 minutes and 7 seconds, so
we were going about 350 to 420mpm so we should be all good for the event!
We walked for 15 minutes and then trotted and then galloped down the
beach! It was wonderful because he wanted to gallop and I hardly had to
push him.
* Sunday the 4th *
Day Off.
* Saturday the 3rd *
He was going really nicely. We didn't do any cantering in the warm up,
so that could be why. He wasn't trotting off fast after canter like he
usually does. We practised the HT DC test backwards (instead of tracking
right at A, we tracked left, etc) so he wouldn't learn the test but would still
be going from one movement to the next. We only stuffed it up once, and
that was for the right canter lead, but I didn't really prepare properly.
Overall though he was great!
*
Friday the 2nd *
Much the same as yesterday, but he wasn't going around with his nose poking
out. We did one of that circle exercise we were doing yesterday, we were
going to do a second but he wouldn't slow his trot after canter and I didn't
want to stress him.
* Thursday the 1st *
He was quite good! We did a circle exercise - walk one circuit, trot
one, canter one, trot one, walk half, trot half, canter half, trot half, walk
quarter, trot quarter, canter quarter, trot quarter, walk half, trot half,
canter half, trot half, walk one, trot one, canter one, trot one and then do it
all again on the other rein. He was surprisingly better on the left!
After that we did some trotting circles and figure of eights, he was going
better by the end. We practised both dressage tests, good for Test N, same
for HT DC but messed up one for the canter departs!