Good day at UNH Horse Trails
Jul. 8th, 2012 07:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
goddessfarmerSo some things were mediocre, like my dressage test, and my lack of speed on cross country. Other things were AWESOME. Stadium Jumping was clean, and for the most part even pretty. There was only one "oops" jump, and the entire time, or at least what I could make out from the bits of video that got taken, my leg was rock steady. We felt really ON. Cross country needs to find the next faster gear, but other than that..... WHEEEEE! I'm so happy, I'm going to give you the blow by blow -
As we circled before the start box I could feel Skippy's springs start to coil. At t-10sec we entered the box and he felt like a cocked pistol, hungry to be shot off, just waiting for my cue. At "have a nice ride" he leaped into a gallop and barreled down to the first fence, a log oxer. A few strides out, I sat up, compressed the gallop some, and let go again. We had lovely in synch air-time and then we were off again. He had the thought that the course used to turn right here, but I kept him straight on and didn't ask for more speed, which in retrospect, I should have. I let him fly around the corner when we got there and just stretched up some coming to the birch ramp/flower stand. He's always over jumped this thing, but today it rode just perfect. After an easy curve to the right, straight on to the elephant trap. This was a new jump for us, the only one on this course that I've never jumped before. But really, yes there is a ditch under it, but how likely is the horse to see it? not very, given the 3 huge ascending rails over that ditch. It rode really well, I sat up about 6 strides out, compressed and then kicked over. Straight on, hugging the side of the field, to the big roll top. I didn't even see our spot for this one, just trusted Skip to do the right thing and met it foot-perfect. Then over the road to a thing they called a trapezoid - a trapezoidal slanted panel with a square rail over, and not very big. That was gone quickly. Left, then right, and dead center for the shingle coop. This is an easy fence, and I misjudged the distance, and didn't balance him and Skip gave it a good thump with his forefeet. 7A&B were a pair of easy looking logs with a rollback turn in between. The first was great, and I thought we were fine to the second, but I didn't kick on enough and got a tight sticky distance. Then up the slope with a left right left sweeping s turn to another shingle coop. We got right to this one, and then left around the bend to a small barn, which also just flowed under us like water. We had a long gallop down the sawmill path to the water complex - Doghouse, run in, jump out on a left bending line. WOW. Just WOW. I balanced before the doghouse, and then just kicked through keeping my eyes looking where we were going. If I can figure out how to post it, I'll put up the video clip of that. My leg did not move. Then it was a little down the road, turn left down to the deep ditch to uphill log. It's a scary combination, but it always rides really well if one keeps coming forward and we certainly did that. Then keep the bushes close on the left to get to another boxy jump to the less scary ditch. Again, I sat up and rode forward and the jumps just came. That ditch was more like just a big canter stride. I wish I'd asked him for more speed down the swamp causeway, knowing that we had been going to slow, but I was wondering how tired I was at that point. Breathing hard, but muscles still working. Good. Up into the Fort Briggs field, stay left, turn right and a downhill approach to the giant table that always freaks me out, but never fails to ride well. Which it did, again. A few strides to the up-bank, 2 on top, and then down again. Sometimes we put 3 up there, but I had my leg on and position solid and he went boldly. Bend right, find the chevron not too far away over that in good form with one more jump to go. Down the trail, around the old double drop, over the brook, which still deserves a leap apparently, up the incline, left turn and there it is. We got a little close, but Skippy soared over and I put my leg back on to get to the finish flags. After I pulled up to the walk, he settled back and ho-hummed back to the trailer like nothing ever happened. He was not tired. I'm tired, but my muscles were not tired at all coming off course. My legs never got wobbly. My breathing recovered within 30 sec. This. This is a Good Day. In the final placings, we were 7th out of 8, mostly due to time faults on cross country. We'd been 5th after Dressage and 4th after our clean stadium round.
As we circled before the start box I could feel Skippy's springs start to coil. At t-10sec we entered the box and he felt like a cocked pistol, hungry to be shot off, just waiting for my cue. At "have a nice ride" he leaped into a gallop and barreled down to the first fence, a log oxer. A few strides out, I sat up, compressed the gallop some, and let go again. We had lovely in synch air-time and then we were off again. He had the thought that the course used to turn right here, but I kept him straight on and didn't ask for more speed, which in retrospect, I should have. I let him fly around the corner when we got there and just stretched up some coming to the birch ramp/flower stand. He's always over jumped this thing, but today it rode just perfect. After an easy curve to the right, straight on to the elephant trap. This was a new jump for us, the only one on this course that I've never jumped before. But really, yes there is a ditch under it, but how likely is the horse to see it? not very, given the 3 huge ascending rails over that ditch. It rode really well, I sat up about 6 strides out, compressed and then kicked over. Straight on, hugging the side of the field, to the big roll top. I didn't even see our spot for this one, just trusted Skip to do the right thing and met it foot-perfect. Then over the road to a thing they called a trapezoid - a trapezoidal slanted panel with a square rail over, and not very big. That was gone quickly. Left, then right, and dead center for the shingle coop. This is an easy fence, and I misjudged the distance, and didn't balance him and Skip gave it a good thump with his forefeet. 7A&B were a pair of easy looking logs with a rollback turn in between. The first was great, and I thought we were fine to the second, but I didn't kick on enough and got a tight sticky distance. Then up the slope with a left right left sweeping s turn to another shingle coop. We got right to this one, and then left around the bend to a small barn, which also just flowed under us like water. We had a long gallop down the sawmill path to the water complex - Doghouse, run in, jump out on a left bending line. WOW. Just WOW. I balanced before the doghouse, and then just kicked through keeping my eyes looking where we were going. If I can figure out how to post it, I'll put up the video clip of that. My leg did not move. Then it was a little down the road, turn left down to the deep ditch to uphill log. It's a scary combination, but it always rides really well if one keeps coming forward and we certainly did that. Then keep the bushes close on the left to get to another boxy jump to the less scary ditch. Again, I sat up and rode forward and the jumps just came. That ditch was more like just a big canter stride. I wish I'd asked him for more speed down the swamp causeway, knowing that we had been going to slow, but I was wondering how tired I was at that point. Breathing hard, but muscles still working. Good. Up into the Fort Briggs field, stay left, turn right and a downhill approach to the giant table that always freaks me out, but never fails to ride well. Which it did, again. A few strides to the up-bank, 2 on top, and then down again. Sometimes we put 3 up there, but I had my leg on and position solid and he went boldly. Bend right, find the chevron not too far away over that in good form with one more jump to go. Down the trail, around the old double drop, over the brook, which still deserves a leap apparently, up the incline, left turn and there it is. We got a little close, but Skippy soared over and I put my leg back on to get to the finish flags. After I pulled up to the walk, he settled back and ho-hummed back to the trailer like nothing ever happened. He was not tired. I'm tired, but my muscles were not tired at all coming off course. My legs never got wobbly. My breathing recovered within 30 sec. This. This is a Good Day. In the final placings, we were 7th out of 8, mostly due to time faults on cross country. We'd been 5th after Dressage and 4th after our clean stadium round.
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Date: 2012-07-08 11:50 pm (UTC)Did you get a qualifying time?
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Date: 2012-07-09 12:02 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2012-07-09 03:06 pm (UTC)