Event Report
Aug. 11th, 2013 09:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
goddessfarmerJust got home from the GMHA festival of eventing, where I competed in a division of Training that was only "Training Riders" - riders who had not completed more than 4 events at the Preliminary (next level up) Level or higher. So it's kind of like an amateur division, only not quite. We put in what I thought was a pretty good dressage test on Saturday morning. The canter work is not yet good enough to my liking, but some of our trot was very pleasant and our walk was much improved. As it turned out, the judge liked it too, giving us two (2)! 9's. There was also a 4 on there, which was well deserved for that movement. Our trot work was mostly 7's and our canter was 5's and 6's. This is a 0 to 10 scale, where each mark has a designated verbal equivalent. I've only ever in my life gotten one 9 before, so this is somewhat remarkable. Our test was good enough to put us in 3rd after Dressage. Stadium Jumping was held Saturday afternoon. We had our usual clean round. There were a couple not perfectly graceful jumps, but I was pleased. Finding out that I was in first after that left me feeling more than the usual amount of nervous about cross-country though. The weather this morning was perfect, cool, but not too cold, and sunny. I was a screaming bundle of nerves. By the time I was ready to get on, it was very nice with just my short sleeve shirt under my crash vest. We had one not great jump in warm-up, but the others were super and it felt good to be on and ready to go. By the time the started counted us down I was just focused on getting the job done.
Skip practically bolted out of the start box, and I had to steady him some to the very nice inviting log. He landed running but in control and let me choose the line to the correct roll-top. After that, he kicked it into high gear going up the woods road, but then spooked a little at the shadows when it got less steep and I had to straighten him out and kick some. He thought we maybe should go to the prelim/intermediate hedge, but wasn't too upset to be presented to the smaller carved squirrel instead. These first three jumps all felt very small, and flowed under us like water. I let Skippy roll down the steep hill, but then he wanted to continue to be on his forehand coming to the tall brushy fence. About 4 strides out I gave him a big yank on the bit and he picked up his head and looked at the jump. I let go and kicked and that one didn't feel big either. He didn't let the water in this first brook crossing slow him down, but then he thought about slowing down, which I think was him wondering where to go next. I put my leg on and applied steering up to the log house. We landed off of that one and I right away sat up and turned left to the gate. As soon as I started the turn he locked on and went for it. He again had a moment of asking me to steer, and hesitated at the next water crossing, one we haven't used on course before. Once he got sight of the 1/2 coffin - Ditch to log, he was right there tugging again. Straight on over some undulating terrain was the birch rails stuffed with lovely smelling balsam fir. This was a bigger jump, but again, we were flowing like water. Then down the hill to the ditch and rails. I re-balanced about 5 strides out and Skip sorted out the rest. We landed off that one, I got us pointed in the right direction and then kicked on through the good galloping stretch. Next up was the big and formerly scary table, which almost looked small on approach this time. Then off to the trekhaner - a big log with a bigger ditch under it, which didn't phase Skip one bit. Then steam up the slope, turn right and sit back for the downhill birch and brush. Really, I needn't have worried about that one. I found the back seat balance I needed to make it work, and work it did. Then run down the hill to the roll top and straight on 4 strides to the corner. That was easy. He hesitated slightly going into the water crossing again, but charged out and up the hill to the chevron. Skinnies are not a problem for us. I kicked on for this gallop stretch, but he shied slightly at the beginner novice jump we had to pass close to. I got him straight again, and found the line I wanted to the stone wall. It walked harder than it rode, and very soon we were galloping on the grass with a big sweeping turn to another chevron. I wasn't sure he'd see it in time, but he did, and the ditch after it too. By then I was thinking 3 more jumps. The birch rails and brush was another easy one, then splash through the water again, this one flagged, and turn left to a very skinny (between the flags), very wide (front to back), and max height arrowhead with brush on top. There was an easier option here, but that would have taken more time, and I wanted the challenging jump. Challenging to me, apparently, but not to Skip. We landed, I kicked and glanced at my watch, which said I had 10 sec to get over the last and through the finish flags. I didn't set him up for the last jump at all, I just pointed and kept kicking. He was awesome. I was late in stopping my watch, so I didn't know exactly if we'd made the time or not at that point. All I knew was that it didn't matter, since I'd just ridden the best x/c course of my life.
In the end, the scoreboard said we'd made the time, and finished on our dressage score in first. Blue ribbons come few and far between in Eventing, so not only do I feel good about having ridden well, I feel extra good for it just having been my weekend.
Skip practically bolted out of the start box, and I had to steady him some to the very nice inviting log. He landed running but in control and let me choose the line to the correct roll-top. After that, he kicked it into high gear going up the woods road, but then spooked a little at the shadows when it got less steep and I had to straighten him out and kick some. He thought we maybe should go to the prelim/intermediate hedge, but wasn't too upset to be presented to the smaller carved squirrel instead. These first three jumps all felt very small, and flowed under us like water. I let Skippy roll down the steep hill, but then he wanted to continue to be on his forehand coming to the tall brushy fence. About 4 strides out I gave him a big yank on the bit and he picked up his head and looked at the jump. I let go and kicked and that one didn't feel big either. He didn't let the water in this first brook crossing slow him down, but then he thought about slowing down, which I think was him wondering where to go next. I put my leg on and applied steering up to the log house. We landed off of that one and I right away sat up and turned left to the gate. As soon as I started the turn he locked on and went for it. He again had a moment of asking me to steer, and hesitated at the next water crossing, one we haven't used on course before. Once he got sight of the 1/2 coffin - Ditch to log, he was right there tugging again. Straight on over some undulating terrain was the birch rails stuffed with lovely smelling balsam fir. This was a bigger jump, but again, we were flowing like water. Then down the hill to the ditch and rails. I re-balanced about 5 strides out and Skip sorted out the rest. We landed off that one, I got us pointed in the right direction and then kicked on through the good galloping stretch. Next up was the big and formerly scary table, which almost looked small on approach this time. Then off to the trekhaner - a big log with a bigger ditch under it, which didn't phase Skip one bit. Then steam up the slope, turn right and sit back for the downhill birch and brush. Really, I needn't have worried about that one. I found the back seat balance I needed to make it work, and work it did. Then run down the hill to the roll top and straight on 4 strides to the corner. That was easy. He hesitated slightly going into the water crossing again, but charged out and up the hill to the chevron. Skinnies are not a problem for us. I kicked on for this gallop stretch, but he shied slightly at the beginner novice jump we had to pass close to. I got him straight again, and found the line I wanted to the stone wall. It walked harder than it rode, and very soon we were galloping on the grass with a big sweeping turn to another chevron. I wasn't sure he'd see it in time, but he did, and the ditch after it too. By then I was thinking 3 more jumps. The birch rails and brush was another easy one, then splash through the water again, this one flagged, and turn left to a very skinny (between the flags), very wide (front to back), and max height arrowhead with brush on top. There was an easier option here, but that would have taken more time, and I wanted the challenging jump. Challenging to me, apparently, but not to Skip. We landed, I kicked and glanced at my watch, which said I had 10 sec to get over the last and through the finish flags. I didn't set him up for the last jump at all, I just pointed and kept kicking. He was awesome. I was late in stopping my watch, so I didn't know exactly if we'd made the time or not at that point. All I knew was that it didn't matter, since I'd just ridden the best x/c course of my life.
In the end, the scoreboard said we'd made the time, and finished on our dressage score in first. Blue ribbons come few and far between in Eventing, so not only do I feel good about having ridden well, I feel extra good for it just having been my weekend.
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Date: 2013-08-12 01:43 am (UTC)Who was the dressage judge?
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Date: 2013-08-12 09:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-12 12:59 pm (UTC)Very nice scores. :)
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Date: 2013-08-13 06:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-14 10:09 pm (UTC)