raingodz
5th Sep 2006, 09:32 AM
Last night was the first lesson back after the RS horses went for their two week holiday. Their stables are now newly decorated and there is a new horse arrived called Murphy, but I have yet to see him.
A quick look in the book tald me that I was to be riding Victor (http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f192/raingodz/cowley/vic_and_me.jpg) and that is was a Competition week.
The group before my lesson were out on a hack so I got to warm Victor up for 10 mins before the lesson started. I was only allowed to work in walk because there was no RI there to supervise. I did some circles, leg yealds and shoulder in. Victor seemed very alert, much more alert than I have known him before, I guess this comes from having a two week holiday from being an RS horse.
The lesson began with some trotting work to warm the horses up, then we moved on to cantering, my first try was dismal to say the least, I faild to get anything more than a fast trot in the first corner, then when I did get canter at the next corner I only managed to keep it for about half the side of the menage.
Next we then did turn on the forehand off both reins, this seemed to go quite well, then some more trotting work and the RI reminded me that I should be at the stage with my riding that I should really be trying to get the horse working in outline. So I set about trying to do this.
He did drop his head a bit, and his walk seemed to become more prenouced (bouncy). And on to the second go at cantering, this went really well off both reins, I think I had got him working better and he was properly warmed up.
And now competition time. We had a single jump which the RI was going to put up each time, knock it down or run out and you were out of the competition. You could also elect to drop out at any point too.
So we started with a cross pole, which we all got over, I felt I had put my stirups too short so dropped them a hole. I'm not sure of the heights the jumps went up at, the RI wasn't telling.
Go for jump number two and the pole is now streight accross at about 1ft. I come round in a trot but as I jumpped the back of the saddles seemed to come up and hit me, I cleared the jump and put my stirups back up again :rolleyes:
The next three goes we all made, but then one of the riders decided that it was too high for her and decided to drop out, this left four of us.
The next jump went OK, then up it went again, the rider infront of me knocked the jump down, I felt that it was now higher than I had ever jumpped before (although probably still below 3ft at this point).
My turn came at this hight and my aproach was not streight, Victor put in a funny half step, got too close to the jump and the steepness of his take off unbalaced me, some how I manged to drop my left rein, and on landing ended up being half way up his neck, but I did not knock it down, so there were now three of us left, were all in the points and rosetts.
I was now beginning to have very odd feelings, my last jump had been bad, this was higher than I had jumpped before and if I dropped out now I'd get 3rd and 1 point for the quaterly RS championship. The two other riders I was against were also more experienced than me.
The next jump was cleared by all three of us, thankfully I managed not to feel unballaced and felt a little bit of confidence returning.
The RI then decided to make it harder, sudden death time :eek: now if you clipped the fence or fell off afterwards you'd be out too :eek:
The first rider cleared it, then it was me. And suddenly I couldn't get Victor to go, I managed to get canter about three strides before the jump and cleard it, but it must have been close. Rider number three went and she clipped the fence with a back hoof, it didn't fall, but she was out due to the sudden death rules.
The RI said she'd that she thought the jump was probably high enough not to put up any more, but then one of the women who works at the RS shouted from the side lines that it'd be more fun to put it up again, so the RI did just that.
The other rider seemed to get a good speed into the jump, nice and streight, but something went wrong, she knocked the jump down with the horses front hoof and down it came.
Then that left me, this was the highest I'd ever jumpped, I'd been unsettled by a lower fence earlier in the competition, and every one shouting "No pressure then, you just need to clear it to win" was not helping me at all.
walk... trot... round the end of the school... into canter, but I turned too sharply, I'm not streight. Things are going into slow motion :eek: I can feel Victor moving left to run out... what is I do errrr raise the left rein, left leg on, he's moving accross, bit is it enough, two strides... one stride and... take off, we seem to hang in the air then land. I didn't hear any noise, I'd made it :D Time seemd to correct it's self and I'd done it, I'd won :D
While I was picking out Victors hooves I realised that my legs were shaking :eek:
Once I'd turned victor out, I went and mesurd the jump, it came up to the top of my jacket pocket. When I got home I got the mesuring tape out and to my combined horror and joy I realised that I'd jumpped 3'6" that is 18" higher than my previous best. And what a way to win my first RS competition after the two week break. Hmmmm I wonder what chance I have of winning the quterly competition :eek: :cool: Best place I have managed in that so far was 4th, but I was in a group with 7-10yo kids then so it was easyer to win.
Anyway, very happy today
ETA: Talking to my RI today, she thinks it was probably closer to 3' 3" :o but still very high for me!
A quick look in the book tald me that I was to be riding Victor (http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f192/raingodz/cowley/vic_and_me.jpg) and that is was a Competition week.
The group before my lesson were out on a hack so I got to warm Victor up for 10 mins before the lesson started. I was only allowed to work in walk because there was no RI there to supervise. I did some circles, leg yealds and shoulder in. Victor seemed very alert, much more alert than I have known him before, I guess this comes from having a two week holiday from being an RS horse.
The lesson began with some trotting work to warm the horses up, then we moved on to cantering, my first try was dismal to say the least, I faild to get anything more than a fast trot in the first corner, then when I did get canter at the next corner I only managed to keep it for about half the side of the menage.
Next we then did turn on the forehand off both reins, this seemed to go quite well, then some more trotting work and the RI reminded me that I should be at the stage with my riding that I should really be trying to get the horse working in outline. So I set about trying to do this.
He did drop his head a bit, and his walk seemed to become more prenouced (bouncy). And on to the second go at cantering, this went really well off both reins, I think I had got him working better and he was properly warmed up.
And now competition time. We had a single jump which the RI was going to put up each time, knock it down or run out and you were out of the competition. You could also elect to drop out at any point too.
So we started with a cross pole, which we all got over, I felt I had put my stirups too short so dropped them a hole. I'm not sure of the heights the jumps went up at, the RI wasn't telling.
Go for jump number two and the pole is now streight accross at about 1ft. I come round in a trot but as I jumpped the back of the saddles seemed to come up and hit me, I cleared the jump and put my stirups back up again :rolleyes:
The next three goes we all made, but then one of the riders decided that it was too high for her and decided to drop out, this left four of us.
The next jump went OK, then up it went again, the rider infront of me knocked the jump down, I felt that it was now higher than I had ever jumpped before (although probably still below 3ft at this point).
My turn came at this hight and my aproach was not streight, Victor put in a funny half step, got too close to the jump and the steepness of his take off unbalaced me, some how I manged to drop my left rein, and on landing ended up being half way up his neck, but I did not knock it down, so there were now three of us left, were all in the points and rosetts.
I was now beginning to have very odd feelings, my last jump had been bad, this was higher than I had jumpped before and if I dropped out now I'd get 3rd and 1 point for the quaterly RS championship. The two other riders I was against were also more experienced than me.
The next jump was cleared by all three of us, thankfully I managed not to feel unballaced and felt a little bit of confidence returning.
The RI then decided to make it harder, sudden death time :eek: now if you clipped the fence or fell off afterwards you'd be out too :eek:
The first rider cleared it, then it was me. And suddenly I couldn't get Victor to go, I managed to get canter about three strides before the jump and cleard it, but it must have been close. Rider number three went and she clipped the fence with a back hoof, it didn't fall, but she was out due to the sudden death rules.
The RI said she'd that she thought the jump was probably high enough not to put up any more, but then one of the women who works at the RS shouted from the side lines that it'd be more fun to put it up again, so the RI did just that.
The other rider seemed to get a good speed into the jump, nice and streight, but something went wrong, she knocked the jump down with the horses front hoof and down it came.
Then that left me, this was the highest I'd ever jumpped, I'd been unsettled by a lower fence earlier in the competition, and every one shouting "No pressure then, you just need to clear it to win" was not helping me at all.
walk... trot... round the end of the school... into canter, but I turned too sharply, I'm not streight. Things are going into slow motion :eek: I can feel Victor moving left to run out... what is I do errrr raise the left rein, left leg on, he's moving accross, bit is it enough, two strides... one stride and... take off, we seem to hang in the air then land. I didn't hear any noise, I'd made it :D Time seemd to correct it's self and I'd done it, I'd won :D
While I was picking out Victors hooves I realised that my legs were shaking :eek:
Once I'd turned victor out, I went and mesurd the jump, it came up to the top of my jacket pocket. When I got home I got the mesuring tape out and to my combined horror and joy I realised that I'd jumpped 3'6" that is 18" higher than my previous best. And what a way to win my first RS competition after the two week break. Hmmmm I wonder what chance I have of winning the quterly competition :eek: :cool: Best place I have managed in that so far was 4th, but I was in a group with 7-10yo kids then so it was easyer to win.
Anyway, very happy today
ETA: Talking to my RI today, she thinks it was probably closer to 3' 3" :o but still very high for me!