We do everything with all of them in snaffles, they will only wear doubles where convention demands and they are ready! Too many people think double makes head carriage and head carriage is contact !! Neither is true!!
Retraining racehorses a saga
- Thread starter eml
- Start date
Well took Fiddley and Chukka out together to an RoR training session where we could stable them while riding the other as Chukka is still not good on his own in the box. Fiddley however was a nightmare to travel with his little brother and demonstrated how to remove a shoe while piaffing when travelling! Shoe reattached they were both very good in the clinic and travelled back quietly. Will take a while before we take them both to a competition together!
Next outing (last Sunday) Chukka meets dressage. Never seen boards or done test at any level we took him to do an ROR qualifier albeit at Intro. A bit disconcerted to note several horses were winning at Elementary but doing Intro but decided it would be a good experience with a high listed judge. Started interestingly as he was the only one to enter the warm up without being led and trotted around sweetly, a friend remarked 'you would never know he was just four years old let alone an ex racehorse' Went into the indoor arena and thought white boards were jumps so took off and entered arena at a jump ,fortunately this was before the test started! He spooked around the first lap but gradually got it together for a creditable 65.5% and fifth place.A great first outing and big bonus we practiced standing on the box for an hour with success
Next outing (last Sunday) Chukka meets dressage. Never seen boards or done test at any level we took him to do an ROR qualifier albeit at Intro. A bit disconcerted to note several horses were winning at Elementary but doing Intro but decided it would be a good experience with a high listed judge. Started interestingly as he was the only one to enter the warm up without being led and trotted around sweetly, a friend remarked 'you would never know he was just four years old let alone an ex racehorse' Went into the indoor arena and thought white boards were jumps so took off and entered arena at a jump ,fortunately this was before the test started! He spooked around the first lap but gradually got it together for a creditable 65.5% and fifth place.A great first outing and big bonus we practiced standing on the box for an hour with success
Trying so hard not to push this talented just 4yo! Took him to arena eventing at 60cms to keep it simple and with walk and trot dressage test. Bear in mind he had never jumped a whole course and has done one W/T dressage test up till now,
He travelled really well unloaded quietly , tacked up and went to warm up with no issues, big improvement as last outing we had a lot of resistance between box and warmup! Did a calm dressage test to go into third place on 33 ( ie 67%) Arena course consisted of 10 showjumps (12 efforts) and 10 XC type jumps all up to height and width. He didn't offer to stop at any but had three poles down SJ ( just not sure where legs need to be yet!)
Best news for us was that he stood quietly on the lorry while Emma competed a clients horse.
He travelled really well unloaded quietly , tacked up and went to warm up with no issues, big improvement as last outing we had a lot of resistance between box and warmup! Did a calm dressage test to go into third place on 33 ( ie 67%) Arena course consisted of 10 showjumps (12 efforts) and 10 XC type jumps all up to height and width. He didn't offer to stop at any but had three poles down SJ ( just not sure where legs need to be yet!)
Best news for us was that he stood quietly on the lorry while Emma competed a clients horse.
Just heard that Chukka's first outing to dressage has earned him a wildcard to the ROR dressage final as the highest scoring not qualified horse at his level. Better get practicing!!
ROR Final today and Chucka did well. Being a wild card we did not expect to do particularly well, also bearing in mind this was his fourth ever dressage outing and the first with a fully dressed arena.....he loved it and really tried his socks off for a credible 66.4% putting him in 12th place out of 22 competitors !
Just to prove this baby horse is a saintly allrounder today he went out for 3 hours with the bloodhounds and about fifty horses and didn't put a hoof out of place including standing quietly while the air ambulance took off about 100yards away and manouvered low overhead. My daughter says he is the best and easiest horse she has ever taken huntng, even better than my cob who she used to take out sidesadde!!
We all need a Chucka...poor horse's racing and registered name is Chuckamental.....most inappropriate name ever for such a saint!
A new season starts..Because of many personal problems horses have not done a lot so entered Fiddley for Aston le Walls at 80 so he could have an easy start to the season. However because of the weather they are towing on and off and course is deep. We will start but if course is bad not go XC. Watch this space!
Today was magic, the tonic needed to restore us! Lovely parking guy let us join the HGVs on hardstanding ( while ours is not in theory it is big and heavy.....last time we were towed on and off a show ground it caused £2000 worth of damage! FIddley was his normal charming self. Dressage is not his forte but was polite and in the upper quarter of a class of 45. Waited four hours for the SJ and XC times and he was very cheeky in both warm ups but pulled it altogether to go clear in both phases,ending up in 7th place. A long day out ( 8am to 8pm) but a great day out.We have decided to take Chucka next month to do his first event so hopefully I may catch up with OBC!
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