Guys, I had so much fun this weekend. It was awesome.
Here's the quick rundown: we got a very respectable 35.2 in dressage - 6s and 7s mostly, one 5 and one 8 - which left us tied for 8th. A kickass double clear cross country round (one of only two!) bumped us up to 2nd. My 8th-place-partner also went double clear but I got closer to optimum. Then I got eliminated at fence 4 in stadium for three stops. Terrible, right?
I think she needs more miles. We schooled the course at the end of the day and Devin helped me very systematically work McKinna through it to show her what her job is.
I promise I'll explain more thoroughly. I'm disappointed, but I'm not horribly upset. XC was absolutely amazing. It was the best five minutes I've ever spent on a horse. Maybe even the best five minutes ever.
The course was pretty tough for novice. It even had a little trakehner! I was ecstatic because I've wanted to jump a trakehner forever, but it took out a huge chunk of my division. Almost half the riders were eliminated on XC. There was some other really fun stuff, like a big brush fence in the woods that McKinna jumped all the way over. She was just on the whole time. Forward, calm, steady, really in-tune with me. I rode the first three fences hard to make sure she knew her job, and after that she just settled in and took care of business.
We got a perfect spot to nearly every fence, except the last one, a vertical with brush on top. Funny because Devin is ALL about having a nice last fence and jumping from a nice balanced canter. We came on a half-stride, she thought about adding, and then changed her mind....pretty ugly, she whacked her back legs. But we got over fine, she was fine (yay for cannon guards on the hind boots!) and she cooled out very well. I was actually impressed with how easy it seemed for her, especially since the course had lots of hills.
Anyway, I have lots more to share and hopefully my crew got some good pictures, but I thought I'd give the overall update. Even though we ended up eliminated, I'm so proud of my wonderpony. She was a very good girl this weekend and I can't wait to keep working on everything.
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A Wee Update
1 month ago
6 comments:
I heard that Inavale was absolute CARNAGE this weekend for all the levels! Congrats on a double clear XC, that is HUGE!!!
the COTH forums were ablaze with the amount of E's and refusals on XC at Inavale. it sounds like y'all had an awesome time though, a double clear XC is such an accomplishment! and a 35 on Dressage isn't bad either. i would say Stadium is not gonna be a hard fix at all if she was that willing and happy XC. congrats!!
Congratulations on the double clear XC runs.
I have a dumb question. I have never heard of trakehner as anything other than a breed of horse. I looked it up, but the photos were so diverse, I couldn't tell what about the jump makes it different from any other kind of jump. Can you explain?
Thanks, guys :)
Leah Fry - a trakehner is a ditch with a log over it. It's a 'rider fence,' that is, it tends to freak out riders more than horses. People get worried about it and look down, which doesn't usually produce a good jump!
I just logged on to Google Reader for the first time in a longlonglong time and saw your blog! I wish I had logged in before Inavale, I was there too! Congrats on double clean XC there was definitely carnage at all levels! When I was walking my course I couldn't believe some of the Novice stuff-good job getting over the trakehner!
That is fantastic!!
Better to have a bold xc horse than one who doesn't need any stadium schooling. Pianos are totally fixable...trakhener fears, not as much! Congrats on your day!
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