Post by racaille on Jan 27, 2014 7:03:42 GMT
You all know that Rac can be the devil to ride. The teenager has been doing a lot of work with him and decided to take him to a complet yesterday. I was a bit unsure as it was at the départmental club, huge and very posh. There were hundreds of competitors and nearly all of them competition horses.
But she said she just wanted to have fun so we set off in the Rac frame of mind: if he can improve just a tiny bit it'll be a great achievement.
He seemed very chilled and did a great warm-up for the dressage but then - this is Racaille after all - a pretty poor test. He wouldn't walk (natch - why walk when you can run, huh?) and his left lead canter was disunited - she corrected him but then he went disunited again after a few strides, little sh!t. She left it at that as it was better than a full on tantrum. Everyone howled with laughter at the final salute as R pawed the ground very petulantly just as she saluted.
Pretty surprised though to get a few eights and a final score of 65% which put them in 18th place. Teenager very happy with the eights.
Then they tore round the XC and she was working hard to slow him down a bit so as not to get time faults. I heard him coming out of the woods as he banged his way over the log jumps
but because he has no fear gene he powered into the lake and did the tricky right turn to the skinny without any problem although that tripped up a lot of horses. They moved up to eighth position.
Then the SJ
. R has never ever managed a course with fewer than two poles down. Our coach got them going in a very tailor made warm up and then we all held our breath. The teenager rode him beautifully, just the way HE likes it. And he pulled it out of the bag for her and went clear, in the time. We couldn't believe it! He looked like a proper horse, in a nice rhythm and although he got a bit close to the uprights, he picked his feet up and jumped NOT in his usual sheep fashion. Amazing.
And so they came in sixth and Rac got his first plaque and rosette. We were stunned, particularly against all the posh horses - the judge giving out the prizes did comment on his name though! I was so proud of the teenager riding him so well - some of it is really counter-intuitive - and more and more I think he's a one-rider horse. He'll be devastated when she leaves for the UK - he loves work and gets very bored just standing around eating.
We had a great day obviously, nice sunny weather too, but did see two horrible accidents. One horse messed up its take-off in the Sj and luckily catapulted its rider off before crashing down onto its back, legs in the air, where it seemed stuck for some minutes. It did get up, very dazed and there was some blood and it was very stiff behind so poor thing had done something (not least totalled the saddle).
And on the XC course a spectator crossing the course was spectacularly mown down by a competitor who had nowhere else to go as it was between trees. She shouted a warning three times and I think she thought the spectator was clear but as the rider did the sharp right turn required she barrelled into her. Spectacular but I don't think she was badly hurt. I felt more sorry for the shocked rider.
But she said she just wanted to have fun so we set off in the Rac frame of mind: if he can improve just a tiny bit it'll be a great achievement.
He seemed very chilled and did a great warm-up for the dressage but then - this is Racaille after all - a pretty poor test. He wouldn't walk (natch - why walk when you can run, huh?) and his left lead canter was disunited - she corrected him but then he went disunited again after a few strides, little sh!t. She left it at that as it was better than a full on tantrum. Everyone howled with laughter at the final salute as R pawed the ground very petulantly just as she saluted.
Pretty surprised though to get a few eights and a final score of 65% which put them in 18th place. Teenager very happy with the eights.
Then they tore round the XC and she was working hard to slow him down a bit so as not to get time faults. I heard him coming out of the woods as he banged his way over the log jumps
but because he has no fear gene he powered into the lake and did the tricky right turn to the skinny without any problem although that tripped up a lot of horses. They moved up to eighth position.Then the SJ
. R has never ever managed a course with fewer than two poles down. Our coach got them going in a very tailor made warm up and then we all held our breath. The teenager rode him beautifully, just the way HE likes it. And he pulled it out of the bag for her and went clear, in the time. We couldn't believe it! He looked like a proper horse, in a nice rhythm and although he got a bit close to the uprights, he picked his feet up and jumped NOT in his usual sheep fashion. Amazing.And so they came in sixth and Rac got his first plaque and rosette. We were stunned, particularly against all the posh horses - the judge giving out the prizes did comment on his name though! I was so proud of the teenager riding him so well - some of it is really counter-intuitive - and more and more I think he's a one-rider horse. He'll be devastated when she leaves for the UK - he loves work and gets very bored just standing around eating.
We had a great day obviously, nice sunny weather too, but did see two horrible accidents. One horse messed up its take-off in the Sj and luckily catapulted its rider off before crashing down onto its back, legs in the air, where it seemed stuck for some minutes. It did get up, very dazed and there was some blood and it was very stiff behind so poor thing had done something (not least totalled the saddle).
And on the XC course a spectator crossing the course was spectacularly mown down by a competitor who had nowhere else to go as it was between trees. She shouted a warning three times and I think she thought the spectator was clear but as the rider did the sharp right turn required she barrelled into her. Spectacular but I don't think she was badly hurt. I felt more sorry for the shocked rider.
for so much hard work we thank ye!!
And actually he isn't a comfortable hack - all he wants to do is go at the speed of sound which makes for some irritable behaviour.
One more reason not to add the appy to that number.
