Post by racaille on Jan 25, 2016 6:50:23 GMT
After a disappointing training session on Thursday Sam and the T got their acts together ystdy for a complet at our departmental club near Avignon.
It was a 'proper' winter's day: very cold to start with but perfectly clear and we got to the club early enough to find a decent parking space - not always the case!
Sam warmed up really well but carefully as it was so cold and then, with bated breath we saw him into the manege - his first time indoors and full of scary stuff like mirrors and posters. But he had a look on the way down to the judges and then settled down to some really nice work. We thought his extended trot was lovely - bit of a breakthrough as he has in the past been choppy in trot - but his medium canter could have been a bit better. The judges of course thought exactly the opposite. The lad before (a nice young man) was riding a huge rangy horse with big paces which was a hard act for Sam to follow anyway but he did really well and got a score of 74% coming 11th behind the leader on 78%.
Onto the XC: there was a very scary jump down into a pond which in fact claimed quite a lot of horses and poor Sam has had two falls into water and is naturally not keen to go anywhere near the stuff. The T said she would ride him up to it. So he set off and made everyone fall about with his exit from the box: he literally raced away as he must have done in his racing days.
They went into the woods and there was a hairy moment when he put on the brakes at the coffin but the T insisted and he scrambled over and he also had good look at an enormous hedge. Then he came round to the water ....
Poor boy. His eyes bugged and he so desperately wanted to stop but the T was really riding him from a good way off, he just didn't have a way out (unlike lot of horses who went out the side into the spectators!) So with an almost imperceptible hesitation he splashed down into the freezing water and then gathered himself up again for a really tricky double log jump out again. And off he flew again ...
In fact, much to her chagrin, they came storming back to the end four seconds too FAST, which cost them very dear, a full four points, double what it would have been if she'd been too slow. The T was annoyed with herself as she didn't use her chrono properly.
Then into the SJ and Sam was lovely. Just one mistake - his - so one bar but otherwise a lovely round.
They finished 11th out of 33 and earned valuable points towards their championnats qualification. The T was really pleased as it was Sam's first Club 2 complet (he was doing the easier Club 3 before) and the first of this season. He was so honest and willing. He looked really small and fragile against some jolly big horses, both in height and build, but also very pretty and was much admired.
What a good boy!
It was a 'proper' winter's day: very cold to start with but perfectly clear and we got to the club early enough to find a decent parking space - not always the case!
Sam warmed up really well but carefully as it was so cold and then, with bated breath we saw him into the manege - his first time indoors and full of scary stuff like mirrors and posters. But he had a look on the way down to the judges and then settled down to some really nice work. We thought his extended trot was lovely - bit of a breakthrough as he has in the past been choppy in trot - but his medium canter could have been a bit better. The judges of course thought exactly the opposite. The lad before (a nice young man) was riding a huge rangy horse with big paces which was a hard act for Sam to follow anyway but he did really well and got a score of 74% coming 11th behind the leader on 78%.
Onto the XC: there was a very scary jump down into a pond which in fact claimed quite a lot of horses and poor Sam has had two falls into water and is naturally not keen to go anywhere near the stuff. The T said she would ride him up to it. So he set off and made everyone fall about with his exit from the box: he literally raced away as he must have done in his racing days.
They went into the woods and there was a hairy moment when he put on the brakes at the coffin but the T insisted and he scrambled over and he also had good look at an enormous hedge. Then he came round to the water ....
Poor boy. His eyes bugged and he so desperately wanted to stop but the T was really riding him from a good way off, he just didn't have a way out (unlike lot of horses who went out the side into the spectators!) So with an almost imperceptible hesitation he splashed down into the freezing water and then gathered himself up again for a really tricky double log jump out again. And off he flew again ...
In fact, much to her chagrin, they came storming back to the end four seconds too FAST, which cost them very dear, a full four points, double what it would have been if she'd been too slow. The T was annoyed with herself as she didn't use her chrono properly.
Then into the SJ and Sam was lovely. Just one mistake - his - so one bar but otherwise a lovely round.
They finished 11th out of 33 and earned valuable points towards their championnats qualification. The T was really pleased as it was Sam's first Club 2 complet (he was doing the easier Club 3 before) and the first of this season. He was so honest and willing. He looked really small and fragile against some jolly big horses, both in height and build, but also very pretty and was much admired.
What a good boy!
They are doing very well togethr now and I couldn't be more pleased 
for so much hard work we thank ye!!
