Post by pboy on May 9, 2016 10:00:29 GMT
We had another Team Quest outing on Sunday, this time to Quainton Stud which was a new venue for us. I'd been away in Spain for a week but I'd been riding there, while Indio was kept tuned-up by my YO.
Let's just say the day didn't quite go as planned..! We had leisurely times, as I was the first team member on at 13:25 so we had a lazy morning getting ready and loaded up.
Indio warmed up nicely and felt very 'with me' as I headed over the arena. The arena there is huge, very open and with very white sand with very small white boards marking out our 20x40. We trotted around the outside and he felt lovely, then as I did a circle at the top he suddenly felt quite tense and wanted to canter. The bell went and he felt horrid so I did another circle, then worried about the 45 second time limit and set off down the centre line. The little b*gger stuck his head in the air and galloped toward the judge's car!! Somehow I managed to get him back to me before C without circling (seriously, I had absolutely no brakes at all
), turned right and completed the rest of the test in a calm manner 
I have no idea what got into him! Maybe he thought we were off jumping again? Or just he fancied the grass by the lorry (the lorry park was just behind the judge's car)? Or he's not happy that I'm asking a bit more of him now?! Or he was just feeling good and decided to try it on...who knows. Bloomin' horses!!
Anyway it didn't matter too much as the team member after me had a worse day. She has a very hot, strong, sensitive mare who tends to want to canter everywhere. She did the first canter ok but got her back to trot a bit late, then disaster struck in the second canter. Her horse grabbed the bit and galloped straight out of the 20x40, behind the judges car and right around the whole arena Poor Christine managed to stay in the saddle but she was obviously very shaken up. Our third team member did a lovely test - who'd have thought a little ex-racehorse would be the star of a dressage team over a Hanoverian and PRE!
Bizarrely the judge gave us a 4 for the first centre line with the comment 'Problems!'. I'm not sure why we got more than a 1 - we did make it from A to C but none of it was in trot and it was barely on the centre line... We got 6s and 7s for the rest of the test with a few comments about tension. I don't think we were particularly tense (our free walk was very good, we normally get an 8 or 9 but she only gave us a 7) so I think she was understandably a bit tainted by the entrance!!
Here's a little clip of trot outside the arena, just before it all went t*ts up
Indio trot Quainton.mp4 (876.49 KB)
Let's just say the day didn't quite go as planned..! We had leisurely times, as I was the first team member on at 13:25 so we had a lazy morning getting ready and loaded up.
Indio warmed up nicely and felt very 'with me' as I headed over the arena. The arena there is huge, very open and with very white sand with very small white boards marking out our 20x40. We trotted around the outside and he felt lovely, then as I did a circle at the top he suddenly felt quite tense and wanted to canter. The bell went and he felt horrid so I did another circle, then worried about the 45 second time limit and set off down the centre line. The little b*gger stuck his head in the air and galloped toward the judge's car!! Somehow I managed to get him back to me before C without circling (seriously, I had absolutely no brakes at all
), turned right and completed the rest of the test in a calm manner 
I have no idea what got into him! Maybe he thought we were off jumping again? Or just he fancied the grass by the lorry (the lorry park was just behind the judge's car)? Or he's not happy that I'm asking a bit more of him now?! Or he was just feeling good and decided to try it on...who knows. Bloomin' horses!!
Anyway it didn't matter too much as the team member after me had a worse day. She has a very hot, strong, sensitive mare who tends to want to canter everywhere. She did the first canter ok but got her back to trot a bit late, then disaster struck in the second canter. Her horse grabbed the bit and galloped straight out of the 20x40, behind the judges car and right around the whole arena
Poor Christine managed to stay in the saddle but she was obviously very shaken up. Our third team member did a lovely test - who'd have thought a little ex-racehorse would be the star of a dressage team over a Hanoverian and PRE!Bizarrely the judge gave us a 4 for the first centre line with the comment 'Problems!'. I'm not sure why we got more than a 1 - we did make it from A to C but none of it was in trot and it was barely on the centre line... We got 6s and 7s for the rest of the test with a few comments about tension. I don't think we were particularly tense (our free walk was very good, we normally get an 8 or 9 but she only gave us a 7) so I think she was understandably a bit tainted by the entrance!!
Here's a little clip of trot outside the arena, just before it all went t*ts up
Indio trot Quainton.mp4 (876.49 KB)
Sounds like it was contagious!
for so much hard work we thank ye!!