Post by racaille on Mar 15, 2010 8:54:45 GMT
Mar 12, 2010, 2:11pm, racaille wrote:
Have a feeling this is going to be a day of thingy-ups and catastophes ....
Well, I wasn't wrong.
I have fallen out with my friend S who, I think, behaved like a real cow. I'd forgotten what a panic-stricken fuss-pot she can be, obsessed by her 'things'.
Well, we arrived on Saturday evening after a two-hour hack and all was well but in fact the organiser told me that we did not have an early start on Sunday at all. S had just been stressed out about getting us, but it was fine, at least the horses were there in a little paddock, perfectly happy.
The next day we set off on time for our warm-up but were told that things were running early and that we were awaited on the PTV. S thundered off in a panic while I (still on foot) had to tape on the teenager's and my numbers, but I found someone with some tape and finally made it into the warm-up arena. I managed a couple of circuits in trot, two of canter - P was so excited that he bronced all the way round - and popped over one jump, then headed onto the course.
He settled down, luckily, immediately and turned into a complete star. We headed up to a high and hollow wooden bridge followed by a steep bank down but he didn't bat an eyelid or break pace on the way down, like so many other horses. There followed a biggish contre-bas which we took in walk - bit weedy of me, P could easily have done it in trot but it was followed by a left turn into a canter corridor and I was aware that he could tank off if he got silly. Then there was a small log, which he had a good look at. I felt the brakes come on but I did not let him run out or stop so he was obliged to scramble over it, not elegant but clear.
Then we had a sand pit with an off-set exit so took that in trot and headed into the U. It was left hand so I knew he would find it difficult in canter so we went through it perfectly in trot then stepped on the XC accelerator towards the hedge. Again he wasn't thrilled but I kept him straight and with my leg on, one slight hesitation so I shouted at him and it was fine. Then a fast dash over the chapeau de gendarme (a hump back bridge) and skid to a halt for the in hand corridor - NOT forgetting to cross my stirrups (HOW MANY people lose points for that!!!!!)
So I was thrilled with P. R also had a good tour, he trashed the pointers at the slope, ooops, but did a very nice U canter.
We headed straight for the control of paces which struck me as longer than usual but P was perfect - he had a good look at some lime spilled in the painted corridor but did not break pace or cross the lines. Bit of a fast canter and slow walk but at least, for the first time, he did not break pace.
So, it was all OK so far.
Then it started to go wrong. S was alternating between panicking and chatting to her friends so I sorted out our departure for the POR. She insisted on going in front (because her horse will not tolerate going behind hmmm) but then pottered along so slowly that R was going silly behind and even P who is a gent was struggling to stay behind. And every time the nag (who is obese) wanted a poo, she let him stop, so we all had to stop.
She talked to the teenager and I as though we were four, telling us off for gawd knows what. We tried one canter and it was carnage. There were horses behind and in front of us and when she saw the ones in front set off she turned her horse around so he wouldn't see them go. I pointed out that we would be overtaken in canter by the horses behind so she reluctantly agreed to set off. Her horse shot off for a short way but then settled down but she held it in the tiniest canter you can imagine - R was going mad behind not to overtake and I kept P in trot, it was so slow. The teenager asked S to go along a bit and R was just doing bunny hops and S shouted at her that she (S) could not hold her horse if we went any faster.
So the teenager battled it out and , all credit to her, kept R behind but it was a struggle.
Then we had to get off to go under a low bridge and S insisted on staying there to 'see her friends behind safely through' which meant shouting at them to get off even though some of them were perfectly capable of just ducking down. We set off eventually in trot and I was 'allowed' to go in front to see if her horse would be calm but P's active trot was 'MUCH TOO FAST' so we plodded along in walk, having to pull over every time someone wanted to overtake us.
We had a long halt at one control and the teenager broke R's bridle (her fault) but got a long lecture. She managed to do a running repair.
We finally dragged back. The POR was too easy and very boring, especially with this constant stream of 'my horse is so fiery, I can't hold him blah blah.' I suggested that he should not be eating four litres of barley every day. He's a fat lump with no discipline because she treats him like her baby rather than a horse. We got so fed up having to move out of her way because the lump was allowed to wander wherever it pleased during the control stops.
Then S would not take us home. I had to wait another two hours before she was ready and there was a huge pantomime about her trailer. R loaded perectly (good little boy) but P put on a circus for 15 minutes. S got really riled. She was spitting about P trashing her van (he did a couple of little rears and came down on the ramp) and then got nasty about the fact that P needed discipline and loading was something I should be working on. A little difficult when I don't have a trailer. She does and her horse doesn't load at all.
Anyway, just when she was at the height of her tirade I tried an apple in front of P's nose and he just walked on. S had already made a huge fuss about the height of the breast and rump bars but there were only two positions, I thought the lower one was fine but said if she wanted to move them up (she knows her trailer better than I do) it would be fine by me. She then scoffed at me 'they would be too high' so I said then obviously they were fine where they were but I couldn't see what she was bellyaching about. Then she was cross that I had tied up the boys in front rather than up high at the side (didn't know there were any rings there, she might have mentioned it...)
It's impossible to really explain why she was so annoying, it was just the constant stream of stuff. I wanted to really explode but didn't, although perhaps I should have. She constantly got at the teenager, who did very well all things considered and stayed behind her horrible horse. I admit that after a couple of times that we 'had' to stop for it to poop I just walked on past.
She raced back for the results but has not phoned as she said she would. I don't really want to know. We (at her insistence) were in Club Equipe, the initiation level, against littlies in RS groups.
Memo to self: do not ride with her again. I know now why she asked me - all her friends were in what should have been our level, Club Elite, and no one can bear her stressing.
Still, both our boys were great in the PTV and it was lovely warm sunny day.
Sorry about the length of this rant. I feel better for having got it off my chest.
Have a feeling this is going to be a day of thingy-ups and catastophes ....
Well, I wasn't wrong.
I have fallen out with my friend S who, I think, behaved like a real cow. I'd forgotten what a panic-stricken fuss-pot she can be, obsessed by her 'things'.
Well, we arrived on Saturday evening after a two-hour hack and all was well but in fact the organiser told me that we did not have an early start on Sunday at all. S had just been stressed out about getting us, but it was fine, at least the horses were there in a little paddock, perfectly happy.
The next day we set off on time for our warm-up but were told that things were running early and that we were awaited on the PTV. S thundered off in a panic while I (still on foot) had to tape on the teenager's and my numbers, but I found someone with some tape and finally made it into the warm-up arena. I managed a couple of circuits in trot, two of canter - P was so excited that he bronced all the way round - and popped over one jump, then headed onto the course.
He settled down, luckily, immediately and turned into a complete star. We headed up to a high and hollow wooden bridge followed by a steep bank down but he didn't bat an eyelid or break pace on the way down, like so many other horses. There followed a biggish contre-bas which we took in walk - bit weedy of me, P could easily have done it in trot but it was followed by a left turn into a canter corridor and I was aware that he could tank off if he got silly. Then there was a small log, which he had a good look at. I felt the brakes come on but I did not let him run out or stop so he was obliged to scramble over it, not elegant but clear.
Then we had a sand pit with an off-set exit so took that in trot and headed into the U. It was left hand so I knew he would find it difficult in canter so we went through it perfectly in trot then stepped on the XC accelerator towards the hedge. Again he wasn't thrilled but I kept him straight and with my leg on, one slight hesitation so I shouted at him and it was fine. Then a fast dash over the chapeau de gendarme (a hump back bridge) and skid to a halt for the in hand corridor - NOT forgetting to cross my stirrups (HOW MANY people lose points for that!!!!!)
So I was thrilled with P. R also had a good tour, he trashed the pointers at the slope, ooops, but did a very nice U canter.
We headed straight for the control of paces which struck me as longer than usual but P was perfect - he had a good look at some lime spilled in the painted corridor but did not break pace or cross the lines. Bit of a fast canter and slow walk but at least, for the first time, he did not break pace.
So, it was all OK so far.
Then it started to go wrong. S was alternating between panicking and chatting to her friends so I sorted out our departure for the POR. She insisted on going in front (because her horse will not tolerate going behind hmmm) but then pottered along so slowly that R was going silly behind and even P who is a gent was struggling to stay behind. And every time the nag (who is obese) wanted a poo, she let him stop, so we all had to stop.
She talked to the teenager and I as though we were four, telling us off for gawd knows what. We tried one canter and it was carnage. There were horses behind and in front of us and when she saw the ones in front set off she turned her horse around so he wouldn't see them go. I pointed out that we would be overtaken in canter by the horses behind so she reluctantly agreed to set off. Her horse shot off for a short way but then settled down but she held it in the tiniest canter you can imagine - R was going mad behind not to overtake and I kept P in trot, it was so slow. The teenager asked S to go along a bit and R was just doing bunny hops and S shouted at her that she (S) could not hold her horse if we went any faster.
So the teenager battled it out and , all credit to her, kept R behind but it was a struggle.
Then we had to get off to go under a low bridge and S insisted on staying there to 'see her friends behind safely through' which meant shouting at them to get off even though some of them were perfectly capable of just ducking down. We set off eventually in trot and I was 'allowed' to go in front to see if her horse would be calm but P's active trot was 'MUCH TOO FAST' so we plodded along in walk, having to pull over every time someone wanted to overtake us.
We had a long halt at one control and the teenager broke R's bridle (her fault) but got a long lecture. She managed to do a running repair.
We finally dragged back. The POR was too easy and very boring, especially with this constant stream of 'my horse is so fiery, I can't hold him blah blah.' I suggested that he should not be eating four litres of barley every day. He's a fat lump with no discipline because she treats him like her baby rather than a horse. We got so fed up having to move out of her way because the lump was allowed to wander wherever it pleased during the control stops.
Then S would not take us home. I had to wait another two hours before she was ready and there was a huge pantomime about her trailer. R loaded perectly (good little boy) but P put on a circus for 15 minutes. S got really riled. She was spitting about P trashing her van (he did a couple of little rears and came down on the ramp) and then got nasty about the fact that P needed discipline and loading was something I should be working on. A little difficult when I don't have a trailer. She does and her horse doesn't load at all.
Anyway, just when she was at the height of her tirade I tried an apple in front of P's nose and he just walked on. S had already made a huge fuss about the height of the breast and rump bars but there were only two positions, I thought the lower one was fine but said if she wanted to move them up (she knows her trailer better than I do) it would be fine by me. She then scoffed at me 'they would be too high' so I said then obviously they were fine where they were but I couldn't see what she was bellyaching about. Then she was cross that I had tied up the boys in front rather than up high at the side (didn't know there were any rings there, she might have mentioned it...)
It's impossible to really explain why she was so annoying, it was just the constant stream of stuff. I wanted to really explode but didn't, although perhaps I should have. She constantly got at the teenager, who did very well all things considered and stayed behind her horrible horse. I admit that after a couple of times that we 'had' to stop for it to poop I just walked on past.
She raced back for the results but has not phoned as she said she would. I don't really want to know. We (at her insistence) were in Club Equipe, the initiation level, against littlies in RS groups.
Memo to self: do not ride with her again. I know now why she asked me - all her friends were in what should have been our level, Club Elite, and no one can bear her stressing.
Still, both our boys were great in the PTV and it was lovely warm sunny day.
Sorry about the length of this rant. I feel better for having got it off my chest.
for so much hard work we thank ye!!
