Sorry, it’s a long one, you might want to grab a coffee and a nice pile of biccies if you’re going to bother reading! 😉
Daisy and I toddled happily off to Ely Eventing Centre (better known as BE’s Little Downham) on Sunday for a Hunter Trial, which I knew would be over the BE fences. First good sign: Daisy sprinted straight up the horsebox ramp. Usually we have anything from 1 minute to an excruciatingly embarrassingly long period (record: more hours than I care to admit to) of “I will go on only when I decide” from her, although it has been getting less every time, so this was a great omen.
We stopped en route for diesel and I nearly had a heart attack… I think my memory has been tactfully obliterating the cost nowadays, jeeezus christ HOW MUCH?!?!?!?! Add Lucozade, chocolate and sweets (eventers’ staple diet) and we were set for the day. We trucked on and arrived in good time.
I walked 2 courses at once, making notes on my iPhone and taking photos. Confusing? Just a bit. The courses followed pretty identical routes, which helped, but these notes were invaluable after I’d done the 2’9″ class and needed a quick run-through of the 3′, although most of the course was visible from the collecting ring, which helped a lot. The courses were super, if a bit surprising… I wasn’t expecting to see a fence in the water in the 2’9″, and Daisy’s never jumped one before. Still, it’s all educational. The 3′ course had quite a few of the BE100 fences in it, which was just what I wanted, including a coffin and a fairly decent trakhener… of which more later…
Having decided, after witnessing the girth-straps-snapping nightmare at Belton last weekend, to use my overgirth again, I was very surprised to discover that I actually own two. Yes, I didn’t even remember buying the second one. That one (newer, therefore probably stronger, and shorter than the other one) seemed to be the right length, so I tacked up, got the girth as tight as I could before mounting, and put the overgirth on tight too, not easy with a stud girth and no loops for an overgirth… which I now realise need adding by a saddler. Reason for doing all this before mounting: Daisy’s not always the most amenable to tack alterations once I’m on, fidgeting around like a lunatic, and to ask my helper Tracey to dive right under her tummy to fiddle with the buckle seemed a bit much!
Daisy felt calm enough as we headed over to the warm-up, excited but keeping a lid on it, unlike some others! The combination of a sharp wind and the course running all around the (absolutely huge) collecting ring was a bit much for some, but she watched their antics without joining in. There were loads on the board already so I mooched about for ages. The water jump being fairly close by was quite exciting, but D was far better behaved than I expected, I think the Cool, Calm and Collected we are testing is really having a major effect. She’s just as sharp in her brain but less so in her over-reactions, if that makes sense, which is exactly what I want. Don’t want a dull-brained half-sedated horse to go xc on!
We warmed up, popped the xc fences a few times and did a few flying changes, they are VERY exciting, it’s like inadvertently hitting the turbo boost at the moment, which is definitely something that needs work.
We went over to start and I was complimented by the lovely start-box team on my new top (which with its snazzy sleeves some friends thought was ‘a bit much’) but the start team liked it and said it looked like ‘go faster stripes’! Probably going to need them…
Finally I heard 5-4-3-2-1 and the nerves STILL hadn’t kicked in. Cool. D felt totally up for it, going very confidently to fence 1 and ballooning the small spread at 2, nearly jumping me off as it had a small drop on landing, oops. Minor steering issue as I got my reins & seat back and tried to turn her round the corner to 3, but we made it inside the ropes. We had a few minor disagreements over striding as we went around the course, as she LOVES a long stride and I know a bit better so try to only allow them here and there when she’s in perfect balance, as the ‘longer, faster, flatter, yeeehaaa’ style would lead to eventual disaster. So, I had to do a lot more than I’d like to before some of the fences, but she didn’t touch one, it just wasn’t quite as fluent as I’d like. My positive-thinking mantra is that those are ‘educational strides’ and she has to learn to cope with them and me!
I got her back to trot for the water, expecting her to be really suspicious, but she went in very confidently and took on the jump in water without hesitating, although by then she’d decided the mud at the edges was more appealing than the water in the middle (I’ve never seen LD water jump so dry-looking) so we had a minor tussle as we went through the water, as she was hanging hard right towards the mud and the collecting ring, prompting a running commentary from me which made the spectators laugh. Oopsy.
The double of sloping pallisades down the hill on a longish 3 strides was right up her street, “Yay, I’m allowed to stand off this one!” and we set off for a bit of a gallop to the next few which were quite spaced out. She loves galloping, gets really intoxicated by it, but unfortunately, although she doesn’t lean, she definitely dives onto her forehand to gallop, which isn’t a good habit or a good place to jump fences from, so I have to do quite a lot of steadying and rebalancing before we get to the jumps. This cost us a lot of time but the fences were too small to back her off, so she had to endure quite a bit of “Okay, that’s enough of that, come here you” from me. Still, it was exhilarating to be galloping my homebred girl xc again, it’s been a pretty rocky road with her (including the months on crutches & the knee operation after she hit the Ejector Seat in a very major way once for no reason whatsoever, and the long period when I thought she’d never be rideable, she was so wrong behind) so I try to appreciate every stride with her now, and was really trying to enjoy it rather than worrying about screwing it up somehow!
We had no further problems, we sailed the last and motored on. I was planning on pulling her up tactfully but then suddenly saw the electric string across the run-in about 30m ahead, I guess they’d thought nobody needs more than 100 yards to pull up, oops, slight emergency braking required with voice, body and hands. Sorry Daisy. Lots of pats.
Since I was going again in the next class I thought there wouldn’t be a long wait, so didn’t bother going back to the box. Jumped off, loosened her girths, found a water trough for her to splash about in and have a small drink from (lovely green pond-like water is apparently far more tasty than anything from the lorry’s water tank), walked her about, and let her have some grass. I re-set her xc boots and discovered that the front ones were full of grit from the water jump, so Tracey volunteered her water bottle for me to fill repeatedly from the trough to give D’s legs and the boots a thorough rinse and scrub before putting them back on. Tendon paranoia pays off!
I read through my notes on the next course and ran it through in my head. I was worried about the log drop and turning 5 strides downhill to a skinny log on the flat (BE100 ish question), since she’d been a bit cheeky over a skinny at home the day before, the coffin (she hasn’t seen a ditch since October) and the trakhener, another BE100 question, with a black flagged alternative of a pheasant feeder. I was really umming and aahing about doing the trakhener, as it’s a slightly weird one imho, not huge at all but it doesn’t always jump brilliantly, and I didn’t want her getting a fright, so I decided to see how she was feeling and make my decision at the jump before.
I found a log to use as a mounting block and got back on, and warmed up slowly again, had about 10 to go, then there was an extended hold on the course. Fall at the trakhener, horse stopped, rider deposited in the ditch. Rider unconscious in the ditch, even worse. Fortunately there were paramedics on site (THAT is the benefit of running at a Hunter Trial run by a BE Organiser, absolutely LOVE her for that, proper cover is worth every penny) who got there very fast. A land ambulance was called, and within literally about 3 minutes of that arriving an air ambulance turned up, very impressive to see one come so fast. They took a lot of time to get the rider on a backboard, apparently she was drifting in and out of consciousness, possibly because of pain from a back injury, and of course they couldn’t take any chances. When they turned the heli rotors off I got off as I knew they’d be a long while then. More walking around, cursing the fact that I’d left a rug for Daisy and a jacket for me back at the lorry, clearly visible but about 1/2 mile walk away, and Tracey didn’t fancy the trek back and forth at all! I tried not to think about being cold as I walked about, and gradually became aware that my knees really really hurt… my very old but still fairly posh boots (my newer zipped ones popped at xc clinic last year and I still haven’t got them mended, argh) had for some reason allowed the stirrup leathers to rub just under my knees absolutely raw, NOT good.
Eventually the air ambulance took off again and they got us underway very fast. Top marks to the whole EEC team there for keeping us all informed with regular updates etc. I sincerely hope the rider is absolutely fine and making a full recovery. If anyone knows her, please let us all know.
So, I got back on again, and warmed up again. The biggest warm-up fence, a full-up 3′ spread, had made her back off the first time I jumped it (before the previous class) so I was able to relax the hands and ride forward instead of trying to contain her, and she’d jumped it beautifully. This time I expected her to back off it again… no, having jumped it once she accelerated instead like a loony and I had to go right to the hand. She didn’t touch it but it was not particularly pretty. Lesson learnt.
I settled her the canter down and did a few more, and got the balance I wanted, and hoped that the bigger fences on course would help in this minor but vital matter!
Finally we set off again, she was SO chuffed to be allowed to go around again, definitely more Hunter Trials back on the agenda, I’d forgotten that little perk, or maybe I’ve never a horse so happy to have another xc run. The first was a biggish log pile which I expected her to back off, not a bit. I was ready for the overjump at the drop log at 2 so sat it fine and we did a very neat turn to 3 this time. I popped her down to trot for the sunken road but she didn’t hesitate for a second, very bold, and clever up the step, as we’d trotted in the bottom so the distance was a bit ‘whatever’. Carried on, all fine, she was MUCH more rideable to the bigger fences. Got to the water, she stayed straight through it (unlike last time) so I relaxed and just pointed her at the white rolltop, which was about 9′ from side to side, plenty to aim for, you’d think. Well, I paid the price for being so trusting when she cocked her jaw and ran out very naughtily to the left. Argh… and that was exactly what I saw happen at that fence when walking the BE courses last year! I growled at her, came back round, she jumped it beautifully. Huh.
Drop log turning stride to skinny log next, and I was NOT trusting her, so really channelled her and got her rather deep to the second log, but she jumped it fine and didn’t touch it, albeit not very stylishly. Now, to trakhener or not to trakhener…?!
Sod it, I thought, I am going for it, if I want to event again properly I need to be brave fgs. I rebalanced, sat right up and drove her forward with my seat as well as my legs far more than I usually do (did NOT want a last-second boggle, spin, stop, or anything else thankyouverymuch, the air ambulance being called again to that fence would not be popular) and didn’t let her look at the ditch, and of course that amount of unusual driving aids made her suspicious… we got there on a good stride from a great canter and she took off well and gave it a spare foot but then hung in the air a bit, rather than flowing forward.
The Pro pics (on www.eventsphotos.co.uk) are classic, go to Photo Sales, Ely Eventing Hunter Trial Sunday 21 April, and type DSC2850 in the Search Images box if you want a laugh, then scroll through). It was a little bit Opposition Buzz style (Daisy is by the same sire, but I suspect the similarity ends there!) and I definitely haven’t got the knack for coping with it as Nicola Wilson does. I had my reins a bit too short and took a while to slip them, and then let go of one completely for balance (she really had somehow managed to decelerate in midair, because she jumped up instead of across the fence!) so my style went to pot (again) but she cleared the ditch easily and we landed fine and galloped on. Tbh it felt a lot worse than it looks in those photos!
Skinny log on top of mound next, again I wasn’t very trusting and held her a bit snugly but we jumped it fine, she didn’t hesitate or wobble, she let me place her where I wanted her & was totally obedient. Long gallop then turn to a curved pallisade, I expected her to back off a little and she didn’t, so it was another ‘educational jump’, but not terrible. Quite a long gallop back towards home to much bigger blue spread next, then white seat, both of which we met on a lovely forward stride, I kept coming with only a little rebalance as the bigger fences were backing her off, and she absolutely flew, and felt fantastic. Loads of “Good girl”s. Now the coffin: log, 1 stride down to rivetted ditch, 2 strides up to another log. I insisted on trot as I thought she might get a surprise and boggle/spin/stop, but needn’t have worried, she took it all on in fine style as if she’d been jumping coffins all winter. 🙂 🙂 🙂 Turned to jump the last, nice spread, and met it on a good stride. Very happy horse and rider again.
I forgive her the naughty run-out as it woke me up, and I’d much much rather get 20 pens there than at a BE event, if possible! It’s not the first time she’s done that to the left, so I need to be a lot sharper and less trusting, obviously!
The good news was that we came 4th in the 2’9”, with 2 time penalties, and won a lovely rosette and our £20 entry fee back, WOW, that is better than BE prize money in many classes, so was an unexpected treat! I think we’d probably have been placed in the 3′ without the 20 pens, but never mind.
What’s obvious from the photos taken at various jumps is that I really really need to go back to the drawing board and get my lower leg sorted. I don’t know if I can blame the saddle or not, I have no idea if a different saddle would help, or if her jumping style is making me do that, or if it is just a terrible new habit I need to eliminate. We both get regular McTimoney Chiropracty. I don’t feel wonky at all. I know she had a SI problem before but she is totally sound now and seems to push off evenly, but I am over-folding even more than I used to (argh) and my lower leg is doing something very odd, especially when we get in close at a fence. Arghhh. In some of the photos I am scrunched up in the weirdest way!
So, any suggestions (other than ‘fgs give up’!) really appreciated. Thanks.
A final note: I went to pick up my rosette & prize money and thank the Secretary, and there was a cup for donations to the Air Ambulance. I gave more than I usually do, and was heartened to see a £10 note in there. It’s a charity we really should all support whenever we can. They did a great job, as did the whole team at EEC. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Big thanks too to Tracey for being my helper. 🙂
Great write up 😉 well done.