A summary of our 2014 event season - I think safe to say our most successful season so far:
12 BE events
57 BE Foundation Points
8 top ten finishes
2 wins (one at BE90, one at BE100)
5 Regional Final opportunities (3 at BE90, 2 at BE100)
5th, 6th and 7th at the three Regionals we attended
Personal best dressage scores of 21.5 at BE100 and 22.5 at BE90
6 sub 30 dressage scores
5 clears SJ
4 double clears
Badminton Grassroots BE90 completion (not the XC round we hoped for but a great dressage score and clear SJ in testing conditions, plus completing is still an achievement I'm proud of)
Qualification for BE100 Badminton Grassroots 2015 - let's go back and do a better job!
We had a huge confidence blip after Badminton but I feel that I've learnt a lot from it and that we've ended the season stronger than ever. I can't wait for 2015!
Huge thanks to our fab sponsor for the year, West Kent Saddles, who have expertly made sure that Monty's saddles fit him perfectly. I have really enjoyed working with them and thoroughly recommend them to anyone in the South East looking for a saddler. I have also enjoyed being an ambassador rider for the wonderful Celeris riding boots which are truly the most comfortable boots I've had the privilege of wearing. If anyone wants any more details on them then feel free to get in contact!
Worked on the canter to start with - had the schooling whip and had him going nice and forwards but when forwards he does get more argumentative about the contact and outline. Had to work to keep him in an energetic canter but keep him round and keep the canter contained.
Started with a little grid - pole to x pole to pole then made x-pole to upright and then 2 uprights on a bounce. He wanted me to concentrate on getting a distance to the first pole and let the rest happen from there - I find it really hard to see a distance to a pole though! It makes me look down for a start. Did fluff it a few times but just kept leg on and he sorted himself out after falling over the first pole. He's never been the best at poles for some reason.
Then moved onto a wide low oxer which is absolutely fab for getting him to round over the jump - you can really feel him looking for the back rail. Then nicely forwards to an upright. Then onto a short course including a one stride double and a tight turn back to a big oxer and then right turn to a big oxer over the water tray. Determined not to hook and pull like in my last lesson so went the other way and just fired him at them all. He listened to me and he flew but it does then take me a year to get him back under control after the fence and after telling Chris we'd mastered our flying changes I couldn't get him to change to the right. He said it was taking me far too long to regain control after a fence - needs to be within 2-3 strides, not halfway round the school. He wanted him rounder and more connected. Need to sit down in the saddle sooner after the fence and get him to listen to me. Needs to come from seat and legs, not hands. Also need to remember not to nag him with my legs, sit quietly and use the schooling whip in the couple of strides before the fence if needed to really wake him up.
Chris jumped on at the end and had him better connected and waiting for the fences rather than firing, but without hooking. One day I'll work out how to do that! Monty still wasn't making it easy for Chris to get him soft and round though so not surprising I struggle. It's amazing how much he fights it considering how soft he is with his flatwork now.
I was initially pleased with how he was forwards and attacking his fences and listening to me saying go rather than chipping in but came away feeling frustrated as didn't get the usual praise from Chris. I guess because he is really trying to work on our technique now rather than just getting us over fences. I see his point about having him more connected and that would make him easier to adjust. Need to do some work at home on small fences and regaining softness between them I think. The problem is that to get him really taking me to the fences I have to razz him up and then he loses the softness and then just charges around with me - this works to an extent but is rubbish if I need to adjust him at all. If I keep him in a quiet, soft dressagey canter he's fine but as soon as I open it up I lose the connection. Determined to sort this! Thinking I might organise a bit of a bootcamp with Chris once he's back from Australia. Go for a few days and ask Chris to go back to basics with our canter and really try and crack this. Was also thinking I might try and go there for the week before we go to Badminton so we can really tune him up. Last year I had weekly lessons in the lead up which really helped as he did a fab dressage/SJ. Want to do similar this year but make sure we get out XC schooling and SJ on grass as well so a whole week would work well. It's close enough I can leave him there and travel in daily for lessons.
Was at a wedding last night so feeling a little delicate this morning. Possibly not the best thing to go SJ but for this reason I had pre-entered to make sure I didn't wimp out at the last minute! Early again, so an hour hanging around while they finished the British Novice but lots of lovely people I knew to talk to this week so big improvement on our lonely trip to BCA last week.
This week we started with the Discovery. Walked the course and liked it much better than nasty twisty BCA course last week. No tricky distances and no tight turns (only as tight as you wanted to make them in the second phase). They were running single phase which I really like as even if you knock a pole in the first phase you still get to carry on and do the second phase against the clock so more fences for your money. It was a little scary knowing I was going to have to do the second phase though as it looked rather large! Long wait again as we were 42nd to go! He was yawning his head off in the lorry when I went to find him. Made sure I had him raring to go in the warmup and he was jumping really well, despite some scary sunbeams on the floor of the indoor school! Went into the arena and he jumped a cracking round. Really unlucky to just get a touch too close to part a of the double which was the very last fence. I even rode some tight-ish turns (for me!) and was really enjoying myself!
Bit more of a break while they finished another 20 or so in that class then walked course for the 1.05m Open - our first one! Another nice course, just the last line from an upright to the final one stride double which was on 6.5strides and the first part of the double was a ginormous oxer as wide as it was tall - eek! He jumped the first bit brilliantly and was again unlucky to just rub exactly the same fence as he did in the Disc which was fence 6 this time (I clearly didn't learn much from whatever I did the first time although it was on an awkward turning line in my defence!). Onto the huuuuuuuuge jump off section (allowed to be 10cm higher than first phase so up to 1m15!) and he was flying - fence 10 was a humongous oxer that he flew, then round to the upright at 11 and I didn't get the line I wanted so ended up on a weird dogleg to the final double which I might have wanted to hold to if it wasn't the size of a house so I just kicked like hell and hoped for the best. We were just a bit off it so he didn't quite make the width but totally my fault, not his and so pleased with how he jumped and how he took me forwards into everything. Also pleased that I didn't hook once and how much smoother that made our round! Even Badminton will look small after a winter jumping that height! Brilliant photos thanks to the lovely Gary Horner. He still makes it look so easy - he's clearing them by miles - plenty of scope left to go bigger! I reckon Newcomers (1m10) by the end of the winter!!!
Next stop is tracking Chris down for a last couple of lessons before he heads back to Australia for a couple of months. He has been in Europe for the last few weeks competing but he's back tomorrow and I'm feeling in the mood for working on our SJ some more before Monty has a bit of a break in November. Just hope I can remember to ride like this after a few weeks off!
I decided to make the long trip up to Oxfordshire for the opportunity to train round a brand new XC course with a great reputation, combined with the fact that at a cost of £48 for an hour of SJ and 1.5hrs of XC it was too good to miss!
We set off at 7.30am and were there in good time at 9.45am so time for Monty to have a leg stretch before our lesson at 11am. Was surprised to find it was still on grass after recent rain and we were the third group so ground pretty chewed up. Not what I would choose to compete on, let alone train on, but not much I could do and I guess it is good practice just in case Badminton is a big soggy mess. He warmed up rather brightly in a large grassy field and gave me a perfect flying change both ways (something we've been putting some serious work in on recently!) We warmed up well - I was using my schooling whip as per last Chris lesson and he was towing me in. Then moved on to ride a course. Kept the height down as he was getting stuck in the mud a bit but the bigger fences I rode better and he jumped well and we did a few at 1,05m, inc a triple bar and water tray so it was worth doing.
Few hours rest while the others did their XC then it was our turn. The heavens opened right at the beginning which made reins and saddle all slippy but then the sun came out and we dried out again. We worked through water, steps down into water (which he was a little hesitant about - definitely something to work on still), most of the ditches there - ones with a slope down to and ones on the flat and he never hesitated. Did a coffin with hanging logs either side on an angle, no probs, didn't think twice. They have a bigger coffin with really airy hanging logs and slope down to a ditch that I'd like to have a go at when the ground is better so definitely planning a return trip before Badders as it was 100% the best XC course I've schooled round. Huge variety of fences, loads of lovely hedges between the fields and every fence you could dream of, all with all-weather take offs and landings which was fab considering the recent weather! We did a couple of meaty left handed corners on a right 90degree turn which he flew, steps down to skinnies no probs, skinnies on turns no probs. I didn't give him a chance to question, just rode forwards and he answered. Only time he questioned me was bounce up 2 steps then 3 positive strides to a brush into space - fab 2nd time round though. (definitely will do more work on getting him to trust me when he has to jump and land down a steep hill) Finished with jumping a big rolltop on top of a mound, landing into space down steep slope to ditch on 2.5strides (we did 3), then 2 strides to another meaty narrow rolltop on an angle - flew it! Honestly, if he chucks me in the coffin at Badminton again next year I don't know what more I could do to prepare him!
Wednesday we went to Parwood and hired the outdoor school which had the full BSJA course from the day before. Bit of warming up complete with schooling whip (following on from last lesson with Chris) made for a nice, forward going Monty really taking me into the jumps and listening when I rode for the forwards stride. Set the course up to be 1m/1.05m ready for the BE100 Plus at Coombelands on Saturday. Flew round not touching a pole even when I messed up a couple of lines as hadn't actually walked the course. So we put a selection of them up and he flew round again not touching a pole. Very pleased with how he went. Big full up oxer into one stride double then 4 stride related distance easy peasy. Clever lad. Pleased I didn't see a duff stride all session either!
Sadly our BE100 Plus debut wasn't to be. Torrential rain on Friday and again on Saturday morning led me to withdraw. We went last year for the BE90 and after all the effort of getting there, the SJ warmup was a bog, he wouldn't canter in it let alone jump and because we weren't warmed up properly I didn't ride well in the arena and it was all just a bit waste of time with me then withdrawing before XC as I knew he'd hate the ground. No point attempting our biggest class yet in the same circumstances so sadly decided to stay at home. Practiced our flying changes instead and managed clean ones both ways (amongst some not so clean!) - the penny is definitely dropping!
Sunday we went to BCA for some BSJA. About time I used my membership - it cost enough! Why is it the jumps look so much bigger indoors? The British Novice looked small so I'm glad I didn't enter that but suddenly the 95cm looked plenty big enough. Ridiculously twisty course with turnbacks after almost every fence. Finally after 3hours (this is why I hate SJ!) it was time to actually get on. He warmed up well enough (warmup outdoors) although I was struggling to see forward shots and did crash through one oxer due to hooking him back to nothing. So frustrated with myself after jumping so well at Parwood - it must be subconscious nerves as I don't see why else it was so different to literally 4days previously. Went in and because it was so twisty I really struggled to get a good rhythm going, some of the turnbacks were so tight he had to trot and I just held him into a big oxer at 3 so he had the back rail. He saved us at fence 6 by going on a long one when I was definitely trying to hold for another non-exiistant stride. No second phase for us. Bit disappointed with my riding.
Half hour break. New course to learn for our first Discovery. Definitely looked big enough although sure no bigger than Parwood but indoors and tight turns made it seem huge. Final fence of second phase full up 1m10 oxer looked massive and sort of hoped I wouldn't have to jump it! Course was nicer for us - still the silly 270degree turn back from 1 to 2, then there was a sharp left turn after 3 back to a one stride double, 4 stride related distance (glad we had practiced that at Parwood!) and then round to 2 fences on a straight line down the long side that walked on 6.5 strides so I knew I'd have to hold for 7 as unlikely to make 6 indoors. Tight turn back to planks as final part of first phase. Warmed up more forwards, practiced some tight turns from one warmup fence to another convincing him to trust me and go on the long one. Didn't jump anything decent before we went in as no-one there to help me and no-one jumping anything big in the warmup so just had to go in with what we had. He went sooooo much better - was really pleased with how he jumped. Still trotted round the corner from 1 to 2, but sharp right turnbacks like that definitely still our weak point. Thrilled with how he jumped the big oxer at 3 then the difficult line at 4-5, great shot at 6 and then donut here sat and held a little but wasn't actually effective in my holding then thought 3 strides out maybe I could make it on 6 strides and pushed him on only to have him chip in a 7th and take it down in front. Nice turnback to the planks to finish. Bit annoyed with myself for cocking up what should have been quite an easy related distance after the 4-5 line but did get out of jumping the second phase! Still, I guess 4 faults for our first Discovery wasn't too bad and I was pleased with how much better we went second time in. Just frustrating that he rarely touches a pole in training yet almost always has 4 faults in competition. Chris always says he doesn't understand why I ever have a fence down when he sees us in lessons.
Next week there is BSJA on my doorstep at Parwood. It's outdoors so hopefully the fences won't look so big although apparently they built well up to height last week. They don't have a 95cm though so I'm stuck with the Discovery and 1.05m!!! I really don't want to do the British Novice as it's just so small I don't ride it with any purpose so I'm gonna man up and enter the 1.05m. If the Disc goes horribly wrong I can always ride it again HC but we really should be able to do the 1.05m if we're going to get round Badminton next year! Let's just hope we don't make it through to the second phase as 1m15 is quite frankly terrifying!
Next stop is training at Lyneham Heath with Owen Moore on Thursday. Chris is away at the moment so taking the chance to get some training in at a completely new XC schooling venue to encounter some new questions as he's seen everything local to us. Bargain course through BE - £48 for an hour SJ in the morning and 1.5hrs XC in the afternoon. Gonna be a long day though as 2.5hrs each way without allowing for rush hour traffic - eugh!
Started with some sitting trot to canter transitions to get him making the transition more from behind. I have always got away with asking him to canter without going into sitting trot first as I find sitting difficult and he tends to hollow but it's not great for getting his bum underneath him. Did a few of these then we did some work on the walk piris. Must be careful not to let him try and make them too small and pivot - better to have them a bit larger and keep the walk stepping correctly. Use the legs alternately to keep the movement and make sure to keep the correct bend and not cross hands over withers. Some of them were worthy of 8's so that was quite exciting!
Next we did some lateral work in sitting trot - he did some lovely shoulder-in making sure to keep the same trot rhythm and keep the inside bend. Then travers. If feel him tightening then need to get the neck down as then the back comes up and softens. In the HP right take time to position right in SI first, then move over keeping the inside bend and not allowing the quarters to lead. Quarters need to step through and underneath him not let the inside hind just step out to the side. Circle if feel that you are losing the bend. Left HP good positioning and good consistency.
Medium trot - his hind end is really trying but he needs to come up in front and open the shoulder now. Keep the poll up, look up and ride forward.
Canter work - HP left good. HP right same as in trot, take time to set up the SI positioning then move him over whilst keeping the bend.
In preparation for the changes do simple changes and have them really snappy and super responsive to the leg aid so he's really listening to the canter aid. If he tries to wriggle the quarters in, move the shoulders over to meet them rather than trying to move the quarters back out again. With the changes, establish the new bend then change the leg aids. He initially did a clean one right to left, then we had a few not so clean ones but finished with a clean one each way, although left to right he was hollowing so need to work on keeping him rounder and softer so he can swing through with the new lead. Definite progress though.
Generally need to remember to keep him connected, don't let the reins get too long, keep giving and taking the inside rein/both reins to check he is in self carriage and most of all just keep him soft and relaxed in the rein.
Plan is for Medium Freestyle at the end of December - eek!
