Munstead Combined Training 06-03-16

First dressage on grass of the year, first go at N112.  Little bit more interesting than the usual BE100 tests.  Bit of leg yield, medium trot, medium canter on a half circle and canter down the final centre line.  Could be fun on grass!  He was a superstar though.  Really listening.  Just dropped off my leg slightly before the canter-trot-canter over X (too many flying changes in the warmup) and went a bit wild down the final centre line so stuck his quarters left as I used too much outside leg to try and hold him.  6.5's for those movements otherwise all 7's, 7.5's and a couple of 8's!  7.5 for my riding and a comment about lovely partnership and well trained horse.  Really pleased with him.  Got 27.75 which is 72.25% and came 3rd after dressage out of 12 or so.

He bounced back to the lorry like he was well aware this was eventing time and something exciting was coming up.  Unfortunately the ground in the SJ wasn't to his liking.  I really tried to warm him up like we did in our lesson a couple of weeks back thinking on and back and connection and initially it went ok but then aimed at a small oxer and I didn't see a forwards stride so he ducked out. He did that twice so lowered it to a vertical which jumped fine then back to a small oxer which he also jumped fine.  The ground in the arena looked better than the warmup so I thought I should give it a go as height wise it looked fine to me.  In hindsight should have known he wasn't happy after the warmup and entering the 1m10 as first outing of the year on grass probably wasn't the best idea.  They took ages to ring the bell as jump fillers were blowing over, it was sleeting freezing rain on us and I just never quite switched on the canter enough.  I felt a slight wobble at the first oxer fence but leg on and we were over nicely, onto the upright, just a bit close and took it out in front, ok to the next upright but took it out behind.  He never has respected plastic poles but think the ground was just too sticky for him to get enough height.  Round to a one stride double with a big oxer in to an upright out and then 5 strides to a spooky white oxer with plastic jump blocks under it.  Got an ok stride to the oxer but looking at the video it was lacking a bit of power so he landed quite steeply.  Rode for one stride to the next fence and he was probably a little off it but would usually have happily taken a flyer.  Instead he put down then ducked out to the left and I jumped the jump by myself.  Not sure if he just didn't trust the ground although he never felt like he was slipping, just sticking or perhaps he clocked the spooky jump fillers at the next fence but it was a bit uncalled for as he definitely could have tried.  Elected not to continue my round and just popped a x pole in the warmup which he did fine.

He is a tricky customer.  He doesn't like ground too hard, doesn't like it too soft either and at the moment if I give him even a hint of not riding forwards he is taking the opportunity to stop which isn't doing my confidence much good.  I thought we were doing great after our last couple of lessons with Chris but now not so sure.  Have another lesson tomorrow so will see how that goes but rapidly learning to distrust him and fed up of falling off.  It hurts!  Meant to be at Tweseldown on Thursday but suspect the ground will be similar so probably no point bothering.  Will have to wait until April and hope the ground is better or at this rate it will be Badminton before we know it and won't have had any practice.  Considering his future at the moment.  Perhaps dressage is the way to go and a bit of SJ on a surface.  He's clearly not a fan of anything other than perfect grass and that is very hard to find.