Been away at Burghley last couple of days so Monty has had 2 days off. Nice times for today so I thought - 11.14, 12.14 and 12.49
Away from the yard bang on time to arrive dead on 9am. Panic no.1 - watching someone's dressage test thinking that's not the one I've learnt! Oops! Doofus here had learnt BE92 instead of BE91, probably as I dont even remember ever reading the schedule! So, quick learn of that and then off to walk the SJ - v bright and colourful as usual but nothing that should cause Montster a problem. Off to the XC - almost identical to the BE course we did in May so easy to learn. They had moved a couple of fences to slightly different lines but otherwise the same. Got back up to the car, looked in the programme (should have looked at it walking round really) and there was a chair listed after the sunken road before the water that I hadn't seen whilst out walking - hadn't seen any notes in the secretary about fences being taken out - cue huge panic no.2 about having missed a fence on the course walk but no time to go and see!
Anyway, onto the dressage - seemed to warm up ok, considering 2days off not especially enthusiastic but not bad. Not to self - dont practice walk to canter in the warmup for a prelim with a clever orange pony! So, we went in for our test which I have now decided is beneath him - not enough to keep the orange brain occupied. He was really sweet round most of it though - bloody quarters swung right down the first centre line - no idea why suddenly having such a huge problem with this but it needs sorting quick! But after that it was all good until picked him up into trot after the walk and he went straight into canter - gah! That messed up the turn down the final centre line which was wobbling all over the place (4 for that movement) and then the halt which he took too long organising his feet for so got a 5 and "moved". Really disappointed with a score of 37.5 (worst all season) which fortunately I didn't hear until after XC or I might have just gone home given the weather which was about to descend on us! Even without the final mistakes we'd only have got about 36. 7666 for collectives. "Fair, elastic paces. Needs to develop equal bend on both reins and come more through from behind" List 6 judge. :(
So, ran off after dressage to try and find this mystery missing fence but no sign of it - concluded programme wrong and toddled back to the trailer (legs v tired after Burghley yesterday!) Halfway back the monsoon started - I was in my dressage gear with no hat and no waterproof coat so by time I made it back to trailer I was completely soaked. It came down heavier and heavier and heavier - the car park became a lake and I could barely see the arenas. Looked like they were carrying on though so with 5mins to go before SJ and no sign of a let up I had to get on - quick trot down to the SJ, popped over a few warmup fences and in we went - fortunately not many had jumped since the rain so ground wasn't too trodden up but it was slippery and he kept putting in short ones - bless him, he jumped out of his skin to clear most of them, just got a slightly long stride at the huge oxer at fence 6 and he failed to get enough lift out of the bog and took out front and back rails. No videos today as phone doesn't like monsoons!
Back to trailer to change for XC, still persistently heavy rain although full on monsoon had eased ever so slightly. Back to the bright green hat silk/XC jumper to match shiny new point 2 air jacket purchased at Burghley. Peeled off my show shirt and on with the jumper with huge difficulty! Despite help I was running rather late heading down to XC start. XC warmup was a bog - jumped one fence couple of times then gave up. Nearly didn't make it into the start box as thought about napping but just made it in in time to go on the starter's Go.
Galloped up the first track to find a massive lake with no way round so kicked on through that and then over the first, gallop down to the 2nd, shot round the corner on a right dodgy line to the 3rd and then great stride to the 4th. Dodgy line to the drop palisade at 5, ended up almost in trot as well so pony did v well to jump it, onto the double of boxes at 6, he had a good look at the first one on the way over and neatly popped 4 strides into the 3 stride distance. Round and boldly over the hanging log before up the hill to the corner which had a crater in front of it filled with water making it much bigger than it really is (one day they'll fill in the crater or move the fence!) so he got in mega close, almost left a leg but made it over. Down the hill and back to trot for the tight turn to hanging log at 9, took out the right hand flag then right turn up a hill, nice stride to identical log at 10. Really super bold through the sunken road (he seems to love these!), gallop on down to the water, bit unsure at the box brush before it but kicked on for a nice jump, trotted through the water and out over the hanging roll top, through the woods and over the hanging log to step down. Gallop on to the chair and then the final fence. We did it in 4.48 and the optimum was 4.59 which considering the course was almost identical to May when the time was 4.39 I think they wheeled a bit more generously as plenty of people made the time.
Really pleased with his jumping given the conditions, narked by the bad dressage mark as combination of that and the 4 faults SJ kept us out of the top 10 and he really should be top10 consistently at this stage given we're about to move up! Hoping the BE100 dressage tests will have a bit more in them to occupy him and pick up the marks. We finished on 41.5. Placings were all in the 30's. Feel he would have SJ'd clear if it wasn't for the crappy weather/ground - 2nd half of the class hardly anyone went clear compared to 1st half where majority were clear so definitely placings affected by weather. We were 14th in the end out of 44 starters which isn't bad considering everything, but still disappointed. Only 23 completed in my section who apparantly had many more probs with jumping than the other sections. I would have been 7th without the fence down, 5th without the dressage mistakes as well. Winner on 33 but top 10 all v close.
Think am going to take him down to Sparsholt for some RC SJing on Sunday - they have a 95cm and 1m class which should be just right for him in preparation for Munstead 100 in 2wks time. We have got last minute lesson on Tue evening then Wellington Area Festivals on Thur - nice mid morning times. Then am off to Blenheim on Sat although will ban myself from any more shopping after Burghley the last few days! Have to say - did feel rather smart in my new show shirt and stock and then my nice point 2 for XC. Llewi is off to his new home on Tuesday so this week is looking rather busy!
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