Riding Club Show Jumping at Keysoe!

It's been an odd and rather quiet few weeks for Georgie and I as it's January, it's a long month and after being rather accustomed to the mild start to the winter, it has been freezing!
I had mixed feelings about this weekend far various reasons but had been looking forward to grooming for Georgie at the Riding Club Show Jumping at Keysoe EQ centre. 
It was an early start to the morning as the 100cm classes started at 9.30 but not only was it started slightly early they were flying through the rounds with letting the next competitor in while the current rider was still jumping the final 2 fences which caught a lot of people, including us, and there was a distinct tense atmosphere in the indoor arena warm up area, plus it was absolutely rammed with people! 
Georgie was able to warm up a little outside in the 80cm warm up arena as it was definitely less busy and chaotic so at least that was a nice start! 
Unfortunately not having room to really jump enough fences and the indoor class arena being absolutely rammed full of fences (personally I felt the 80cm should have been in the smaller indoor arena and the 100cm in the outdoor, more spacious arena but that's just my opinion) and the course being really tight G did sadly did roll a few poles out of their cups. This is really uncharacteristic for B as he's usually very careful but we summarised that he was going much to fast and feeling very keen and enjoying himself that he just wasn't fully focused. 

Now me, being a total newbie to anything riding club figured it was just like normal show jumping right? If you aren't a clear round you don't do a jump off etc. Well, no, no-one had told us anything and I proceeded to untack me and get us bacon sarnies ready to have an early end to the day and drive home but alas no, even if you have poles down (and even get eliminated) you still have to go back in for another round and they'll be bigger than the round before. Does that make sense to me..... no, but there we go.

Good old B, I had to tack him up in lightning speed, put boots back on and get back in the arena for Georgie to warm him back up! He proceeded to take it all in his stride and perhaps the first round and time to chill meant he went back in the arena much more steady but still, with a very tight course and a horse with a giant stride such as B has they sadly still rolled a pole but came out more positive than before.
Not the start we'd obviously wanted to 2019 but Georgie and B hadn't done any show jumping comps since October and B was obviously excited to be out and about! 

I am certainly looking forward to this coming weekend when we're back at Keysoe for Arena Eventing, which is much more fun and will be outdoor so we won't be lacking space! 
I took my camera and some of the photos came out okay considering my camera struggles a bit in low light and the arena and warm up's being so cramped!

I really liked Georgie's House of Montar jacket even if I wasn't sure of it when Georgie bought it at Olympia. Plus I am so pleased I offered her my rose gold spurs from Eclat Equestrian 

Scent laying for the Cambridge University Drag Hounds

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, I've has such a busy December and start to the New Year, plus I spent most of it ill with this chesty cough that has been doing the rounds!
Erik and I have enjoyed me being off work as he's been being ridden loads and loads and we've been doing different rides or our normal rides backwards to liven things up and he's loved it!

He got dressed up for Christmas when Georgie, Frankie and I went out for a lovely hack Christmas even and obviously, any excuse to dress up your horse!
We've also has some jumping schooling at home which he's enjoyed. We carried on from our last lesson  and have been doing some 'gymnastics' in the school at home, namely in the form of raised trotting poles, a square grid at the end which you can use to come at in all different directions, doing jumps with no ground line with flower pots underneath and stacking cavaletti's.. It's all been going on! When i've been doing these are home Erik has been a little fresh and unfocused with him wanting to stare through the fence to see what Beanie is up to but some trotting pole grids and lot's of circles and turning soon got his mind focused and paying attention. Jumping has been going well and I am pleased.

Georgie and I having a quieter December meant we were keen to get out and do something, so when I had the idea of being the scent layers/draggers for the Cambridge University Drag Hounds we were keen to ask and were excited to be accepted. Trumpington Hall is somewhere where Georgie and I have been going for a long time, since Pony Club even, and with it being so close to home it's always a fun one to go to.

We plaited up that morning and spruced up the horses the night before we were all ready to go, so with my whizzing off in my car to the meet to walk the lines Georgie and Mum very kindly bought the horses along a little later. As we've not had rain in a good few days the ground was absolutely perfect! A nice combination of give in the ground but not too heavy at all, absolutely spot on. 
We obviously left the meet about 10 minutes early to make sure we weren't caught up by the hounds, huntsman Duncan or the field! Lucky we did because we got started and jumped a few fences when Erik thought this was all very exciting and tried to zoom off with me and after a brief wobble in confidence and a bracing pep talk from Georgie we were off again and going. I hadn't quite got the new to keep jumping as it's then that Erik get's really excited and tended to want to just go off as fast as possible! 

Photo courteous of Timelight Equestrian Photography, used with permission on social media

Luckily I had Georgie and Beanie with me to drag the first line while I got myself in control and faught off my demons. Beanie really is amazing he just jumped anything Georgie put him at, while dragging the scent! 

 Thank you Kamikaze photography for the photo 

 Thank you Kamikaze photography for the photo 

 Photo courteous of Timelight Equestrian Photography, used with permission on social media

Thank you Kamikaze photography for the photo 

We however steadily dragged the scent for the entire first line and it was nice to let our horses stand and have a breather while we watched the hounds and field make their way towards us! 
It was a rather surreal experience being the other side of the field and seeing everyone coming towards you rather than being in the field itself with everyone! 

 Waiting for the field 

Caught up by the field at the end of line 1

After a brief breather Georgie and I set off for line 2, along the bank of the River Cam and along the cross country course! Over the years we've cantered along here on various horses so it was nice to add another to that count and Georgie had fun popping over fences and waving to onlookers in Granchester Meadows! Erik was behaving himself well here and I was able to take the scent line from Georgie while she jumped along! He was very good considering he had never dragged before and he's got a line of bailer twine with a very smelly rag on the end dragging along behind him! 

 Photo courteous of Timelight Equestrian Photography, used with permission on social media

 Thank you Steph for snapping this pic! 

We then made our way to the final part of line 2 which was in to the woods where the cross country course usually winds through! The last time I went through that woods was during a cross country trial when I was a child/teenager so that was a lovely blast from the past! 

We ended the line in the field we began in and again it was really fun to see everyone canter back in to the field with lot's of smiley faces. It looked like everyone had a lovely time and really enjoy themselves, as did the horses! 

With a lot of steam coming off the horses a breather was needed before line 3, which was lines 1 and 2 backwards and without hounds so a good half returned to do line 3 while the rest made their way back to the boxes to wash of their horses and have some refreshments. 

It was a good few miles and quick pace so they were well earned by horse and rider. Georgie and I decided for the later and to call the day the end there and finish on a good note. Both horses adrenalines were certainly still up while we untacked and we quickly dried them off and got them home to settle before having a thorough wash off and clean up! 

Back home Bean was dried off under the heat lamps and Erik snuggled up back in his bed, both of them with a big pile of hay and a hearty feed!

We had such a lovely day together Sunday and we wanted to say thank you to the Cambridge University Drag Hounds for having us and providing such a lovely day out. 

If you'd like to go out with them yourself, their meet card can be found on their Facebook along with corresponding events pages. 

PS we'd highly recommend Burghley! 

Snuggled up! 

Absolutely flying; Erik and I having our 2nd jump lesson

I've had an interesting Birthday weekend; Saturday was not only blowing a hooley but it was also 1 degrees and the word 'snow' and 'sleet' mentioned heavily in forecasts but I was absolutely determined to ride on my Birthday even if it was arctic and I was riding alone. 

I got down the yard as the sun rose to tack up Erik and try on some new equipment; I've decided we are going to trial a grackle and he seems to be happy in! After that fitting I tacked up and got ready to go, to say Erik was raring to go would be an understatement! I had to ask him to stand 3 times at the mounting block while usually I 'park' him at it and he waits but Saturday he was fidgeting about and as soon as my bum hit the saddle we were off, when usually he waits for me to tell me. Naughty E!

Despite being absolutely freezing Erik and I had a lovely ride, had a few trots and a canter and he loved going on a new ride that we haven't done in months! 

Sunday came and luckily the wind had died down and the cold arctic winds had moved on and we actually had a nice mild day for my second jumping lesson with Erik at the beautiful Palace House in Newmarket. I was hosting RoR lessons there that day and a last minute cancellation meant an empty spot so I asked G if she'd take me when she went for her lesson with Beanie, to which she kindly said yes and off we went! 

After my first lesson I was feeling confident that I could jump a little bigger and had much more of an idea of what I was doing with this big galumphing horse. We started off with a grid of poles on the floor to get Erik and I thinking about what we were doing and me 'allowing' him to find his own stride instead of trying to over control him. He likes to stand off fences so that takes some getting used to but after a couple of runs he stopped rushing and found his own stride. 

In no time at all the grid was going up and up and we were away! I really liked this grid for adding in some 'gymnastics' time to a lesson rather than just jumping whatever is needed.
We had successfully done the grid a few times and then a double was put in and then another double so the next thing I know we're snaking down one side if the arena, across the diagonal and down the other side. I really was enjoying myself, and so much so that once my lesson had finished I hadn't realised that we had in fact been jumping 90 to 100cm!
Erik what a good egg he is! 

End of the grid, flying!

 must remember, elbows in! 

Windy ride the day before, on my Birthday!