Flying Cu Chulainn

Ok, so just back from a show in Claremorris. Totally pooped, but said I'd write this now, as I'm away after work tomorrow to attend a Dressage Ireland judges gala (can't wait) and a few days R 'n R with mamma mia. Very much needed!!

So despite suffering from some serious lack of motivation, I found the energy to compete the last two weekends.

On the Thursday we went for a lovely hack. After a week of crap weather, the clouds cleared and we witnessed the most beautiful sunset. Myself, Rusty and Cu Chulainn walked over to the river and back, a nice gently stroll and he bopped along on the buckle, as chill as a cucumber. We meet lots of cars, a herd of cyclists, some cattle, all grand!

Just after the herd of hi-vis cyclists passed

Some snackage while mam stops to take pics

It's nice to just stop and take it all in

Wow

Both of us enjoying the sunset

On the buckle.......

Pink skies

Post hack selfie!! Fuzzy cos we're walking along

Last weekend, myself and Cu Chulainn did the first night of the Dalysgrove league. He was super, absolutely fantastic. Jumped a lovely clear and did a savage jump off in a tough enough course, with great turns and speed to come in 2nd place, beaten by less than one second!! Completely chuffed with him.

He was off till Tuesday night then. We went over the road to practice a bit of flat and some jumping. He was good on the flat but got a little frustrated which came out when we were jumping. The course was only small, but he was fast and strong. He left them all up though!

Fred doing his best woolly mammoth impression!

Another nice sky

The weather has been pretty miserable in general. Dark, wet, and icky. I decided to go for a hack on Thursday evening, but then the rain came and I convinced myself that the fire & Netflix was a better option........
I had washed two lightweight rugs in the huge washing machines at the petrol station on Wednesday, so I managed to get them reproofed. I bought tent reproofer a year ago online and paint it on to the rugs once they're washed. It worked really well on all bar one. My Optima rug. Which is so disappointing because I like the shape of that rug and I have a hood for it. I'm going to try proofing it twice to see if that will help. I also made more turmeric paste, so it wasn't a complete waste of an evening.


Friday night was round 2 of the Dalysgrove league. The warm up was a little manic and CC was feeling it. He got a tad excited, so we mostly walked around, once he had jumped. For some reason I was really nervous tonight. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. I haven't felt that way in ages and very rarely with CV, but regularly with Fred.... I didn't mention it to anyone at the time and tried to focus on the jump off. We went in for our round and I felt fine once I got going. Unfortunately we had a pole down in our first round, so we didn't get through to the jump off, but he was clear in his second round and he placed 6th. He was so good and quiet in the pocket and stood there, almost falling asleep. Even though he's hairy and it was strangely warm, he did 3 rounds of jumping with minimal sweat. Not so long ago, he would have sweated buckets from tension alone!

Round 1

Round1 contd

Round 2

Saturday I had to collect a load of hay. It was 17 degrees when myself & Rusty were driving there. Loading and unloading the hay was fun in that heat 😞  That afternoon I went over the road to practice some flatwork. We have a Dressage Ireland show next weekend and I needed to see if he could do some of the required moves in a novice test. I want to do a prelim and novice test on him, test the waters. The rein back was a little rushed and tense for the first few times, but he got used to it. His collected canter was perfect, coming back to trot was a little harder. The extended stuff, I know he can do, but I don't know if I'm ready to ask him yet to do it in a test.
We finished off by jumping the jump off from the night before, minus two jumps that had been demolished. I was dying to see if the route I was going to chose would work for him and if he would jump a jump at a very acute angle. He did it perfectly! We didn't do it speedily, just steady but with the angles. My boy can jump. The poor fella was fairly sweaty after as we were in the indoors and I was riding in a tshirt it was that warm!
We went home and he had his dinner ( bit of beet pulp with turmeric) and got his newly washed rug on and out he went to the field.


Sunday and it's off to Claremorris Equestrian Centre for Cu Chulainn, Rusty, G.I.T. and myself. Luckily our dressage is on late, so we don't have to rush down. We arrived just before 12. Got our entries in and washed some of the AP class to learn the jumping course. I went down and tacked him up and we warmed up for the clear round. No nerves today, well no major nerves anyway. He flew it and we got a nice clear round rosette to add to his collection. The first round of jumping was interesting, thanks to CC we managed to keep them all up!! Through to another jump off. I got off him after I'd walked him off because it was such a big class that I wasn't sure when the jump off would be. So we chilled out and then as the last rider went in I got up on him again. I was 7th to go in the jump off. Not too bad, I'd get to see some riders and get a good warm up. I watched 3 riders, one forgot a jump, one knocked a jump with his leg that he wasn't jumping but had to later, and one went clear.........I went in to warm up. I jumped the jump once and then I jumped it at a fast canter to see if we would flatten out or if he'd jump it well, he did, so I left him at that. Next thing it was our turn to go in. My friend Caroline got it on video and you can hear him blowing out, all relaxed. I was so happy with him. He jumped his little heart out. I didn't get the turn quite right to the double, so didn't have him set up right, you can see we didn't quite stop turning! But it was a load of fun. We went straight from the jump off to the dressage warm up. He was starting to get a bit fed up of being in ridden at that stage, and I couldn't blame him. I thought he did a lovely test, the judge didn't quite agree. But hey, I was pleased with him. To be able to go from jumping to dressage just highlights how much he's grown up lately. We went straight back to the box after. I untacked him, got him water and let's just say thee were no issues with him going in the box! Delighted to be finished.
With a quick stop in Supermacs, we headed home. I didn't stick around for the dressage results as we were all tired.

CC's epic jump off

Update: So Storm Ophelia happened since I wrote the initial post. Our Internet at home went, but electricity stayed. All horses stayed outside with headcollars and rugs on and were fine. Judges gala was postponed unfortunately. I'm trying to finish this post on my phone, so I'm sure there's a million mistakes. Grammar nazis feel free to let me know!!
I got some lovely pics of Fred from the Nationals off of Sagitarrian photography.

Doesn't he look fabulous? 

I have more pics from Sunday in Claremorris, but they'll have to wait till next week. G. I. T. has my laptop and is editing away. Thanks to Emma for Friday's videos and Caroline for Sundays. Working off my phone is impossible, so I'll leave it at that!!