Well June and July were a complete washout! The June bank holiday was the last of the continuous nice weather and along with it went my motivation. Anyone else feeling a bit meh the last while? Projects not finished, sure I can do it tomorrow/next week etc because there'll be nothing else to do......
Also, because I was slightly injured I was giving myself and the horses a break, as well as running, pilates took a hit too.........and the running has been hit and miss since. I actually meant to run this morning, but thought oh my sleep is more important. I've been finding it harder to get to sleep when I go to bed, therefore I find it hard to get up nice and early. I can't blame the phone, as I am good at not being on it when I go to bed and I usually turn off the internet on it. But I have gotten back in to reading and if it's a good back (usually a thriller or a whodunnit) I gotta find out how it ends, which has led to two very late nights!!
I did go to physio eventually and my ankle is much better, my rotator cuff is taking a lot longer to heal though, and annoyingly is on the side I sleep on!
There was lifting of more restrictions in June and I got to see my sisters and nieces and nephews, which was great. There were also rumours that competitions may get back. I was nearly afraid to get excited. I had kept up my lessons more for me than anything else. I knew there was stuff I had to work on and I wanted it to be so practiced that it would come naturally to me on competition day when the nerves kicked in, as they so often do. But there's only so much you can practice, actually getting out and doing it is part of the education for you and your horse.
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| Exploring.... |
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| Adventures! |
Unregistered jumping kicked off in some places. I wasn't back riding yet, so I couldn't do it. Then SJI started back and there was a weekend show on in Cavan. I didn't feel ready to jump in the deep end yet. I wanted another lesson under my belt. I went as a groom instead and by the end of the day I was feeling like I was missing out.
Cu Chulainn came back from his holiday looking very 'round' and a bit unfit, which is unusual for him. I was really afraid I'd be back to square one with jumping, more me than him. I had had a few struggles with confidence. But I was delighted we struck off where we ended our last lesson and climbed higher. Everything we did in it came easier. I stopped overthinking (well not completely) and things felt smooth.
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| Back in action |
So the next week I travelled down to Banner Equestrian Centre down in Ennis to do a leg of their league to ease back in to jumping. I used the new SJI live system to enter and we had times then for our jumping on Sunday, which is handy. I entered the 1m and the 90cm. Unfortunately they were on in 2 different arenas and as luck would have it the 1m was first. It wasn't outrageously big or anything, but I would have liked to have started with the 90. We got over 1 + 2, but I was rusty and when we got to 3 he was like nope. He refused it twice. I wasn't giving him confidence that he could do it and I was full of tension, rushing him into it. So I took a second. Took a deep breath and then took him to it again and then it was grand after that. I NEED TO REMEMBER TO BREATHE. I was tempted to do the 1.10 because I'd done the 1m now and it was the same course. But then I thought to myself. What if the same thing happens again but I'm unnerved because the jumps are bigger? Then it would all go to pot. I was better off doing the 90 and getting a new course under my belt. So we pottered off the 90 and just used it as a training round, focusing on smoothness. He was double clear in that.
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| I like big butts and I cannot lie...... |
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| Road work |
It was now time to enter our first proper one day competition, and that competition would be the Munster Amateur show down in Clare Equestrian Centre. We had great luck there last year, but that was a year ago. There haven't been many days out since. I entered the first and last class. My friend Emma came with me as groom and Wendy and Amanda were competing too.
I was first in for the Welcome stakes. Gulp. Queue overthinking and then trying not to overthink. I tried to focus a bit on breathing. CC warmed up lovely. Chilled out, popped everything nice and steady. Suddenly it was time to go in. I hate this bit. Did I mention it was absolutely roasting and I had my show jacket on and was dying inside?! Anyways......we went in and he went really nicely. We were going clear and I was coming to the last 2 and just thinking, right keep it together, get him there, support, look ahead, breathe.......and the next thing we were over the last and clear! Big pats for the dude.
Then I put him away and got to chill for awhile as the jump off was after everyone went and there were a lot of entries.
I went to find out the jump off and decide what way I was going to do it. A quick call to Seamus to see WTF I should do as I hadn't practiced jump offs and well it's been a long time since I was in one. I only missed 2 jumps off the jump off course when I read it........lucky others had seen it!! I had an idea in my head of what I was going to do. I actually got drawn near the end of the list so I had time to see a few. I was going to go for smooth and not go around the world, not hell for leather. CC seemed to know the deal. As soon as we were in the warm up he upped it a few gears himself. We were in the zone.
When I went in to the ring I went over to one of the jumps to try and see the turn I could make after it. Ding, ding, ding. There goes the bell. Say a prayer - but you don't even believe?!
Forward going canter into the first and keep it going. I got some sweeter turns than I had expected. There was a turn from a double into a triple bar that I knew needed to be given respect, but I got it a bit tighter than I had planned-wahoo. Then we kinda just went for the last, not flat out because I'd seen a lot hit the last and I was damned if I was going to do that!! We went clear-yayy. I went into first, until the next rider, dammit.......but hey I'll take a second in our first comp back! We won a fab stud girth that will actually fit him!!
We sat out the next one and watched it. Had a burger and chips and they were divine.
The Horseware Amateur League was next class. I watched them put up the jumps....serious deep breaths. I walked the course and was sure NOT to stand beside the jumps cos honestly they were mahoosive. They actually looked like the AA. I had to not think about it or it would mess up my head. It doesn't take much, I'm a blonde after all 😂😂
I was second in, which in some ways was good. I didn't get to see other people messing up ( there had been a lot of faults and some falls over the day) or other people doing flying clears. I had to focus on me. It's so easy to get carried away with how others are doing and not focus on your own journey, we've all been there right?
Once I got over the first two fences I relaxed into it more. We flew it over the first 8, just a pity there were 10 jumps!! I was so focused on a double of verticals and not driving him in to it, that I forgot about the next jump. I thought it was farther away than it was and did a weird turn into it which made me lose a stirrup and I was already lobsided. It was only the biggest bloody jump on the course that I was now headed to with one stirrup and already unbalanced. He did it anyway and we knocked it just cos I was a whale on top and then I did the death grip with my legs which made him fly into the next jump and I could not sit it, so we had that down too. But, I was DEEEEElighted with our day and with him. He was a rockstar. But also with me. I overcame my nerves, I rode well (until I forgot about that jump) and I remembered to breathe (mostly)!! #winning
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| Over the first.... |
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