A mad weekend

 

Hi there!!

It's been quite a while since I wrote a blog post! I won't do a catch up post today, but instead tell you all about last week, which is fresh as a daisy in my mind!

Grassy-ass

One of us is happier than the other....

Handsome Fred

During the summer I rejoined SJI with a sportsman membership - a great taster for anyone wanting to see what it's all about! I only did one competition though and had being eyeing up competitions for a return.

I saw a date in Tubberbride for the Connaught Horse Championships. There I would be able to do two classes. Before I decided what classes I would enter, or even if I would go at all, it was time to book a lesson.

I absolutely love getting lessons. If I could afford it I would have a lesson every week! Jumping or flatwork, I love them both. So I rang Seamus and booked myself in. Boy was I excited to do a lesson and a full course! It had been agggggges.

Wednesday came and I threw the boys in the box and we went in to the showgrounds. As I was tacking up Cu Chulainn, I began to get dizzy. Not the best start. Ever the equestrian though, I rubbed it off and continued to tack up. He was finishing off his last lesson so I took the opportunity to just walk around for ages and settle my head and blood pressure 👀

We tipped across the warm up jump, while Seamus put it up each time. Not a bother to Cu Chulainn, although Seamus was concerned that he was jumping off centre, this was actually because he was keeping a good eye on Seamus!! Hahah.

Once we had warmed up nicely, it was time to move on to the course. Now this is where I became slightly concerned. Not because of the jumps or the height of them (which wasn't small) but because of the number of them and remembering where I was going! There were 12 including a double. I managed it though!! And Cu Chulainn FLEW it. There was a related distance he actually pulled me into the last stride! Delighted to say I managed to stay with him going over it! The last jump I actually jumped the wrong way (blonde card?!) I realised my error after I passed it by to get my turn in. Anyway, we jumped it (the wrong way) just fine. Now some of the last jumps in the course weren't perfect, I pushed a little too much for a spread and then it got a bit loosey goosey for the next jump, so we just the last 4 again - and I managed to jump the last the correct way! We had a few minutes break and then we went off again and this time it all went smoothly! I was very much out of breath after it. You know it's hard work sitting on top of him doing all the jumping 😉 So after discussing with Seamus I decided to enter the 90 and 1m for Saturday. I was feeling really confident in our abilities, especially after the lesson.

I didn't mention that I have a mental block when it comes to this venue, Tubberbride. I jumped Fred a few times there for the riding club RDS qualifiers and it was never great - although truth be told he was never a showjumper. Even the last time I rode there with Cu Chulainn I got myself in a little tizzy trying to remember the course. The arena is surrounded by bush on the sides of the warm up arena so you can't see in, a bit like Mullingar (a massive pet hate of mine for there). I like to be able to see into the arena you are going into. But I feel in a better place riding now. I'm less nervous. I'm fully confident in Cu Chulainn and his abilities and finally letting him do this thing, which is to jump like a legend.

After my lesson I gave both the boys a good wash. Apart from Saturday in Tubberbride we had Ballinasloe Agricultural Show on Sunday and I wanted to get a good first wash in (which turned out to be their only wash, so good thing I got it done). I didn't ride Fred, because of the dizzy spell, which hadn't full disappeared.

Saturday morning arrived. I had the jeep packed and just had to put on the box and put the horse in. Cu Chulainn came straight from the field into the box. Rusty was already well loaded in fear that I might forget the furry mascot. I picked up my friend Caroline on route to Sligo and we had a great catch up which made the journey so much shorter.

Due to the entries being so big, they had to put on two arenas which meant that I was jumping the 1m before my 90s class. Not ideal. The 1m was well under way when I got there so I could at least watch. Hard to say if walking the course would have helped me memorise it better, but I really struggled with learning it. I tacked up Cu Chulainn and headed for the warm up. Seamus was actually there. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because he can help me warm up and give tips. Bad because if it all goes to shit (which, let's be honest, has happened) he is there to witness it all and give you that head shake...... 

When I was warming up there was a young horse in the arena that started having a meltdown and every time I went passed he was rearing. Needless to say I was very distracted by that and when I was jumping I was conscious of where he was because he could land in front of you. Because of this I landed Cu Chulainn right through a jump. The poor horse. It wasn't that bad, but I felt bad. Apart from that he warmed up lovely. Beast mode was enabled. I went into the ring a rider ahead. Practiced my breathing to keep chill. I was still nervous about remembering the course. Unfortunately that nervousness came through for my round. I got to jump 3 and knew I had to turn right but had no idea where the next jump was. Then when I hit the second round again I knew I had to take a short cut but I couldn't because I couldn't remember where the bloody jump was. I pushed him then through a 2 stride double and got 3 strides and he knocked the second part. Apart from the losing my way (or mind) I was delighted with how I rode and obviously he was great. I supported him, I didn't drop him at the fences, I just got lost. Seamus said I should enter the 1.10, and if that isn't a compliment I don't know what is!

A couple of hours of chill before the next class. I watched a load more riders go hell for leather in the 1m. Got another litre of tea into me (my new travel mug is epically big!). Once the 90 kicked off I went and got Cu Chulainn ready again. He didn't need as much of a warm up this time. So we spent a good while just walking around. Once he knows he's jumping, he's in the zone. We had a bit of a wait before we could go into the ring, so we walked down to the indoor, which was lovely and quiet. 

The 90cm class was much smoother than the 1m. Although I still wasn't fully confident in my memory of the course it went well. I was lying in second the whole way through until Padraic Kelly finished in the other arena and jumped his entries for the 90. Still, to get another rosette in my second competition isn't half bad, especially against 40 other competitors! 

Home

Out to grass

Sunday was day two of my competition weekend. I spent the morning getting Fred ready because he was due to be on first and I calculated that I had loads of time to get Cu Chulainn ready there (those agri shows....so hard to know when you will be on). Fred was looking like the handsome boy he is and loving all the attention he was getting. 

Got in and got my numbers. There was big numbers there from very early on. I went out and got Fred out of the box and put the finishing touches to him. Then tacked him up and warmed up. Ended up being a tad late into the class. Oopsies. Poor Fred tripped right down to his knees in the canter, but we carried on and he was fine. We didn't place, but it was so lovely to be out and about on him again and he loved being at a show. I walked around for a bit once he was back in the box and bumped into different people I knew. 

Proud of my tail plait!

It was HOURSSS before it was time for Cu Chulainn's working hunter class. Myself and Rusty even had a power nap in the jeep. Cu Chulainn was not in the mood for a show but still jumped his little socks off. I missed a jump in the 90cm. The course was so tight that it just came up too fast. We turned around and he popped it. He would have jumped it if I had supported him properly, but I was running on empty at that stage too. In the 1m the same thing happened except that this time I supported him and he jumped it. We came 2nd in that class and he stood for the presentation like a champ. I hopped off him straight away and we walked out to the box and untacked him and gave him the lick as a treat. Thankfully we were so close to home and so it was just a few mins before we got home. They had a quick dinner and out they went to enjoy a few days of grass and chill.

Post power nap

I was all picture no sound by that stage. I was in bed by half 9. Exhausted. It took 2 days for me to recover. I'm so rusty on competition weekends!! Great to be back at the showjumping though and to have times for when you are on! The absolute luxury of it.

Another tail plait

Time to hang up the tie for another year