Battle Hill ODE

Last Sunday I took 3 horses down to Battle Hill for their ODE & area trials. It was a crazy day - with some dressage judges seemingly just forgotten to be booked - so everything was running very late, and the judges who were there ended up judging twice as many as they'd expected! So all a bit busy and crazy.

Ruby and Neo were doing Training, and Scuba was having his first eventing start at PreTraining. Ruby was up first and did a more relaxed dressage test than Aokautere - but I think a bit more lazy. We've been working at home towards getting a nice middleground:

Neo was next up, and sadly his dressage was nowhere near as relaxed as his last time out. He wasn't overly uptight, just not totally listening. Still playing around with bits to suit him, but starting to wonder if he must be due to see mister dentist!

Scuba actually ended up doing his dressage after the entire Training class finished their showjumping (crazy). But it did mean we warmed up twice, which was probably good as the atmosphere had him pretty uptight at first. He settled really nicely and then had his first time in a dressage arena! He coped extremely well. Had some parts of the test a bit distracted/looking around, but some really nice work too. And he's such a pretty man.

Showjumping went super on all the horses! Rode Neo first - and he was a dude. Even got through the double in the right amount of strides! He must be getting more confident in himself, which is great. And Ruby just breezed around like it was nothing.

Scuba was really brave too! He was probably a bit overfaced with the course (including the whole show scene), but he was great! Tried heaps. We stuffed a couple of distances, but he gave everything a really good shot. He doesn't particularly want to take rails either!

I hate crosscountry. But I'd walked most of both courses the night before to give myself time to prepare (panic?). The Training course was a very tough one (4 elements at the water, something like 27 jumping efforts over the entire course, an evil chevron corner and all sorts of things that help me to continue disliking crosscountry). Ruby just absolutely flew around like an old pro. I was so over the moon - only her 2nd ever XC and she was already carting me around and looking for the next fence. She gave me a fantastic ride, and was one of very few clear rounds.

Neo's steering issue from Aokautere was pretty much instantly resolved by me putting the correct bridle on him this time (what a blonde). He popped around happily like a wee ponyclub schoolmaster, but we had trouble at the chevron corner... just couldn't quite get my angle/approach right for him (enough for him to understand exactly what I wanted). But he's come along in leaps and bounds, and I think it was a great XC performance from Neo - especially at the water complex where I put him wrong into the first element, landed on his face, and he just tipped me back into the saddle and kept plodding on.

Scuba was not interested in the crosscountry idea at all. So we ended up just going for a trot around the course and him having a looksee at all the fascinating and scary things. I had to head home straight after riding to catch a flight for work, but heard later that Ruby came 4th - so that was wicked news! 2 eventing starts for 2 placings :)

The new truck

As promised, photos of the new truck!


The outside, complete with new personalised plates and farm logo (I really recommend anyone putting on a vinyl decal not try to do it alone, in the wind, balancing on a 44 gallon drum on uneven ground!):


And the inside. First pic is looking in, you can see the chest bins and cover racks and saddle racks and some of the accommodation (has a fridge, shower, oven and fullsize luton etc). Then from the inside looking out:


And as of Monday evening I am now a fully licensed class2 driver - so I can even drive it alone, legally! How fancy.

Aokautere ODE

Last Friday I drove up to Palmy (yucky weather for an overnight stay, great weather for the grounds though! footing was fantastic). Ruby was doing her first ever ODE, and Neo doing his first at Training level. Ruby was up first on Saturday at 8.30 and did a nice dressage test, a few movements rushed perhaps, but a good mark for her paces and I was overall pleased:

Neo's dressage (no pics, sorry!) I was just over the moon with! Has paces are a little ponyish so his overall marks not fantastic... but I was just so pleased with how far he's come. The whole test was calm, nothing was rushed, and no choppy strides - he just let it all come to him and it was an absolute pleasure of a test to ride on him. I was absolutely chuffed with that.

XC on both was good, though I put the wrong bridle on Neo and had steering issues (like, past an entire jump! oops). But they blasted through and didn't spook at spooky things and did some of the more complex lines. Both has a wee hesitation at the top of the bank into the water, but then hopped off happily and trotted out the other side.

Showjumping everyone was tired as anything. All a bit under-fit I think! But they both really tried and again I was just really pleased. I was also glad when it was all over and we could all have a rest back at the truck! Remind me again why I do eventing?

Ruby did fantastic for her first ODE - coming home with 3rd place!

And Neo had to come home without a ribbon, but I am really pleased with how he's going. I'll give him another run at Training level at Battle Hill and then see if he feels like doing more, or if he's ready for a big winter turnout.

What has...

What has pink skin & white legs?

Me and Neo!:

Foxton 2* NZEF

This weekend we went up to Foxton, to drop Dan off to his new owner where he's going to have heaps of fun doing low level competitions and hacking out. On a bit of a whim we decided to take Ruby up and do a few classes at the Horowhenua 2star showjumping as well.

Our showhunter was much improved over Masterton's effort - with me actually managing to ride properly and not be a hinderance! Unfortunately we popped an extra stride down one of the lines which put us out of the ribbons, but a nice tidy round with all lead changes - so I was very happy with that effort.

Then it was into the 1.05m showjumping class (along with about 80 other people!). Clear first round, and a fantastic jumpoff time (faster than most of the pony placegetters over the course previously) but we tapped a rail... a real shame, as I'm so stoked with her jumpoff. She's really starting to seek out the fences, and happily jumping from various angles and speeds of approach.

As it was stinking hot we didn't stick around for any further classes - just headed home.

Masterton A&P Show

Friday 15th was a busy day for us! Mum flew up to Gisbourne to pick up our new horsetruck (and yes, drive it all the way back down to Wellington). Fate was on our side too, as our old horsetruck sold the very same day (and the trucks actually crossed paths while heading to their respective new homes). So it was a late night packing everything we'd quickly unloaded from the old truck into the new truck.

Up early on Saturday to get to Solway.. was a good drive though - and lovely weather for the show. Ruby had flat classes and showhunters on Saturday. The flat classes were working hunters (we came 4th in the Open Heavyweight) and also came 4th in the Round the Ring which was lots of fun. Unfortunately I rode quite 'backwards' in the 1m showhunter class, but got myself together a bit more for the 1.15 championship class - which we didn't place in, but got much better jumping style and just working far better as a 'partnership'.

We stayed overnight at Ruby's Mum's place which was great for the horses (nice big paddock to stretch their legs in) while Mum and I tested out the new accommodations in the truck. I slept in the sleeper cab which was toasty warm, and Mum had the luton which was comfy and warm, but we still hadn't worked out how to hook up the power - so was pitch black! Back to the showgrounds on Sunday afternoon for Dan's classes.

I had Dan entered in a few of the Pleasure Hack flat classes, and he really did fantastic. He had matured to the atmosphere heaps since his last outing, and wasn't bothered by the other horses or the loudspeakers or anything. He came home with 2 red ribbons and a blue one - what a mister fancy pants indeed. Trotting & first place in the trotting horse class:

Long rein, and then finished for the day (Mum leading him back to the truck):

So all-up it was a successful outing. Dan certainly enjoyed his flatwork! And not too long now until Ruby begins her eventing season.

Te Marua Show

Yesterday we headed down to Te Marua for their show. As I'm giving Scuba a break, I had a spare space in the truck and decided to take Dan for the day out. Everyone loaded well and travelled well which is always a nice start to the day.

Dan coped very well for having just one day of work beforehand. I had to take the spurs off him as he decided they were no fun, and he did put in a cowkick in his workout (in the paced & mannered - of all classes to do it in!). But all-up it was a very good outing for him, and it's motivated me to get more work into him. We entered 3 classes and he came away with 3 ribbons (2nd, 4th & 6th):


Ruby was her usual cute self. We tipped a rail over the big tripple bar in the circuit class - but it was by far the biggest course we've done together, so can't complain. She even got a 4th in the TA2 speed class in Ring1 - speedy Ruby! And a 5th in the big showhunter class:


Neo had a bit of a mixed day which reminded me that he's come such a long way in a short time, and now I do need to be taking it a bit slower and just letting his mind and body catch up with everything. He took exception to a bogey fence in the showjumping (which he later came back and flew over). I was a bit worried that he might be sore - but I think it was just confidence. He went happily around the showhunter, and even had a go at the circuit SJ (biggest course ever for him by quite a bit). Meet the related fences wrong, but once we stopped and came back to a walk, then started over he was happy as. He was getting heaps of air over them, but I could see afterwards that it was that 'green horse' jumping, so I'll take him back down to the 90cm classes for a bit to make sure his confidence is all back where it should be. Super Neo:


Next show for us is Masterton A&P next weekend. Just Ruby and Dan going to that - while everyone else gets some time off from this rock hard ground.

Pippa's Progress

Pippa has been learning lots since arriving here 2 weeks ago. Last week I put a rug on her while we had a bit of nasty weather overnight and she didn't have much shelter in her yard, and Mum has been teaching her about leading so she could head out and see some different things:

This weekend Mum has been working on mouthing her, and also got her socialised and living in the paddock with some of the other horses:

She seems to be really laid back about things, and very easy to deal with. Should be lots of fun to work with.

Crosscountry Schooling

Took Ruby XC schooling last Sunday - had a blast. She's not seen much in the way of XC fences before, but she took to it like a duck to water. She was good with the waterjump, though took some encouragement to get off the big Open drop - and other than that she was sweet with everything she was pointed at. She's gonna be an awesome eventer!

Over the ditch, and down the big drop to the water:

There are stacks more pictures that we got (in the Gallery section of the site) - and we also got a video! Yay Ruby:

Pauatahanui Show

Last Saturday we had Pauatahanui show just down the road. I thought it would be a nice laid back atmosphere for Scuba to do his first entire round of jumping (video in previous post, scroll down to see it). I just did non-competitve practise rounds, one in the showhunter ring which was kind, but not so tidy - and then the showjumping one that I was really pleased with. Giving him a few weeks off now, as the ground is so hard - can't be good for growing baby Scuba legs. Scuba the jumping pro!:

Neo had tossed a shoe, so only did the first Ring1 showjumping class. He jumped awesome, but I asked him for a bit too much of an angle on the second fence and we clipped a rail. Really pleased though - and he certainly doesn't seem to have any issue with the height. Super Neo:

Ruby did the same SJ as Neo and didn't get a ribbon - but she made such a good effort and was only a shade off the time. Wicked turns and angles - just needs more speed between fences. Also came home with a 2nd and a 5th in the showhunter. Pretty Ruby:

Heaps more pictures from the show are in the 'gallery' section of the website (under 'Pauatahanui Show').

Scuba's first jumping round

Scuba doing a showjumping practise round last weekend: