The Historic Hunt Club in Lake Oswego hosted an event derby this weekend. The compact facility is one of my favorite places to compete in the local area. It is close and very community oriented and they are always adding something new on their condensed cross country field too.
No more little heights for us! I signed us up for Beginner Novice. The competition, being a derby is only 2 phases; dressage and a modified cross country course that combines cross country elements and stadium elements. The real challenge is getting your horse into long and ground covering speeds then bringing him back to collection and jumping accurately over the stadium jumps that have rails that are easily knocked down. (there are penalties for knocking rails as well as for run outs)
Deuce had never run the course before so it was a super test for our training and confidence to this point. When we arrived, I walked the course and noted that it was a long course with lots of jumps and turns and loops and circles! I always get worried about remembering my course.
Dressage warmup was uneventful in the outdoor. He felt pretty good and forward and moved into the bridle very well, canter transitions were even decent Lately he has been running into canter a bit, but I have been learning to keep him bent and move off my inside leg as I keep my upper body tall and he is able to depart much more prompt.
So I was feeling pretty good. I always get on too early for warm up so we had time to cruise around and watch some of the other jump rides. Deuce really likes to stand and watch the cross country rides. Eventually it was time for us to go in the arena for our dressage ride. I was planning to have few laps around the outside before the judge rang the bell signaling us to start. I wanted to give Deuce a chance to look around at the shadows of the arena (the historic barn can be a little scary as it is dark with shadows and light patterns from the windows)... but the alas the judge was prompt. She rang the bell pretty much as we entered the arena. Darn it. I trotted Deuce around once, which was not enough time for him to see everything. And then we entered at A. Our line was straight, that's good. We've been having trouble with that. But I had to work for every bit of his attention. He was nice and forward but he wanted to have his nose out and his head all over the place. I tried to stay tall, shoulders back and leg on, and still remember all the places to turn and change gaits too. In the end it was an okay test, but I was a little disappointed that it was not as nice as our warm up or even our schooling rides had been. But much of that is me... I get tense as soon as I enter the dressage ring and he simply responds to my tenseness.
It was a quick turn around to cross country. We did a few warm up jumps in and then watched a rider run the course just to make sure I remembered where to go and then we were off. Deuce bounded into a canter and ears were forward looking for the first jump. He is learning his job as an eventer! Good boy! First 3 jumps were stadium fences pretty easy 2 then a left hand turn to number 3 which had jump judges next to it. I should have taken that into consideration But... after a nice start with 1 and 2 I was cruising a bit to much to 3 and with very little supporting leg and we got up to it and he dove left. Arg! We circled back promptly and cleared with no trouble and cantered on to the little hop up the bank into the woods. He looked a bit as we approached but my leg was there to support him and say "Yes, that's where we are going" and he hopped up and then we had an odd sharp turn left to a long log hung between 2 trees, he took that easily and then on through the woods and out back on the lawn over a red barn, which he totally owned!!! Then a bit of canter to a potting bench, and then I needed to be rocking him back a little bit more for a combination, but we came in a too fast and flat and he knocked a rail on the second fence. We got lucky and it did not come down. It should have though. Then it was off to the super bank complex. The up was marked but the down was choose your own adventure... For us, the obvious path was up, and 2 strides then off the other side. Deuce loves drops and does them well. However, I was being conservative so I opted to turn left and go down the ramp. Deuce was like "what the heck, I soooo had this!!!" I promised him we could go off the other side the next time around. (our course gave us 3 banks!! Lucky us!) Then it was over a log pile and another show jump ( I remembered to put him back together again!) and then snake back around to the scary water at the edge of the woods. I was sooo proud of Deuce! He was being so brave and forward to all these new jumps and then we went around the corner past the pump house and "HELLO WATER!" I knew it was coming so I kept my leg on, but he only slowed to a trot and I legged him on and he plunged in. It was a little deep and all the lilly pads and cattails and other green stuff along the edges gave him some things to look at so he slowed to a walk part way through but he kept moving forward so I was happy. Then we were out and he bounced into a canter as we headed to the hedge framed by huge arborvitae. Jumped with ease and looking for more! We had another turn left, I kept a strong inside leg and over the pagoda with no hesitation.
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| Up the bank for the second time... |
And back to the bank complex for an up bank again, and then a nice 3 stride and jump off the other side; whoo hoo! I could feel him smiling when we flew off the drop!
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| ...and as promised; down we go! weee! |
We had another right hand turn to the tires and on to a big table. The table made me nervous for some reason, so I said for both of us "We're going!" but he didn't need it, he sailed over like a pro! Long gallop to the last fence, a stadium jump,and I remembered to put him back together and he sailed over. Not a clean round this time, but I was pretty pleased. He did great with taking on all the cross country jumps he had never seen before. And when I was there for him he listened to me cues and carried on. For that I say it was a good day!
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| Not the straightest approach, but we took that table! |
Deuce is so patient with the little one..
