December and January normally prove quiet winter months for me - with few shows and a chance to spend time with family and friends. This year has been an exception! I decided to keep Pasoa competing over the winter whereas historically I've allowed the coincidentally dark, cold and dreary months to be downtime for the pair of us (with hindsight my trip to Rosendaal may make me think again!). But I thought, as she is now an older horse, it may be best to keep her gently working and competing. It seems unbelievable that I am referring to my once feisty, tricky and opinionated mare this way - even more unbelievable that I will probably only compete her for a year or two more. She is such a wonderful friend above everything, I can't imagine taking the under study's out to competitions and leaving her behind to rule the roost at home!
Rosendaal CDI at the start of December is best described as a trip to the ‘Arctic’! Other, more sensible folk, wandered around in ski gear as a bout of below freezing weather set in for the duration. Not us! With a strange selection of jeans and, lightweight jumpers and only three coats between us we seemed to have packed for the Carribean in the off-season, as opposed to a winter wonderland. In a cruel twist of fate, my ever reliable lorry mechanic had altered the hook up connection on my lorry, so we were unable to plug into mains electric......which thereby denied us both heating and hot water. In true 'girl scout' style we eventually worked out that the generator could run everything - if only we had come equipped with enough petrol. Another character-building experience!
The show itself was beautiful - an arena decked with Christmas trees and fairy lights putting everyone in festive spirits. My classes ran late into the evening; it's a tricky taskmaster filling your day with nothing, then a frenetic burst of activity from 8pm when normally you would focus on dinner and a movie! Getting changed into riding gear in a cold lorry felt hideously reminiscent of secondary school changing rooms, before plunging into an unheated swimming pool in mid February, with an over zealous PE teacher bellowing into your frost bitten ears ....'you'll warm up soon, keep your shoulders under.'
That aside, I was thrilled with Pasoa's performances - I have been working hard on developing better balance and self-carriage in her work with a more open top-line and, for the first time ever, I felt that we had breathing time in our programme. Normally, if small mistakes creep into our tests I start to feel like I'm in a train crash.....each move like a separate carriage smashing into the one before. But not anymore!!!!! I did feel, in a small way, what it must feel like to be Carl riding a test. He always looks to have more time than anyone else between moves - like an eventer taking the long route at a combination - and I decided that better balance was my answer to creating the same illusion. To this end, transitions have become my best friends! For example I have ridden quite literally millions of simple changes (canter, walk, canter) on three-quarter lines to help my often erratic flying changes, focusing on an improvement in straightness and collection, and I feel it's working.
Next stop was Olympia. It's a dreamy show to ride at - definitely on anyone's Bucket List and I feel very fortunate to have ticked that box twice now. However, I shall gloss over it for 2014........... In brief, I managed to take an error of course on the first day. It's testament to how well Pasoa was feeling that we still scored a fraction under 69% and qualified for the Freestyle. So many friends and family had come to support me and I felt a total idiot. Debuting my new Freestyle the following evening would have absolved me of some feelings of disappointment and failure but that wasn't to be. I was struck down with a stomach bug the like of which I haven't had for years. By lunchtime the following day I can safely say there wasn't a single piece of sanitary ware in the Hilton hotel we were staying in that I hadn't leant over or sat on! Not very glamorous and I feel for their staff!! From my deathbed I felt partly consoled with 'rather me than my horse.' We'll be back this year I hope to put it all to rights.
Back home just before Christmas saw a change of 'hat' and some avid tree planting. Brook Farm/Paradise has many wonderful features but a distinct lack of trees, and we have designed a final vision of the property with avenues of trees running up the walkways between fields. One hundred Hornbeam had been ordered, along with twenty of something red and pretty - I'm not a horticultural expert at all, but both mothers had been drafted in to advise and were there in force to assist! My Dad and Will along with 'Derek the Digger' (Will convinced me it was must-have kit!) did most of the hard work to be honest......although you can't put a price on a good sandwich-maker I believe!! Even as brown sticks planted in the ground it looks fantastic (here's hoping we've not been duped and they actually grow) and I can't wait until spring ....in about five years time! They will ultimately provide some shelter in the fields and windbreaks in the winter, so long as the deer that traipse nightly across the fields don't get them first!
Christmas has passed in all too much of a blur. We spent it at home with various family and friends visiting and welcomed the New Year in an equally quiet fashion. It was utter bliss! I have a great feeling about 2015 - I have some wonderful horses to ride, we have great and exciting plans for our home and we woke up New Year's Day living in the kind of place I've only ever dreamed of owning. In short, it's pinch yourself stuff.......I'm now off to muck out though. Good to keep yourself grounded!!
Rosendaal CDI at the start of December is best described as a trip to the ‘Arctic’! Other, more sensible folk, wandered around in ski gear as a bout of below freezing weather set in for the duration. Not us! With a strange selection of jeans and, lightweight jumpers and only three coats between us we seemed to have packed for the Carribean in the off-season, as opposed to a winter wonderland. In a cruel twist of fate, my ever reliable lorry mechanic had altered the hook up connection on my lorry, so we were unable to plug into mains electric......which thereby denied us both heating and hot water. In true 'girl scout' style we eventually worked out that the generator could run everything - if only we had come equipped with enough petrol. Another character-building experience!
The show itself was beautiful - an arena decked with Christmas trees and fairy lights putting everyone in festive spirits. My classes ran late into the evening; it's a tricky taskmaster filling your day with nothing, then a frenetic burst of activity from 8pm when normally you would focus on dinner and a movie! Getting changed into riding gear in a cold lorry felt hideously reminiscent of secondary school changing rooms, before plunging into an unheated swimming pool in mid February, with an over zealous PE teacher bellowing into your frost bitten ears ....'you'll warm up soon, keep your shoulders under.'
That aside, I was thrilled with Pasoa's performances - I have been working hard on developing better balance and self-carriage in her work with a more open top-line and, for the first time ever, I felt that we had breathing time in our programme. Normally, if small mistakes creep into our tests I start to feel like I'm in a train crash.....each move like a separate carriage smashing into the one before. But not anymore!!!!! I did feel, in a small way, what it must feel like to be Carl riding a test. He always looks to have more time than anyone else between moves - like an eventer taking the long route at a combination - and I decided that better balance was my answer to creating the same illusion. To this end, transitions have become my best friends! For example I have ridden quite literally millions of simple changes (canter, walk, canter) on three-quarter lines to help my often erratic flying changes, focusing on an improvement in straightness and collection, and I feel it's working.
Next stop was Olympia. It's a dreamy show to ride at - definitely on anyone's Bucket List and I feel very fortunate to have ticked that box twice now. However, I shall gloss over it for 2014........... In brief, I managed to take an error of course on the first day. It's testament to how well Pasoa was feeling that we still scored a fraction under 69% and qualified for the Freestyle. So many friends and family had come to support me and I felt a total idiot. Debuting my new Freestyle the following evening would have absolved me of some feelings of disappointment and failure but that wasn't to be. I was struck down with a stomach bug the like of which I haven't had for years. By lunchtime the following day I can safely say there wasn't a single piece of sanitary ware in the Hilton hotel we were staying in that I hadn't leant over or sat on! Not very glamorous and I feel for their staff!! From my deathbed I felt partly consoled with 'rather me than my horse.' We'll be back this year I hope to put it all to rights.
Back home just before Christmas saw a change of 'hat' and some avid tree planting. Brook Farm/Paradise has many wonderful features but a distinct lack of trees, and we have designed a final vision of the property with avenues of trees running up the walkways between fields. One hundred Hornbeam had been ordered, along with twenty of something red and pretty - I'm not a horticultural expert at all, but both mothers had been drafted in to advise and were there in force to assist! My Dad and Will along with 'Derek the Digger' (Will convinced me it was must-have kit!) did most of the hard work to be honest......although you can't put a price on a good sandwich-maker I believe!! Even as brown sticks planted in the ground it looks fantastic (here's hoping we've not been duped and they actually grow) and I can't wait until spring ....in about five years time! They will ultimately provide some shelter in the fields and windbreaks in the winter, so long as the deer that traipse nightly across the fields don't get them first!
Christmas has passed in all too much of a blur. We spent it at home with various family and friends visiting and welcomed the New Year in an equally quiet fashion. It was utter bliss! I have a great feeling about 2015 - I have some wonderful horses to ride, we have great and exciting plans for our home and we woke up New Year's Day living in the kind of place I've only ever dreamed of owning. In short, it's pinch yourself stuff.......I'm now off to muck out though. Good to keep yourself grounded!!
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