September 2008 - 1* Show Jumping at Woodhill Sands

The season has started! YAY!! Be interesting to see how this season pans out, there are not many SJ/SH shows in the Auckland area this season & I have promised myself I'm not travelling too far this season with petrol being what it is. We're a bit tight at the moment as the higher grocery & feed bills are eating into the last of our disposal income. Anyway, decided to be creative and did some baking to take with me to Woodhill Sands as it was going to be a long day. Was going to do our first ever 1.10m, the plan was to enter the first class (1.05m) and the last class (1.10m) Got up at 5.30 & packed the car and headed out to the pony. Washed his legs and tail and ended up leaving the paddock much later than planned. It then took me longer than planned to get to Woodhill Sands, so I missed doing the first class as arrived 5 minutes before it started. They offered to let me still put in a late entry for it, but would have had to have ridden first & it just wasn't worth the stress, that trying to get ready in time would have caused. So I entered the 1m instead & relaxed & went & watched my friends ride instead! Much more pleasant! The baking was a success too!
Poor Flynn though, we were 42nd to go in the class and didn't end up riding until 3pm. He warmed up very, very nicely, all Karen's hard work on the dressage is really paying off! Photos courtesy of Mel



Then it was our turn, we trotted nicely into the ringAnd had a mild gawk at the judges

And that was the end of the manners. We cantered our circle, the bell rang and he was off! Flynn decided that the speed best set for this course would be a quick tanking canter, whilst being on his forehand and heavily leaning on my hands. No amount of half halts were getting through to him. He jumped nice enough







But I ended up deliberately asking the impossible of him in the jump off as I really wanted him to come back to earth, so instead of doing a big circle around, I made him dog leg a corner, only he wasn't listening & fought right the way up the jump & jumped it hollow & knocked it with his stifles. Silly pony! Was really nicely behaved after that & waited very politely!! Funny that!! Then it was about an hour before our next class, so went back to the float, only to find out that the horse parked next to us, had kicked in the back window of its owners Prado. Glad we weren't around then!! Finally the time came round for the 1.10m. They split the class in half and had each half jumping in each ring as the training ring had finished. I ended up riding at 5.30 and got a lovely clear first round, with 2 rails in the jump off. Both of them my fault, so very, very happy with our first attempt. I wasn't nervous, he didn't feel overfaced and all in all, it was the perfect start to our season. Rock on the next show!!