After my not so perfect day on Saturday... I had a msg at 09:17 asking if I would like to go showing at Merrist wood? I had planned to stay home with the little people as it was 'Mothers Day' after all.... I had Matilda in bed not very well and Fegrus who really had no idea what day of the week it was, let alone anything else. So I ask Paul what the plans are and he announces not much and that I should go.... All very well and good,but it's now 9:30 and I have to leave the yard at 10:30....
Firstly, I make a quick msg to the lovely Hana to make sure she doesn't mind me borrowing her ride.... once this is agreed a quick call to the lovely Kim to ask if she could bring him in from the field and spray some warm water over his legs... To my absolute amazement, I arrive at the yard to find Strider in the wash bay with legs all sorted, travel attire on, trailer loaded and all ready to go.. Kim and Carina had it all covered.... (I could not wish for better team of people than we have at the moment... HRH is rocking (even if I do say so myself))!
A quick giggle, double check and very excitable hugs, we are on our way........ I make a stop at Wisborough Green to collect the lovely Tom on route so he can meet his Mummy there and we are away. The journey flies by and as we are approaching, dry mouth sets in (Ha... I'm armed with water this time) and I need a nervous wee. Time is ticking on and I really should be on now and warming up...... We fly round to the secretary (wee stop on route - I can breathe a little better now).. get booked in, fly back to the the trailer to find the boys, Di and Kelly are on it........ Strider is off the trailer being pampered and glossed to within an inch of his life, I have my own personal hairdresser sorting me out, boots cleaned off and kindly legged up... It was like something off a makeover program or a horse (as apposed to car) pit stop. It was AMAZING and seamlessly executed.
I am now on board, the lovely Strider is a little excited and we get round to the warm up and I have to try and nail these canter transitions before we go in (he likes to run into his transition with the odd buck for good luck). We witness a couple at the beginning, but he soon realises it's not the best idea. The following couple are super.... Time to go in ...OMG!!! It is like a sauna in there... the minute we walked in.. I am dripping, goodness knows how the little fat black fella beneath me is feeling (we had to wipe the lather off him after 5 mins of warm up outside)...
Oh my, there's a few of us in here too.... the heat is rising and we are asked to trot, then canter..... holy moly, we are in a tiny section of the school and there's horses everywhere, Strider isn't too sure what's going on and is like a little coiled spring, but performing. I feel like I'm sat on a maxi!!!! (shame he's not).... All is going well, we get pulled into the first line up and we are quite a way down the line. I was a little shocked as he had been foot perfect and had really upped his game.....
Now come our shows.. he's stood so patiently in the line up and off we go..... Come on Strider... let's be having these super transitions (he doesn't disappoint), then the gallop, I know it'll be good, it's just the control coming back... he is awesome.... I am soo proud of him. Back to the line up, both of us are dripping and I have major dry mouth (not so clever this time, as no gum or water)... not remotely attractive. We wait for a few more to go and back out we go awaiting the pull in.... Well, the boy has done good, we go up the line and get pulled in 4th!!!!!!!! I am made up... he was the smallest in there and the the only one of 2 solids..(judge liked her coloureds). Well, I am elated...... I go to wash him down, pander to his needs and reload, then go to watch Kelly and get my pics... Kelly class is huge....
I go to get pics and the judge is there so I ask her what I need to do to get Strider further up the line? (She had judged him the week previous). She said that he was a million times better than his last show, he had lost a lot of weight (Well done Hana) but still needed to loose a considerable amount more. He was also 'too together'... This threw me a little (I thought this was how he should be up at the front and working from behind).. "He looked like a Greek Trojan horse".... She would 'like him to be bigger', "Try him outdoors where he wouldn't get so wound up".. So we will take what we can of this on board and maybe try outdoors next time.... we can never make him grow, or change his colour (although, this is personal preference) and we will continue to work with him to create that wonderful outline and power (Again, well done Hana)...
Hopefully, when we've achieved this we will manage to get him a little further up the line and do him justice!!!!
We get home with big smiles and a lovely greeting from the girls and big congratulations. I spend a bit of time down there playing with Kim and Carina in the school jumping, which is AMAZING as Carina is just jumping the lovely Scooby again after many years non jumping and Scoobs is loving it and you wouldn't know Carina had had such a long break... Super to see.. Kim has the lovely but slightly hyper Callie out to play and she is flying.. we make a few tiny adjustments, bring the pace down quite a bit (possibly breathe a lot more) and we have a wonderful picture of Kim and Callie calmly approaching the jumps, calmly jumping them and then and even more exciting calm ride away without throwing her bottom in the air, grinding her teeth and stressing.... What a cracking end to a lovely day!!!
So after my disastrous Saturday attempting to get out, today was super, super fun and WE LOVED IT!!!!
Then to get home to have been spoiled rotten by my wonderful children and Sunday lunch cooked by hubby and the lovely Tilly is here to visit! It can't get better than this!!!!..... Oh but it could... a glass of Veuve is served.. PERFECTION!!!!!!!!
Hana.... look at he difference!!!!!! Look what you've achieved in just a short time... Well done you!!!