So we competed this week in the MM combined training day. We came 2nd. Stunned!! If I was surprised by the last dressage outing, this went off the scale.
All of this made all the more amazing when you note that my lack of discipline threw away the first dressage event, picking up 6th place. What miracle produced this outcome then. Our jumping, OMG our jumping.... say it again and let me hear the friends ring it out. 1st place, and 1st place on one and a half weeks practice.
But lets set the context. Ernie knows how to jump. We've discussed that many times before, though not with me in the same sentence. I entered with supreme confidence of his ability and as such let him get on with it, pointing in the right direction and nudgung forward at the appropriate, assisted by Sophie making scary noises from the touchline at appropriate times. All beautifully captured by Courtenay, new job there I suspect.
Really he was wonderful. All morning actually. He has a wonderfully mature workmanlike approach to competition. Whatever we may say about his schooling, he knows what to produce and when. What will stick in my mind for the day was sitting on him waiting to go into jump and watching him watch all the preceding horses follow the course and do every jump. It was really as if he was studying form or learning the course or both..... He is an intelligent animal.
It has become in two days my most popular ever youtube post, but hey look at the competition, lets not go there!
It was a fantastic weekend of learning, jumping everyday, even jumping Barney as well. I have received a lot of compliments about my riding which has wonderful of course, I try in my way to defer to a willing horse, a great trainer etc. But hey, I was there too. My one regret is that these are truly one off occasions, these feelings will never happen again in quite the same way. Why, because these were just so unexpected, but these things go with you to your grave and bring a richness of experience to ones existence; that I may somehow have missed them is unthinkable. If I think how much I tried to persuade myself not to buy Ernie for example, then that I wouldn't compete him etc etc.
On the more day-to-day elements of our life our lessons on Tuesday have become more exciting as we move towards prix caprilli dressage (dressage incl jumps - woo-who, guess who likes that). Ernie very much playing up this week and found myself riding direct from spook to jump, all seat strengthening stuff! Not for the feint hearted, especially with something as large and (now) strong as Ernie.
As for hacking, took him out alone this morning and won a very significant napping situation in the chalk woods :). His mounting block rudeness irritates a little, so have just started getting on the wrong side to catch him out. He hasn't worked out that one yet - not sure what his next move will be there - hoping he'll just get bored.
Also today we had our first bolt since I brought him - had one once as well when he was a school horse. Quickly realised how much fitter and stronger he now is. A good 500m or so at flat out gallop, up hill and down dale as they say - only stopping at the main gate into the woods literally, which I was seriously worrying that he was going to jump ... in my attempts to stop this I discovered that horses can do shoulder-in or something like it at gallop (why - I decided if he couldn't focus both eyes on it he couldn't set himself up to jump - watch how he lines himself up pre-jump in video). We stopped in the last metre, his nose touching the gate and amazingly me staying on board. Not a recommend experience, but one really brought on by myself, although sensing him to be a little lively I still encouraged him to canter towards home, but quickly he got away from me!! Best comparison, Disney's thunder mountain ride without the safety harnesses.
All these challenges I seem to relish, good or bad. There is no questioning that the Big E is no average: his tricks, his talents, his personality.....
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