Huxley competed in the Senior Novice division with over twenty other competitors. He had a respectable dressage score of 31.5 which tied him for fourth place after the first phase of competition. We were pleased to see how much his flatwork has improved since his four year old season.
BELOW: This event chose to run show jumping before cross-country jumping. Last season Hux had very little jump experience since he had a late four year old birthday (we don't jump our horses until they turn four). Even though he was a clean jumper last season, this season he looked much more composed and did not hesitate to canter over all his fences. He and Kelsy's jump practice through the winter really shows. Thanks to his clear round, after show jumping Hux moved up to second place.
BELOW: Huxley and Kelsy blended into the sea of bay and chestnut horses jumping around the warmup ring. However, Hux never fails to stand out thanks to his big white nose, aka "the beacon." Hux was very calm and relaxed at the show and this carried through to his cross-country round. He did not have any major bobbles over the Novice course, easily putting in a clear round. Hux maintained his second place position and finished the competition with a red ribbon!
BELOW: Hux shows off his second place red ribbon. He also won a lunge line and some Cowboy Magic Detangler and Shine which he will have to share with his Haflinger friends back home.
By far the smallest competitor in his class and representing ponies everywhere, Pippin competed in the Senior Training level division. After dressage Pippin was in third place on a solid score of 29.5. We were especially happy to see he got an eight on his gaits, not bad for a Haflinger!
BELOW: The training level stadium course was fair sized and somewhat challenging. It included a fan fence, a triple bar, lots of turns, and two combinations (the triple combo was a one stride to a one stride). Despite being 14 hands tall, in a forward canter Pip never has trouble making the horse-set distances in competition. He's also a naturally gifted jumper, so it was no surprise when he made all the jumps look easy with a clear round. The two riders placed before us after dressage had some faults jumping so Pip moved up to first place!
BELOW: The training level cross-country course was fun to ride and Pip put in another clear round. The course included a coffin combination, water complex, and a few big oxers; fifteen fences total. Thankfully, I school Pip over larger Preliminary and sometimes even Intermediate fences to "over prepare" for Training level. His only fault at cross-country is that he sometimes likes to look at ditches and trakehners. Since I know this about him, any time we approach a fence with a ditch (or even a ditch-like shadow) I ride him firmly to the base of the fence and don't let him drop his head to look. Otherwise, he's a cross-country machine! His clear round meant he finished first in his division.
BELOW: At the end of the day Pip shows off his winning smile and first place blue ribbon at Training level. He also won a fleece exercise cooler and a sponge. Though he has won at Novice level, this is the first time Pip has won at training level. Last season he placed second.
* We attend the pony club sponsored one day events instead of the approved two or three day events because the one day's are a fraction of the cost. The one day events have the same requirements, the same courses, and often the same judges, but you don't have to pay to be a member of USEA and you don't have to pay to stall your horse overnight. Instead of spreading the three phases (dressage, cross-country, and show jumping) out over two or three days, at the unapproved events you do everything in a single day.
0 comments:
Post a Comment