Mount Holyoke Sunday Sizzler Jumper Show 4/5/09

Okay, so I know it's Tuesday and I've been slacking XD
But yes, the jumper show! It went pretty well, if I do say so myself. We did come away with two 3rds, which is a great start around higher courses - we did the 3'3"-3'6" division, and some of those jumps were SOLID and BIG.

Saturday night, Gogo got all fancied up, much to my parents' dismay (they were visiting for the weekend and wanted to watch the UConn vs. Michigan State game.... yeahhhh State! Except then we lost yesterday, boooo.), and Sunday morning dawned windy but sunny. We headed out at around 9 or so, and unloaded and hacked around for awhile once we got there. She was MUCH quieter on our little hack around the property this time, which was nice. She also warmed up very well - very quiet, very steady and sweet, no rushing to fences.

And then, we went in for our warmup round.
And wow. Gogo had a fit. A BIG ONE.

It started off all right... but we had a rail at the first fence, which threw her all off. She stuttered a little at the second and third fences, thrown off by the height a little I think, and then we had to make a sharp right turn to a triple combination with THE biggest and most imposing oxer in the middle of it. Later, I found out that they didn't reset this line from earlier in the day, when the 18" crossrail class was going. Hmmmm.
Anyway, so Gogo landed a little far out from the third fence, an oxer, and mid-turn to the vertical that started off the combination she just walked. Ceased all forward canter momentum, and walked. Hmmm, I thought. So, I circled her back around at the canter, and that's when it happened. Nowhere near the fence at all, she just melted down, like this:



Except for those top two which were the same one, those were all different rears. And check out that SKULL ON SKULL ACTION. Yes sir, she clocked me in the face prettttttty hard one time. I saw stars for a second, and that was the moment that she stopped rearing and stood perfectly still, as if to say, Oh oops, my bad, I'm good now. We then picked up a lovely canter, and made it through the line just fine.

Oh wait, except for this part. THE MEGA OVERJUMP. Every fence, every time! And now notice my lack of release and relatively poor form. This show was a painful stab in the eye when I saw the videos, which I'm not going to bother posting - when the jumps get higher, my equitation goes down the toilet. I need to really reevaluate my position over fences and FOCUS on it. I tend to unfold rapidly overtop fences - a defensive thing - but it needs to stop. Like, yesterday.



But wow, was she ever trying. PLEASE ignore my crappy equitation! I'm aware of the flaws, I'm making it a new goal to REALLY focus on it! That was a VERY solid 3'6" and she's bopping over it like it wasn't even there. She was pretty much jumping the standards. What do those max out at, like 4'6"? Holy crap Gogo, you don't NEED to jump that big!

And wow, she was honest. She just sort of ignored my mistakes and went for EVERYTHING, even when she had every right to stop. She was very backed off of the in and out, and was sluggish coming in, and I never thought she would have the impulsion to make it over the very large 3'6" on the way out, so I prepared myself for a stop. But she went. Obviously I caught her in the mouth on that one, but bless her little heart she just kept going to the next fence like nothing happened. She's an amazing athlete, and I need to get my crap together so we can actually do this WELL!



Again, IGNORE the crappy equitation. But look at her go! Those were two very close spots, which was unlike her and why I was falling all over her neck like that, but apparently it gives her form if she gets in that deep... ick. We'll work on that.

Four classes in all, one of which they didn't pin, and one of which I went off course for and didn't place :) But two third in the other two, Gambler's Choice and the Speed round! Some of the jumps were hairy, some of them were deep, some of them were awkward, and some of them were PERFECT. We've got a lot to work on, but all in all it was a very good outing for her first time showing at that height. Novice is going to be a CAKEWALK after this... she's going to be asleep!





And they say barefoot horses can't jump. Yeah, right! But is it me or is her frog really... really... really.... far forward? It reaches into her toe area... is it supposed to be that crazy forward? Hmmmm!


So a quick summary:

Show: Mount Holyoke Sunday Sizzler Jumper Afternoons
Location: South Hadley, MA
Level: Division V – 3’3”-3’6” Jumpers
Results: Two 3rds!


Gogo's the supermare queen of ever. And then, of course, after her day off yesterday, she gave me a BEAUTIFUL, fluid, supple, light and loose dressage work today. Apparently, that's the trick - she just has to go jump around a course and then we're all better!
She also got cast yesterday for the first time that I know of since I've owned her. I didn't hear a thing over the rain on the roof, but Shannon, who was riding in the arena, happened to ride past her stall and heard some crashing. It stopped, then 30 seconds or so later it started again. She called for me as she was hopping off her horse, and I ran down there. Yep, cast and totally immobile! But what did she do when I went to get her? Squiggled for a moment, then pushed against the wall with her front legs so that she freed her front end, and managed to roll upright and stand up. She then shook off, coughed a few times, and went back to eat some hay, not a scratch on her. Mares.

21 people are watching my saddle on Ebay!!! Cross your fingers that it sells!!!!


Funder, we're thinking of you.