Jumping out of our skin jumping show results & recap

With dressage under our belts, I had just enough time to walk my stadium course. Nothing about it worried me too much other than knowing the two stride A and B combo seemed a bit small. Tillie is a bit on the small side so knew as long as I could get her back and ask her to wait coming in, it wouldnt be a problem.

I also reflected to the XC walk and was a bit bummed they didnt get the rain we got the day before because the ground was BONE dry. So dry that my own footsteps felt rock hard and sounded like concrete. I mentally noted my lesson learned jumping here the weekend prior at the Training derby and to try larger studs to remedy any slipping.

SOOOO quiet

Tillie was so quiet at the trailer, I was really concerned something was wrong with her. She let me stud her with no issue and was literally snoozing at her hay net. That changed slightly when hacking up to jump since, at this venue, its a mini trail ride to get there. The closer we got the higher and more giraffe mode over came Tillie.

Once we got back to the open field, I picked up a trot to get Tillie moving and went right into warming up. We popped over the X-rail and vertical asking for both leads and it was on point. The distances where there, her leads were there and all was good. I did the oxer and it wasnt bad but wasnt perfect either so as i came around, Dom started hollering out to me some words of wisdom and took on coaching mode. Dom Schramm was also in our division and warming up a horse he was competing, but if he is anything like me with students, cant help it and just has to help!

Of course then I start biffing distances and we get some pretty hairy flyers a few times but finally started getting it and getting closer distances again. He gave us last minute words and warm up advice to do before going and he trotted off to do his own course. Following his instructions, I did the oxer two more times to ask for both leads getting a better distance and finished with the vertical.

Tillie of course did them perfectly when Dom didnt see...he came trotting out and gave us a heads up the ground was slick because of it being dry around turns and asked if we had studs in. I smiled and excitedly said YES!! glad we got something right. Dom then warned us the 2-stride was tight so dont come in guns blazing. I nodded and said ok, but in my head was super excited I had picked up on that walking the course all on my own.

When it was our turn Tillie was a cool customer going in and it was one of our smoother jump rounds. It felt not as smooth with the awful footing, but it felt GREAT until fence 5 to 6 because we didnt get the lead, but it was more or less my own error and not taking a minute to chill.

You can see Tillie slip a little after fence #7 even with studs in but she recovered well and didnt get upset about it all. All in all it felt like a great round...I had to bury us a bit to the combo, but you can see it rode well after and think any more forward would have possibly cost us a rail so Yay for ratability!!

CROSS COUNTRY:

With the ground being as hard as it was and how well Tillie was jumping, I opted to forgo warming up for XC and just head right to the start box. I forgot to get pictures of all the jumps like Emma does when she competes but did finally start to about halfway through as well as get a few still out from the derby to share with you guys!

Fence 1 and 2 were nothing exciting...Tillie took them on well. #3 we slipped slightly on landing and had a some gallop time before #4 which Tillie got strong, but nothing really to worry about. #5 was an open oxer looking thing which Tillie really soared over. #5 was a bank down which I wasnt even worried about (GASP I know!!!) Tillie slipped slightly here around the turn to a larger ramp as it was a harder left turn, but she didnt lose her composure and popped right over it into a mean gallop.

#7 was a stair step or something or other I cant remember because Tillie could have cared less. #8 Is a giant bench we got on video to #9:

Off we went to #10:

Novice Trakehener

This fence rode really nicely....

The Training level trakehner we did as the last jump last weekend right next to it

Jump before the water

Jump #12 A and B, Water to bank (we did this plus a jump two strides after the bank for the derby)

Jump #13 headed to the ditches

#14 hay/rolltop a few stride to the ditches

Ditch a few strides after

 Here, Tillie was feeling fine, less strong but saw a distance I didnt and took a longer spot. Not ideal before a ditch, but she isnt ditchy so she jumped the ditch right after without an issue...but flew over it I think thinking it was like the one last weekend:

The ditches we jumped at the derby...she jumped them like super man!

 We had a slight uphill gallop which I could let her out for and sligggghtly push:

Our rolltop on course to the left, the one to the right is the one we
jumped as part of our derby course last week so Tillie was pretty unfazed. 

Bank up the hill part A

Part B of the combo

 The hill rode nicely and was the last question before the final fence to home also on video:

Final jump

The training train we jumped as part of the ditch combo last week

It was a great confident round and I couldnt have been happier with Tillie. I felt like i had to ride a bit less forward with the harder ground, but Tillie wasnt too upset by it and responded ok.

She wasnt too terribly sweaty or worked up by it but man was she quiet at the trailer. So quiet I even wanted to take her temp when we got home but i didnt because she ate her dinner fine and otherwise seemed normal...but really was fine to chill, snoozed and ignore the hay (which I realized she doesnt like the new batch when testing with the old later that day).

Ahhh picky mares. But i am eager to work hard and keep pressing on to our next and final novice, the recognized at Loch moy before our move up Aug 7th to Training!!!