I was feeling a tad worried going into Fair Hill...I really only started digging in to prep about two and a half weeks out. I realized the week before, I had yet to ride my dressage test at all on Tillie let alone some of the movements...nor had I stadium jumped her.
Ummm unprepared much?
Attempting to prep for braiding all by myself!
But our jump prep felt great and our final dressage lesson the day before felt really good, relaxed and consistent even through the test.
I did it! Although not beautiful, I did not melt down
I got her all cleaned up and braided...which if any of you remember is a big deal for me lol. I am not a good braider and in the past would get about 3 braids in before losing it and calling someone for help. So was super proud I did it!
Tucked in and ready to go
Tillie the next morning was really offended I left her in all night...so lesson learned, we will try next time putting her in the smaller paddock with Kiss and hope she keeps her braids in. Because her angst lead to some major issues in our dressage test...like 44.5 points of issues to be exact.
Yea not great. Especially since our flatwork has greatly improved. You can see she just was persnickety and super tense....and it led to me getting flustered. The head flicking...well not ideal and I believe to know the cause and working towards fixing it:
I will say, I didnt feel horrible when I saw a few other riders in my open division with similar scores (I mean we were dead last, but at least we didnt canter out of the ring like that one time though). I had Ryan Wood, Jenny brannigan and similar quality riders in my division...OH and Icabod crane. You know Phillip Dutton's previous mount.
F- ME.
We could have used this relaxation in dressage
So new focus...dressage boot camp for a week (currently happening). I was feeling really frustrated and resolved to get this figured out because I KNOW we can do better and more than that we have to do better. I was however happier with her canter and trot lengthenings over previous tests...even if the score didnt reflect it.
But on to jumping!
Tillie warmed up amazingly well. Got all the distances, leads and was forward but would rebalance and jumping like a beast. I opted to go in early and felt ready. The course had a lot more combinations than I was expecting, which were a huge issue for us last season we competed. So I prayed our last jump lesson paid off and we would keep the rails up.
So jump one...we pull a rail. Not exactly how Id like to start...and left lead, not sure where that went?! But I will fess up to the first rail. I got too impatient and didnt keep her balanced...I dropped her before.
But all the hard stuff she nailed and was adjustable and responsive...through the second line however she felt pretty darn heavy. She did respond to be, but I had what felt like 25 lbs in both reins.
We pulled the last oxer's rail as well...as you can see in the video, she got low and I didnt hang out long enough in the turn to get her back so we basically came in low and hot.
But we survived and at this point still in the qualification for waredaca...so XC it is.
Out we went...I had the goal to get as close to time as possible knowing full well I tend to run her too slow.
She came out strong. Like way too strong. So I had to keep her in check more than i would have liked the first few fences.
You can see here her pulling my arms off down the hill...and i was thinking oh god if this is the whole course I might die. But knew after jump 4 we had a downhill to a good uphill stretch to let her have at it and get out that pent up energy.
It worked and rest of the jumps came nice and steady out of a good distance...without always adding!
So not exactly the first outing I had anticipated. BUT there was a lot to like despite the frustrating lows. At least coming out of this i know what we need work on. We at least got the qualification needed for waredaca so 3 more to go!
A few people recommended trying perfect prep or something before dressage...if anyone has suggestions on show day help for relaxation please let me know!
NeI have a bit of catching up to do on sharing videos with you all so I am combining this post of my xc schoolings from last weekend and last evenings. We have been a bit busy with me wanting to really feel confirmed at prelim stuff going into the weekend.
Brother and sister stare down
Last Saturday, right from the start Tillie came out warming up super relaxed and waiting on me. It felt super comfortable and set the tone for the entire schooling. Its nice when shes like this because then I ride her more confidentially and forward like she needs to be for this level. This also was my first time schooling without a trainer there pointing at things telling me to go do it.
So picking and choosing was definitely something I had to think smartly about and feel out Tillie.
Here is some of warming up over some of the smaller stuff, but we finished off with the big table at the end! It felt nice and gave me more confidence to try the prelim stuff on my own.
This was pretty early into schooling after warming up. Tile came right up to this very confident. It was the first skinnier test of the day and she came in nicely without any worry. I knew I needed to keep my shoulders up with the terrain question.
Next we moved on to this bending line with corner/brush type fences. I knew my ride in needed to be accurate without drifting. We got a bit of an add to the second fence and it really should be a 4 stride not a 5 but we worked on this with Dom yesterday.
From here we moved on to the keyhole combo. I was very proud with how much Tillie hunted out the final skinny.
This was a fun combo to try! The first time through I came in too forward of a ride so came back and learned that I needed a better, deeper approach to the first log so we could be ready for the bending line out over the final log. It rode a lot nicer that way!
Then I felt brave and decided to give the big trakhener to the skinny a try. I knew we needed enough power to get over the trakehener but then be able to rock back and focus on the skinny. I was worried Tillie might land from the first and get too wooden before the second, but she shocked the hell out of me and coasted right along to the skinny.
Next up we moved onto banks...the dreaded banks. Its no secret that I dislike riding them despite down banks being fairly easy so long as you sit up and let your reins slip. Sounds so simple right?
But I knew I needed to conquer this because prelim drops, well, are much larger and more prominent on courses than previous levels. So I started with a bank down I did before so had that in the back of my mind to boost my confidence.
Tillie is super keen and has no issues with banks, so of course it rode just fine.
So I ran the house to bank down in reverse to add that shorter combo and timing to make sure I didn't anticipate too much and was able to keep my shoulders up. I knew I needed a deep distance into the house so she landed softly for the bank. Then we circled around to give the skinny a try that we have had issues with last year. Tillie jumped it cool as a cucumber.
We stepped up our game and did this bank complex. I remember looking at similar combos here before (they change jumps around but typically have similar questions around) and thinking wow that looks really scary. Tillie made it feel effortless. Riding this definitely turned a corner in my mind about riding banks!
Last but not least we moved on to water so I started with this slight bending line. Tillie came in a bit powerful to the log and I didn't let my reins slip enough. Luckily I sat up and recovered in time to direct her to the skinny out. NOTE TO SELF: Slip the reins!!!
I knew next I needed to conquer the larger bank into the water. At prelim there will be a combo there so I pulled up my big girl pants and gave it a try.
With that I ended our schooling for that day. Tillie gave me such try!
My kiddies
Up next (below) is a recap of our schooling last night. I don't have as much footage but will walk through the footage I do have. I wasn't feeling super great physically going into this schooling so came out of the gate riding more like a weenie. Which I believe caused Tillie to be a bit more keen to lean on me and be up to some old tricks to start like taking the bit any time she had a moment.
Dom reassured me its normal, we all have those days its just about getting the rideability you want before you go onto course. So it was actually nice it happened here so he could walked me through my XC warm up for Saturday in case she was more like yesterday's ride. He really implored when shes like that not to get too backwards. That I need to learn how to keep the forward and get her more rideable out of that forward canter without shortening it too much.
The first footage I have is this corner which she jumped great after this, but I only have the first attempt where I left her drift so she dropped her shoulder. She was still being a bit wooden at this point in the schooling but Dom talked me through it.
Up next we did the skinny brush bending line. This was the second attempt since the first one was nice and quiet, but he wanted me to come back and do it out of a more forward canter. While Dom agreed it wasn't as pretty, that's the canter we need to get smoother in these combos.
At this point I was still feeling a bit defensive and coming into this exercise was able to over come and ride it forward, but as we came to the table with it feeling a tad down hill I got a bit too greedy causing the dreaded gappy distance. We did finally manage to get the right ride, but no video footage unfortunately. This is the point in time we talked more about doing the homework of that forward ride...which until today has been better. He told me not to fret, just try to not make this the habit for Saturday which will likely be my go to with my nerves.
At this point she got much more rideable though and we gave the roller coaster complex a try. I was fully expecting issues from this one. This is the better take on it, the first one wasn't caught on film...but as a learning experience: I misunderstood Dom and rode the first time on a deep approach to the first jump causing a need to push to get to the second making the third jump just a tad less approachable.
So instead you want to come into this out of an open canter off the first with a longer take off so making the distance to the second you get that deeper ride. That way the second one backs them off on the landing so you have the adjustability to the final jump. My nit pick is I still got a bit forward in my shoulders here.
To end we went to the water like usual and we ran through this combo and small bank down. We refined my shoulders for the down bank before moving on but it felt pretty good!
Finally Dom laid it on us and had us finish with the big brush out. I was extremely skeptical we would get over the big brush at the end the first attempt but Dom confidently said as long as I got my right line, didn't let her drift and had the right canter she would do it.
Of course he was right!
So here's to hoping she feels ready and I feel ready on the big day.
I am still catching up on blog posts since I have been a bit MIA on here for a while. But basically in our land, we are filling in holes and re-assessing basics.
Going back to basics often is a good thing, but it can often times feel like a step back. I am trying not to allow that feeling to creep in because basics are, after all, the foundation. Without those building blocks everything else will come crashing down at some point.
So we can get killer jump form like this again
My last jump lesson with Dom last week, we kept the jumps low...we tried a new bit and wanted to work on some of my own frustrations and to iron out my own inconsistencies. Like being able to see a distance.
We warmed up over a x-rail - simple enough right? But it was a great way to establish how this new bit felt:
Pretty quickly I felt a difference and Dom and I discussed saving this bit for competing only, or schooling XC. He recommended we keep schooling in our snaffle bit in the hopes she would learn from the gag and carry it over to the loose ring snaffle.
So Dom sent us through a mini course with a line which has been giving us the most trouble lately since she locks on and gets flat through them. Basically not giving me any response to a half halt at all...but she did and it was more or less me needing to work on finding the right canter and then leaving it alone:
It would help if we didn't almost run into someone
Dom sent us through the outside line a few times to feel how riding different approaches to the first jump and how it changes the ride to the second. So here is getting the chip in, which isn't the ride we want but tends to be what I do as a rider when I cant see a distance:
So he reversed the course and had us run through it again this time we found a slightly better rhythm:
Now I need to learn how to keep her forward through the turns with her responding better to the half halt so we can get the better distance. As Dom says "Getting to the base or deep to the fence doesn't always mean by adding a stride, it sometimes means pushing the stride out to get closer"
This past weekend was hopefully mother nature's last hurrah for winter...sick cruel joke if you ask me to have sleet/snow/rain for the first day of spring. Eventers are known for sticking it out through all weather, so we all loaded up, layered up and headed to our weekly saturday jump lesson with P.
Very wet and very cold lesson
I am not going to hide it, I was a bit of a baby after we stopped moving after warm up and in between our turn trying each exercise. But in my defense, my layers were not staying waterproof and ultimately soaked through which had me shivering and teeth chattering after a few minutes of sitting still. Tillie really didnt see to care and would have much preferred to nap instead.
#marefaces
Before our lesson, we saw the fitter to try a few different saddles to see what would work. Tillie was a star and stood patiently through the entire appointment even when it came to hopping on and off her a few times to try her moving in each one as well.
Yawning / Tired Tillie
We were hopeful as we drove to the lesson that the weather would hold off since it seemed to lighten a bit. But once we arrived it was pretty steadily coming down so we headed to the indoor to warm up. P came in and announced it wasnt doing anything that hard anymore so we should go to the outdoor ring (which is preferable with less dust and more space).
The lesson seemed straightforward, but it could have been my brain was so distracted from being wet and cold I just glazed over.
Or froze over...
I had a bit of a realization in this lesson. I really do a poor job as a rider with the approach to the first fence on course and lines the first time through...I can trot into fences all day long, but as soon as you ask me to come in cantering I just cant sit up and wait for that first fence. Exhibit A:
Before going into this, I had asked P if I could just try trotting the skinny fence since skinnies tend to be the fences Tillie sucks back and questions by fishtailing a bit. P told me quite boldly no lol and to own it and we would be fine. Clearly from the video, Tillie could have cared less.
P sent us around to try it again to clean up the first fence by using more of our turn on the approach which seemed to work well. I also rode a but more forward to the coop...which we didnt remove a stride or anything, it was more mental for me to ride her without needing to do much and let her figure it out:
So P had us string together the entire course together:
So we had a bit of a blip on the outside line...and I clearly dont know how to freakin wait with my shoulders, but Tillie was a solid citizen and saved my butt. I can see a few of the jumps where I micromanage she isnt jumping as well, but Im trying not to worry so much about her form and realize, shes getting over these without issue and isnt over faced so I need to stop.
P had us try the outside line on more time to get the striding right and man, when the forward stride works it feels so great...and it makes me realize I need to get more comfortable riding out of this forward stride now that Tillie is allowing me to half halt her without losing her mind:
I didnt really think all that much of good or bad outcome from the lesson...probably from being so could. But either way, its def one to check off for testing riding in crappy and less than ideal weather right?!
The still over the second fence of the open 3 stride line. LOVE Tillies form here :)
