Sunday 10 October 2010

Alconbury hunter trial

Anyway today we did a 2'6" hunter trial I have been trying to get to for about 4 years!
Each time (twice a year) it has run, the day has clashed with something else, or they turned it into a qualifier for something and didn't run a 2'6" class.


So today we made it, and got round on a beautifully sunny day  :-) When I walked the course yesterday I was happy with it, apart from a couple of fences which were up to height and one quite wide too, very flat topped. I was concerned about a sloping narrow on the side of a hill, which was the penultimate fence, as we have never jumped anything like that. It was called 'helsinki'  which meant nothing to me, but I have looked it up since!


On the day Fudge was happy warming up and seemed to realise it was XC day, he's a funny old horse really, he's done enough now I suppose to recognise the different situations. Today was studs and brushing boots, so that means XC  :-)
Anyway he was up for a good fast canter warm up, even though it was a hot day and he really needs clipping again, which can often make him sluggish. He jumped the warm up fences happily too, and was keen to trot through to the start, tanking off with me to get going!
I had to pull him up as the lady doing the gate spotted I had my watch on, which is not allowed, so I had to stop to take it off. She helpfully put it in her pocket for me saying that was better than being disqualified for wearing it!


We had about 3 mins walking around by the start, and then cantered up to the start line as they counted down the last 5 seconds and jumped the first 3 fences (palisade and 2 logs) confidently which settled my nerves. Fence 4 was a step down (they called it a ditch but it wasn't) close
to fence 5, Fudge backed off a bit down the step so we weren't on the most forward canter towards the big palisade (my least favourite type of jump) but I needn't have worried, he just popped it, and we even managed to land on the correct leg (I remembered to ask for it) to
turn a sharp right to fence 6 straightforward rails which I reckon were only 2' high.
Fudge decided he could go faster here and flew it, thankfully landing on the correct leg again (I forgot to ask this time) to go in a large left handed loop through compulsory flags around the field. We galloped this bit, Fudge was telling me these fences were easy and he could make the time if they were all going to be like those   ;-)


Fence 7 a small brush which he popped over, then turn back on yourself to the sunken road fence 8ab which was fine, Fudge decided to trot and I said that was a good decision. He continued to trot after it, I think he was a little confused because there were 2 C elements that he could see, but neither were on our course.
Off we cantered again heading for the tyres that he's jumped a number of times before when we've done Trec competitions at this venue. As he locked onto the tyres he picked up speed again  :-) So tyres for fence 9, another loop to a log fence 10, water fence 11 (trotted in and out down and up a sloping bank).


Then you turn up the hill to a table for fence 12, which I thought was up to height yesterday. So did Fudge, he backed off it and took off perfectly to clear it. I love my horse. Then fence 13 straight on but all still up hill to a chair, where the photographer was - another lovely jump, I shouldn't have worried even though it felt a big fence to me.
 
Fence 14 a beehive still straight on up the hill although levelling out now. Not such a good jump, I thought he would go from further back and Fudge put a short one in. I belive I squeaked!! Then fence 15ab nice inviting telegraph pole rails, not big, but horribly offset and of course you can't circle between A and B. I thought we had a good line, but Fudge didn't quite understand me, and just glanced off left to run out of the B element. I started to circle round, then had a blonde moment and shouted to the fence judge did I have to jump both parts again, and she shouted back yes! I know this perfectly well, I was fence judging myself last weekend at a coffin ABC fence! So we came round again, and this time Fudge realised what I had intended, and did a textbook angled jump over A, and a little turn to B clearing them both. Turn back on yourself and head back downhill though more compulsory flags.


By this point I was puffed and Fudge was dripping, my reins were covered in frothy sweat  :-) Fence 15 is really cleverly placed as you're both tired or tiring from doing the big up hill section, just after 3 of the largest fences on the course, and you are 4/5 of the way round the course. Fence 16 on gentle slope down was another big wide table, Fudge took off ok, I just heard a hoof tap it on the way up but we were fine. Then a nice cantering section along the top of the hill and more downhill through the last set of compulsory flags (8 sets altogether on this course!) which gave us a much needed breather. I got my head together, I steadied him up for the next turn, and told him there were only 3 more fences to go - did you know my horse can count?
Anyway fence 17 a larger but inviting fence, they called it a pheasant feeder but it was more like a house to me  ;-) Then fence 18 the helsinki I was worried about, which Fudge thought was the easiest thing he'd ever seen  :-)
Turn downhill to the last fence, a pile of telegraph poles with a blue plastic top. Fudge flew it and took off rather further back than I expected, so I slipped the reins and hailed a taxi. We cantered at high speed (still downhill) through the finish line with me yahooing as loud as I could manage!


Needless to say it took us a long time to cool down. Fudge got a bucket of water chucked over him, some walking off, sponged off, more walking off, and then drank half a bucket of water for good measure.
I got a cup of tea and a pain au chocolat sitting in the sun on the lorry ramp  :-)
We didn't get placed as of course we had 20 penalties, I worked out we came something like 14th out of 25 in the class. The optimum time was 4 mins 32 secs, and we completed in 5 mins 30 secs, so with the run out and extra circle, we would have been on a good time, so a shame really, but today's objective was to complete this hunter trial we haven't done before, so that got a big tick  :-)
Very happy with my pony, he earned himself parsnips and apples and a day off  :-)


Oh yes, and yesterday was the anniversary of the day Fudge arrived with me 9 years ago, which I put on the entry form for today's commentary. I've never entered anything that needed a commentary section filling
in before, so I wasn't sure what to put. The commentator basically read out everything I wrote, word for word!

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