Pony Tales: Showjumping... and Falling Off

This will be somewhat of a mini post for two reasons - one, I am extremely tired. Two, I have an awful headache due to a very... acrobatic fall earlier today.
Since the start of the year, I've managed to get some showjumping practice in nearly every week. I'm a bit rusty, so my focus at the moment is to get into the correct position over some smaller fences and work on my approach to the jump before upping the height.
Last week, we managed to get to around 2 ft 6 / 2 ft 9. It was really enjoyable and gave me a lot of confidence, even if my position still wasn't perfect.

25.01.2015

Today was not so great. Ernest was feeling quite fresh, as he's not been out for nearly four weeks due to bad flooding, and it was windy. Something clearly jumped out of the bushes behind him while we were jumping a small cross pole, as he shot off across the school upon landing, bucking furiously. Suffice to say I went somersaulting over his shoulder and landed in a heap. I think I hit my head on him, which explains the bad headache. My knees are also very painful and I have a bruise in a very unusual place when I bashed into the saddle during my rapid exit. Diagnosis: ouch.
However, as all riders know, you have to get back on straightaway if possible. Maxx picked me up (literally), helped me back on, and I jumped the cross pole again before taking Ernest for a hack.
What's frustrating is I also think he became a bit silly because we were jumping with friends, unlike last weekend. He became overexcited in the warm up arena at a clear round showjumping event in November and bucked me off then, too. Perhaps I need to practice with friends more, perhaps on both the aforementioned occasions he was just overjoyed at the thought of jumping again. Either way, I'll try to do a couple of fences this week to make sure I don't lose confidence.

01.02.2015

Dressage Competition: 11.10.14

I'm sorry I've been so absent little bloggy... I've been super busy on the work and study front. By the end of November things will be much less busy as I'll have finished my CELTA. 
Last Saturday, Ernest and I went to a dressage competition at the same venue as the 20th September - thankfully, it didn't rain, even though it poured on the Friday night. 
Due to a complete mess up of sending me my times, I had to do Novice 30 first. My mistake was not looking at the tests until Friday, when I realised how many canter moves I had to do: change leg across the diagonal, medium, walk to canter. Not in that order. While our schooling session was good, I should have practiced these moves more, and earlier, than the evening before.
It was frustrating because Ernest and I had a successful warm-up, and he was going beautifully, but in the test he just seemed to lose all energy. I then began to ride like a flappy child, losing my composure as I tried to push him on and keep him in a contact at the same time. Overall, I came out feeling irritated and baffled. 
I had an egg on my face, as I acted, quite frankly, like a bit of a twat. I was really annoyed because I felt the test was rubbish and I rode badly and I didn't understand why Ernest wasn't going anywhere. Then, after watching the video, it really wasn't that bad - although I was right about the flappyflapflap. We got 59.62%, which I was happy with as there was plenty to work on. And, after my terrible attitude, I didn't really deserve higher, although Ernest did. I feel a bit ashamed even now. 
So, I got back on for Prelim 19 - the most popular Prelim of all time, according to every time I've entered it and there's been 5000 other people in the class - with a better attitude after apologising for being an idiot. We had another lovely warm-up, and rode a pleasing test. For this, we got 65.45%.
No rosettes this time, but a healthy reminder to not behave like a spoilt butthead when things don't go to plan. Ernest will be getting clipped before our next dressage outing at the end of November, which will make things more comfortable for him as he gets so hot in his excessively fluffy winter coat.
We're hoping to go showjumping tomorrow with some friends from the yard - it's not a competition, just a chance to practice jumping a course. Ernest has a busier social life than me! Since 20th September, he's done two dressage competitions, a sponsored ride, and, if tomorrow goes ahead, a showjumping event!

Dressage Competition: 20.9.14

Last Saturday was our first competition since October 2013. By the middle of the week I was getting really excited - it had been a busy and somewhat stressful week with starting 2 new teaching courses, so training was therapeutic as I was thinking about something completely different!

Ernest had been going extremely well in our practices, so I knew it was just down to me. I ride very strongly with my left hand, which you can see in the videos (I tried to upload them but they're bigger than 100MB, so follow this link to watch online), which results in him 'wagging' or 'nodding' his head, especially in walk.

My legs were shaking when we were warming up, but Ernest was a true gentleman - he was unfazed by everything else happening around him, focusing only on what I was asking. Cool as a pony-shaped cucumber!

Overall, we got 70.00% for Prelim 17 - our highest score for a long time! - and came 6th. We got 66.88% for Novice 28, and came 3rd. Novice is the next level up from Prelim and basically requires you to do more stuff, including different types of trot and canter. I was delighted! It was such a positive way to start competing again, but even if we hadn't placed I would have been delighted with our tests.  I thought I was going to cry when I read the judge's comment for Novice: "A very honest pony who tries his heart out for you. Very pleasing trot work. Needs to be more supple on left rein especially in canter. Well ridden test." That's my Biff! Judges do tend to like Ernest, obviously with good reason, but it's always lovely to read compliments about my baby boy.

We've qualified for the Championships in the Prelim class, which will be held next year. Our next dressage outing is October 11th - less than a week after the half marathon! - so in the meantime I'll be working on my contact and hand position. Thank you to my friends and family who came and supported us!
Remember to look here if you want to see the videos! Check out the rest of Simon's website, too - he's very talented. My favourite, and best, pictures of Ernest were taken by him.

Pony Tales: Ernest and The Hat

I like to put things on Ernest's head. It used to amuse me greatly to put my gloves on his ears - partly because it made him look like a deer and partly because it meant I wouldn't forget to wear them out riding. One dressage competition many years ago, I dressed up as Father Christmas and dressed Ernest up as Rudolph - I coloured in his nose with red lipstick and sellotaped a reindeer antler headband to his bridle. He didn't bat an eyelid but inside probably thought 'somebody save me'.

One day I was bringing Ernest in when I bent down to pull up my sock - don't you hate it when you get slippy sock syndrome? So uncomfortable. I was wearing my black knitted beanie hat, which my Grandma M had knitted me a long time ago (I now have them in navy, purple, yellow, black with a yellow and white stripe, among others) - it's super stylish and warm, if I say so myself, and many of my friends have requested a beanie from my grandma since they saw me fashionably modelling my black one.

I digress.

While I was bending down to pull up said slippy sock, I felt a certain steed breathing warm air on the top of my head. Then, very delicately, my hat was pulled slowly off. I stood up and saw Ernest holding it is his mouth, ears forward. He then started waving it around, but didn't drop it.

This was highly amusing to me, and I giggled all the way down to the yard where Maxx was waiting for us - we like to go on family walks with Ernest. I told Maxx about the hat incident and we decided to put my hat over Ernest's ears. 

He loved it! I thought he would shake it off, but he kept it on and had his ears forward the whole time. I tacked up and got on, and he still didn't shake the hat off. We started walking to the woods, hat intact, ears still forward - I only took it off in case he changed his mind. 

Ernest is a quirky creature - he's grumpy, loyal, intelligent, playful, funny, gentle when I'm tired or ill, inquisitive and sometimes just downright odd.  I recently put my purple hat on him, but as it wasn't his hat, he shook it off - how would he know it's not his hat? He can't see colours!

Maxx and I now talk in Ernest's voice yes my animals have voices and always ask, 'Where's my hat? Can you bring me my hat please?' I even had an email at work reminding me Wednesday was 'BringMoominHatDay' Ernest is called Ernest, Biff, Moomin, and anything else I think sounds good.

This might seem a bit of a weird Pony Tales, but it reflects Ernest's long-suffering character and our relationship - I do strange things to him, he puts up with it.

Such an expressive pony - look at the annoyance in the second photograph!