Jan 32 min read

Final jump of 2024

15 December 2024

Since Brent Knoll RC were running Adults Only SJ at Badgworth, I decided to take Freddie in to the 70 and 80cm for a final jump of the year.

Not quite sure how he'd be, I took him for a 6 mile hack on the Saturday, which provided to make him slightly lethargic in the warm up.

Having gone for a 20 min hack, I popped into the black arena for a canter, then the sand arena for a jump, which he took lethargically, and so I headed down to the indoor arena.

Needless to say, since it's Freddie being Freddie, the 70cm wasn't enough to distract him and so he was able to spook at Amanda at the gate after jump 2, giving us not an ideal line to jump 3 but clear nonetheless.

Determined to do all the lovely turns in the jump off that Jane had set, I was disappointed when trigger wasn't staying with me, knocked fence 7 and then overjumped fence 8 so we missed the turn. however, I wasn't going to go all the way around so I looped fence 2 (that we were supposed to have got inside) squeezed through the gap and headed down to jump 9. Quick turn back on ourselves for jump 10 and on to jump 11. However, we weren't as quick as I would have liked. Almost as if Fred hadn't really registered what we were doing and was just dawdling. With the winner on 28.91 (junoir member, kid on a pony) second to fourth were in the 31-32 seconds range. We were 36 - probably lost a few with the overshoot and heading back.

So anyhoo, we then went back in for the 80cm round, hoping to sharpen the brain up. This round was going a bit better, trying to get to travel.... when he suddenly decided ahead of fence 6 coming off the top corner by his stable, that perhaps he may have a poo and may perhaps stop to poo. However, with mummy saying why are you slowing down, go go go!, Fred's male brain fused with jump or poo, jump or poo, and we did both together badly, crashing through fence 6 at half height whilst pooping across it. - sigh - since that was the start of the timed section, we then had to stand up, balance and kick on. I went large rather than cutting in for the turns then and at jump 10 and 11 Fred finally seemed to get that we were jumping and started travelling - doh.

Nevermind, we have some beautiful rosettes and we haven't been jumping regularly so you have to start again sometime....