Not AGAIN !!!!
All dressed up and nowhere to go AGAIN. Except this time I actually got to the meet to find out that nobody told me that it had been cancelled due to the fog. Boy was I cross!!!
We did a quick rethink and realised that we could cut across country to the farm ride, where I had a "freebie" ticket waiting from having stewarded for them at their BE event this year. So off we trecked. Apparently we weren't the only pair "booted and suited" and wearing plaits to do the farm ride this morning.
I happened to be setting off just as a friend of mine who is a livery there was about to go out, so we had some company and I have to say that we had a great time. Jazz was a little sticky to start with but soon got the hang of jumping in a crowd of two instead of fifty :-)
About three quarters of the way round, it's possible to detour and redo a great big loop of the yard. So my friend went off home and Jazz and I went round again. He was really fired up on his own, I'm not sure why, and we redid the loop and finished the rest hardly breaking out of a canter, and jumping every fence along the way. He was spotting them and pulling me in to many of them. Those he thought about dodging out on, I found it easy to put him straight again and jump them.
In one way, it was a better option for us today than hunting. Because we got to jump and jump and jump and jump, and it has restored our faith in each other over fixed obstacles. Hunting every week or two for the rest of the winter is going to be SUCH FUN and so good for the pair of us.
C
ps talking of BE events, fees have gone up to £190 to register myself and one horse. And then either £62 or £72 (vatable events) to do an Intro. That doesn't include any training fees, diesel for the lorry or anything else. It would cost me at least £1200 to do ten events next year. Is it worth it? It certainly doesn't feel like it right now, while we are having such fun hunting for so much less money, less stress and a much more sociable outing.
posted by cptrayes @ 5:05 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Well, this time you turned a bad day into a good one, all on your own. Good thing there was an outing available for Jazz. He would have been awfully cross to go back home again with no fun.
How nice to hear his new found confidence rolled over to doing it on his own. What a good kid he's turning out to be.
Competitions around here are expensive too and honestly, I did not miss showing at all last season. There is a US horse association membership: $55. That does include a really nice liability insurance policy for any kind of horse related accidents.
Show entry fees, the last time I showed, were running about $150 for just two dressage tests. That, of course, doesn't include fuel.
Have to wonder if it's all worth it. There are no longer a lot of combined training events around here. Many places have closed down and I guess insurance costs, and keeping the land open has been an issue.
The NJ Horse Park does run a big CCI*** every year and I know there was talk of making it a four star. I think they also run a driving competition. The water complex is amazing. The US Equestrian Team headquarters have scaled back a lot with some land going to a golf course. Haven't been up there in years to see what's up.
Dressage and the hunter/jumper shows seem to keep most people busy. Have no idea what entry fees are for the H/J any more, but when I quit that circuit, they were on a pretty big upward spiral.
Noooooooooooo I would have loved to come tooo and Fox would have loved it too. Spent hour and 50 mins driving to venue. I was very cross.
Sarah
and...... what fog??? I only noticed November grey, Flint and Denbigh would have been out, are drag hunters girls blousers??
Still cross
Sarah
no fog here... but tooo cold.....
glad you got him going on his own... you dressage queen LOL...
Sarah I kicked myself for not having your mobile number with me. I did email you when I got home (sod all use then, I know!), did you get it? I totally agree that they cancelled for no reason that I could see.
Jean your dressage fees are extortionate!!! It's £12 to enter an affiliated novice here, and £7-10 to do an unaffiliated.
Claire it was one of those great days for us where our house was above the fog in brilliant sunshine and our temperatures 3 whole degrees higher than lower down :-) Still only plus 2 though!!
C
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