Clear rounds day = Success!

The clear rounds day I Mentioned was on Saturday, and it went really well! I did four rounds, one at 2’3”, one at 2’6” and two at 2’9”. Ollie was super!

I did get some media, but it’s not the best as it was just a cell phone camera. Oliver is so cute though, he makes up for the not very good photo quality.

here is the video of my first 2’9” round.

 

 

And here is lots of pictures!

2’6”

2’9”

Trying to slow down… (2’9”)

2’9”

2’9”

2’6”

2’9”

The show itself was great! But remember how I said that we trail ride over? We do… and we did. However, apparently blackberry bush cutters like to work on Saturday? With their big noisy machines? And block the whole trail while chopping it down? The “absolutely nightmareish” (in the horses eyes anyway.) Tractor/chopping machine was smack in the middle of the trail that my sister and I needed to take to get to our show. Also, it was turned on.

Picture photobombed by my horse.

Ahh that’s better. (But not really…)

Clearly it was scary. We ended up having to dismount and lead our horses (Brianna was riding one of our coaches horses Foxy) past the big scary machine. Which was fine. It wasn’t a big deal… but… there was a… creek right behind the bush cutter. So we ended up walking through the creek and getting completely soaked and having our boots fill up with water. Lovely. Also take into account that all this is happening before 9am so it was quite cold out. Luckily, after the creek there was a log that we used to mount up again, and the trail ride continued without incident. Or… did it? From my house to the show grounds, is a 20-30 minute hack. You have to cross 3 creeks + 2 large lake-like puddles. At that point we’d crossed 1 creek and 1 puddle. We crossed the next puddle without a problem. Then came the next creek…

A Little History.

this is the creek that goes by the name “treacherous river”

after the “Treacherous river” is what goes by the name of “hippie campsite.” OR “party area” OR there was even one person staying there who was a Sasquatch hunter? When it is a hippie camp (that is what it was on Saturday, which is much better the “Party area”) It often has 1-5 school buses that have been converted into RVs, 1-3 tents. 1-4 cars, and a couple couches scattered around in the bushes for resting on. There is also normally at least one dog. Did I forget to mention the people? There is always lots of hippies hanging around to. Because the “hippies” don’t normally say much (just something like “heeeyyy duude.”) they are fairly scary for the horses-people hiding in bushes + mysteries dog woofing that cannot be seen + lots of school buses. It’s always fun to ride past. Haha… not.

Weeeeeee!!

also, Happy April fools everyone!* I couldn’t think up any cool jokes this year unfortunately (NOOO!!! 😫) but I read the funniest posts on Emma’s blog and on Emily’s blog. Maybe I can think up something like that next year? 😁 (hehe, beware.)

*this post is not a April fools joke, as much as I wish the hippie camp didn’t exist, it does. 😦

I have not actually fallen over and died in the manure pile. I just forgot about my blog.

I really need to be more on top of blogging, but I haven’t had much to post about? I haven’t been doing anything unusual, or new, etc etc… I’ve Gone on a couple trail rides! (IT HAS BEEN SUNNY.) and that is nice. I had a lesson,  which was also nice. And that’s kinda it.

One part of the trail goes right behind the golf course…. it is pure TORTURE. (Yes, Ollie wants to go gallop on it too.)

the one exciting thing, I have a schooling show coming up! It’s just one of the local ones, so I can trail ride over. (Trail ride PAST THE GOLF COURSE 😩) It is always nice to not have to trailer! It’s a “Clear Rounds” day, so you just go and jump around a bit. There is no Judge, and not a “set” course. (although, there is normally a course posted, but you can make up your own if you like.) you can school over all the scary* stuff though.

*scary “ish”. I’ve jumped it all multiple times, and they hardly ever repaint/get new jumps… so it’s nothing new for Ollie or me. Unless they DID get new jumps over the winter????? That would be awesome.

Jumps don’t look scary in this picture at all… probably bc I was still doing Hunters at that point 🤣(not that Hunters are less scary normally… but they are at my local shows.)

currently the list of “scary” jumps is this:

fake (plastic) brick wall.

white hunter gate. (used in Jumper to though.)

brown hunter gate. (Also used in Jumpers.)

Plank painted with Bricks/tunnel thing.

large red (plastic) plank.

small green (plastic) plank. (Used in both Hunters and Jumpers.)

large flower boxes. (VERY scary.)

and lots of little flowers for jump Fill.

that’s about it. But it’s nice being able to just school. And get you and your horse out for the first time of the year😂 the bad part, is that because it is the first outing of the year, everyone’s horses are crazy and out of control. And the warmup arena is quite small. So it’s a bit like a game of bumper horses.

 

 

That video is pretty old, (1 year? 2 years?) but it gives you the general idea! I tried to find the video of Ollie and I doing the Jumpers, as they didn’t put any fill out at that show. (For the Hunters anyway) and I wanted to get a picture of that Brick wall! But no luck so far!

Almost a year old, and Ollie’s head looks bigger then it actually is, but still a cute pic!