It's a funny old game....

Trundled off to Pachesham again on Sunday...was my Mother's Day present to myself...happily it was a lovely day and both bears came along to support without too much moaning!

N23 (not done that in ages) and N38 (which we have done a number of times now)

I just don't know what the problem with the Small Brown one and Pachesham is...he loathes the warm up with a passion. Not sure if it is the mirrors in odd places, the surface, the bank, the mahooooosive muck heap??/ Either way he always has a melt down,chooses a horse to be terrified of and sticks to his guns! Having had a couple of more successful warm ups at Priory, I foolishly didn't leave enough time to work through his little tantrum which meant he was wound up like a spring and my time was coming closer without one single sensible transition to canter under our belts :(

Coupled with a bunch of screaming middle aged women with their flyball team outing, literally screaming their heads off, dogs barking....did not for a calm boy make.
Still, we went in, made a pigs ear of it....medium canters were flat out gallops with llama style handbreak stops at the end, after which he just sat on my leg and refused to go forward,which meant we broke a couple of times and I wasn't brave enough to give him a reminder of the job in hand!Felt awful, looked worse. Fully deserved 59% and last place...

At which point I blooming well decided we weren't wasting our entry fee, and he could blooming well get over it, and get off my leg and get going!! Took an executive decision to do 2nd warm up in field next to arena....and smacked that little brown bottom. We had a short and meaningful discussion about the need for forward, transitions and listening...at which point he knuckled down.
N38 was at least calm, submissive and accurate for a change...he suddenly felt tired, so the energy wasn't there, but he at least tried to get going when I asked for more. Last centre line was weak and woolly as by that point we were both adrenalined out...but chuffed to bits with 66.1%...no placing, but a squeak short of 6thplace....and tons to work on, so pleased we went back in and did better...

Fairoak Grange next outing with the Team Timson massive....looking forward to a group outing and a giggle....new venue for us, so will be a good test...