It has been a while!

Since our last post we have have been mostly off games between us, Ru damaging herself  numerous times and also slinging me head first into the school... and I fall badly!!

However, I digress

Saturday saw us load up and travel 30 miles north to the new Essex jump cross venue at Codham Park equestrian for training. It was also the first time I have worn the new hit air vest for something more serious than hacking. I have to admit that I am not the bravest of jumpers so went though most of the shades of green though to pink in the course of the morning. Have to say I had the most fun ever jumping. Nothing seemed to phase either of us, and we did most of the jumpcross course.

I had rashly also entered the 1st competition held at Codham on the following day, so headed back on the Sunday . I was accompanied by my chief navigator, course walker and general dogs body

who despite her best efforts did not manage to get a sausage out of the food van Fortunately the weather held, and we had a glorious day. Unfortunately Ru didn’t travel all that well so arrived looking like she had already taken part – it took a lot of elbow grease to make her look presentable.




My aim today was just to complete. Well I achieved that. The round however was carnage. There were 18 jumps and we fell apart about jump 6, which was the first water. We had to go over a skinny with a sharp turn left though a splash before turning left to the next jump.
We had the skinny down and didn’t make the turn for the water. By now Ru had decided that the water demons were back so took some convincing to go though. 8 was a fan jump, a bit of a rider frightener that rode really nice, followed by a skinny on top of a hill which we had a run out at. Popped over that 2nd time and then we were supposed to canter down hill. Ru decided no she was walking it….. that is until she saw the next jump with the photographer. She is such a tart, and made the oxer look easy and posed for the camera at the same time.
We were about half way round and I have to say I was knackered and my head was aching and I reasoned that if I wasn’t feeling great then neither was Ru. We trundled off at trot towards the gap in the hedge, where there was a steward in the grass for Ru to spook at before a left turn for a skinny on quite a steep incline. The ground wasn’t the best and ru decided that it wasn’t happening and rather than refuse (has she read the rules as a knock down is 20 penalties and a refusal is 50!!) she purposefully demolished the jump and proceeded to walk up the hill on the better ground, which unfortunately for me was pretty much in the hedge line. Thank you Ru! Now the next 3 jumps we hadn’t done the day before due to poor ground conditions so funnily enough she refused the lot of them. The ground was softer than Ru likes so she refused to be rushed, so we walked up and down the steep inclines. Popped over the double before a left turn to another splash and a skinny. By this time we had both had enough, so with a bit of pony club flapping I got Ru though the water, for her to deliberately kick the poles out and genteelly walk though

Second to last jump was an off set double and I got the line wrong so refused the second element, bad pilot but we (or should I say I) got it right the second time.

Now in jump cross the last jump is a choice of a normal jump or a joker. The joker is a skinny and is 6 inches higher than the rest and if you clear it, it will knock 40 penalties off your score. I reasoned that since our round was more carnage than anything else that it wasn’t worth it, so cleared the last oxer before trundling though the finish….. at this point the commentator said “no 25 you can finally go” ….. thanks for rubbing it in, but it made me chuckle.
So there you go possibly my first solo event report. As for the result….. I got over 800 penalties but I didn’t come last in my class of 11. We started together and we finished together, the air jacket was not set off and the photographer makes us look brilliant - I achieved my aim, I was happy.