Fortunately the one other person at the yard got rather sick of my profanities and offered to give me a hand….. cue one horse on the trailer.
Have to say driving to Rayleigh though floods and torrential rain with a visibility of non existent, I was seriously questioning the sanity of all of this, but I had agreed to do this madness with JFTD from HHO so I wasn’t about to let her down. I found the venue more through luck than judgement and carried on regardless of being about 30 minutes later than my allotted time. The down side to that was that some of the fence/activity judges had thought they were done and had buggered off to get dry.
Well in for a penny I thought and after I had located JFTD, started to get on with the obstacle course. However, I was soon to regret this sentiment, as the ground conditions were appalling. We did the low branches thing ok, trashed the whole rein back lane (*snigger*) and then there were two jumps, which again we did ok, before the fence judge realised she couldn’t go just yet that I had jumped both and sent me back to dismount and lead over the second. Then we had to go though a narrow channel without stepping out of the boards, I think we did that ok, then was a “gate” that was done so not BHS, but was effective regardless ( get horse though and lean back on horses bum and put rope gate back!!)
Then we had the nemesis (nemesissssss or should that be nemesi)…… the water obstacle…… a fast flowing stream of a thing “oh my dear lord” was my girls response so I gave that a miss. Then we had to do a odd sideways thing, where the front feet went over a pole on the ground and you had to then go sideward’s. Our reaction to that was “your ‘aving a larf gov” so we missed that too. Going though and over the “bridge” constructed of road work things was the next challenge and where as the previous competitor struggled to get her beastie anywhere near, my girl rose to the challenge and made it look terribly easy. Then we had to go up a hill without breaking pace…… the ground conditions were so bad that it wasn’t easy.
The next challenge was to stand in circle and on a loose rein be immobile for 10 seconds, we managed that bit ok, but trying to fit an horse the size of the ark royal into a tiny wee circle was tricky and we walked away with “nil points” a la eurovision as we didn’t get into the circle within the 10 seconds…..then we had to pick a rope up and self lunge so to speak, before replacing the rope – easy peas! And that I think was the end of this oddness that is referred to as PTV
We finally found someone to come back and do the control of paces, well, the track was so chewed up that it wasn’t hard to do a slow canter, the fast walk back was a little more tricky, as we had to stay within the markers and the ground was bad, madam kept trying to get onto the better going that was unfortunately out of bounds!.
Hurrah, that was the complicated bit done, or so I thought, as now for a nice hack in the countryside. At this point I think it had stopped raining, so off we trotted to do the orienteering. Well that isn’t as easy as it seems, as there were quite a few missed turns and “are you sure this is the right way” senarios.
The best bit was being able to open the horses up on the field headlands, as the going there was pretty good….. that is until, you are steadying your gallop down ready to take a corner, and your horse decides at this point that a massive spook is in order…. At a puddle!!. One minute I had a horse under me, the next I am face down on the ground.
Have to admit though the reboot and system check took sometime to kick in and I think I frightened JFTD. Was impressed though, landed with reins and map still clutched in my hands. So now then, how does one get back on a 16.1hh beastie in the middle of no where with no sign of mounting block and with no spring to be able to get on (with or without a boost). Well one dropped stirrup so I can actually get my foot it in and closing your eyes to the fact you are hauling yourself on with the saddle (oh dear god, what did I do to my horses back and saddle!) I am back on, and we finish the orienteering with very little disaster (well if you don’t count taking a wrong turn and finding yourself squeezing between a fence and a hedge with no where to go or turn)
So there you go, my My first trec competition and Sunday morning I open the curtains to torrential rain. Roads are flooded and there seems a distinct lack of diesel in my two local shell garages, but undaunted (and sanity carefully left at home, in the warm and dry with the 2 staffies) I went to collect trailer and headed off to the Yard. While collecting the trailer, I gave the organisers a ring to see if this Trec thing was going a head….. to my dismay it was (were they insane). So trailer duly hooked up, off to get madam…. who decided since she moved yards exactly 7 days ago, and kind of liked where she was, that she was NOT, over her dead body was she getting on that trailer!
Fortunately the one other person at the yard got rather sick of my profanities and offered to give me a hand….. cue one horse on the trailer.
Have to say driving to Rayleigh though floods and torrential rain with a visibility of non existent, I was seriously questioning the sanity of all of this, but I had agreed to do this madness with JFTD so I wasn’t about to let her down. I found the venue more through luck than judgement and carried on regardless of being about 30 minutes later than my allotted time. The down side to that was that some of the fence/activity judges had thought they were done and had buggered off to get dry.
Well in for a penny I thought and after I had located JFTD, started to get on with the obstacle course. However, I was soon to regret this sentiment, as the ground conditions were appalling. We did the low branches thing ok, trashed the whole rein back lane (*snigger*) and then there were two jumps, which again we did ok, before the fence judge realised she couldn’t go just yet that I had jumped both and sent me back to dismount and lead over the second. Then we had to go though a narrow channel without stepping out of the boards, I think we did that ok, then was a “gate” that was done so not BHS, but was effective regardless ( get horse though and lean back on horses bum and put rope gate back!!)
Then we had the nemesis (nemesissssss or should that be nemesi)…… the water obstacle…… a fast flowing stream of a thing “oh my dear lord” was my girls response so I gave that a miss. Then we had to do a odd sideways thing, where the front feet went over a pole on the ground and you had to then go sideward’s. Our reaction to that was “your ‘aving a larf gov” so we missed that too. Going though and over the “bridge” constructed of road work things was the next challenge and where as the previous competitor struggled to get her beastie anywhere near, my girl rose to the challenge and made it look terribly easy. Then we had to go up a hill without breaking pace…… the ground conditions were so bad that it wasn’t easy.
The next challenge was to stand in circle and on a loose rein be immobile for 10 seconds, we managed that bit ok, but trying to fit an horse the size of the ark royal into a tiny wee circle was tricky and we walked away with “nil points” a la eurovision as we didn’t get into the circle within the 10 seconds…..then we had to pick a rope up and self lunge so to speak, before replacing the rope – easy peas! And that I think was the end of this oddness that is referred to as PTV
We finally found someone to come back and do the control of paces, well, the track was so chewed up that it wasn’t hard to do a slow canter, the fast walk back was a little more tricky, as we had to stay within the markers and the ground was bad, madam kept trying to get onto the better going that was unfortunately out of bounds!.
Hurrah, that was the complicated bit done, or so I thought, as now for a nice hack in the countryside. At this point I think it had stopped raining, so off we trotted to do the orienteering. Well that isn’t as easy as it seems, as there were quite a few missed turns and “are you sure this is the right way” senarios.
The best bit was being able to open the horses up on the field headlands, as the going there was pretty good….. that is until, you are steadying your gallop down ready to take a corner, and your horse decides at this point that a massive spook is in order…. At a puddle!!. One minute I had a horse under me, the next I am face down on the ground.
Have to admit though the reboot and system check took sometime to kick in and I think I frightened JFTD. Was impressed though, landed with reins and map still clutched in my hands. So now then, how does one get back on a 16.1hh beastie in the middle of no where with no sign of mounting block and with no spring to be able to get on (with or without a boost). Well one dropped stirrup so I can actually get my foot it in and closing your eyes to the fact you are hauling yourself on with the saddle (oh dear god, what did I do to my horses back and saddle!) I am back on, and we finish the orienteering with very little disaster (well if you don’t count taking a wrong turn and finding yourself squeezing between a fence and a hedge with no where to go or turn)
So there you go, my first trec report
But would I do Trec again? Am not sure. This was not the best introduction to the sport, as the ground conditions were appalling, and I would not have competed on such ground at the best of times. The weather was atrocious, and if I had been sensible, I should have pulled out before risking life and limb for the drive. However, if I had stayed home I would not have met the wonderful JFTD, and her gorgeous Fergs and had an absolute scream hacking (and eating dirt) around Hockley and Rayleigh.
But before I leave you to stuff yourself silly on the chocolate assortment that I will lay before you, photos of the intrepid duo!
trec report
– possibly my x competition report.But would I do Trec again? Am not sure. This was not the best introduction to the sport, as the ground conditions were appalling, and I would not have competed on such ground at the best of times. The weather was atrocious, and if I had been sensible, I should have pulled out before risking life and limb for the drive. However, if I had stayed home I would not have met the wonderful JFTD, and her gorgeous Fergs and had an absolute scream hacking (and eating dirt) around Hockley and Rayleigh.
But before I leave you to stuff yourself silly on the chocolate assortment that I will lay before you, photos of the intrepid duo!
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