Cob Jockey

The short version of XC is that our well-executed plan worked until I was too tired to execute it anymore, and then things got interesting.

The even shorter version that says absolutely nothing about how the ride went is that we went double clear.

(All photos taken by Connor's breeder, Lisa, unless otherwise noted.)


The "how much leg Connor actually needs" epiphany extends to fences too - remember the lesson a month ago in which I really put my leg on and put him together when he was strung out for the first time?  So today's trainer tip was LEG - approaching the fence, at the base of the fence, and over the fence as well, so he's never even a millisecond without support from me.

The plan worked great in warmup - they actually had Starter and BN XC fences there (usually they just have stadium fences in warmup) and with my leg on him, he wasn't squirrely at all and took them well.  I felt good going into the course.


The first few fences rode really nicely, for us.  They weren't fluid, but he didn't scramble and weave before the fences, and he never thought about running out of anything the entire course.  I thought, "PROGRESS!"

Fence 3

By the middle of the course, I was starting to get tired from using that much leg.  It was a long course for our first one of the season too - 2,000m.

Fence 8 - always a good boy about water. Photo used with permission from Xpress Photography.

At fence 9, immediately after the water, my leg started to really go.  He gave this brand new fence a hard stop/look, then leaped it. Photo used with permission from Xpress Photography.

The next fence, 10, was an option.  Ditch or trakehner.  I chose the trakehner because we're not ready to do ditches in rated competition yet, but my trainer told me not to overestimate it, because "That log never rides nicely for people."

She proved right like that so many times on this course!  He totally, completely stopped in front of it for a full second, and then jumped it from an actual standstill.  He's jumped from a standstill before, but never like that.  I ended up on his neck without stirrups, and had to pull him up to a walk to get them back.

11...

Photo used with permission from Xpress Photography.

Immediate left turn to 12...

Photo used with permission from Xpress Photography.

13 and 14 rode pretty sticky, and then there was 15:

It was actually our smoothest jump of the day - notice he didn't put his nose down to it on approach.

Not bad, all things considered.

Fairly normal landing here...

...and then this happened.

To be honest, I really could not tell you what happened with the stumble.  I know he was tired after 15 attempts over a mile to that point, and "a tired horse is a lame horse." (Dr. Marks).  He fell and got back up so quickly, I could feel that he was as bewildered as I was.

The ground was really strange that weekend - it rained a lot two weeks prior, then not at all in the week leading up to the event, so the ground was firm under people feet, but the horses' feet were making massive divots, so maybe got a hoof half in a divot or something.

One way or another, I was so proud of him for righting us that quickly and, as shaken up as we were, the next fence was truly abominable:

There should be a cartoon sound of pots and pans clanging out of a cabinet accompanying this picture!

But we recovered nicely for the B element of the combination.  (For the record, I am so not a fan of combinations on XC.  I am also not a fan of combinations on XC at the end of a long course for the first event of the year.  But we deal, we deal.)

Tired pony is tired. Photo used with permission from Xpress Photography.

After that fence, I swear I heard (pseudo-resident clinician we ride with a couple times a year) CJF's voice come out of the heavens and say that I was in danger of not making time.  *Noted after Britt's comment: I didn't actually hear her, because she was still in the warmup area, and even if she was on course, she didn't have a watch on me and wouldn't have known my time.  It was definitely all in my very tired head, which is why I said 'I swear I heard', but one way or another, the thought made me pick up my pace.*

I asked Connor for one more big canter, where we sprinted to fence 18 and then the finish line.  We ended up being 3 seconds under optimum time, which is perfect.


So the major takeaway from XC is that we both need to be more fit.  When we were still both feeling good, the fences were actually better than they've ever been, which is not saying he's a cross-country machine yet - far from it- but there was tangible improvement there.

Since it was the first show of the season for almost everyone, we were not the only ones that were feeling the effects of XC.  Time for conditioning for Connor, and more CrossFit for me!

I would like to end this post by encouraging everyone to admire how perfectly shaped JenJ's (handmade) dragon patch is on my saddle pad, and how perfectly it aligns to the saddle I didn't even have when she made it as my Blogger Secret Santa present.  Slow clap for JenJ!