Friday the 7th of December
"My First Adelaide Experience!"
The build up to Adelaide is huge! The planning that goes into getting one horse to this kind of event is mind blowing. Its not just the planning for you and your horse, the fitness, the training, the feeding… Its planning for being away from home for almost a week. Making sure every last detail is thought of from packing the gooseneck to organising feeds at home, so you don’t get half way to Adelaide and realise you have forgotten something! The entire experience was a huge buzz! I had a blast! I must say just competing Rocket is like having a holiday. He is so easy and having best friend/groom Sarah there, as well as super Husband Glynn; there really wasn’t much for me to do but, walk the xc course a million times! Even the doggies were sick of course walking.
But before we get to the xc we have to do, dressage. Not all eventer’s love Dressage but I do - especially on Rocket. He makes it all feel so easy and he loves a big crowed. He felt pretty chuffed when he spotted himself on the big screen! Riding into that main arena was just the best feeling. Hearing your name announced and the silence as you begin your test, followed by the applause at the end… the whole thing was so exciting and fun! For me it was a pretty relaxed experience. I tend not to get stressed about Dressage. As long as I have done the best I can to prepare us both then it all comes down to everything falling into place on the day. And it mostly did! Rocket was awesome, I made a little mistake in one movement but overall the dressage was a tonne of fun!
Then we can get onto the xc!! The course was amazing!! I have been to watch the event previously and have always been so impressed by the incredible xc and the way it is all put together. It must take a lot of planning and manpower to create such a dynamic course. To actually walk the course as a rider was a great feeling - We walked the course 5 times in the days leading up to xc. The first two walks were to get a feel for the course and jumps, every walk after that was about lines, distances and making a plan. The last walk for me was Friday late arvo, as I was on early Saturday morning. You may ask, “Why so may course walks when we might only get 2 course walks in at a normal event, if your lucky?” - The reason I walked that many times is that there is so so much to remember. Some distances could be ridden on a short or long stride, or a cut corner or a wider turn, deciding which trees to go around or cut through, where to make up time and where all your minute markers are… There are so many options for lines and distances that making sure you have your plan solid is so important. You must always be able to improvise if things don’t go to plan but, you need a plan to start with. Rocket sailed through XC like the star he is finishing with 2.4 time penalties (5 seconds) to add to his dressage score.
Rocket recovered perfectly. We had a good plan for after XC and it worked well. His fitness regime on the lead up was spot on and he was feeling great for showjumping on the final day. We cantered back into the main arena to start our round and again I had that same excited feeling! The bell went, everything goes silent and we start our round! One rail down (through rider error) and we had completed our first ever Australian International 3DE!
We moved up from 24th after dressage, to 11th after xc, then up to 8th after show jumping! To finish in the top 10 was just incredible and my little Rocket got home feeling fit and happy which, is the most important thing. Overall the whole experience was just amazing and I can highly recommend it to any aspiring riders wanting to get to that level! The experience will not disappoint! So now we look ahead to next years plan and see what exciting times may lie ahead for us in 2019!!
"My First Adelaide Experience!"
The build up to Adelaide is huge! The planning that goes into getting one horse to this kind of event is mind blowing. Its not just the planning for you and your horse, the fitness, the training, the feeding… Its planning for being away from home for almost a week. Making sure every last detail is thought of from packing the gooseneck to organising feeds at home, so you don’t get half way to Adelaide and realise you have forgotten something! The entire experience was a huge buzz! I had a blast! I must say just competing Rocket is like having a holiday. He is so easy and having best friend/groom Sarah there, as well as super Husband Glynn; there really wasn’t much for me to do but, walk the xc course a million times! Even the doggies were sick of course walking.
But before we get to the xc we have to do, dressage. Not all eventer’s love Dressage but I do - especially on Rocket. He makes it all feel so easy and he loves a big crowed. He felt pretty chuffed when he spotted himself on the big screen! Riding into that main arena was just the best feeling. Hearing your name announced and the silence as you begin your test, followed by the applause at the end… the whole thing was so exciting and fun! For me it was a pretty relaxed experience. I tend not to get stressed about Dressage. As long as I have done the best I can to prepare us both then it all comes down to everything falling into place on the day. And it mostly did! Rocket was awesome, I made a little mistake in one movement but overall the dressage was a tonne of fun!
Then we can get onto the xc!! The course was amazing!! I have been to watch the event previously and have always been so impressed by the incredible xc and the way it is all put together. It must take a lot of planning and manpower to create such a dynamic course. To actually walk the course as a rider was a great feeling - We walked the course 5 times in the days leading up to xc. The first two walks were to get a feel for the course and jumps, every walk after that was about lines, distances and making a plan. The last walk for me was Friday late arvo, as I was on early Saturday morning. You may ask, “Why so may course walks when we might only get 2 course walks in at a normal event, if your lucky?” - The reason I walked that many times is that there is so so much to remember. Some distances could be ridden on a short or long stride, or a cut corner or a wider turn, deciding which trees to go around or cut through, where to make up time and where all your minute markers are… There are so many options for lines and distances that making sure you have your plan solid is so important. You must always be able to improvise if things don’t go to plan but, you need a plan to start with. Rocket sailed through XC like the star he is finishing with 2.4 time penalties (5 seconds) to add to his dressage score.
Rocket recovered perfectly. We had a good plan for after XC and it worked well. His fitness regime on the lead up was spot on and he was feeling great for showjumping on the final day. We cantered back into the main arena to start our round and again I had that same excited feeling! The bell went, everything goes silent and we start our round! One rail down (through rider error) and we had completed our first ever Australian International 3DE!
We moved up from 24th after dressage, to 11th after xc, then up to 8th after show jumping! To finish in the top 10 was just incredible and my little Rocket got home feeling fit and happy which, is the most important thing. Overall the whole experience was just amazing and I can highly recommend it to any aspiring riders wanting to get to that level! The experience will not disappoint! So now we look ahead to next years plan and see what exciting times may lie ahead for us in 2019!!
Monday the 22nd of October
"This Season so far..."
This Season so far… heading into this season I had a plan, and that plan was to be more competitive! I have an incredible horse who is amazing in all 3 phases so I know I am the weak link, in our partnership. So this season I decided to pull my finger out and have a decent crack! And so far, it’s paid off!
Friends of Werribee was our first competition for the season. The main goal was to get a bit faster XC! We achieved this and came in only 19 Seconds over time in the 2*, to finish in 6th place. Heading into Spring HT, the plan was to be more consistent - Good dressage and finish on that score! For the first time in our 2* career we achieved this and came home with 1st place! Rocket - what a legend of a horse i have!
We then headed to Candlebark HT for a run in the 1.5*. We didn’t do our best test but, still not too bad to then add only one rail to our score. I was pretty happy with 5th place! We are now heading to Albury in a week to do what will most likely be our toughest 2* test but, also a great lead up to Adelaide!
"This Season so far..."
This Season so far… heading into this season I had a plan, and that plan was to be more competitive! I have an incredible horse who is amazing in all 3 phases so I know I am the weak link, in our partnership. So this season I decided to pull my finger out and have a decent crack! And so far, it’s paid off!
Friends of Werribee was our first competition for the season. The main goal was to get a bit faster XC! We achieved this and came in only 19 Seconds over time in the 2*, to finish in 6th place. Heading into Spring HT, the plan was to be more consistent - Good dressage and finish on that score! For the first time in our 2* career we achieved this and came home with 1st place! Rocket - what a legend of a horse i have!
We then headed to Candlebark HT for a run in the 1.5*. We didn’t do our best test but, still not too bad to then add only one rail to our score. I was pretty happy with 5th place! We are now heading to Albury in a week to do what will most likely be our toughest 2* test but, also a great lead up to Adelaide!
Tuesday the 24th of July
"Competition Nerves"
In Eventing there is plenty to get nervous about! Galloping towards a solid fence, coloured rails falling down, falling off in the water jump and wondering if you put on your plain undies or the ones with the stripes for the walk of shame, the list goes on! But as a coach I often hear that "dressage makes me so nervous"! And then there is the rest of the competition to worry about! So lets break it down!!
Dressage is the beginning of the eventing competition! There is no score on the board! You literally have nothing to lose and everthing to gain! Whether your horse is good at dressage or not is irrelevant. What is important is the riders attitude to dressage. If you go in the arena just trying to hold it all together you will almost certainly get a backwards, tense test. But if you can channel your nerves and that of your horses and put it into forward energy then you may have a chance at being off the bottom of the leaderboard! Its up to you as the rider to go in there and be proud to be riding your horse! For me when I enter the arena on either of my horses I honestly have the best time! I truely believe that they are the best horses out there! Whether the judges agree or not is another story, and something that I cant control! But I really enjoy riding,training and competing them. There is always something to improve on. Its never perfect, But if you dont go out there and give it everything you've got it wont matter if your sitting on the best moving horse in the world, you will still only ride them to a quarter of their ability.! Dont let the fear of it all falling apart interfere with riding your horse!
There was a turning point in my attitude to Dressage! Over the years I have had many a hot TB. All great jumpers but not so good at the sand dancing. So I became very clever at being tactful and staying quiet in the saddle! So I basically sat there and we managed to get through our test. Then along came Scooter (Entertainment Plus). Now Scooter was an amazing looking animal, 17.2hh, beautifully built, athletic, could really move and was an absolute menace!! It took a while to get him competing but once we finally got out there he was doing mid field dressage tests. I was a bit suprised because he was a pretty amazing horse when he wasnt trying to buck me off in the warm up. So why were we not scoring the way we should? And the answer was that I was still sitting there being 'tactful' instead of riding this amazing horse to his strengths. I was shutting down his amazing movement and pulling his head in. So moving forward we headed off to Albury international Horse trials in 2013. I remember riding around in the warm up and he hadn't tried to get me off and I thought to myself 'I have the most amazing horse (in my mind) and I have nothing to lose! I have no score on the board, its the beginning of the competition, I need to go into that arena and show these judges how awesome this horse is'! So I sat up, carried my hands, pushed him to the bridle and stormed down the centre line into a super square halt (its amazing how those halts happen from a good powerful trot) and proceeded to ride into first place for the first time in my career! So as much as this horse was a terror he taught me that it doesnt matter how fancy your pony is you must ride, you cant just sit there, you must be able to think through your tests and keep moving forward, not obsess over the last movement that wasnt perfect. The moment has gone, you cant change it so focus on making sure the next one is perfect!
Let's move onto the jumping phases! And the same rules apply. In xc it is normal to be nervous! How nervous depends on alot of things! For me I get nervous about failing my horse. If im honest I dont put much thought into falling off. Ive done that plenty of times, I think im actually pretty good at it now! But I do worry about failing! As I think alot of people do! To be honest if you go out on xc and truely think you may die, then maybe eventing is not for yout! BUT if you are nervous and you can still be practical about your nerves then you can work through them! Confidence is the key! Not arrogance but confidence! Knowing that you have ticked all the boxes in your training is the most important. Being able to keep thinking as you go, not shut down and to give your horse the confidence he needs to help you! So many times your head is saying jump and your body is telling your horse something completly different! For me I have a check list of things to remember on approach to a fence! Not 500 dot points but just a couple like, 'sit up, leg on, look ahead'. If you are not 100% commited you pony will know and they will call you out on it! They draw confidence from us. When I head out on xc on any of my horses at any level my first goal is to get them around safely. If for some reason I am not feeling as confident as I should, maybe ive stepped them up a level or there is a tricky/technical line we havent tackled before, I make it my duty to get my horses home confidently. I do this because there is always a goal for every season and I am always thinking of those future goals.
Now the show jumping! We all get nervous about the dreaded coloured poles! This is not the same as xc nerves though! It almost similar to dressage nerves! Confined space, lots of spectators, judges watching on! Then we ride backwards and timid, Searching for that elusive perfect distance which never seems to exist. Before we know it we have killed the canter and forgotten all the tools we have learnt through our lessons to ride a positive round. I would say show jumping is my least favorite phase! I still love it but out of the 3 it does come in last! The thing with showjumping is that it is a mix of dressage and xc. Jumping over obsticals with the grace and elegance of the dressage. But remember these rail do fall down! The other thing to keep in mind is that if you hold back it will surely be a disaster! Ride foward, be positive! Not fast or out of control!! There is a difference! But positive! Forget the crowds. Once im in the arena its just me and my horse! Try to focus on your horse, remember your check list and stay focussed on the important things. Such as doing the very best you can do!
I am always trying to think ahead to my goals, and I try not to get hung up on the negative things. I have a goal for each event which will help me to reach that end of season goal. If you didnt have a great weekend, go home, have a glass of wine, put it in the good experience box and get ready for the next event!
"Competition Nerves"
In Eventing there is plenty to get nervous about! Galloping towards a solid fence, coloured rails falling down, falling off in the water jump and wondering if you put on your plain undies or the ones with the stripes for the walk of shame, the list goes on! But as a coach I often hear that "dressage makes me so nervous"! And then there is the rest of the competition to worry about! So lets break it down!!
Dressage is the beginning of the eventing competition! There is no score on the board! You literally have nothing to lose and everthing to gain! Whether your horse is good at dressage or not is irrelevant. What is important is the riders attitude to dressage. If you go in the arena just trying to hold it all together you will almost certainly get a backwards, tense test. But if you can channel your nerves and that of your horses and put it into forward energy then you may have a chance at being off the bottom of the leaderboard! Its up to you as the rider to go in there and be proud to be riding your horse! For me when I enter the arena on either of my horses I honestly have the best time! I truely believe that they are the best horses out there! Whether the judges agree or not is another story, and something that I cant control! But I really enjoy riding,training and competing them. There is always something to improve on. Its never perfect, But if you dont go out there and give it everything you've got it wont matter if your sitting on the best moving horse in the world, you will still only ride them to a quarter of their ability.! Dont let the fear of it all falling apart interfere with riding your horse!
There was a turning point in my attitude to Dressage! Over the years I have had many a hot TB. All great jumpers but not so good at the sand dancing. So I became very clever at being tactful and staying quiet in the saddle! So I basically sat there and we managed to get through our test. Then along came Scooter (Entertainment Plus). Now Scooter was an amazing looking animal, 17.2hh, beautifully built, athletic, could really move and was an absolute menace!! It took a while to get him competing but once we finally got out there he was doing mid field dressage tests. I was a bit suprised because he was a pretty amazing horse when he wasnt trying to buck me off in the warm up. So why were we not scoring the way we should? And the answer was that I was still sitting there being 'tactful' instead of riding this amazing horse to his strengths. I was shutting down his amazing movement and pulling his head in. So moving forward we headed off to Albury international Horse trials in 2013. I remember riding around in the warm up and he hadn't tried to get me off and I thought to myself 'I have the most amazing horse (in my mind) and I have nothing to lose! I have no score on the board, its the beginning of the competition, I need to go into that arena and show these judges how awesome this horse is'! So I sat up, carried my hands, pushed him to the bridle and stormed down the centre line into a super square halt (its amazing how those halts happen from a good powerful trot) and proceeded to ride into first place for the first time in my career! So as much as this horse was a terror he taught me that it doesnt matter how fancy your pony is you must ride, you cant just sit there, you must be able to think through your tests and keep moving forward, not obsess over the last movement that wasnt perfect. The moment has gone, you cant change it so focus on making sure the next one is perfect!
Let's move onto the jumping phases! And the same rules apply. In xc it is normal to be nervous! How nervous depends on alot of things! For me I get nervous about failing my horse. If im honest I dont put much thought into falling off. Ive done that plenty of times, I think im actually pretty good at it now! But I do worry about failing! As I think alot of people do! To be honest if you go out on xc and truely think you may die, then maybe eventing is not for yout! BUT if you are nervous and you can still be practical about your nerves then you can work through them! Confidence is the key! Not arrogance but confidence! Knowing that you have ticked all the boxes in your training is the most important. Being able to keep thinking as you go, not shut down and to give your horse the confidence he needs to help you! So many times your head is saying jump and your body is telling your horse something completly different! For me I have a check list of things to remember on approach to a fence! Not 500 dot points but just a couple like, 'sit up, leg on, look ahead'. If you are not 100% commited you pony will know and they will call you out on it! They draw confidence from us. When I head out on xc on any of my horses at any level my first goal is to get them around safely. If for some reason I am not feeling as confident as I should, maybe ive stepped them up a level or there is a tricky/technical line we havent tackled before, I make it my duty to get my horses home confidently. I do this because there is always a goal for every season and I am always thinking of those future goals.
Now the show jumping! We all get nervous about the dreaded coloured poles! This is not the same as xc nerves though! It almost similar to dressage nerves! Confined space, lots of spectators, judges watching on! Then we ride backwards and timid, Searching for that elusive perfect distance which never seems to exist. Before we know it we have killed the canter and forgotten all the tools we have learnt through our lessons to ride a positive round. I would say show jumping is my least favorite phase! I still love it but out of the 3 it does come in last! The thing with showjumping is that it is a mix of dressage and xc. Jumping over obsticals with the grace and elegance of the dressage. But remember these rail do fall down! The other thing to keep in mind is that if you hold back it will surely be a disaster! Ride foward, be positive! Not fast or out of control!! There is a difference! But positive! Forget the crowds. Once im in the arena its just me and my horse! Try to focus on your horse, remember your check list and stay focussed on the important things. Such as doing the very best you can do!
I am always trying to think ahead to my goals, and I try not to get hung up on the negative things. I have a goal for each event which will help me to reach that end of season goal. If you didnt have a great weekend, go home, have a glass of wine, put it in the good experience box and get ready for the next event!
Saturday the 30th of June,
Melbourne 3DE and all it involves
As Eventing riders, especially here in Victoria, the majority of us aim to ride at Melbourne International 3DE at least once! But once you have ridden at Victorias biggest eventing competition you will be hooked!! Throughout my career i had ridden a few horses to 1* level, which is the first level of FEI/3DE competition. These horses in my mind were all amazing! They never placed in the dressage, (in truth we were consistently in the bottom 10), usually had a rail or six, but always went clear xc! I loved them all, they were my superstars in my eyes and all going to the Olympics! It wasn’t until later in my career that i realise I may have been a little clouded by my rose coloured glasses. Now this doesn’t mean that they were not amazing horses because they were! And they all went on to teach the ropes to aspiring young riders. It was through this process that I learnt that it doesn’t matter how much you love and adore you eventing partner, they may not have the ability or desire to achieve the same goal as you. We as riders need to assess this and decide if our horses are happy doing the job we are asking.
It wasn’t until I took the ride on Rocket who was bred and trained to play Polocrosse by my husband, that i understood that there are horses out there that really do want to be the best, that always put in the extra bit of effort and that really understand the 3 disciplines.
So on to preparing for this huge event after we have assessed if our horse wants to be a part of this dream!
Firstly, find your self a coach/mentor!! Ideally an eventing coach! Now this does not mean you don’t have lessons from your specialist coaches in dressage or jumping! But it is so important to have someone who is doing or has done Eventing to help you understand all that is involved. The preparation, gallops, xc course walking, xc cool down, icing, studding, trot ups, the list goes on!! But it doesn’t just stop at the coach/mentor. There is a big team of people behind the scene helping you in your preparation!
The team!!
These are the people that are on your speed dial with your coach at the top of that list! In no particular order are the following team members:
This year we did the 2* at Melbourne and I have to note that our preparation will need to be different for Adelaide in November. As is the way with horses, we had a few hick-ups in our preparation and had to re plan part of our season! Rocket picked up a heal bruise at Wandin which, meant we didn’t go to Camden, we then re routed to Heytesbury and got rained out! You learn over time that you need to have a plan A & B and then a possible, plan C. If you get to plan D you probably need to re think your goal for the season. But we didn’t quite get to plan D, I’d estimate that we were between B&C.
You will always ask yourself the question of "Have I done enough?" The answer to this can have a big effect on the way you ride! For me in my first CCI 2* my aim was to jump double clear! Going under time was also an aim but my main goal was to have a fit jumping horse on the Monday. If i am truthful to myself, i don’t believe that I pushed myself or Rocket as far as I could have. This is why I need to change my fitness, leading up to, Adelaide. Having said all that, I did have a fit horse for jumping on Monday and he jumped a super clear round to finish the event! I was disappointed in myself (never my horse), that i perhaps could have gone faster, but who’s to say that if i did, we may not have finished the event with a clear round. And upon reflection you will continue to ask yourself, “Did I do enough?”
Another contributing factor on the result of my XC, was MY personal fitness! Anyone who knows me knows that i’m not naturally fit! I always say, “Mum gave all the fitness and stamina to my big brother and I got none!” - But in fairness to my brother worked hard at it… me, not so much. I was perhaps hoping that I would wake up one day and be magically fit! (Im still waiting in hope that it will happen.) I have come to the realisation that I have to start a fitness plan for myself. I got myself a rowing machine, from Aldi!! Ive always wanted one! And I’ve also invested in a skipping rope for only $6 (OMG). My best friend has betted that I’ll give-up in two-weeks, her boyfriend gave me a month, and my supportive husband gave me a week. In their defence past history would suggest that they are on the right track but, i have so far proved them wrong. Three-weeks in and I’m still rowing and skipping away. Adelaide will be longer, tougher and the weather will be warmer- All these factors will contribute to the fitness preparation for Rocket and myself.
With horses we never stop learning, they will teach you something new every day, maybe without us even realising it. We are always learning at competitions, new courses, new dressage tests, new warm up plans - There is always something new to learn as 3-day-events are always different. I have only done Melbourne twice now and 2 years apart; I felt although I had forgotten a lot of the things I had learnt from my first Melbourne experience. And this year was a completely new test! The lead up to my first Melbourne was mostly hassle free but, this year was a bit more intense due to a couple of small issues such as a sore hind muscle for Rocket - This is where your team is so important! When I got home from Melbourne and I had a moment of reflection, I sat down and wrote what I learned, what i needed to source/obtain, (if I didn’t have it) and what I needed to change in my preparation process. Adelaide, will be a greater test and calibre of event which, will hopefully achieve long-term goals for me and my trusted team. In life we want to live without regrets and in Eventing when we are reaching for perfection, the rose-colored glasses wear thin. We need to always self-evaluate with the idea to progress and grow so that next time, I don’t go into XC wondering, “I have done enough?”
Melbourne 3DE and all it involves
As Eventing riders, especially here in Victoria, the majority of us aim to ride at Melbourne International 3DE at least once! But once you have ridden at Victorias biggest eventing competition you will be hooked!! Throughout my career i had ridden a few horses to 1* level, which is the first level of FEI/3DE competition. These horses in my mind were all amazing! They never placed in the dressage, (in truth we were consistently in the bottom 10), usually had a rail or six, but always went clear xc! I loved them all, they were my superstars in my eyes and all going to the Olympics! It wasn’t until later in my career that i realise I may have been a little clouded by my rose coloured glasses. Now this doesn’t mean that they were not amazing horses because they were! And they all went on to teach the ropes to aspiring young riders. It was through this process that I learnt that it doesn’t matter how much you love and adore you eventing partner, they may not have the ability or desire to achieve the same goal as you. We as riders need to assess this and decide if our horses are happy doing the job we are asking.
It wasn’t until I took the ride on Rocket who was bred and trained to play Polocrosse by my husband, that i understood that there are horses out there that really do want to be the best, that always put in the extra bit of effort and that really understand the 3 disciplines.
So on to preparing for this huge event after we have assessed if our horse wants to be a part of this dream!
Firstly, find your self a coach/mentor!! Ideally an eventing coach! Now this does not mean you don’t have lessons from your specialist coaches in dressage or jumping! But it is so important to have someone who is doing or has done Eventing to help you understand all that is involved. The preparation, gallops, xc course walking, xc cool down, icing, studding, trot ups, the list goes on!! But it doesn’t just stop at the coach/mentor. There is a big team of people behind the scene helping you in your preparation!
The team!!
These are the people that are on your speed dial with your coach at the top of that list! In no particular order are the following team members:
- Vets!! Its very important to have a good reliable vet, one that has worked with you and your horse and who you trust 100%
- Farrier!!! These amazing people are INVALUABLE!!! Always treat your farrier well, I know my farrier goes above and beyond to make sure my small team is working at its best! These guys are GOLD!
- Massage/physio! Again these people are incredibly important to have your eventing partner feeling at its best! Its important to have your horse treated on the lead up the the event so that your person knows how your horse would normally feel and therefore can pinpoint an issue that is not usually there.
- Saddle Fitter! It is important to have a good reliable saddle fitter. One that also rides and/or competes is a bonus! Your horses shape may change a lot from the start of the season to the end!
- Moral support team! Family, friends fellow competitors. Eventing is tough, 3DEs are tougher mentally and physically than your one day events! You need to have your support team around even if its just for a cuddle or a kick up the bum!
This year we did the 2* at Melbourne and I have to note that our preparation will need to be different for Adelaide in November. As is the way with horses, we had a few hick-ups in our preparation and had to re plan part of our season! Rocket picked up a heal bruise at Wandin which, meant we didn’t go to Camden, we then re routed to Heytesbury and got rained out! You learn over time that you need to have a plan A & B and then a possible, plan C. If you get to plan D you probably need to re think your goal for the season. But we didn’t quite get to plan D, I’d estimate that we were between B&C.
You will always ask yourself the question of "Have I done enough?" The answer to this can have a big effect on the way you ride! For me in my first CCI 2* my aim was to jump double clear! Going under time was also an aim but my main goal was to have a fit jumping horse on the Monday. If i am truthful to myself, i don’t believe that I pushed myself or Rocket as far as I could have. This is why I need to change my fitness, leading up to, Adelaide. Having said all that, I did have a fit horse for jumping on Monday and he jumped a super clear round to finish the event! I was disappointed in myself (never my horse), that i perhaps could have gone faster, but who’s to say that if i did, we may not have finished the event with a clear round. And upon reflection you will continue to ask yourself, “Did I do enough?”
Another contributing factor on the result of my XC, was MY personal fitness! Anyone who knows me knows that i’m not naturally fit! I always say, “Mum gave all the fitness and stamina to my big brother and I got none!” - But in fairness to my brother worked hard at it… me, not so much. I was perhaps hoping that I would wake up one day and be magically fit! (Im still waiting in hope that it will happen.) I have come to the realisation that I have to start a fitness plan for myself. I got myself a rowing machine, from Aldi!! Ive always wanted one! And I’ve also invested in a skipping rope for only $6 (OMG). My best friend has betted that I’ll give-up in two-weeks, her boyfriend gave me a month, and my supportive husband gave me a week. In their defence past history would suggest that they are on the right track but, i have so far proved them wrong. Three-weeks in and I’m still rowing and skipping away. Adelaide will be longer, tougher and the weather will be warmer- All these factors will contribute to the fitness preparation for Rocket and myself.
With horses we never stop learning, they will teach you something new every day, maybe without us even realising it. We are always learning at competitions, new courses, new dressage tests, new warm up plans - There is always something new to learn as 3-day-events are always different. I have only done Melbourne twice now and 2 years apart; I felt although I had forgotten a lot of the things I had learnt from my first Melbourne experience. And this year was a completely new test! The lead up to my first Melbourne was mostly hassle free but, this year was a bit more intense due to a couple of small issues such as a sore hind muscle for Rocket - This is where your team is so important! When I got home from Melbourne and I had a moment of reflection, I sat down and wrote what I learned, what i needed to source/obtain, (if I didn’t have it) and what I needed to change in my preparation process. Adelaide, will be a greater test and calibre of event which, will hopefully achieve long-term goals for me and my trusted team. In life we want to live without regrets and in Eventing when we are reaching for perfection, the rose-colored glasses wear thin. We need to always self-evaluate with the idea to progress and grow so that next time, I don’t go into XC wondering, “I have done enough?”