Little Valley Farm Clinic 29/30 August

Another two day clinic with Lizzie Brown and Clarke Johnson at LVF.

First day we started with show jumping warm up in the covered arena. Firstly related distances, altering the number of strides between, finishing up with a grid, double bounce to a one stride oxer. Willie did his thing with no fuss and was very well behaved.

Then into the sand show jump arena to jump a full course.
We first went through at about 90/95 ish ? and Willie went very well, apart from one VERY naughty stop at the first of the double. Basically everything was right, and he just said Nah!...no fuss, just turned and jumped it and completed the course.

The jumps were then put up for Willie (Carolien reckons they were about 1.10 so that's good). Willie jumped ok, apart from another naughty sudden stop, but he jumped everything else very well.

Seems he is more likely to throw in the stop off a corner, so I really need to learn to ride the corner, keep the impulsion through the corner (and of course keep my shoulders UP).

It didnt help that I was still feeling a little queasy, but I wasnt too bad.

SUNDAY
Straight into the sand arena for xc exercises using the show jumps.

Unfortunately I was actually feeling a little worse (first proper meal the night before hadnt stayed put), and I also think the lack of proper food for over a week was catching up with me also.

However, I gave it a go.
Willie did take advantage, and on a couple of occasions again threw in a stop (again off of a corner). I found myself falling back into the old habit of tipping forward in the last couple of strides, which was a gift for Willie...yippeee, here we gooooo STOP ha ha

The 'new' keeping the shoulders up is not yet fully ingrained, and obviously when I am not totally with it, the old habits will leap back in with a vengeance. However, I will continue to focus on keeping my shoulders up, and we will get through this too.

We then went out onto the xc proper, although my health was deteriorating. The idea was for me to start out and just play it by ear depending upon how I felt.

Willie was very bold into the water, although I have to admit to riding cautiously on anything but a straight line, given willie's (and my) difficulty coping with slippery ground.

We then jumped the new triple wedgy brush thing, and of course Willie went straight over it. Jumped the new little houses, a bounce, and a coffin combination. Willie jumped very well. I decided to call it a day, and am sure I would not have been able to cope with jumping a course.

Indeed when I got off, I was very whooozy and could barely stand up.

A shame I wasnt feeling the best for the clinic, however I guess its all milage and I have a couple of weeks to get back on top of my show jumping before the Season starts.

I have a show jump lesson planned with Megan Jones next week, so that will help get us back on track.

Another awesome clinic

Aren't clinics wonderful to get you going: I think its not only that you have great instructors, but that there are others that have just the same problems, the same issues of self belief, and I think also that being in a group you somehow feel braver and perhaps challenge yourself more?

We started both days with about an hour of dressage which was great, as poor Willie basically hasnt been schooled properly for several years, much less had a flat lesson. I really must get more motivated to do more flatwork with him as he deserves so much better; I'm afraid I just get so....'blah' about doing it. I MUST schedule at least a day each week where I will do more than go through the motions.

Show jumping yesterday, grids, related distances, curving lines....all focussing on keeping the rhythm.

Willie was great (and I dont think I was too bad either)....no stops, and no nearly stops, so that's good, and generally he jumped very well. He can tend to get a bit blase though, but I think a few times over the bigger jumps sharpened him up again.

Cross country today, and I was expecting him to be pretty blaah as he is not particularly fit yet, and he has had a hard couple of days. I kept him in the kk, thinking he would be fine.

ummmm: wrong....first jump; great....second jump; wahooooo and gone!! I simply had nothing, he tanked into it full tit, and upon landing basically took off.

However, although he was more difficult to ride, he was extremely keen and jumped very boldly. The secret was to MAKE him come back well before the jump, then ride on into it. He was excellent (again no stops or even nearly stops or anything)...did several corners, skinny, big palisade, sunken road, bounce, and water, plus a few others.

And I never once doubted him, neither did I doubt myself.....
My knees however are another story!
The achilles seem (touching wood crazily) to have settled somewhat, only for the knees to pack up - the one I injured when he planted me in a liverpool seems to be really complaining about short stirrups... oh well: I guess it'll simply mean a double dose of nurofen each time I compete :)

Oh, and the final Kaurilands was a disaster on Willie too!
Ummmm at one stage a leap and a something ?? and I am pointing in the wrong direction in my test, and it was all down hill from there...then riding back to truck, some sideways bouncing, napping, 'things'....hmmmm...time for Willie to come off the grass (free rein of four acres is perhaps overdoing it a little).