# Third Mini Trial! :-)



## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

Yesterday was the third show ever for Sandie and I...an eventing mini trial  For those of you who haven't been following our story, at our very first show we were eliminated for refusing a fence, since I fell off! But at the second show, we came in first place! 

Well, yesterday's show had a LOT of people in it, and the jumps (esp stadium) were extremely intricate, very scary stuff haha! But I am very proud to say that we came in SECOND!  And I must say, Sandie looks very good in red! Here are some piccies, I'll post more later when the show photographer gets the really nice ones up on their site!



















The stadium pics are blurry, but neat to see the very "busy" jumps they had at this show!









My husband (who is NOT a horse person lol) actually gave Sandie a carrot from his MOUTH LOL!!!!


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## lovemyponies (Jul 26, 2008)

congrats!! how exciting, very cute horse


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

YAY! You and Sandie are quite the pair. I really enjoy hearing your mini trial stories!

Although I have never seen you ride and only your coach, you, and Sandie can make the decision, I wouldn't hesitate to go Beginner Novice next time or the time after that. 

Awesome job!!!


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

eventerdrew said:


> Although I have never seen you ride and only your coach, you, and Sandie can make the decision, I wouldn't hesitate to go Beginner Novice next time or the time after that.
> 
> Awesome job!!!


Thank you for the confidence, but we are def not ready for that yet! ;-) We both just started learning to jump about 3 months ago, which is why we're only starting out in Intro...my trainer wants me to move up one step to "Very Green" which has 2' - 2'3" fences in the stadium and xc, which I could do, but I just want Sandie to get some more xc miles under her belt first before we do that! My friend Katherine is in Beginner Novice, but it's a couple levels above Very Green and we wouldn't be ready for it quite yet. Here's a pic of her and her horse doing a Beginner Novice xc jump...much too high for Sandie and I just yet! ;-)

Casual Creation Photography - 10.30-11.30am gr.xc - img_7450 

Her horse FLIES through the course, it's amazing just how fast those two can go and still remain in control! What I really like about Intro is that it's also not timed, so you can take your time and not rush...nice for beginning riders and beginning horses! ;-)


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

oh I didn't realize there was a step between intro and BN in your area! That's great!

Most mini events are really leanient (sp?) on time. At the Intro and BN, even if they are timed, I rarely wear a watch. There is really no need and it makes you relax a little more. Especially on a green horse there is no need to rush!

I wish we had a division between Intro and BN in the area. But we don't


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

Oh we have a couple steps in this schooling mini trial series actually...it goes (from lowest to highest division):

*Intro *- walk/trot dressage test, fences are 6" to 1'
*Very Green* - walk/trot dressage test, fences are 1'6" to 2'
*Baby Beginner Novice* - walk/trot/canter dressage test, fences are 1'6" to 2'
*Beginner Novice* - walk/trot/canter dressage test, fences are 2' to 2'7" (we have jumped this high in the arena, but never cross country!!)
*Novice* - walk/trot/canter dressage test, fences are 2'7" to 2'11"
*Training* - walk/trot/canter dressage test, fences are 3' to 3'3" (and may be up to 5'3" wide at the base)

That's why when you said Beginner Novice I was like WOAH!!  She must think I'm a better jumper than I am! ;-)


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

wow! You are very lucky! We have

Intro (sometimes called Green As Grass or Pre BN)- under 2 foot
Beginner Novice- not to exceed 2 foot (w/t/c dressage for this level and above)
Novice- not to exceed 2 foot 11 inches
Training- not to exceed 3 foot 6 ( I think )
Preliminary aka Prelim- not to exceed 3 foot 9. maybe. I'm not quite sure at that level.

we have some intermediate stuff in parks around the area but not much. No advanced at all.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Congratulations! I am so proud of the both of you, keep up the great work!

While I like the Red, I still think Forrest Green looks the best


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

MIEventer said:


> Congratulations! I am so proud of the both of you, keep up the great work!
> 
> While I like the Red, I still think Forrest Green looks the best


Thanks MIEventer!!  I agree, while the red is nice, the green is the best color on her! 

Here's a video of the cross country (well, part of it anyway!) It went back into a wooded area so they couldn't tape the entire thing...and of all things, someone's horse spooked, threw them, and was running around the course loose while I was on course! I heard the announcer say it, but I didn't really know what to do about it...I looked at one of the jump judges and she just waved me on, so I kept going! Shortly after, they caught the horse, and it didn't interfere with my course, thank goodness!

My main focus with the course was just not to drop Sandie on my way to each jump, to keep looking up and ahead instead of down at the jump, and not to "jump ahead" of her...I think we had some good improvement with those things, thanks to you (and others!) on this helpful forum


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

awww! I love Sandie's trot. It's so adorable.

The one thing I see (if you don't mind me saying so) is that your reins were really long the whole time. 

 You guys are so cute together!


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

eventerdrew said:


> awww! I love Sandie's trot. It's so adorable.
> 
> The one thing I see (if you don't mind me saying so) is that your reins were really long the whole time.
> 
> You guys are so cute together!


Thanks! Oh yes the reins..they are always so long!! The only thing I can think of is that her neck is really long and she doesn't really have a frame yet...we haven't started working on collection yet. The contact is always there on her mouth, so they're not loose...but you're absolutely right about them being long. I'm not sure how to fix it without getting her all upset...if I try to make them really short and force her into a frame, she gets nervous and starts chomping on her bit and bending her head waaaay underneath herself to try to escape the bit.

Anyone have any good tips on how to start working her into a nice dressage-like frame, or at least to start getting her to collect up a bit more? I'm fairly certain she was broke Western, because she's always wanted her head long and low, and she had a LOT of trouble accepting ANY sort of contact on her mouth when I first got her.


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

Take this pic, for example...these are not loose reins, but they are so LONG...I can't tell whether it's something she needs to collect up into, or she just has a big, long neck, or a combination of both?? 

My trainer never corrects it at all, if anything he tells me to let off the reins a bit and be a little softer with them. But maybe he's just trying to get through the first phase of training before we take her to the next? Not sure...


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

Maybe it is collection...because in this one, the reins were shorter, and she does look more collected in a frame...oh gosh, here I go, changing my thread subject! lol


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

GOOD FOR YOU on your solid seat! Your upper body and solid lower leg! Bravo girl!


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

Thanks!!! Makes it MUUUUUCH easier to get over the jumps (even the little ones) without bouncing around on her back!  SUCH great advice from you and others on here, I swear sometimes I learn more from this forum than during my lessons LOL! 

I can't wait to eventually try out the "very green" course and see how I do staying in the saddle when Sandie jumps bigger...I've been practicing in the arena with 2' stadium jumps, just so that she really picks her legs up and I can practice bending at the hip (I try to think of sticking my butt out behind me so that I don't feel the need to stand in the saddle lol)...I'm slowly starting to get into a better form over the fences and I'm SO excited about the stability it creates!

I think my issue with standing stemmed from when I was first learning to jump and my trainer would have me 2 pt all the way to the jump...so when she jumped, I always felt the need to stand up and "jump for her" for some reason. So what I started doing last week is sitting about 1 stride from the jump (basically just making sure I'm on the "down post" right before she jumps), and then I can just lean forward instead of standing up! It makes it SO much easier for me that way!

In my avatar is a pic from last week when I was practicing that...I still notice that my legs swing back slightly so I need to concentrate on keeping them on more securely...and I do still stand a little bit, although nowhere near what I was doing before...and at least I'm bending more now, and most importantly, letting Sandie jump and not getting in front of her! Makes it much easier for her to clear jumps that way with my weight not throwing her off whack.

And I can totally see why we refused that jump during the first show, if I jumped ahead AND stood up the way I used to...to her, combined with the "scary" look of the jump, I was probably giving her cues to stop when I didn't mean to! So I take full blame for that disaster...it was all me in that case! She was scared of the jump, but from more recent refusals that she ended up jumping anyway, I know had I had a more secure seat and waited for her to jump, she would have gone over that jump after just a slight hesitation.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

> I can practice bending at the hip (I try to think of sticking my butt out behind me so that I don't feel the need to stand in the saddle lol)...I'm slowly starting to get into a better form over the fences and I'm SO excited about the stability it creates!


Good for you! I am so pleased to hear about your light bulb moment! Be proud of yourself!


> I think my issue with standing stemmed from when I was first learning to jump and my trainer would have me 2 pt all the way to the jump...so when she jumped, I always felt the need to stand up and "jump for her" for some reason.


This is one of the issues I have with Coaches permitting students to go over fences before they should be. While I get the idea of riding 2 point for beginner riders to not interfear with their horses because they are not stable enough to use their seat - I dislike it because it creates just as you said.

Jumping ahead, unstabillity, perching, unfunctional riding

I would personally rather see a coach put their students on the lunge line for months before they are given the reins. Working on stabalizing their lower leg at that girth, their seat and fluidity of it, and their upper body - going over trot poes and cavaletti's.

Then, when the rider learns to feel their horses rhythm, and remain with their horses movement with a functional and solid seat, lower leg and upper body - then give them the reins. 

Not many figure it out as quickly as you did. Many, believe it or not - remain in 2 point throughout their riding life....which may work for some horses and in stadium, but this does NOT work for CC. No if's, and's or but's about it - you must have a fluid functional seat out on CC. You cannot ride a CC fence the same way you ride a stadium - especially when you are on a green horse such as yours. 

I'm glad you figured it out on your own - you are steps ahead of riders who have been riding for years, so give yourself a pat on the back. 

You are right about pushing your toosh back - exactly what you want to do. As Dorothy Crowell says "Push your toosh back and Ta Ta's out" - you'll figure it out on your own and over time. 



> And I can totally see why we refused that jump during the first show, if I jumped ahead AND stood up the way I used to...to her, combined with the "scary" look of the jump, I was probably giving her cues to stop when I didn't mean to! So I take full blame for that disaster...it was all me in that case! She was scared of the jump, but from more recent refusals that she ended up jumping anyway, I know had I had a more secure seat and waited for her to jump, she would have gone over that jump after just a slight hesitation


For this, I stand up and applaude. I am so proud of you for taking the responsibillity for your error. As Ian Millar said "A good rider blames themselves and a poor rider blames their horse"

I tried to tell you that in the vids you posted and I know it doesn't sink in always when you hear the words, you have to experience it for it to make sense. I am the same ways - I am a hands on learner. I have to do it to figure it out.

I am super happy for you! You have made a giant step forward in your riding - keep it up


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## goldilockz (Aug 1, 2008)

Congrats!!


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## LiveToJump (Jun 19, 2009)

Congrats girl! Good luck at South farm this weekend if you are going!


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

LiveToJump said:


> Congrats girl! Good luck at South farm this weekend if you are going!


Thanks! I am going to South Farm...I'll have to watch out for those SCARY BUGGIES I keep hearing about from everyone! ;-) Are you going to be there too??


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