Went to a TREC competition.....

...but sadly without the horses, due to lack of transport. So we decided to volunteer for judging/checkpoint duties and we had an interesting day. The comp was at Horseplay Central, a centre run by a Parelli 3 star instructor, and is in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere, we had to stop a local and ask directions to find it......

The Wessex TREC people were very welcoming and we were given clipboards and sent off to various PTV obstacles. Ali went off to do the maniabilité and I had the figure of eight and the rein back. It would seem that TREC GB have changed things a bit since they took over. I'm pretty sure the fig of 8 isn't on the PTV list in France. It's a fairly straightforward ride round two markers in a figure of eight pattern - but you can only have one hand on the reins, using two at any point means you score zero. The faster you do it, the more marks you get. Most people did it at the trot, some at the walk but a couple did manage it at canter.....

After that they had to do the rein back and most of them totally failed to score any marks (a foot out of the corridor means a zero score) Some horses were really unhappy and sent the poles flying all over the place! A big fluffy cob did one of the best jobs, as did a Western horse.

Once everyone had been round the PTV, we went back to the car and were assigned our checkpoint. This proved to be in a nice little spot at the end of a track from the woods. We waited a while for the first rider to arrive and predictably loads turned up at once so we had our work cut out filling in forms and sorting them out so they left at more staggered times. Unlike some French competitions we were not providing them with wine and nibbles ;-) The organisers did give us a free packed lunch for helping out though and I'd brought a flask of tea so we were well provisioned.

Scenery made for some nice photo opportunities.....more pics here if you're interested

After a while, we seemed to run out of riders but there were still 5 on my list who hadn't arrived. We passed the time idly wondering just how fast the mad tractor driver was going who seemed to be charging up and down our tiny road every ten minutes causing me to fear for the safety of my wing mirror every time he rushed past the car......Three of the missing riders eventually turned up over an hour later than expected, they'd got a bit lost in the woods!

By this time, I'd realised that our nice little checkpoint spot had no mobile phone coverage whatsoever, so leaving Ali clutching the clock and clipboard I drove up the hill to try and call about the remaining two missing riders, only to see the organiser driving down the same road coming to tell me they'd retired, their horses having lost shoes.

So we headed back up to the start field, handed in our results and managed to get home at a reasonable hour. Also met one of the ladies from our livery up there with her horse who she'd brought on his own in a double trailer, might have to see if she fancies a passenger next time......

Teeny TRECcer!

We made it to the last of the winter TREC comps today, the NO decided she wanted a go, so I lost my ride and had to follow them over there in the car......

Ali is looking really happy in this pic, she and her sister managed to argue pretty much the whole way there.....

Anyway, Gandalf was great, as usual, and as Éowyn was in the starter class where lead reins were allowed, I basically just did the whole thing as in-hand obstacles, and she managed to fall off the mounting block

But she still managed to score enough to come 6th (OK, it was only out of 7, but she wasn't last!), and even got 4 tens (thanks to Gandalf )

Sky was of course a total tit, there was no control in the control of paces, she just went as fast as she could, then in the immobility she managed all of 2 seconds before wandering off. She did manage to do the gate quite well though.....

We took advantage of an empty outdoor arena to do a quick bit of work with her afterwards, and she was much better in there, I don't think she likes the indoor school much......

By this time, Éowyn was cold and tired and Ali was only too happy to bring both horses home since she'd had enough of her sister, did a good job with the ride and lead too...

So, not exactly a brilliant performance, but all good experience. Wish we could do some proper TREC comps like we used to do in France, I miss those......

TRECing on.......

So last weekend we decided to enter a TREC competition at the local stables where the girls have been having lessons. It was part of the Kelly Marks TREC Winter Series, sounded a bit official, but they assured me that it would be a fun thing, so I signed Ali and myself up.

Sunday morning dawned......wet and windy, but we had high hopes of at least having dry horses to start with as they've been coming in at night recently to the modest little residence they share with the cows - a yard and a big barn - but no, they'd clearly spent the night in the open munching on the haylage in the feeder. So we had to get the towels out to try and dry the saddle area at least, and resign ourselves to most of the mud staying where it was (just for a change).

Off we went, armed with a map, the stables is about 4 miles away from the yard. Most of the way is small country roads although we did end up in the middle of Cam on a Sunday morning being stared at by the locals going out to fetch the paper. Came across an interesting road sign on a residential road, never seen that one before!

Maybe because of the incredibly wet conditions they are expecting a surge in amphibian numbers this year?

After an hour or so of getting rained on and blown about, we arrived at the stables, and managed to get let into the indoor school where the competition would take place to have a look around. Sky, predictably, was a snorting idiot, staring at herself in the mirror, baulking at going round the arena, and generally refusing to listen to Ali.

Gandalf just stood in the corner, cocked a hindleg up and had a snooze. So I led Sky round to show her nothing bad was in there, then we went into an outdoor arena for a bit of a look round. Sky once again initially refused to go away from the gate, then decided to trot off and investigate the horses in the adjacent field, stopped dead at the huge puddle down one end and tried to tear off back to the gate. We did eventually get her settled enough to attempt to practise for the Control of Paces, but there wasn't really a lot of control involved......

 

By now some of the other competitors had started to arrive in nice shiny trailers, and they all looked awfully clean and dry compared to our two....

But never mind, we went and lined up for our turn to compete. Ali went in first, Sky argued all the way through the COP so nuls points for that. Then it was on to the PTV, she wasn't too bad with some of it, but standing on her own for the immobility was too much to ask so she decided to go and stand with Ali and lose all her points......

Then it was my turn, Gandalf couldn't stay in canter round the corners but that's not unusual so I wasn't expecting points for that. We did OK on immobility and mounting (they provided a mounting block, how civilised!) and somehow even managed full marks for our jump (!) but we messed up with the gate which was one of those flimsy plastic jobs and was actually more difficult than the pole at Beaumont....

And one of the obstacles was to sidepass over a pole on the ground which I have never seen before and will definitely require some practise! So we certainly weren't in the ribbons, but it's all good experience, especially for Sky.

After our rounds we had a little picnic provided by the back up team. Sky was very interested in the sandwiches....

.....then it was time to set off back to the yard before dark. Cue more wind, rain and just for good measure, some hail, which was so bad we just had to stop and let the horses turn their backs to it until it let up! Thanks to the local knowledge of the staff at the riding school, we did find a nice track to go back on to avoid the frog-infested streets of Cam ...

...although what you can't see from the photo is that just to the left behind the hedge is the M5!

So a fun day despite the weather and our poor performance, apparently they're doing a full TREC comp there in the summer, hopefully that will involve less mud and rain....

One last TREC...

As some of you will know, we are heading back to the UK at Christmas, dog, (most of the) horses and all, so yesterday was our last French TREC competition. Fitting that it was the Beaumont Christmas TREC which was the first competition we ever did here four years ago.....

This time we went with Carole and John from the club and Ali took Kinna for her first ever competition. We didn't have a particularly early start time but in true French style, we still managed to be half an hour late. Nobody minded though, so after some strong coffee, second breakfast and a quick bit of map copying, we donned our tinsel and off we went.

The weather was perfect, sunny and not too cold and for once we didn't get rained on. We managed to get our average speed about right because Carole's Arab, Nadjma, wanted to rush off thinking she was doing endurance and poor old G, despite wanting to keep up with her, just couldn't do the speed, especially at canter, so they had to wait for us every so often which meant we didn't lose any marks for going too fast.....

But he still had a nice spring in his step, even though I'd ridden him the 15kms up to the club last Friday and he'd been out on a hack with Kinns the day before.

Kinna was ace, she seems to really enjoy hacking out. Carole reckons she could be good at endurance as she doesn't seem to stress about much so her heart rate shouldn't be too high. She will be staying here in France at the club as Ali is already too tall for her really and Carole is just the right size :-)

Chox came with us too and really enjoyed herself, especially as when she looked longingly at the snacks on the checkpoints people took pity on her and slipped her bits of the charcuterie....

Those last three pics were taken by the professional photographer and really show the colours well, my little camera doesn't unfortunately, although I was surprised that this pic I took whilst cantering came out quite well:

After a few wine stops, or checkpoints as they are usually known, we got back to the stables for the main event, the slap up meal in the indoor school. Posh this year though as there were tablecloths and everything! In the absence of the SNO who had opted to go to the Bordeaux Christmas market with Mamie, Aliénor did her trick of hoovering up all the free chocolates and then not wanting her dinner.

And then it was the prize giving. Tamzin and her friend won the fancy dress prize for their angelic look.......

....and our team came.......second out of 8 teams/individuals in the Club competition, really pleased with that :-) Especially as if you look at the team only comp, we were first out of 3.

Rain, rain......

Seems like I haven't done anything with the horses (or this blog) for ages, mainly because we've been over to the UK for the half term holiday (sorting out a few things, some changes on the horizon, more on that another day) and since we got back it has rained and rained......

So this morning as a tiny bit of sun appeared we went to take the girls for a walk. We were supposed to be doing a TREC training day up at the stables this weekend but it's been cancelled due to the ground being so wet :-( But there's no reason we can't do TREC training at home........

Tari first, we went for a wander in the woods with the SNO armed with a bag to collect things.....Tari was a bit curious but not too bothered by the rustling plastic thing

We found some logs to go over and branches to go under, a nice contre-bas and contre-haut - a pile of gravel that she scrambled up and down no problem.....

The stream was nice and full again and in she went, a slight panic at sinking in to the mud at the bottom but she soon figured out it wasn't quicksand (and there were some tasty plants growing in the water)

We took her back to the field and the it was Sky's turn, she was less happy to leave the others but we got her attention away from them long enough to do our little course too

Not at all keen on the water though, but when we did get her in, she splashed and Ali got soaked!

And now it's raining again, hopefully it'll stop at some point so we can get out for a hack this weekend ;-/

TREC again

It's the school holidays so that means Ali's doing a stage at the riding club. Yesterday was all about TREC and as I've apparently done more of it than Carole, she asked me to stay and help.

The girls didn't even get their bum in the saddle all morning, they had a lesson on how to read a map then they took the horses into the sand school for some practise at the in hand elements of the PTV bit. Have to say the horses were a bit nonplussed by this, I suppose they have been conditioned only to be ridden in the school......

Nahiade was great about the tarp and the polework, but getting her to understand we wanted her to trot in had took a while, she had no idea how to do that! I really do take my horses for granted when it comes to groundwork......but she got there in the end and Ali managed to jump in hand without ending up on the floor like I did once at a competition :-/

And for a long old beastie, she can do the maniabilité surprisingly well

We even took them up the track a ways to find some slopes to use for the up and down hill bits. Think they appreciated the change of scene and the chance for a snack :-)

Then after lunch it was up to the big field for ridden practise. Again, Naihade, being a creature of habit, got a bit revved up as she thought she was going to do a round of showjumping but instead she had to do some things at speed (slalom, tree trunk, L bend) and slow down again for others (immobility, S bend). You could see her thinking about it. Will do her good.......

As we didn't have a long, light pole to make a gate like the one we're used to, we opted for the rope version which you do get at some comps. So Carole says, "right, how do you do this, Helen?". Er, as it turns out I have no idea!!! So we had a lot of fun trying but the main problem was the horses being wary of the rope cos it could be an electric fence after all.......

Ali's face pretty much sums it up here!

Carole wants me to help her organise a TREC comp up there in the autumn and the first thing I'm going to suggest is that we make a proper gate with a pole!!!

But of course I had to figure it out so today I got on the boy and gave it a go. If you have to keep the rope in the same hand like you do with the barrier, then it's jolly tricky......

Must check the rules on that!!

Cross country day tomorrow, obviously not going along to teach but to learn.......  :-)

First TREC of the year

Yesterday was fun. We went up to Beaumont again for a TREC special PTV competition. Ali got to ride Sunny, Tamzin's big bay horse and she also did a round on Ches. We got there a bit early so we had a sneak preview of the course, to show Ras, Tamzin's 5 year old Arab, that nothing was going to eat him......

Then Isabelle and the rest of the team showed up so we got the horses ready and the competition started. Tanya went first on Chester. He did his usual ambling along, tried to eat the gate, got his head down during the immobility and generally did the least amount of work possible.....he woke up enough at the end to actually jump the hedge though!

Polo went next and was fine, unsurprising given his gymnkhana background.....

and given his size the low branch wasn't exactly a challenge!

 

 

Then it was Ali's turn on Sunny. He is 16.3hh and not exactly skinny, so it's a lot of horse to hold together. There was an interesting moment at the gate opening.......here she is saying "what do I do now?!"

She got it closed in the end without dropping it though, somewhat unorthodox technique....

Unfortunately, the low branch was a bit too low for Sunny....

But he jumped beautifully, I think Ali might have enjoyed that bit!

She also managed to get on him from the ground, she's very bendy.....

Little Ras was funny, he did fine with most of it, then suddenly decided the gate was out to get him and shot off across the course, I had to dive out of the way after I'd taken this pic!

Then Ali did a round on Ches, who decided he was going to be scared of the carriage that came trotting up the road and leapt out of the middle of the ruelle he was supposed to be crossing.

So Ali came 6th on him, Hollie was 4th and Ali came third on Sunny. The winner was a girl on a Merens riding in just a headcollar, she was brilliant!

Looking forward to the next one......would love to take Kinna next time to see how she copes.