Re: Belles Report: Novice At Radnor HT

Eileen Morgan <egmorgan@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Sue Leopold wrote:
Belle's thinks dressage is just something you get out of the way
before you get to jump. :-D

She finds it sort of boring, yes. Whole different attitude from jumping
to dressage tack. I made a deal with her about how much I would ask her
to do. :-)

hee-hee.


Dicey footing is never fun. Do you use studs X-C? Of course, they
are not much help in goo.

Belles is so sure footed I don't use them for her as of now. Moonlight
got them at Training level. I have eventer shoes with a bit of a ridge
for grip on Belles, and those work super.

Oh yeah, I have actually used those on hunters and they are
wonderful to supply just a little extra grip.


I think you are very lucky with Belles. She seems to be a nice
combination of careful and bold - and horses who can go clear
X-C and not drop rails in stadium, even at Novice level, are
something to be happy about.

I am *extremely* lucky with Belles. You don't come across her sort of
dependability and try just any day of the week. And I can do this with
her one day, and put Carl on her to trot over baby logs and trail ride
the next.

Delilah probably had alot to do with the "try" Good working QHs
have a lot of try. The Cleveland Bay (underutilized in sport horses
in the US IMO) added extra scope and talent for the O/F stuff
but those damned working QHs are worth a lot.

I read all of your accounts and IIRC she just doesn't seem to have
many, if any, careless rails in the show jumping phase. That is a
definite plus.

I am sure we will pull one some day, but we have yet to drop a rail in a
competition. She gets the odd rail schooling, especially when my coach
surprises her by cranking them up two holes instead of one, but she does
not like tapping her feet.

Well, there is a difference IMO between a rail because the horse is
surprised by something different or a technical question and one
because it just galloped carelessly over the jump.

A careful horse who is also courageous and brave to the jumps is
a treasure. There are clogs who will gallop down to and through
everything; there are ultra-careful types who have meltdowns by
hitting a jump. Belles is neither - she may not like tapping her
toes but if she makes a mistake, it will not ruin her world for the
near future.

I know your heart is in eventing - BUT - checking out a bit of
the showjumping scene may be fun with this mare. She already
knows a *lot* about working on the flat; she has scope and she
is careful but can be quick.

IME, good eventers cross-over into the jumper ranks quite
easily. Especially if they are like Belles and good stadium
jumpers.

And just think you bred her, foaled her out and trained her. <nod>

Some horses just make it easier than others . . . .

Heh, well wait for Rain. She might just blow you off your feet.

Sue
svleopold@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
.

Relevant Pages

  • Belles Report: Novice at Amwell Valley Hounds Pony Club HT
    ... Belles is as fit as hell, on the assumption a big heavy mare like her must be very very very fit to cope with summer weather efforts. ... We roared out of the box, then did a left U turn to go down towards dressage/barns/parking along a tree line; fence one was a nice, inviting rail road tie thing that Belles ate for breakfast. ... You needed to do a right U turn to go back across the field on the other side of the trees to do the next fences and had the option to go all the way down by dressage, have a smoother turn, but jump an unflagged revetted mini-ditch or cut through the trees in a little S curve. ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Belles Report: Novice at Oxbow
    ... I gave Belles a fairly light week's work, but I've been busy busy. ... The drought has reduced the creek water jump to gravel with some watery bits and light puddles with a bank jump on the far side, but it was look-y enough to be a bit of a question. ... Gallop out of the box and take a longish run through a bit of woods to a wide spot of field with a row of inviting ramps. ... Another S curve to a large stair step fence which rode VERY nicely out of stride, turn to jump through a miniature tree line over some inviting logs that got a hard look in spite of being easy peasy and shared with Beginner Novice. ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Belles Report: Novice at Oxbow HT
    ... Anyhow, tided up Belles, drove the almost two hours to Hamburg, did my warm up and a typical Belles test. ... I mean, I climbed up there and walked around on it, Belles had room to land on it and jump off, but it is less than a single stride. ... little conservative on the harder part of the footing in front of the second fence and inclined to swap a lead here and there. ... We galloped down the track with the road on our right and the woods with gallop trails and an upper field on our left, going around the big hill and into the woods path to the far side of the property. ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Belles Report: Novice at Olde Hope
    ... So, I went to a Friday evening event at Olde Hope, which is a sweet place--very compact, doing a lot with the space they have, tons of low level jumps through Novice on a compact XC course. ... Belles warmed up nicely for dressage, and then when we were two to go, a wee wee little pony being ridden by one girl with another jogging her in hand went by and Belles and the other horse in warm up FREAKED. ... Down the field back past the ditch across my track, skinny white beech log in a funky dip she went over neat as a cat, then slightly up hill and curving to the right to do a nice bold jump over a roll top. ... Went behind XC warm up to go downhill to a skinny log set into the fence line--behind it was a pond with a fountain, which we were to skirt alongside over a kinda canoe shaped oxer with plantings in it, then right turn and VERY short tight approach to a two step bank. ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Re: Belles Report: Novice at Amwell Valley Hounds Pony Club HT
    ... Belles was gretzy in the start, wanted to get going, always a good sign. ... We then made a right swoop over a diamond shaped wooden oxer, ... Next you hooked leftish and came to a biggish straw bale feeder fence, ... did a big bold jump over a house, and then at the wee tiny half revetted, ...
    (rec.equestrian)