Had a brilliant driving trials weekend!(Pics Finally Added!)
Have just got back from a brilliant weekend at the local driving centre.
The East Anglian Carriage driving group I belong to run a "crinkly camp" for those over 24 that are in need of training in order to compete well in HDT. It has been a great opportunity for me, as we camped there and Bramble stayed we got to meet lots of like minded people and have a really interesting time. They served great food lunch and dinner and provided lectures and training and good fun, like quizzes etc
The first days we worked in the school in the morning on dressage schooling, my instructor was very complementory about Bramble's rhythm and collection, but we found my hands kept lowering and I was sitting too low in the cart. A few blocks of wood later under my seat and wow what a difference, much much better, and the hands were definatly easier to keep up, but am having to retain muscles so it will take time to perfect them
In the second session Bramble was very school sour and kept falling in at the corners, my instructor said to keep weaving in and out of the school so she doesn't realise that the corners are coming up and she ended up bending really really well. I also felt more relaxed with her and able to give her a little more rein, which she definatly appreciated
The next day in the morning we practiced more dressage with mini cones laid out to signify circles and deviations etc, Bramble loved it and I managed to be fairly accurate which was brilliant. My groom (only backstepped for me a handful of times but very game) was really starting to realise Bags and I would look after her We practiced asking for a really forward working trot and coming back to a very collected trot so that when we go to obstacles I have breaks and power
In the afternoon we walked the course (team bramble in pink cowboy hats to match her baby pink headcollar and white boots) and then we hitched up and had a go, we took an easy route of our own choice and then our instructor took us through them a little trickier routes, Bramble was really game for it though and tried really hard. We had a few different obstacles and then the water (Bramble has only walked through water a few times a long time ago) she stopped at the edge wasn't keen and attampted to turn and managed a minor jacknife of the cart one which we managed to rectify quickly, with my instructor at her head she went in and then realised there were no crocodiles and then was trotting through backwards and forwards really happily. I was really proud of her as she did so well and my inexperienced backstep for not panicking and doing a brilliant job on the day.
Then this morning we had a cones event where the two instructors pit each of their turnouts against each other, our first time through we knocked two calls down but made it into the next round, in the next round we went clear! Then we got to the finals, totally unexpected to everyone as I had said how little we know and driving we do and that we were there just to have fun, well in the final we knocked just the one cone, but made brilliant time, so ended up second to a clear round Bramble really enjoyed it and we got an unexpected bottle of champers to celebrate!
Definatly definatly want to go again next year and maybe one day we may attempt a competition Bramble was the youngest pony there by at least two to three years and has fought lameness on and off all year so this was a brilliant result for us, she's home, sound, happy and somewhat tired
My instructor is looking forward to a couple of years from now when I have told her I would like to bring Kira down to Ashfields should I manage to get her into harness happily
Have just got back from a brilliant weekend at the local driving centre.
The East Anglian Carriage driving group I belong to run a "crinkly camp" for those over 24 that are in need of training in order to compete well in HDT. It has been a great opportunity for me, as we camped there and Bramble stayed we got to meet lots of like minded people and have a really interesting time. They served great food lunch and dinner and provided lectures and training and good fun, like quizzes etc
The first days we worked in the school in the morning on dressage schooling, my instructor was very complementory about Bramble's rhythm and collection, but we found my hands kept lowering and I was sitting too low in the cart. A few blocks of wood later under my seat and wow what a difference, much much better, and the hands were definatly easier to keep up, but am having to retain muscles so it will take time to perfect them
In the second session Bramble was very school sour and kept falling in at the corners, my instructor said to keep weaving in and out of the school so she doesn't realise that the corners are coming up and she ended up bending really really well. I also felt more relaxed with her and able to give her a little more rein, which she definatly appreciated
The next day in the morning we practiced more dressage with mini cones laid out to signify circles and deviations etc, Bramble loved it and I managed to be fairly accurate which was brilliant. My groom (only backstepped for me a handful of times but very game) was really starting to realise Bags and I would look after her
We practiced asking for a really forward working trot and coming back to a very collected trot so that when we go to obstacles I have breaks and power In the afternoon we walked the course (team bramble in pink cowboy hats to match her baby pink headcollar and white boots
) and then we hitched up and had a go, we took an easy route of our own choice and then our instructor took us through them a little trickier routes, Bramble was really game for it though and tried really hard. We had a few different obstacles and then the water (Bramble has only walked through water a few times a long time ago) she stopped at the edge wasn't keen and attampted to turn and managed a minor jacknife of the cart one which we managed to rectify quickly, with my instructor at her head she went in and then realised there were no crocodiles and then was trotting through backwards and forwards really happily. I was really proud of her as she did so well and my inexperienced backstep for not panicking and doing a brilliant job on the day.Then this morning we had a cones event where the two instructors pit each of their turnouts against each other, our first time through we knocked two calls down but made it into the next round, in the next round we went clear! Then we got to the finals, totally unexpected to everyone as I had said how little we know and driving we do and that we were there just to have fun, well in the final we knocked just the one cone, but made brilliant time, so ended up second to a clear round
Bramble really enjoyed it and we got an unexpected bottle of champers to celebrate!Definatly definatly want to go again next year and maybe one day we may attempt a competition
Bramble was the youngest pony there by at least two to three years and has fought lameness on and off all year so this was a brilliant result for us, she's home, sound, happy and somewhat tired My instructor is looking forward to a couple of years from now when I have told her I would like to bring Kira down to Ashfields should I manage to get her into harness happily
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