28th August 2002. Mark is a Working Pupil at our yard. He came with us to Norton Heath with one of the riding school horses, Moonie.This was Dax's first outing with us and he loaded into the trailer and travelled perfectly. He was well behaved throughout the long evening. We arrived at 5:15 and left in the pitch black at 11:00. The car park you see above was full of horse boxes and the competition was in full swing when we left.
Caroline was extremely nervous until she got up on Dax then she loved the whole thing, even falling off! Read her account of the event below. The whole evening went without a hitch! Learned a lot about transporting the horses with the help of a wonderful driver. We could watch the horses munching hay the whole way with a CCTV in his 4x4.
Norton Heath had two warm up arenas - indoor and outdoor - and a great cafe and bar. The only complaints were the lack of lighting in the car park - very dangerous with kids, horses, lorries and trailers constantly moving around - and the lack of help for first time competitors. We must have spent half an hour trying to find out what was happening and how to book in. Of course, now we know what to do, it's all perfectly simple.
Caroline's competition report
Dunno if any of u will remember me panicking a week in advance about a show that I did last Weds? If u don't, then I was petrified about doing 75cms 4 Trailblazers up @ Norton Heath... BUT, I took my friend and trainer up there 2 coach me through, and he took a horse too, and we both did pretty well!!
Did clear round, refused 1st fence... totally my fault, but went clear the rest of the way. Mark (trainer/friend!!) got 4 faults frm a pole down. Then we both enterd in 4 75cms, both got clear, I got 2 the jump off, 2nd fence and fell off!! I was laughing tho and on a complete high!!
Mark came 2nd!! Well done 2 him!! Was so happy, both entered in2 the 85cms (would have just been Mark and Moonie). Mark got a clear, but the judge promplty said: "Mark, it was nice watching u jump, but unfortunatly I'm going 2 have 2 eliminate u coz u jumped b4 the bell!"
I didn't know how 2 get 2 the 1st fence, so I paced up and down @ the front, then the bell went (PANIC!) and we refused, took a different line of approach, and Dax refused again, then was expecting the elimination bell, but it didn't go, and got him over the fence!! Jumped the 1st few fences fine, 3rd fence, lost a stirrup (heard sum1 say: 'Ahh, she hasn't got a stirrup!!"). After the 5th fence, lost the other stirrup and jumped the last 3 fences (a double then the 8th 1 on a related distance) without stirrups... AND I got a round of applause!! lol
It was a wicked day (well, night!), and hopefully me and Mark and Zoe (she's a WICKED rider!) we'll all be going 2 lotsa competitions in the future!!