November Update
Dear Anita and the Bella equestrian team.

Wow, what an amazing start to summer Jeorge and I have had! Not only are the
South Australian temp soaring but it seems the show jump heights are also
soaring up the measuring stick. In the last two weeks I have had a clinic with
Wayne Roycroft and Jamie Coman, both going exceptionally well.

Wayne had Jeorge and I starting over a small fence (like 30cm small) 4 stride to
a growing up right, of course, like any great coach, Wayne set the challenge to
have us do the four strides in five. In true Porg fashion he ran at the first
one, bolted at the second and pretty much crashed through the whole thing. Due
to me not wishing to have biceps the size of Russia, it was time for some
serious waiting lessons. After a few halts and rein backs, Jeorge finally got
the idea and started waiting for me. Much to mine and Waynes surprise, Porg
was really good after that, he jump three clear rounds off a pretty tough track
that Wayne had set up, so I was stoked!

Jamies lessons were much the same, he was trying to convince me that if I was
constantly changing Jeorges tracks, taking tight lines and forcing Porg to bend
over the fence then he would not get so strong on me. We trained this idea
heaps, constantly changing my show jump track within the original track, and
again Jeorge jumped really well and impressed Jamie he also said my eye was
getting better and bettermassive compliment considering I am totally blind on
a horse!

I know its going to sound really funny but I think through all the show jumping
I have been doing recently, I have had an epiphany in regards to my cross
country. As you all know Jeorge is pretty, well really, strong Cross County and
we have been struggling with run outs because I cant get him back enough before
a fence. I dont anymore think he is strong cross country as he is incredibly
stiff. See I came to this conclusion as when I show jump him and he puts his
head in the air, and runs through my half halt and coinsedently runs into the
fence, it is because he is stiff not strong. He does the same thing cross
country but because he is going so much faster, I take it as him being strong,
when really he is just stiffening before the fence. So I have some thinking to
do over the summer as to how to keep him soft but still let him stretch out and
gallop cross country.

As far as plans for the future, Jeorge is now in light work for a month, just
hacking out in the hackamore, until December when he will be out out for the
month, before coming back into work for Sydney mid-week and weekend events in
Feb 2010.

Once again hope you have enjoyed the report, photos and the sunshine!
Cant wait till Adelaide!
Regards,
Bec and Porg.

 

August Update
Hey Anita and the Bella Equestrian Team,
Boy oh boy it's nice to be back competing after what felt like the longest winter ever! Jeorge and I just finished Monarto Horse Trials, a local event which is very well run by a group of young SA eventers.

I am very happy to report that I did not eat any dust (the memory from Melbourne still a little too fresh) and although we had a small run out cross country (at you guessed it...an APEX!) it was more a control issue then a schooling one.

 Jeorge always seems to be very strong at this event (maybe he thinks the loins, from the nearby Monarto Zoo, are going to come bite his big bottom) but whatever the reason it was not till jump 9 on the  course that he actually started to breath and stopped trying to remove my arms from their sockets.  

However, like any event, win, lose or be eliminated, this event had its positive side.
1) Jeorge did quite a nice test. for the fist time i think he had only two judges remarks quoting my favorite two words in the dressage world..."OVER BENT" which means for 80% of the him he was semi up-hill!!!!!!
2) My cross country machine jump through the very scary "Key Hole" fence; which may i add he has never done before AND three, two* horse got eliminated at, including a very well known coach of mine! (sorry Megan, i cant help but rub it in).
3) and finally Jeorge jumped a double clear show jump round! i didn't miss him once and the whole round was very smooth, in control and a pleasure to ride!

On a whole we had a great time and i certainly feel we are well and truly back on the one star band wagon.

On Friday we travel south for the Mt Gambier Horse Trials, right on the border of SA and VIC, i cant wait!

until then happy riding, enjoy the photos (thanks mummy)!
xo
Bec and Jeorge. 

Bec and Jeorge training at home.

3rd September
"After what was a very quiet winter, partly due to the weather and partly due to the fact that I took a small, 2 week holiday to New Zealand Skiing, it's good to be back in the saddle.  Jeorge has been so good- he quite likes holidays, time to recharge.  He always seems softer and more supple after some time off.

Together with Megan Jones, we have been working a lot on getting Jeorge softer in the jumping, just a little bit more relaxed and jumping more out of a rhythm, because he just gets so strong and I am no longer able to hold him.

This has been going really well...(he is even back in a snaffle for home jumps!) and the clinic we had with Jamie Coman really brought everything together. We did a lot of pole work, getting Jeorge more on aid with his changes and to help his canter become more collected. Once we were warmed up we focused on jumping quite large oxers of a 6 stride line, as long as i supported him with my leg and kept my hands very low, he flew over the oxer, which by the end of the exercise were of some hight! Jamie said Jeorge's jump and my riding had both improved out of sight, and my homework before he comes back next month is to get "porge" a little more confident jumping larger fences, he just needs a few "clucks" of encouragement to getting him "popping" out of of his jump a little better.

Jeorge and i have quite busy months approching, 3 runds in SA and hopefully finishing the season in Camperdown as well and a Talent Squad clininc on the 21st and 22nd of Oct, and at the same time a clinic for the SA Eventing Squad, which Jeorge and I have just been selected for. Exciting times! untill then enjoy the photos!

Happy riding! "
bec and porg.

15th June- back from travelling....
"Eventing- a sport of amazing highs and awful loes!  Since I last wrote, I have had three 1* runs, one fall, about a thousand bit changes, many kilometers travelled and whole lot of fun!
My travels started in Sydney for the World Cup Qualifier- we had a shocking dressage test, shocking showjumping round and most shocking of all cross country round.  I walked home.  Bad weekend, enough said.

Two weeks later (after the most amazing stay in the Southern Highlands of NSW) it was onto the Eventing Equestriad, aka Camden Horse Trials.  With a new set of head gear and new tactics, we did a great dressage test, great cross country (I think i'm over my apex fear) and great showjumping.  Jeorge was a champ and I rode like a 1* rider, not like a monkey on a horse!

After two weeks rest at home I was back in the car and back to Melbourne for the 3 day.
He did a great dressage test, but marked a little low- he is not quite up-hill enough and it will take a while to get there.  Still, Jeorge coped amazingly well with the indoor and the thousands of spectators.
I can't even begin to tell you how nervous I was before the cross country.  Megan came into the help me warm up and even she commented on the fact that I look white as a ghost!  The first four fences were massive, but so was the rest of the course!
Nevertheless, we raced out of the start box and Jeorge flew the first four fences.  The water complex involved 2 angled rails in with quite a large jump in.  It walked a perfect four strides on the straight line, however Megan rode before me on her young young and said the four was kinda wild, and to ride for five.  This was my plan, in theory!
I saw the four and rode for it!  Unfortunately Jeorge jumped in HUGE not backing off at all, I did not hvae a safety seat, or any lower leg for that matter and I cae a little unstuck.  While I manged to hold onto my galloping pony for a good 10 strides so as to not get wet, I just got very muddy instead.

So, after a very long and sad but happy drive back to SA... what have I learnt?
1.    Commitment to my fences, regardless of the fact that I may have ended up on the ground, I rode for four and got four.  I did not choke my horse and have filled him with confidence that he can jump cleanly into water as I was not holding onto his head the whole time.
2.    Elimination does not mean the event was a waste of time- I am forever learning and will not make the same mistake twice.
3.    Rules are there for a good reason.  Although many eventers are complaining about the 1 fall and out rule, maybe it's not so bad.  I felt fine after my fall, and perhaps in the past would ahve gotten back on.  30 minutes later, and it was a totally different story!  I spent two days in bed with the  worset concussion of my life and tending to a massive hole in my thigh where Jeorge's near hind stud left it's mark!  Who know what damage I could hvae done if I had carried on and had another fall?
4.   Always be professional.  Look presentable at all times and take pride in everything you do.  You never know who is watching.  I had a groupd of people approach me at Camden wanting to buy Jeorge saying they had watched him all weekend and what a loevly horse he is.  I kindly told them he would never be for sale, but the lesson still stands.
So after all is said and done, looks like its practice, practice, practice on the horizon for Jeorge and I, as we look forward to Sydney CCI."

Bec training Jeorge at home in her Clarendon Comp/Event Boots

23rd March- Tonimbuck
"Jeorge and I had an awful time in Tonimbuck!  We did an amazing dressage test and he was placed 6th after the dressage with a PB score of 62%.
Nevertheless. the cross country (apex's in particular), got the better of us!  I just didn't ride it well enough.  We have come home and are training like crazy, just getting a better technique for the the approach- it turns our I hvae a wee little phobia!
This weekend we have a local comp where we will run pre-novice to get some confidence back.  Two weekends after that we crank things up and run 1* at another local comp.  Let the fun begin..!"

News Flash! Bec and Jeorge make the National Talent Squad!  Check it out at www.equestrian.org.au  Congratulations to you both!


24th February- Sydney!
"Jeorge and I have returned home safely from Sydney, although the drive home was very long and boring!
The event was great- Jeorge scored a 63.8% in his PreNovice test and was placed 9th after the dressage.  With a field above us that read like a CCI*** draw, we were the highest placed non-professional rider, which made me very happy.
Jeorge was a champ cross country, although the course was so wet I had to take hime slow to protect his legs so we had 17 time faults.  However, everone had time and as Jeorge had no showjumping faults to add, we finished the mid-week event in 9th place.

Our first Novice dressage test on the weekend was amazing!  Jeorge endured monsoonal type rain during our test and he was such a good boy, taking his first rein back, counter canter and extended walk steps in a test.  We scored an awesome 60% in a class where the scores were dropping to around the 40% mark.  We were placed 12th (from memory) again in a really tough feild.
The cross country course was so wet, time was always going to be tough to make, however a lack of judgement and experience on my part put Jeorge too close to a fence and we had a run out.  Nevertheless, it was totally my fault and it was on a relatively easy fence so I still came home very happy.  He jumped the the ditch, water, angles and oxers beautifully.  2 rails down in the show jumping meant we finished in 15th place.  Jeorge really did not put a foot wrong and I could not be happier with him for our first 1* run.

Next on the calendar is Tominbuck Horse Trials in Victoria, first weekend in March, and I can't wait!

13th February- The Year so far...
"Happy New Year!  Hope everyone has had a great start to 2009.  For me, it's been crazy.  Not only has the weather been crazy hot, but the new year has been so busy for Jeorge and me.  The year started off with all those appointments to make sure the year starts off well; Jeorge has had his teeth done, blood tests and started on some new feed and suppliments.

We started out journey towards the Sydney One Star by doing lots of fitness work on the beach and lessons with Megan Jones to unlock me and stiff pony after our break.  We had a showjump clinic with Jamie Coleman, wich went really well.  He helped Jeorge and I establish our flying changes as well as try a new half halt technique which turned out to be really beneficial.  We have also done some dressage days over the summer to work on tests- Jeorge was not too impressed as there was no jumping involved!
Jeorge and I hit the road this Sunday for the long trip to Sydney.  We are lucky enough to do the mid week event at Pre-Novice before jumping in the deep end on the weekend.
Wish us luck, I'll be sure to give a full report when I arrive home on the 23rd!"

13-14th December- Youth Development Scholarship Weekend
"The weekend went really well, Jeorge was a good boy.  We did dressage and showjumping on the Saturday and a 2 hour cross country clinic on the Sunday.  Our instructor was local rider Tracey Leigh, and we worked on lots of angled lines as well as adjusting our horse's strides, especially in the canter.
The winner of the scholarship will be announced in January at a Black Tie Awards Night."

8th November- Talent Squad Clinic with Wayne Roycroft
"The weekend was great, despite the horrible weather!
I rode the dressage test for Wayne and got some great feedback afterwards.  He really liked Jeorge and even remarked on the close similarities between him and 'another grey horse I know' - aka Jester.
We also did a set showjumping round for Wayne, to show off our horse's scope and quality of the canter.  Jeorge jumped clear and Wayne was happy with the way he jumped, his only suggestion was that next time BREATHING may help my performance!  I don't think he knew quite how nervous I was!
As far as selection for the Talent Squad goes, Tasmania gets their chance in January, so i guess we find out after that.
I hope you like the photos!  The Clarendon Tendon and Fetlock boots arrived in time- They looked great and given Jeorge's fair skin they didn't rub at all!"