outriding01
11-21-2009, 09:53 PM
Sorry guys, this might be a long one, but I need it.....
Well this weekend I traveled to South Carolina with the Equestrian Team to compete at College of Charleston. It ended up being a beautiful day and I was pretty excited. Due to some craziness recently, I am now the Co-Captain of our huntseat team, so I was stoked about that as well.
I drew a mare named Rizzo for the jumping. She was pretty cute, but older, and he tips said to ride her forward because she tends to add. I watched her go in a flat class and she seemed well-behaved but short strided and kind of rough.
The course was odd. It started off the left lead over a bending line bending to the right. As many of you will know, courses generally start with a single because it's harder to get your momentum going good enough for a line right off the bat, especially on a horse you've never ridden. It walked as a forward five if you rode it bending. Because of the turn to the third jump, you really needed to jump the 2nd jump straight, so everyone had to make a decision about whether to bend it, or try and jump it as a straight line...
Since my mare was so short strided and shuffly, I knew I was going to have to work to get her down it in a five or whoa for the six. I decided to go for the five. I knew if I could get good distances through the line and ride it right, the rest of the course would be fine, but I was pretty worried. I was the first one to jump her and she was a pretty rough ride.
Anyways, I ended up absolutely nailing the first line. Textbook perfect. Got her around the whole course in really good shape, great distances to everything, nice turns, all my leads, etc. She swapped out a few times, but that couldn't be helped and the judges are supposed to overlook horse error. She really didn't like going on her left lead and actually refused to pick it up in a flat class later on. I suspected some soundness issues. I had to keep her really tight between my leg and hand to keep her from getting strung out, and to keep her stride as long as possible. I came out of the ring thinking first or second for sure....
I ended up placing 4th out of 5. I'm a pretty good sport, and I have no problem placing low if that's how I rode compared to others, but I was a little miffed and confused. After the shows are over, you can talk to the judges and they will pull your card and give you notes. First, she told several people in front of me that she didn't have notes for them on the flat because she chooses her top 6 in the first turn of the ring and then only watches them....
Finally I get to talk to her, she pulls my card and says I completely missed my distance to my first fence!!!! No, I did not. There wasn't even a question of it being a perfect distance.... Then she tells me I rode the entire course off my hands and didn't use enough leg an seat... I had to actually think to pick my hands up and use them. I ride with such a strong leg and seat that I someimes forget my hands and get drug around... Then she tells me I missed a lead change! Again, no. I got the change she pointed out, the horse swapped back a few strides before the jump because it was on the left lead, again..... She also said I got too deep to another jump, which I didn't! I was getting so upset. I just smiled, nodded and thanked her, but I was livid! I feel like she didn't even watch my course and was just making things up! She kept repeating the thing about missing my distance and I couldn't even believe her. What was she looking at?!?
I'm just so frustrated right now. I'll get over it though, there's always next time, but it's just so discouraging.... And this is the second show I've had the judge make a completely retarded comment to me about my placing that just made no sense. At GSU the judge didn't place me because my horse was acting up... even though they're only supposed to pay attention to rider error! Grrrr..... :banghead:
Well this weekend I traveled to South Carolina with the Equestrian Team to compete at College of Charleston. It ended up being a beautiful day and I was pretty excited. Due to some craziness recently, I am now the Co-Captain of our huntseat team, so I was stoked about that as well.
I drew a mare named Rizzo for the jumping. She was pretty cute, but older, and he tips said to ride her forward because she tends to add. I watched her go in a flat class and she seemed well-behaved but short strided and kind of rough.
The course was odd. It started off the left lead over a bending line bending to the right. As many of you will know, courses generally start with a single because it's harder to get your momentum going good enough for a line right off the bat, especially on a horse you've never ridden. It walked as a forward five if you rode it bending. Because of the turn to the third jump, you really needed to jump the 2nd jump straight, so everyone had to make a decision about whether to bend it, or try and jump it as a straight line...
Since my mare was so short strided and shuffly, I knew I was going to have to work to get her down it in a five or whoa for the six. I decided to go for the five. I knew if I could get good distances through the line and ride it right, the rest of the course would be fine, but I was pretty worried. I was the first one to jump her and she was a pretty rough ride.
Anyways, I ended up absolutely nailing the first line. Textbook perfect. Got her around the whole course in really good shape, great distances to everything, nice turns, all my leads, etc. She swapped out a few times, but that couldn't be helped and the judges are supposed to overlook horse error. She really didn't like going on her left lead and actually refused to pick it up in a flat class later on. I suspected some soundness issues. I had to keep her really tight between my leg and hand to keep her from getting strung out, and to keep her stride as long as possible. I came out of the ring thinking first or second for sure....
I ended up placing 4th out of 5. I'm a pretty good sport, and I have no problem placing low if that's how I rode compared to others, but I was a little miffed and confused. After the shows are over, you can talk to the judges and they will pull your card and give you notes. First, she told several people in front of me that she didn't have notes for them on the flat because she chooses her top 6 in the first turn of the ring and then only watches them....
Finally I get to talk to her, she pulls my card and says I completely missed my distance to my first fence!!!! No, I did not. There wasn't even a question of it being a perfect distance.... Then she tells me I rode the entire course off my hands and didn't use enough leg an seat... I had to actually think to pick my hands up and use them. I ride with such a strong leg and seat that I someimes forget my hands and get drug around... Then she tells me I missed a lead change! Again, no. I got the change she pointed out, the horse swapped back a few strides before the jump because it was on the left lead, again..... She also said I got too deep to another jump, which I didn't! I was getting so upset. I just smiled, nodded and thanked her, but I was livid! I feel like she didn't even watch my course and was just making things up! She kept repeating the thing about missing my distance and I couldn't even believe her. What was she looking at?!?
I'm just so frustrated right now. I'll get over it though, there's always next time, but it's just so discouraging.... And this is the second show I've had the judge make a completely retarded comment to me about my placing that just made no sense. At GSU the judge didn't place me because my horse was acting up... even though they're only supposed to pay attention to rider error! Grrrr..... :banghead: