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The tack room
First BE ODE next month, any advice welcome!
Rollingdinosaur · 18/04/2016 13:37
I am finally taking the plunge, and having a go at a proper affiliated ODE next month, if I don't get balloted out. I am excited, and somewhat terrified. I have done several unaffiliated ones, and not made a complete tit of myself, so this seems like the logical next step.
I would be interested to hear any tips, or ideas of what to expect, from those in the know. Will the standard be a lot higher? Will I look a prat, as a lot of my gear is on the cheap side, and I will be turning up in 4WD and trailer, rather than a swanky lorry. I am also not sure on the hat standard required, it mentions PAS 015, and kitemark. Does that mean it needs both? My hat has the kite mark, but not the other bit. I suspect that means I need a new hat, but I don't want to fork out for one if I don't need to. Any tips will be gratefully accepted, thanks.
frostyfingers · 10/07/2018 22:59
Glad to hear he’s come sound Jonsnow, what a relief. Small consolation Tootsie but maybe with this hard ground you wouldn’t have done much...still it’s so frustrating.
Dhorse 1 is not impressed at his get fit regime, he walks away from me now when I go to catch him, I don’t think he’s a 5.30am sort of horse! I hope the horseflies go soon, I’m fed up of being bitten.
Jonsnowsghost · 11/07/2018 09:12
I know how you feel tootsie, it's probably on here somewhere but I had the whole summer with Buzz on box rest last year as he ruptured a tendon, two months after I bought him! I had my old pony then two who was also lame so I had two unrideable horses 😅
I rode and popped a couple of tiny cross poles yesterday and he's feeling fine so still going to compete on Sat (although the thought of it is terrifying me, half of the jumps are 70 and half are more like 50 so he should be fine to just step over them!)
Rollingdinosaur · 13/07/2018 11:25
You'll be fine once you get there I'm sure Jon. Keep doing that rain dance in the hope of softer ground!
Horse flies seem to be on their way out here frosty. Only seen one in the last few days, so hopefully you will be free of them soon. I'm impressed with the 0530 fitness regime. Not sure I'd be dedicated enough for that!
Tootsie glad to see you are back on board. Hope you manage to get out and about before the summer is over. Bloody splints!
I'm off to showjump indoors for the first time this weekend. No idea what dhorse will make of that. I'm going back to jumping 50/60 cm just to see how he copes with it.
Jonsnowsghost · 14/07/2018 12:53
Well it didn't quite go to plan....
Loaded Buzz up, couldn't close the ramp then realised the hinge had broken off 
no way would I travel like that and it was too late to call anyone so it was not meant to be :( it was one of those mornings where everything was against me as well so maybe something was saying don't go!
Rollingdinosaur · 17/07/2018 16:43
Oh bugger Jon. Any more events planned?
Well we managed to go showjumping indoors as planned. I got there too late to do the first class as I'd intended as it was finished 10 minutes after it started. As a result I ended up doing the 60 and 70cm classes. He went round like a real baby in the 60, spooking at everything and had a couple of stops.
I wasn't convinced doing the 70 was a good idea after that, as they changed the course and just about every fence had a scary filler/plank in it. We gave it a go anyway and he was a superstar. Flew round, barely giving anything a look! Really pleased with him!
Got home that evening on a high, and entered a 70 cm ODE next weekend. It has a full length XC course so will be a big test for us. I don't know if anyone recalls the issues we had avoiding explosions XC last year? I'm hoping that he has grown up enough in the mean time to cope with a proper course, but am just a little terrified and excited. 
Jonsnowsghost · 17/07/2018 18:06
Well done you! Think of the 60 as a practice 
I think I'm going to do arena eventing at the end of July but it starts at 70cm so I'm a little nervous, even though I would've done a 70 xc on sat! I think it's the 70cm show Jumps that are scaring me a bit, really need to get over this stupid fear!! I did a few 70 jumps at home Sunday and mostly did fine, he did crash through some of the wider ones so need a little more practice with them (although he was being very strong so it was mostly my fault as he was unnerving me a little!). I'm sure we'll be fine though, it's only 5 - 10cm more than I've been jumping in competitions so far!!
Rollingdinosaur · 24/07/2018 18:07
He looks fab Jon!
Well we survived the 70 ODE. Having thought a year ago that I wasn't going to be able to do XC with this one we finally managed a proper full length XC course, in canter, without any significant silliness. Over the moon doesn't begin to cover it! We had one refusal because he got distracted by a Horse coming the other way, but otherwise he flew round. I was amazed by his confidence over all sorts of spooky fences, and not a buck in sight. He was like a different horse to last year!
I've got a mini ode planned for the end of Sept and in looking forward to it. Can't wait til I can fly round a full course! To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.