BLOGS JO BARRY
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Thursday, 3 March 2011"Ross and I got back from Australia on the 19 January and neither of us has stopped since! We had a fabulous time meeting up with his family and some of my friends that have moved back to their native country.
One of the friends was Helen Owen, who I met while working for Carl . She owned Dolendo while she was living in the UK but sold him when she moved back. We had a fabulous time gossiping about the UK dressage scene since I last saw her three years ago!
When I got back I went and picked Hugo up. He had had a good time getting back into work and had played over some poles and small jumps to use up some excess energy. I had booked to go and see Carl a few weeks later, so it gave me enough time to put some dressage work back into him before travelling down.
I had hoped to travel down on a Sunday morning but just before I left I found a message on my phone from Carl that the weather was awful down there and I should maybe wait till the next morning... but it was a beautiful day at home!? So I changed plans and decided to leave at 6am on the Monday morning...I woke up to dreadful winds and rain but no message from Carl to say 'don't come' so I left gripping the steering wheel hard.
It turned out Carl had woken up to even worse weather that morning but didn't have the heart to tell me not to travel down a second time! Anyway, all was fine and nine hours later I arrived safe and sound...but a little windswept.
Freddie reunited
I saw Freddie for the first time since November and had a few small sits...Carl is still doing the majority of the work but it was wonderful to feel how he has developed and progressed in his training. He is coming home for three weeks next week to have a little time out from training, with homework of re-establishing what he hasn't been doing with Carl. He will then go back down to finalise the changes and then he and I will be put together for the advanced work.
Hugo huffs
Hugo had a melt down at Carl's. He had spent two months without seeing the big wide world and working with other horses and decided that he was not going to be able to cope with anything. His reaction was a bit worrying with the thought of Winter regionals at the end of February, but Carl did his best to help and give me some hope of thinking that I may make it.
Come on Colin
The new exciting news is that I have a new horse! He name is Colin (Corchapin) and he is a four-year-old 16.1hh chestnut gelding by Negro. I first saw Colin in October and thought he was lovely. When I asked Carl about him he said he was his and not for sale. Four months later and a six-year-old luckily caught Carl's eye and he needed to sell Colin and another one to buy it...so I jumped at the chance. By the time I went to try him he had already been vetted so I did hope that I was actually going to like riding him. As soon as I cantered him, he booked his place on the lorry!
Arriving at mine was a shock to Colin's system. He had always been used to getting ridden inside and with company, now he had to go outside on his own! For the first few days I simply lunged him to get him used to his new surroundings, he looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights! As the days have gone on he now just looks like he is saying 'good heavens'...he is progressing well getting ridden three or four times a week and now with me getting straight on without lunging beforehand.
"He hated it!"
In preparation for the Regionals with Hugo we took him to SNEC and Kingsbarn just to ride in the working in when there were competitions going on. Both times there was a huge improvement on how he was at Carl's and was very well behaved. On the Friday of the competition at Rowallan, they do a clear round type of test, where you can go into the arena and work for the time equivalent of a test with no judge present. We thought this would be an ideal chance for Hugo to see the arena... he hated it! After a lot of answering back from him and help from the ground he worked very well and went everywhere he was told when he was told to.
Reverse gear
The next day was the Novice Freestyle. As usual he worked in very well then went through to do the test and he started his antics again. We went down the centre line, halted and then proceeded to go backwards for about half a minute. I turned into a Pony Club rider and flipped my reins from side to side in an attempt to get him going and eventually he gave in and went. Unfortunately there was no hope of catching up with my music so I had to make do and ride the compulsory movements when the trot, walk and canter music were playing. The frustrating thing is he still managed to get 68%, gaining 7s and 8s for the compulsory movements and dropping to 4s and 5s for the musical marks.
I did have second thoughts on returning the next day for the Novice Open but I decided to have a go. We were first in and I decided that it would be best to go HC and go into the arena 10 minutes before the test and get him to accept the situation. After a shorter tantrum he gave in and sulked his way through the test...typical teenager! I rode a forwards test, thinking very little about clear transitions and the details of the test...his reinback and halts weren't the best but we completed and I was very pleased with what we had achieved. Despite everything the judges really liked him and two gave him 73%...so I know there is something worth persevering for!
Spring along
Next in the diary: Pick Freddie up, take Hugo out for some Novice Summer qualifiers, ride Colin at some different venues and shows then at the end of May it is the Young Horse qualifiers...time is definitely flying along!"
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Monday, 10 January 2011"Where have the last 6 months gone?! We're into a New Year, it's only January and already we have suffered from six weeks of no riding due to the snow. At its worst, we had 25 inches and temperatures of -15 BUT to our relief we had no frozen or burst pipes.
Rafa at the Regionals
So going back to August. Rafa went to the Regional Championships where he won the Novice and qualified for the National Championships. The second day was a day I wish never to repeat. In the Elementary Championship, I went wrong twice in the test - something I have never done. I felt awful as he lost 18 marks due to my mistakes. What made matters worse was that he still got 67% and was placed third. If I hadn't gone wrong, he would have won and qualified for the elementary championship too.
I was due to head down to Carl Hester's with Freddie and Hugo the next week but took ill with an acute inner ear infection and was in bed for two weeks. I couldn't do anything except lie flat in bed, if I sat up I was sick or fainted. Lying still is not a good thing for someone who can't sit on a sofa quietly for an hour! Anyway, I recovered and was eager to get going again with the Nationals fast approaching.
Hopes for the top ten
Hopes for the Nationals were that Rafa would be in the top 10 though we weren't expecting him to be in the top five. I had decided that after the Nationals it would be a good time to try and sell him, so a good performance and result would help things along. It was a very relaxed trip for mum and I; Rafa is such a sweetie when he goes anywhere. He's great to travel, settles well in a new stable; eats, drinks and is well behaved to ride. We arrived at Stoneleigh the day before his class, did a little work and showed him the arena. He took everything in his stride. In the test he gave his all, I really felt neither of us could have done any more. It's a lovely feeling to have, especially at a National Championship! We were thrilled to be placed second equal and be the highest British bred horse and the highest BDSC member and receive their rug. It is the third time that I had won it. I won with Freddie in 2007 and Rupert in 2008.
We returned home and as luck would have it a girl that I teach mentioned that she was looking for a new horse - young but experienced, one that was safe and kind. Rafa was that and so much more! She came and tried him over three days, had lessons, hacked him, saw him in the field so every aspect was covered. She loved him and bought him soon after. It is lovely for me as I can keep and eye on him and he still comes for weekend stays and training sessions.
Training with Carl Hester
Hugo, Freddie and I travelled down for some training with Carl Hester in October. Carl was pleased with how Hugo was coming on but was a little disappointed that Freddie was still finding the changes a stumbling block. Carl could not pinpoint why/ In fact, he could not see any reason why the exercises hadn't worked since he has a very good canter, collects well and doesn't find any of his other work a problem, so he had a sit on Freddie. After 10 minutes he told me I was leaving him down until things were sorted out. Carl said I wasn't strong enough to get the penny to drop and he was too good a horse not to fulfil his potential by not learning his changes. He has been down there since, though the snow has largely contributed to that. Freddie has made huge leaps forward in his training, the changes are pretty much there now and his piaffe and passage have really come on. We were meant to get him home at the start of December but with the snow there was little point as I couldn't keep working him. Carl enjoys riding him and it is lovely for us to hear Carl saying that he is definitely a Grand Prix horse! I really can't thank Carl enough for all he is doing for us, he is so busy with his own wonderful horses it feels very special for him to make room for Freddie.
Things happen in threes
They say things happen in threes, this was true in that I came off three times over a period of two weeks having not come off for a very long time! In all honesty, if the first fall hadn't happened then the following two wouldn't have either. I had a lovely horse in for schooling and it was obvious he was a little sensitive and quirky.
For six weeks there had only been improvement, so much so that I was planning to take him to a show the next week. Then one day nearing the end of his training session he for no apparent reason bolted in the arena. I couldn't stop him and got very deep into a corner and thought we were going down, he didn't but had nowhere to go and launched himself out over the arena fence, half clearing it and half going through and I had no chance of staying on. I rode him after but he has since gone to someone who has an indoor school to try and find the reason for this sudden change in behaviour. Number two and three falls were because I was very sore and shouldn't really have been riding. Hugo is quite sharp when he gets a fright and fall two happened as a result of a spook in our arena.
Fall three unfortunately for my ego happened in front of an audience of 250! Carl Hester was doing a demonstration at Ingliston E.C. and wanted to use Hugo for the baby horse section. Poor Hugo got thrown in at the deep end and had to go in 'cold' to the demo without working in as the little school was already in use. He had never seen anything like it and managed to cope for a few minutes before saying 'I can't' and promptly disappeared from under me leaving me deposited on the ground! Carl put us back together and Charlotte brought Don Archie in to keep Hugo company. Slowly he grew in confidence and finished on a good note. Carl with his usual humour made light of it and said that he would now buy him as he had shown a bit of spirit!
Hugo has basically been on holiday since the demo due to the weather and just as the snow disappears I am about to go on holiday - typical! So, while I am away Hugo is going to stay with Alex Barr (who started him working last year) so that he can get working again. I hope when I get back I will take Hugo down to Carl's and get reacquainted with Freddie and catch up with where he is now in his training.
Wedding planning
One positive thing the snow has allowed me to do is some planning for the wedding, we have managed to tick quite a few boxes. My dress has been made, venues booked and the date has been set for 7 May. So many exciting things to look forward to in 2011, can't wait!"
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Monday, 2 August 2010"Yikes the year is fast disappearing! Regionals are approaching and the Winter Championships seem a distant memory. Rafa made a quick start into qualifiers after the Winter Championships before having a few weeks off. He won his first two qualifiers and so gained qualification by the end of April. He was asked to step in last minute when a guinea pig had to drop out from the Jennie Loriston Clarke demonstration that was held at Gleneagles at the beginning of May. Freddie was already going to perform his Elementary and Medium freestyle tests, so Rafa enjoyed a relaxed outing having to show what was looked for in a young horse. Freddie as ever enjoyed his 'public performance', it was his last for a while as I had decided to concentrate on his training.A trip to Carl's
I took Freddie and Hugo down to see Carl in mid-May, it was Hugo's first ever training with Carl and the first time he was to see Carl's yard which even to older horses can be scary! I rode with my hard hat and body protector on each day hoping people would notice and give me a wide berth...not a chance! Hugo was fantastic; he arrived a toddler and although he wasn't a man when he left he was certainly in his late teens! I rode him indoors and out, with horses arriving and leaving the arena, lorries going past, people appearing from nowhere, dogs running round the school, the peacocks, guinea fowl and hens scrapping in the hedges and we survived! Freddie continued work on his changes, canter pirouettes, piaffe and passage. Carl concluded after the few days that I shouldn't concentrate solely on the changes but try to improve collection and ride the changes using the collection I could achieve. I then took Freddie back down to see Stephen Clarke for two days at the end of May. Stephen came to the same conclusion as Carl had and so I felt confident to carry on with my set homework.Early qualification
In mid-June we took Hugo and Rafa to Ingliston Equestrian Centre for a competition. Rafa did the Elementary freestyle using the same music that I had used for his Novice freestyle but with a new floor plan. He won and qualified for the freestyle semi-final which will be held in February 2011. Hugo behaved brilliantly. He didn't qualify but I was thrilled that he didn't look at the boards, flowers or worry about anything. I have to admit that seeing him spend two hours bucking in the stable we had hired had made me slightly apprehensive!Pro/Am success
At the end of June I travelled down to the Hartpury Dressage Extravaganza. I had been asked to ride in the Pro/Am competition and it was something that I had always wanted to take part in from my days of watching the Medium Elite class that used to be held at the Winter Championships. The amateur rider rides their own horse through a medium test and then the professional has ten minutes to get to know the horse before having to ride the same test themselves. The professional riders' names are put in a hat and a draw is done to pair riders with horses, so fingers are kept crossed that you get a nice one! I did thankfully, a lovely bay owned and ridden by Charlotte Holes. Charlotte had already ridden a good test in the morning to place her second so the pressure was on. Raff was very nice to ride, responsive and well trained...I hope Charlotte was happy with what I was able to produce! I managed to improve her already good score by 1% and we maintained our second placing. I have just returned from training with Stephen, this time taking Freddie and Rafa. I had hit a stumbling block with the changes with Freddie and had to return to the drawing board. He did not cope well with riding the changes with a large amount of collection being involved...he could make an attempt at one or the other but not both at the same time. He had got strong and tense and it was tending to made me ride backwards. The horse that had never got anything wrong or found anything difficult couldn't understand why he was making mistakes and could not do what was being asked...mentally I think his head was in a spin. While working on my own I had a 'light bulb' moment and remembered how I had taught him any new movements previously. I had always started through riding him deep...it kept him open in his body and mind as he felt he had somewhere to move to when asked something new. I played with this idea with the changes and could see a big improvement BUT I wasn't sure how a trainer would view my thought process and see an improvement! Stephen thankfully was very pleased with what I had done and that I was well on my way to my goal...phew! Rafa went with the Regionals in mind, I hoped for confirmation that what I was feeling was what was being seen. Stephen was very impressed with Rafa's development and couldn't believe the change in him from when he had last seen him just over a year ago. So...the Regionals are at the end of this week. Hopes lie with Rafa to keep the flag flying. He has the Novice and Elementary Open classes to contest and if he goes like he has been the last few weeks I will be happy...if the judges agree that would be a bonus!A proposition
On a personal note, July has also been very exciting, I got engaged! My boyfriend Ross took me to New York for a couple of days and proposed so it hasn't just been Freddie's head that has been spinning of late!" -
Thursday, 22 April 2010"The washing machine has worked on overtime since our trip to the British Dressage National Winter Championships at Hartpury. Seven days away with two horses takes a bit of preparation but equally so does the unpacking, catch-up and washing when you return...but what a fantastic week we had! As seems to be usual for me, the run up to the Championships was not straightforward. The week before we left we had yet another batch of snow. On the Tuesday six inches fell. By Friday we were able to get the lorry out and hired the Scottish National Equestrian Centre (SNEC) for a couple of hours so that I could take Freddie and Rafa there to ride. By Saturday I was able to ride in my own school, but it was in gale force winds and so we left for Hartpury on Tuesday feeling rather underprepared. We borrowed a lorry for the trip so that Mum and I could have an actual 'living' to live in...our lorry doesn't have the living kitted out, just a nice big space. However having a bit more comfort did mean that I had to unpack all the show equipment that stays permanently in my lorry and re-pack it into the other one adding in all the feed, haylage etc etc that was needed for the week. It seemed to take forever! We hoped to leave at 6am but at 5.30 Freddie went back to bed, lay down and stretched out and said he was not going to budge! Eventually at 6.20 he got up and was bundled into the lorry. The journey was good and we made it down in 8hrs. It did feel like we had arrived in another world though; we left high winds, rain and the cold and arrived to sun, grass in the fields and blossom on the trees! The boys settled into their new stables well, with front row seats for watching everyone that was arriving, it kept their interest for the whole show. Hartpury really spoils you with their stabling, we were in permanent boxes that had rubber matting floors and were a good size. Rafa did the arena walk in the main arena in the afternoon. He had never seen anything like Hartpury before and so I wanted to give him the best chance by letting him see it the day before. It was really busy in the arena... sometimes because you can't do anything other than walk it actually upsets the horse more because they become more coiled up with excitement. You just have to keep an eye and try to give those horses a wide berth and hope it isn't yours that is causing the upset! Freddie just had a gentle stretch that night as the main arena had closed after the arena walk. I worked Freddie early on the Wednesday morning as Rafa was going to take up most of the day with his two classes. He was competing in the Novice Open and the Novice Freestyle. I was really pleased with him, he really tried to do his best. In the Novice Open he made one mistake; when I asked for my first transition to canter, he just glazed over and didn't hear me. It was coming into the corner where all the trade stands were and he just wasn't listenting to my aid. I did my best pony clubber impression and eventually we did make it into canter but it meant we got 4's from the three judges. We still managed to get 66.9% and finished 8th, so considering the mistake I was pleased with the placing. Later in the afternoon he competed in the Novice Freestyle. This time he stayed with me throughout and even though I had to help him along at times because he was tired he gave as much as he could. I was thrilled with his score of 75.19% and his second placing - he was thrilled with all the feed vouchers that he had won. Rafa's show was now over and the plan for him was just to hack and do light stetching for the rest of his stay and that he simply enjoy his holiday! Day two and it was Freddie's turn in the Elementary Freestyle. He came out with guns blazing and for the first time I thought this could go either way!?! I had never felt him so on the knife edge at a competition before but at the same time it was amazing to feel! For the indoor Championship classes you warm-up in the indoor arena by the stables then 20 minutes before your test you go down to a smaller indoor that sits beside the main arena to do your final preparation for the test. The test went very well, though we possibly had slightly too much fuel injection in the medium canters! He gained 77.57%, with one judge giving him just over 80% for his test! He won a lovely crystal bowl, a sash and a rug but for Freddie the highlight was that he was in a prizegiving... he just loves being the centre of attention. That night we had dinner with a friend who lives locally; we had a good gossip and bottle No.1 of champagne was consumed! Day three, Friday and it was a day off from competition. Freddie was worked and Rafa did some light stretching. It was a beautiful day and Mum and I sat on the bank watching the PetPlan Championship riders competing in the afternoon. We were joined by a friend from Scotland who brought along a bottle of Champagne...No.2...a perfect way to enjoy an afternoon! We went to the evening performance that night to watch the PSG Freestyle, with hopes that Freddie will be in it himself next year!? Day 4, Saturday and the Medium Freestyle. Freddie was first to go and scored 73.7%, a good score but would it be good enough?! It was a long wait for the final result -nerves were frayed by the end as the class was strong and so every mark was a potential threat. Bue we won, so another prizegiving, sash but this time he got four lovely Bucas rugs as his prize. Another sunny evening and another bottle of Champagne...or perhaps two! This time they were shared with some fellow Scottish competitors in the lorry park. Day 5, Sunday and the Medium Open. I really felt the pressure was on...it seemed unbelievable to think that a third Championship title could be possible especially as the class had many top combinations in it. This of all the classes was the one I wanted to do well in. Freddie was not on till mid-afternoon so I took him out for a walk and gave him a light stretch first thing. Carl had said he would come to warm us up for this test so I felt more confident knowing that. Just before I was to tack Freddie up for the class a television crew arrived to have a chat about our Hartpury experience and the next class. Freddie was hilarious, he stood throwing his rug around and playing the fool behind me then decided that I was in the way and started nudging and pulling at my shoulder... he wanted to make sure I didn't steal his limelight! It was now time for the test, Freddie and I went up to the indoor arena and started working in. No sign of Carl and I have to admit I started to wobble. Freddie felt tired and a bit grumpy and for once I could hear all the comments the other trainers were giving to their own pupils... all I could hear was 'lovely', 'wow' and 'super'. Then Carl walked in, I relaxed, started to focus and ride again. Straight away I could feel a difference in Freddie, he started coming back to me and by the time we got to the entrance of the main arena I could almost hear him say 'go on then, one more time!' I came out almost not knowing how we had gone, all I knew was we had got through it. Carl came over, smiled and said that he was happy with both of us and that that was to be his last test at Medium! The score almost didn't matter as I knew neither of us had any more to give, the fact it was 72.07% was a huge bonus and then that he won was just unbelievable! His final prizegiving and yet again he stood like a rock and behaved beautifully. A third sash, a gorgeous Albion double bridle as a prize and huge smiles all round. Another bottle of Champagne courtesy of our dinner host from Thursday night but it remained un-opened until we got home, whereupon we arrived to two more bottles given by friends! We decided to stay on Sunday night rather than leave and travel overnight. I got up at 3am to feed and we were loaded up to go just after 4am. We left, drove all of 500m to find that the entrance gate was padlocked shut!! We were not popular but at least another lorry was waiting to go too! We only had a half hour delay in leaving and were making good time up the road when we heard a huge bang...a blowout. 90mins later we were fixed and back on our way, then an hour later...ANOTHER bang and a second blowout. UNBELIEVABLE!?! An hour later we were sorted again and made it home in ten hours. Freddie has had a week in the field and Rafa had a few days off and then it was kick on to Elementary! May is going to be busy with training for Freddie and getting Hugo ready for his Young Horse qualifiers so I wanted to try and get Rafa's summer qualifications this month. He still had one novice test to win and I wanted to try and qualify him for Elementary. On Wednesday he started learning walk pirouettes and simple changes, on Sunday he did his first Elementary at SNEC and won! It was Elementary 58 and not an easy test to do as your introduction but I think he was so shocked that he followed exactly what I said with very few return comments from him. He won his novice class too so we now have that qualification and we will go to Rowallan this weekend and try and complete the elementary qualification...then he can have a holiday! I just want to say a huge thankyou to everyone that supported Freddie, Rafa and I at the Championships and to those who sent congratulations. Also to TopSpec and Forestfarmacy for their help towards the care of the horses...to Mum for her help and for putting up with me and Lady Hope, who even though she could not be there was a nervous owner on the end of the telephone waiting for results. Finally, thankyou to BD, NAF, Blue Chip, Baileys, Equissage, Bucas and Albion for their work, sponsorship, encouragement and for making the British Dressage Winter Championships 2010 a really memorable week for me." -
Tuesday, 9 March 2010"I took Freddie and Rafa down for four days of training to Carl's in mid February. It was a really good experience, especially for them as they had each other for company and it meant that they ate on the journey down and settled straight into their stables. When they go seperately they won't eat while travelling and even when they arrive somewhere new it takes a few days to start eating their meals properly. Rafa really blossomed over the four days, Carl worked on making him really supple over his back with long forwards stretching. He then asked him to maintain the softness and transfer his weight onto his quarters. Rafa moves extravagantly behind and it has given him problems with his balance previously but he is now opening his shoulders and carrying himself better and is finding everything much easier. Freddie, I am told, looks amazing... I just feel out of control and like I am riding on a wing and a prayer! Carl rode him one of the days and I have to admit he does look amazing! Carl rode some piaffe and passage on him and I felt very proud seeing my boy starting to get to grips with these difficult things. Carl got off and said he was really quite excited about him and that I had to stop worrying about now and tomorrow and start riding him with a year and beyond in mind. Was Stephen Clarke saying a similar thing to me a month before?! I think I was panicking that I had the Winter Semi-finals the following weekend and was feeling that my half passes weren't as good as they had been in December!... must keep thinking of the bigger picture! I got home on the Saturday and the boys had a day off on Sunday. I stretched them on Monday and Tuesday and they also had physio. The preparation for the semis at the weekend was all going according to plan - then it snowed...aaargh!! No riding Wednesday, no riding Thursday and yikes no riding Friday and the semis were upon us. The snow was nearly away on friday night but we woke Saturday morning and opened the door to six inches of fresh snow. Thankfully we didn't have to leave till lunchtime and so after a few phone calls we managed to get the local farmer to bring his tractor and snow plough to clear the road into the farm. My Dad then shovelled and salted the worst bits and we held our breath, crossed our fingers and headed out in the lorry. We made it out and couldn't believe it that 20mins away there was no snow! The Saturday classes were the freestyle. Rafa was brilliant, he went the best he has at a competition in the Novice Open. He won with 76%. Freddie competed in the Elementary and medium Open Freestyles. He was very fresh due to the lack of the work and I felt very much the passenger. I made a huge mistake in the Elementary, I leg yielded the same way twice and so missed out a compulsory movement. It meant that I received my first zero and that multiplied by 3 as there were 3 judges was very expensive. It also effected my choreography marks and in total I think I lost about 40 marks. Luckily the judges thought the rest of the test was very good and he still gained 71%, was second and qualified. I gave myself a kick up the backside and I performed better in the medium and didn't let Freddie down this time, we won with 74%. Sunday was back to the normal format of tests. Rafa had the Novice Open and Freddie the Medium Open. The both made a couple of mistakes but I was pleased with their way of going...Freddie was much more responsive and Rafa despite being tired really tried hard to do his best. Rafa was 2nd with 69% and Freddie won with 72%. So all in all despite the weather and a stupid jockey moment, we had a great weekend and gained qualification in all 5 classes!"
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