Cruise has gone home

back up honikiwi to his owners place. :(
We ran out of grass here and couldn't afford to keep well (Well in all honesty we probably could, Dad just didn't want him on the property any more) So now he live about 10km away.
I still get to go ride him everyday it just like having him graze somewhere else. Its not too bad. but the hills up honikiwi are killing me!
Cruise quite likes have horsey company though I think to.

Taupo Training Trial

Cruise went 2 thirds well at the Training Trial
I was lucky enough to go down to it with Nika. We did the practice showjumping the day before and hes defiantly improving, I think I'm finally learning how to ride him properly, I just did the 95cm and 1.05m - I wanted to do the 1.10m but with the TT the next day didn't want to wear him out completely!
Sunday got off to a good start! Lost my horse - Some fag had moved him OUT of his paid-for allocated covered yard and kicked him into a outside one! No kidding, I was pretty ropable... Never got a chance to rip into the person who did it either...
But Dressage went averagely, I made a course error and therefore my 60% "would-have-been" score got knocked down to 58! My bad! judge was really nice though It wasn't a bad score for Cruise and judge marked really fairly.
Show jumping was good! Better than the day before I think, we rattled a few rails but fortunately got around with only one rail down.
And bloody XC... Christ. where do I start...
Cruise warmed up fairly good, Flying the practice jumps and genuinely feeling good, Set out on the cause and he fell apart! i dunno if it was the mud or what, but we did the first jump alright, then getting him onto to number 2 was a damn mission! He was going mental, launching himself sideways trying to avoid the jump and go back to his yard, we climbed awkwardly over number two. came into number 3 with a good pace one, but he changed his mind in the last second and cause of the mud he fully smashed into the jump with his chest, and legs went everywhere! and sent me sumasuting over his head! I almost managed to stay on then he threw me off completely. Once i caught him I was going to carry on but he refused to go over the one he stopped at so I missed it out as I was already eliminated, carried on over two more then he slammed into the 4th brush so I just retired.

Nika's horse Gen and Cruise

Tegan and I before the XC

jumper number 2

Cruise Over the last jump

Cruise Show jumping

Taupo XC Schooling

NEC is amazing!

Such big grounds with SOOO mnay jumps.

I went down there last Sunday with Nika.

Cruise showing his fantastic enthusiasm for jumping

Cruise fails at palisades!

Horrible jump cause big problems

Last Jumping effort of the day!

Cruise over a few Pre Novice jumps

Cant wait for the Taupo Training Trial next weekend now!! :D

Kaurilands Winter Dressage

I've come to the conclusion that cruise will just never be good at dressage. Well in the judges opinion really - I thought Cruise went super well. But judges marked him so low. Horses placing ahead of him who screwed up completely, like not changing in the simple changes etc. Cruise did all his moves good. His novice test 2.6 the only fault he did was change over his canter lead a little bit late. he placed 2nd to last in this.

His elementary test 3.2 went alright too. no major screw ups. He placed last =( (Out of 9 - Small classes for kaurilands)

The judges comment just constantly mentioned him leaning on my hands and his low head carriage... he was marked so harshly for such a small fault.

Freaking Out

I have a week to somehow nail elementary test 3.2 - Why did I enter that? I also entered Novice 2.6 (Before I looked at it might I add, its JUST as hard as 3.2) Cruise cant do this, what was I thinking, I immediately regretted sending my entries in. Not only do we have to leg yield for a fair distance, which ultimately ends up as a spastic crab-like imitation. we have to "walk to canter" Which with Cruise, is like attempting to go 0-100kph in a army tank - I assure you it cant end well.

I only realised TODAY I have 6 days to magically teach Cruise this.

Well I have good thing - Cruise's medium trot actually almost looks like a real medium trot now, so that gotta be something positive.

If I get over 60% in ONE test - I shall be stoked.

Cruise Being Ferrel

Let Cruise a run in the sun today!!

Little Valley Farm

On Monday I went up to Little Valley Farm in Ohaupo for a good jumping session with Cruise. I schooled around in the big indoor dressage arena for a start to warm up - Its pretty flash.

Then out into the Show Jumping arena and to the cross country. He jumped everything I asked him to! Couldn't have asked for more from him - He was a star.

Managed to get one photo from the day of Cruise jumping the water jump. =]

Cruise is BACK

Over 3 months since Cruise's crash and burn at schools show jumping.

But now he's back in full action! Jumped him for the first time today - Hoping he hadn't lost any confidence from his last frightful jumping attempt, I kept the jump nice and low. He loved it!

Someone was feeling happy!

Kaurilands Dressage Series

Quite proud of Cruise - Dressage doesn't come very naturally to him (Hes rather down hill and struggles to carry himself a bit) But he tried so hard.
I entered him in the Secondary category (Novice tests) and he went well. It was good competition.
He managed 58% in 2.3 and 60% in 2.4 - Scoring around the middle out of everyone. not bad for his 2nd attempt and Novice.
We have things to work on too - our Medium trot was under par and he goes a crooked at times and get the wrong bend slightly. but overall I'm impressed with him. He pulled off 10cm circles in trot and canter, Counter canter, And simple canter changes through the trot. A big improvement from when I got him.
Hopefully I can go the the next one.
Unfortunatly no photos this time though. :(

Cruise being snuggly

I was outside with my camera (trying to take a photo of a fantail - Which that photo is in my other blog) but the camera shutter got Cruise's attention. hes Rather photogenic, I couldn't resist a photo. he looks as snug as a big in a winter rug.

Cruise is back in action!

So Cruise was turned out for 6 weeks due to back treatments. But he's back now!

But now he's very unfit and back to basics. First 2 weeks of just walking and trotting and canter on the 3rd week.

Hoping to enter Kaurilands next month and do a couple of novice tests on him. Aiming for a elementary test toward the end of winter.

There's still no way I can afford an Isabell saddle, so I'm doing dressage in a jumping saddle! not ideal but its alright.

North Island Seconadary Schools Dressage

Was Great. Joanne came and watched Cruises tests. Thankfully she also brought a saddle (Wintec Isabell) that fitted him (Turns out his dressage saddle wasn't fitting him, though it wasn't cause of his back problem, it wasn't helping either)

our first test was 2.2 (in the sand arena) - Totally screwed it up. Cruise was very tense and excited, I partially bullshitted my way through it - I had to lengthen and leg yield. but Cruise struggled with leg yield due to his back still being not 100% .

I thought I had come dead last for sure in this test.

Cruises Prelim 1.4 (grass arena), test went a lot better. he was much calmer and did everything perfectly. in fact the only thing we got marked down on was his bend on one rein (Purely due to his back) so once his backs done hes gonna be on fire!
Results surprised me a bit - I came 9th in 2.2 out of 25 (I was impressed!) and i managed a 2nd place in 1.4! I was stoked. First thing Ive won on Cruise. So this has now convinced me to do dressage winter series =] Though first of all i need to save up for a Isabell saddle.

Cruise is Broken

Well its been a while since I've updated this. So a weeks ago (early march) Our school team had a quick entry into Waikato Secondary Schools Showjumping.
in short - It was a complete disaster. Cruise broke entirely. Wouldn't jump, studded himself, was so tense and freaked out etc etc.
So he was taken home immediately and the Vet came out. We suspected he had tied up. but took bloods and they came back clear.

So we turned to a chiropractor. We took Cruise to see Joanne Andrew who is a spinal therapist
and turns out his back was definitely causing him pain, enough for him to just breakdown.
So Cruise stayed a week in Matamata and in that time he had two treatments.
We had a dressage competition not long after his treatment but thankfully he was going to be okay during it.

Intense Dressage Schooling

On March 26th, Cruise has his first dressage competition coming up. It is a Secondary Schools event run at St peters school in Cambridge. Cruise will be doing (or Attempting) a prelim test 1.4 and a Novice one 2.2.

So dressage boot camp has begun.

Cruise needs up his game a bit and learn to leg yeild... properly. and lengthen his trot without going 100mph. Could be a challenge.

Cruise has a real tendancy to go on the forehand - Being slightly down hill this doesnt help him out much.

And he likes to get real heavy and lean on my hands - not ideal.

But he can canter nice-ish when he wants too.

A few laters and hes alot lighter now, and coming off the forehand

But his lengthening still sucks heaps.

Cruise jumps big things

Cruise hasn't jumped over 1.10m i think, but he broke his record easily yesterday.

1.10m

1.20m

1.20m

1.30m

1.30m