Cruise Gearing Up For Winter Dressage

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All clipped and ready to go

Fully clipped out - Let the winter series begin

Timeline of Cruises leg

So as I mentioned in the last post. Cruise had an incident. I think the photos speak for themselves.

10th November (approx) a few days after accident. Vet out. Rough estimate reckons he would be out a few weeks. Not too major.

Less than 5 days later and things started to go downhill quickly with infection. he went on a 2 week course of anti-biotics. which seem to clear it up.

On Anti-biotics. Looking better.

At its worst. Proud flesh for Africa. Off to Hamilton Equine Hospital for treatment.

Hamilton Equine Hospital for treatment. Here the Proud flesh is being cut away. That amount of blood is normal believe it or not. Vet estimates 6 - 9 months out.

Proud flesh beginning to grow back (which is unusual, it shouldn't have) This time copper sulfate was also used to and had to be applied daily, to "burn" back the granulation. Success though. Again I'm missing photo between this and the next one. If I find them ill update.

Couple months later and its now defiantly healing.

Current photo taken just the other day - May 2011 7 months later

Catching Up

It appear i haven't blogged in a long time - But that's okay because I haven't ridden in a LONG time. Cruise has been out on injury for 7 months. He went through a fence in early November. not his fault at all - He got chased by a stallion who managed to get out of his paddock.
Cruise has JUST come back into work now so fingers crossed ill be able to get him out to Winter dressage.
Will Post some photos of Cruises leg sometime.

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.