Hello,
Maitland Agricultural Show was a success for all concerned.
There were good numbers in all classes and there was a good quality field in the Grand Prix.
Poet and I were 4th, last fence down .
The Hunter region as well as us has been receiving heavy rain for the last two weeks, and I was not sure if the ground was going to be useable.
The use of a roller between classes kept the ground jumpable(little bit heavy in places).
Sue Bettington did a good job generally and she tries hard to do a good job for everyone.
Sue does what I believe in, not only one but two stiles/planks in every course.
These fences keep the clear rounds down and don't scare the horses/riders. Course Designers then don't need tricky distances or whacky corners. Nice flowing tracks with a careful fence or two certainly does the job.
Riders then need to teach their horses to jump them well, like water jumps,oxers ,combinations etc.
Chuggy and Vivant jumped superbly against the clock to win the NSW Country Championships.
The Hunter Valley Jump Club ran the jumping for the show and thank goodness they did otherwise the jumping may not have been held.
I won the 6-bar on a horse that hadn't been in one before.
I have been in more 6-bars than I can remember of course,so my experience was useful.
These events can be horse heart breakers,you jump until you cannot jump anymore.
Occassionally they are ok, knowing when to pull out is important.
It is not an ego contest,it is a testing class to see how quick your horse is with his reactions.
Nick Skelton has a grey stallion called "Russel' and they have won 17, 6-bars in a row.
That has taken a few years of course and they have jumped 7 foot or 2.10m approx. Pretty darn big.
Russel wasn't a reliable Grand Prix horse for a long time but eventually he was selected in the British team for Beijing /Hong Kong Olympics.
That isn't the normal nowadays but in our showjumping history we have had many horses with amazing 6-bar credentials as well as Grand Prix.
Two little horses come to mind, Destry from Wagga and Jabraski from Bundaberg.These horses were both sub 16 hand sizeand they were sensational performers.
Jumpers are a bit more fragile these days, the rails are so light. The horses of old (not all mind you but most) would knock too many jumps down now, even though they were very brave and generous.
In 2009 We are not jumping any bigger but the gear is much lighter, in Europe the indoor shows have 3m rails,not 3.5m or 4m in some outdoor shows. It takes a careful horse to jump 1.60m over gear like that!
Have a good day,take some time out to smell the roses as they say to keep yourself sane.