Welcome to winter! After a very mild start with fine, dry, sunny days and very little rain, Autumn started off really well. Team Tech (or Team Determinators as my friend calls us!) had a week off after we got home from HOY to recharge, and then we were back into training with a bang! Anna worked me hard and we started working on getting Tech more 'active' as per the judges feedback from HOY. This is really hard for me as the extra movement really throws me off balance, so my biceps and trunk muscles (what little I have hehe!) got a real workout and I have to say I ached quite a lot! But it was worth it because when I can get it out of him, Tech really does have a good, active ground-covering walk. We just both need to get our fitness up to be able to sustain it for more than a few strides! :o)
Then we had a lovely visit from Jenny and Barry from Eleos Trust, who along with JC Trailers, funded my amazing horse float. It was so humbling hearing the story of how and why Eleos Trust was formed, and how much they have helped so many people over the years. There really are some amazing people in this world and I still pinch myself every time I think about how lucky I've been to receive their support.
In May we were lucky enough to have a lesson with Manuela McLean when she was in town. We packed Tech up in the float and went up to Anna's place where the lessons were being held, so it was a good outing for Tech too in a new environment. Distractions included a chainsaw going across the road and big trucks driving up the driveway to the avo orchard opposite for the first part of my lesson (as well as Anna's gorgeous mare oggling him while he was being lunged hehe!). He took it all in his stride very well bless him. I came away from our lesson feeling very inspired and motivated after getting the most active walk I've ever felt out of Tech. I just have to build up my confidence to push him that far now and not feel like it's getting "too" active, chickening out, and steadying him back.
The weather in June was fantastic, but Tech was still growing his woolly mammoth winter coat so out came the clippers! It's only the 2nd time that we've clipped him and someone else did it for me last year, so it was an "all hands on deck" afternoon in preparation for the clipping task ourselves. Well we had nothing to worry about! Tech stood stock still like a pro, Becky set to work with the clippers and Mum had the incredibly hard job of holding him still (as you can see by the photos on the right!). At one point he was stood in the pen on his own with Becky clipping his belly while Mum went and did another job, and I stood outside the pen taking photos! He looked very smart with his trace clip - huge thanks to my awesome crew of Becky and Mum for getting it done so well. I love the photo of Mum and Tech on the right, just stood there chilled out and relaxed in each other's company. You would never know Becky was at his back end with the clippers at that point in time!
At the start of July we went to the Tauranga Dressage Group practice day at the racecourse. Tech was a little pocket rocket which is so unlike him, and was a bit unsettling for me but I drank my concrete and got on. I decided not to use my whip because he was extremely "forward" as I warmed up (my brakes were working well though which was a relief!) and I didn't want to push him into a trot or to do anything silly. But what a mistake that was... as soon as we entered at A, he transformed into the Tech I know and love and was Mr Lazy Pants. It took all my energy to keep him going throughout the test! It was also the first time I'd ridden in a 60m arena so my distances were a lot longer too which probably didn't help! I was absolutely shattered at the end of it, but we got some good feedback and points to work on from the judge so that was good. At least I know now that even if he's Mr Rocket Ship in the warm up, I should always take my whip and especially into the test as he knows that's where his work starts and he needs a bit of encouragement in there. Every day's a school day!
So our training was going really well and then the crazy weather rolled in. The paddocks got absolutely sodden and there was a good few cm of water sitting on the top so riding was on hold for a couple of weeks while they dried out. We started back into training again and I had an awesome lesson with Anna working on keeping my core locked so my upper body doesn't get thrown around so much by Tech's big moving walk. It's another thing that's really hard for me with the lack of trunk strength but I'm working on it. I'm sat here locking my core practicing as I type this... I might not have very much strength, but I'm determined to make what strength I can muster up, work for me as best it can.
Unfortunately with the next onslaught of wet weather and boggy paddocks, Tech went lame which turned out to be an abcess. My awesome farrier Ben Van der Sande took his back shoe off last week, drained out as much as he could and Tech's been penned and poulticed for the last week. (Huge thanks to Mum & Becky for looking after the poulticing.) He's come right this week so he had his shoe put back on today and our training starts again tomorrow. Nothing like jumping straight back into it.
We're hoping to go to the Rotorua Dressage training day at the NEC in September as a warm up to the North Island Para Equestrian Championships which are being held alongside the Bay of Plenty Championships in October. It feels like that's coming up very quickly now, so we'll be hitting the training plan hard in preparation for the start of the season. Bring it on!
In the meantime I'm absolutely loving watching the Olympics Equestrian coverage. The Freestyles are amazing! I can't take my eyes off the screen and feel so inspired. I can't wait to see our own kiwi team Anthea Gunner & Mask, and Rachel Stock & Ricki on the big screen when they compete at the Paralympics in a few weeks time. So excited for them! Go you guys, good luck and ENJOY IT!!