It’s been a while, I competed with Cas & Ember at an EMDAC show in Stoke in April as Cas comes into their medium height she can still enter competitive classes so it’s nice for her to have a couple of runs. Considering the dogs hadn’t had any agility training (I just have a couple of jumps I had been putting them over to make sure they are fit enough) they did really well. First class for each of them wasn’t brilliant but the second class went a lot better and they just knocked poles.
I really enjoyed the show so decided to enter a UKA show and entered Rum with the idea mum would come with me so she could queue for us and knowing UKA are smaller so not as stressful.
That show was Phoenix on Saturday. Ember absolutely amazed me, she ran excellently, was absolutely fab – she won Senior Steeplechase I with a rather messy run as it was quite tricky and I wasn’t sure of my handling (very rusty & first run of the day!). Then we had Novice Jumping and I thought that the course looked like it needed a lot of running and with Ember she’s not normally one for going on by herself! But I was wrong she had another cracking run but knocked the last pole – gutted! Novice Agility, she was fab again but typically she missed her a-frame (I should have put her back on) and Novice Gamblers I won’t mention as we never ever get our heads round gamblers! Finally Senior Steeplechase II which I hadn’t walked as the rings were a long way from the parking and I was shattered! She had a near perfect run, I shaped her more into her turns so they were a lot tighter, I was getting back to knowing what I was doing, we just had a messy turn where I front crossed, she won that class too!
Rum was a good boy too, though I am so unfit I just couldn’t keep up and he has always been used to me being up there with him so he was a little unsure at times! Novice Steeplechase I he was flying and took me by surprise at how far ahead he was, he went into the wrong end of the tunnel and turned out of the box. Then onto Novice Jumping, I thought it was a nice course for him as he could really power on, he was running lovely but just jumped too long to get the second weave entry – I didn’t shape him into the turn, I took him back which I shouldn’t have done as it really stressed him out and I just felt him snap into Mr Stress at that point so I know if he goes wrong not to correct him as it really wasn’t his fault. Novice Agility and he sort of fell off his seesaw somehow which worried him so I held him on a perfect a-frame contact and told him it was okay, he then carried on fine, otherwise he ran lovely in that. Gamblers again we’ll say no more. Then finally Novice Steeplechase II, ahh we went clear bless him but it was very very messy as again I was just struggling to run, my legs were giving up lol! The last tunnel I told him right and he flew right out of the tunnel which surprised me that he actually did it so I didn’t then reinforce & he turned back as if to say – am I right lol. Anyway he ended up 2nd and I was pleased with that as it had been extremely messy!!
Cas had one Casual Jumping and although missed her weave (not sure why as she’s always always got her entries) she flew round like a spring chicken and won the class.
So it was a fab day, it was lovely to have my boy back as he always feels so smooth to run and with our system of mum queuing and it being a smaller show he didn’t seem to be stressing at all. Though I am so unfit, my legs almost gave up in the last run and I am just nowhere near my dogs, I haven’t been doing any exercise whatever though so it’s no surprise lol!
Were off to Paris next week, Mark and I will have been together two years :)
