GT Agility

I had got a little disheartened at our last show - Bitz n Bobz in Daventry as I just felt I couldn't keep up with the dogs and my handling was all over the shop.  Having had a nice relaxing couple of weeks in Spain I was feeling refreshed and ready to pick my agility back up, I have been working on my fitness and Rum's fitness all week since we've been back.


Ember, well Ember is Ember and will always do something unexpected!  In Novice Jumping she really flew, I felt so in tune with her, she just knocked a pole.  Then Senior Steeplechase and she tripped me up knocking me flying!  Followed by Novice Agility and silly me sent her off over a jump I shouldn't have done, a shame as her contacts were spot on.  I then trained Novice Gamblers as I know she misses her contacts on the second run - lo and behold she did!  I don't know why she's doing that, the last few shows it's been a case of perfect contacts in the first run but after that - no hope!  Finally Senior Steeplechase - hoorah a fab clear and she won the class :)


Rum, well for ages I have been on about always wanting consistency and today I got it!  Five runs and five clears :)  Started with Senior Steeplechase which I hadn't walked as got there a little late, it was a bit messy but still fairly quick and we won.  Then Senior Jumping, lovely run, a wide turn on the first flick flack and out of the tunnel but otherwise he worked lovely and won.  Followed by Senior Gamblers (now I hate gamblers and have never ever done well) which he worked lovely, however he got a bit worried when I put him back over the dogwalk as he was wondering if he did it wrong the first time, poor lad his little face when he crept down the down plank!  I wasn't sure whether we got the gamble as it was a bit messy, but we did and won it!  Senior agility I wanted to push his contacts as I wanted the points (getting too competitive lol!) and although the dogwalk was creepy we had a nice run and another win!  Finally senior steeplechase and I stupidly tried to overcorrect him and he had a big twizzle, otherwise lovely and finished 2nd, 0.5s off the winner.  


There was a time where I would have dwelled on that mistake but now I think well I could have lost it completely and got an E or a 5R so we did well to recover, I need to focus more on what we have done well.  We never analyse why we have done well, only when we don't do so well.  Why?  If we do well we want to try and replicate that so we need to focus on why we have done well.


So Rum had already had 12 points at Dig It and today he got the remaining points to take him up to Championship - yeah, but I need to train those contacts next time!  Lol.  I am most happy with the consistency as I hate being so inconsistent, a lot of that is to do with my fitness (I could almost keep up with them!) and also how happy Rum is.  Today we even queued and he stayed calm.  I am just so pleased with him!!