This past weekend was the very first outdoor trial of the season. I only live less then a 5 min drive from the trial site, so on Friday afternoon, I went to set up my shade tent and help set the equipment. When we were finish, we got to practise a bit on the equipment, I only worked Tink for a short while, but she was under control, and made great contacts, so I had high hopes for the weekend.
Saturday:
Tink had 5 runs lined up for both days, 4 with me and one Junior Handler run each day with Natasha.
Starting off the weekend with an amazing run, we had 63 opening points in Master Gamble, unfortunatly, we knocked the last bar in the gamble. So close, but yet, so far away!
Natasha's Starter Standard was not so promising, Natasha let Tink get away with murder, letting her break her stay and not hold her contacts. There were a couple faults, including Natasha sending Tink over the wrong jump!
My Advanced Standard run was next, Tink blew off holding her A-frame contact and ran towards the next jump, so I called her back to me and got her to lay down, assuming she got called on a refusal. We continued on out run until we got to the dog walk, where I thought I had seen Tink miss the yellow! Another down and off we were. By this time I knew it didn't matter what happened so I didn't tryat the end, and Tink took the wrong jump. Later I saw we only had 5 faults! Aw, crap, we could've Q'd... but it wouldn't have been a very proud titling run! I called Tink silly, and one of the judges, Claude Dionne, offered me $100 for her. (Jokingly... I think)
Advanced Snooker was a challange... I couldn't find a smooth enough course... we did a red jump, weaves, then I tried to call Tink off the tunnel to a red jump... but go figure, the tunnel was just too alluring! There goes the whistle and your welcome for the donation! ;) At the end of the run, Claude changed his offer to $120.
Last run of the day was Steeplechase, We had a great run, but the weaves and tunnel were in the same place as the snooker, and we needed another call off the tunnel... I got a little over anxious and called Tink out of the weaves too soon, earning a 20 fault non-completion. Claude upped his offer to $500! I was going to be rich by the end of the weekend! ;)
Not a horrible trial day, but we had another day coming up!
Sunday:
Another Master Gamble to start off the day! A great course with a fairly simple main gamble that Tink should have been able to handle with no problem... except for the fact that she didn't care what I wanted her to do, she just wanted to run around like an absolute idiot! We were able to the mini gamble once before the whistle blew (yesterday I ran out of pieces, and kinda stood around the main gamble, waiting for the whistle to blow!). I sent her over the first jump and to the tunnel right in front of her face, but instead she went way out to the tunnel way out to her left... A great sign of things to come.
Natasha's Starter Standard run was next. They did well and got a Q! Earning Natasha her Junior Handler Award of Merit - Starters Level.
The wind picked up more and more throughout the day... I think it blew out Tink's brain!
Our last three runs were, Advanced Standard, Steeplechase and Master Jumpers. We got 3 E's in each and used to first to runs to work on contacts! Needless to say we had no further offers from Claude...
Next weekend we are at Spot On for another 2 day trial... we'll need all the help we can get ;) Hopefully there's no wind!
