Hare’n’Hounds March

Last Sunday we travelled up for the March instalment of the Hare’n’Hounds shows, and our last Hare’n’Hounds show for some time as the next conflicts with a training day, and during the summer season they’ll always be a show closer. It is a bit of trek.

It was a very mixed day in terms of results. I didn’t manage a single clear with Inca, always making some small silly mistake somewhere or another. But she was up for it and running well. When she did make a mistake she was happy to be corrected and carry on. In the final agility I actually had to stop her and get her into a down-wait as she was just bouncing about taking everything in her sight, lol.

Diesel was particularly lary and our first run was somewhat of a mess; he was difficult to handle, a little on the stubborn side and we had several poles as he really wasn’t thinking about what he was doing. Thankfully he got it together after that, but sadly I didn’t. I changed how I handled a course part way round on a couple courses. It something I always say people shouldn’t do and I know I always regret it. That didn’t stop me from doing it. Twice! I was gutted as he was flying in his last agility and we were a few jumps from the end but I pulled him off a jump. I carried on as 5f vs E didn’t really matter (especially as it was my mistake). I never learn but I really felt that was his best run of the day.

But we did have a stonking round in a rather tricky course. The second jump needed to be taken from round the back. You could either go to the right and pull of a jump or go to the left and pull off the dog walk – both were just as tempting. I did a very short recall keeping him right on the end of my finger and didn’t give him a chance to gawp. I thought we’d take the pole but we didn’t. He did a great run but I wasn’t confident that it was overly fast, especially as the current leading dog completed it in 30.something. I was shocked to discover D did it in 28.889 and ended up winning it. Eeek!.

Pippa also made her allsorts comeback. It was a very tricky twisty course that took me several walks to remember – definitely your usual allsorts course. As soon as I took her into the ring she went crazy spinning in circles. She flew round but I underestimated her speed coming out of a tunnel so she went round a jump but she was having so much fun.