One year on...

Weardale Show on Saturday will be mine and Freddie's anniversary of competing, so I have been reflecting on our first year in agility.  By way of numbers, in the last year Freddie and I (and Jasper in the last couple of weeks) have achieved/experienced the following...

31 days competing at 18 shows
3 grades
140 runs
19 placings including 7 firsts
177 agility warrant points
22 clear rounds
77 eliminations
211.339 faults
9 trophies
27 rosettes

Not bad!

Here's Freddie with his haul for the year:

Jasper Doodle :-)

I know this is Freddie's blog, but it may well turn into Freddie and Jasper's.  My little (big) puppy is doing so well.  He has come on leaps and bounds in the last few weeks with his agility, growing in confidence and getting faster and braver with it.

He has had two 'anysize' runs now.  The first was at Otley Show, and my only aim was to keep him in the ring.  However, he surprised me by really concentrating and staying with me for a lovely first clear round.  No placing as he only trotted round so we were well down on time, but I was beaming with pride all the same.

We had more umph at Barnard Castle, but slightly too much perhaps.  Jasper took the first jump then headed straight for the tunnel, and an E.  However, I called him back and we did 2 to the end perfectly, and (new for Jasper), fast!  I wonder when we'll get it together for fast and clear - we are entered for more anysize runs at the Hare n Hounds summer show so fingers crossed for then.

Grade 3

Freddie and I started our grade 3 'career' at Otley show on 9/10 July.  I walked the first course chuntering about how hard it was, but realised my mistake of thinking it was g1-3 when actually it was g3-5 (Julie Buchanan's course).  Well... it was a challenge!  We were e'd on jump 5, and spent quite a while failing to persuade Freddie to take the tunnel under the A-frame.  Contact equipment trump tunnels every time for Fred.

But we did a bit better later on with the graded agility class.  A nice clear round, and an even better 10th place.  Maybe we can hold our own in G3.

Our jumping continued to be a bit rubbish though, picking up faults.

Our second grade 3 show was at Barnard Castle, and the biggest thing anyone will moan about there was the weather!  Rain, rain, rain and more rain.  I was going to a very nice indoor fun show on the Saturday, so only stayed at BC long enough for two jumping runs, both of which we got faults on.  One pole, and one refusal.  We went again on Sunday to get even wetter, and managed just one clear round all day which was a sppedy jumping course so no place for Fred, we were about 2 seconds out of the places. 

I've started to get a little demoralised but hopefully our next show we will do better.  Reality bites in G3!