Autumn 2007
October...
October was very quiet. I started my Freshers week at Sussex University which was great fun. I got to meet some really nice people, who I will hopefully stay good friends with throughout my three years at Sussex. The campus is massive so it was very different to my old school St Leonards Mayfield which is quite a small school.
On the Monday before Weston, I had the shoot for the Semi-Naked Eventers Calendar to raise money for Claire Lomas. It was really good fun, I had Dom Ruane, Michael Jackson, Laura Collett and Lissa Green in my shoot and we were acting out a lorry party at a three day event… only naked! It was really lovely to meet Claire she is so nice and I am really pleased that they had come up with the idea of the calendar and the lecture demos and things to raise money to help her walk again because I am sure that they will all be a huge success.
We then made the trip up to Weston CCI**U21 on Wednesday morning. My trot up wasn’t until Thursday morning, so I just spent Wednesday settling Riz in and unpacking the lorry, and I then schooled him that evening. On Thursday I had the trot up, riders briefing and then I walked the course. It seemed a really good course and the ground was perfect, I couldn’t believe it wasn’t actually raining at Weston!
The course suited Riz well, so I was confident. I then rode him
and he was very, very cheeky! I had that feeling when they are just
coiling up underneath you and they don’t know what to do with
themselves. We had some going sideways, some bucking, some bunny
hopping, some grinding of teeth, in other words it was an interesting
schooling session! Riz is normally (with the exception of Gatcombe)
quite a professional though so I hoped he would calm down. I then rode
him early on the Friday morning so I could work him twice before his
test. He seemed better and as soon as I went down to the pre dressage
warm up he started to listen. I then took him back to the lorry where
we got ready for the test. I gave him about 50minutes to work in for
the test which was perfect. He was still full of energy when we went in
for the test so I just cantered him around the arena patting him until
he calmed down. The arena had been very slippery so I was riding
corners and turns quite cautiously in the test to avoid slipping. He
was going well, but when we went into the first Shoulder In he thought
that like the previous movement medium trot across the diagonal would
be a good idea. This meant that when I put my inside leg on to bring
him back to the track he then thought it would be a better idea to pop
into canter! My heart sunk at this movement. I was gutted because when
the competition is so tough you can’t afford to blow a whole movement
like that. However he then started to settle and work really nicely. I
rode the rest of the test quite timidly to avoid him getting lit up
again, so the test was not nearly as good as it could have been, but
really it was just the one movement that spoiled it. However, I kept my
fingers crossed and hoped we would still get a good mark and after
dressage had finished I was in the lead with Charlotte Agnew, we were
both on the score of 44.7. I was really thrilled that I had still just
about managed to pull off the result that I was hoping for.
The next day I knew it would be a fight for who could get closer to the optimum time. Charlotte ran first and flew round with a beautiful clear well inside the time. Riz was fantastic in our round he jumped really well and was fast, I was however quite out of control at times! We jumped clear though and finished closer to the optimum time. This meant that in the jumping even a time fault could make all the difference but I did come into the show jumping in the lead. The course seemed to be jumping well, but it was there were very few fillers, and so some jumps were coming down quite a lot. I saw bits of Charlotte’s round while I was warming up and she jumped a really nice clear, just having one down and 2 time faults. I went into the jumping thinking, I jumped a clear at Chepstow so I can do exactly the same now! Riz was a star! He tried really hard and jumped a clear, I just picked up 2 time faults because I expect I was being quite cautious to make sure I made all my turns right and made sure I gave him the best chance of jumping clear, but we won! I was thrilled more than anything for my mum and the team of everyone that helped me to get there. I was also really pleased for his old owners Katie Coventry and Susanna Barker because I knew that they wanted every success for him. I really couldn’t fault Riz this year. He has won both his Three day events and we are the first to win both the National U18 and U21 title in one year. The win didn’t really sink in, and it still hasn’t to be honest, but there is no better feeling than when every single goal you set yourself becomes a reality. I have had a fantastic year and that really was the icing on the cake!
After Weston my boyfriend, Ben and I went up to HOYS so that I could take part in the Medal Team winning ceremony for the closing of HOYS 2007. It is such a special night and a lovely thing to be involved in! I should have been celebrating and opening the champagne but I was absolutely shattered! I think from being so focused for a week!
I am so lucky to be involved in my sport and to have the opportunity to compete at the level I do and to be on championship teams I am so grateful to my parents and support team and all the Selectors, Trainers and Gill Watson who have all put their faith into me over the years. I am a very lucky girl!
September...
Towards the end of my season things started to quieten down a bit. In September I only had two competitions. The first of these was Goring Intermediate Novice U25, this was a new ride for me, Celtic Boy (Paddy). This horse is owned and ridden by Kate Ludden. She was very busy towards the end of the season with work and I have always loved him and so I rode him at a couple of events to keep him ticking over for her. He was quite excited in the dressage as he hadn’t had a run in a while but then jumped a fantastic double clear so I was very pleased with him.
Then it was Gatcombe with Charlie, Riz, P and Paddy! I love Gatcombe I think that it is a really nice event and the presentation of it is always really professional. I had Charlie in the CIC*, P and Riz in the CIC** and Paddy in the OI. I was stabling with Laura Collett, 45 minutes away and was competing on all three of the days. None of them did their best dressage tests, they all seemed to be feeling too well and were quite fresh! Riz nearly had me on the floor before we went into the arena by spooking at a very scary photographer and spinning around very fast! However Paddy’s score had improved from the last outing and Riz and P scored 51.9 and 52.5 which isn’t that bad. It is just annoying when you know they are capable of so much better. However all four of the horses jumped double clear. I was probably the most pleased with Charlie because I felt that he had really grown up and he jumped a really classy show jumping round over a big and technical track. I could tell that P and Riz were coming to the end of their season because they were both getting stronger and stronger cross country as they thought they knew everything! After Gatcombe, I knew that the cross country on Riz at Weston would be very speedy! Paddy was really good too. He is probably the most fun to show jump of any horse I have ever ridden. He gets really excited and puts his everything into his round.
After Gatcombe I just had the one competition left which was a bit sad. This was Weston on Riz which I was really looking forward to. I knew that we stood a good chance of winning if he knuckled down and did a repeat of Thirlestane’s dressage and just jumped as he normally does.