My Diary:
Please click on the links below for past diary archives...Winter 2007 - Autumn 2007 - Summer 2007 - Spring 2007
Spring 2008
This year started off by looking very promising. I have five horses to event this year, my two top horses Pardon Me II and Society Spice, an experienced 7 year old Fait Accomplis and then two new 7 year olds Junior II and Lombi who had never evented before.After last year with all the cancelled events in the Spring I decided to start my season as early as I could so we took the two new boys to Isleham horse trials. Although we had taken them schooling cross country they were both still quite green and I didn’t know what to expect of them. However both of them went brilliantly, they were much better behaved with all the excitement of the event than I thought they would be. Lombi (Legs) just had one down but then jumped a brilliant clear and Junior went clear but just had a silly misunderstanding cross country. He just got quite tired towards the end and didn’t lock onto an arrowhead, but I was really thrilled with them both.
Next stop was Twesledown with P and Riz as well as the other two. Both of the younger ones went clear cross country this time and both felt very smart, Junior was placed 4th. I was using Twesledown to set P and Riz up for Aldon as that was a trial that I was aiming to win. They both went really well but I only ran them slowly around the cross country, the point of running them was mainly to get the freshness out of them.
The following week we set off for Aldon with a full lorry. Junior and Legs ran really
well again. The course is quite hilly there, so it was really educational for them to canter and jump up and down hills when they haven’t done it before. It was a very wet weekend and although the ground was holding up ok I was starting to wonder if they were going to continue to run the event or not. Both P and Riz did really nice tests that both scored in the 20’s. P got 25.2 and Riz got 27.1 and no one else in the section was below 30, so I was very pleased to have managed to get a head start with both horses before the jumping phases. Both horses jumped double clear in very wet conditions. I was so thrilled with both of them. I ended up winning on P and coming second on Riz and to make it even better it was a Young Rider Selection Trial.Before the season started, I decided what I wanted to achieve with each horse and what events I would have to do to get there. I decided that I would aim P and Riz for Bramham CCI***U25. In order to qualify to compete in that competition I had to achieve a qualifying result in a CIC*** so we decided to go to Burnham Market. I had never been before but it was a really nice event. The course was big but perfectly reasonable and appropriate for that early in the season. Unfortunately for the event the weather was appalling, the wind was so strong at it really rained. P was lucky and had quite good weather for his test and he listened well and got a good mark that I was pleased with. Riz however unfortunately got the gale force winds and torrential rain and decided it was a bit much to try and to dressage as well as trying to cope with the weather and so didn’t do one of his best tests but I was still pleased given the conditions. Both horses then jumped beautiful clear rounds around the difficult show jumping track and both also flew round the cross country with ease. I just took them steady because all I had gone to do was qualify. Legs and Junior also ran at Burnham market and both jumped double clears again and felt like they were really starting to get the hang of it which was a nice feeling.
My next run was Belton Advanced Under 25 with P and Riz. Both did good tests again but Riz and I just made a couple of mistakes. Riz then jumped beautifully and went clear around a big show jumping track. P on the other hand suddenly decided jumping was very exciting and got very strong and didn’t jump as well which was very unlike him but he was just feeling very fresh. The cross country was massive and very technical. It caused so many problems for everyone, inexperienced and experienced. I rode Riz first and he flew round, he felt so special and made everything feel perfect. I was so pleased with him because it wasn’t an easy course at all but he really listened and he was fantastic. P was very strong cross country, a bit like in the show jumping so I decided to run him slightly slower and not let him get away from me. He also jumped really well though and I was really pleased with him. I ended up being placed 2nd on Riz and 8th on P. I was so pleased with them as it was a tough competition and they both coped really well.I then had Hambleden with the young horses. This was their second last pre novice run before going novice so I just wanted to make sure they were both feeling confident and were ready for novice. Legs jumped another clear and felt fab, Junior decided that he wanted to go back into the warm up arena from the show jumping area and so notched up a few penalties show jumping but actually jumped really well which was frustrating but he then jumped a very confident clear cross country too which was good.
I had all my seven year olds at Nurstead. Charlie in the novice and the other two in their last pre-novice. Junior and Legs went really well and defiantly felt ready to go novice. Charlie was feeling quite fresh but managed to be a professional and contain himself and I was really pleased with him. He did a good test and then just had one down show jumping which was my fault and he then flew round the cross country easy-peasy as per usual.
I then had to miss two days of Uni to go up to Aston Le Walls for the Thursday. Legs had his first novice on the Thursday and was such a good boy. His dressage improved leaps and bounds over the week because as well as me riding him everyday my head girl Carolyn Oakley has been lunging him as well. He has really benefited from the lunging, so she lunged him before his test as well and it really worked. He got his best mark yet and there is still 100% more to come from him. He then jumped a brilliant clear round he felt like he had been eventing all his life. I was so pleased with him and he ended up being placed 6th. I then had Riz and P in the OI on the Friday as their pre-Bramham run. They both did really good tests, Riz
scored a 29 which I was really pleased for in an intermediate because they don’t just hand out marks in the 20’s. Riz had one unlucky fence down show jumping but then stormed around the cross country and ended up being one second over the optimum time which cost me a win and was very frustrating but I am hoping that there is only one way up now for Bramham! P jumped a double clear and I was really pleased with that, I didn’t run him as fast cross country as I had a new bit in and was just experimenting with my control. Junior then had his first novice on the Saturday. He was an absolute super star, he scored a 29 in the dressage and like legs still has so much more to come. He then jumped a fantastic clear show jumping absolutely ballooning everything! I was then in the lead and was determined to get him the win he deserved. The cross country was big enough had asked questions of the horses honesty. He absolutely rocketed round, I didn’t realise how fast he was so when I asked him to move up a gear I had quite a shock. He was being foot perfect and I was so pleased with him… until the water. I rode it quite positively because I though that seeing as it was the first time jumping into water he would back off, he didn’t though and we ended up landing in the middle of the water. I would have been ok because I was still sat with him but then he trod on an over-reach boot and pecked really badly and I got completely chucked out of the saddle. I went to look at the photos after I had dried off and the pictures were quite amusing! I was really gutted because he was so close to winning, however I rate him so much. I have never sat on anything like him. He is so special, and so my attitude is, he may have missed out on winning his first novice but maybe he will win his first four star!All preparations are in full swing now for Bramham, I am planning to do Houghton Hall combined training to set them up for Bramham. Fingers crossed everything will go to plan!