We had a fab week, the facilities at Gabury are just amazing. Tuesday was my worst day when a few of my 8 riders fell off, one up the grid, one just plopped off over a xc jump, Fred flew off as Fudge ran out and the final one when her pony straddled a small log. Her pony scrabbled off and she fell off as he freed himself. There were a few tears but no damage!
We had riding tests, a visit from the hounds, an after camp splash pool, BarBQ and a fun quiz.
By the final day they were all riding brilliantly and it was hard to choose who had improved the most for the camp awards. I eventually decided on Dino and Lottie.
I am now shattered as am riding 3 before camp and also teaching every evening.
Chaos when I got home tonight as the house was full of smoke (Ant had accidently nearly set fire to it) and Pat had arrived for her daughters lesson 24 hours early! By the time I had sorted all this out I was exhausted so when Stan arrived for his 6 pm dressage lesson I was fast asleep and his Mum had to come and wake me up!
Thursday 29 July 2010
Sunday 25 July 2010
The Week Just Got Even Better
Icon has been a complete and utter star going clear at his first advanced today and even managed a qualifying result so he is now qualified for cic 3*. The SJ was huge at 1.30 but he only had 4 down although I had to kick like mad and hold him up in front to help him as much as possible, the XC was so much easier and he was pretty quick too.
I had a huge cheer as I jumped fence 2 as the crowd were informed it was our first advanced.
It was brilliant, lots of skinnies and drops, two technical waters, he was brilliant all the way.
After I had finished I had to go and find out who won the class as Louise Skelton wanted me to let her know the winners phone number as she is writing the Horse and Hound report.
Pippa Funnell had won. Looking like an autograph hunter with my pen and paper, I fought my way through her supporters, and thankfully she provided her number once I had explained I was not a stalker.
Next stop The British Champs at Gatcombe.......oh and pony club camp tomorrow which I love teaching at but will be a tiny bit of an anti climax!
I had a huge cheer as I jumped fence 2 as the crowd were informed it was our first advanced.
It was brilliant, lots of skinnies and drops, two technical waters, he was brilliant all the way.
After I had finished I had to go and find out who won the class as Louise Skelton wanted me to let her know the winners phone number as she is writing the Horse and Hound report.
Pippa Funnell had won. Looking like an autograph hunter with my pen and paper, I fought my way through her supporters, and thankfully she provided her number once I had explained I was not a stalker.
Next stop The British Champs at Gatcombe.......oh and pony club camp tomorrow which I love teaching at but will be a tiny bit of an anti climax!
Saturday 24 July 2010
Woohoo!
Top Gun is just the best!!!
He did his first ever XC competition yesterday at Stafford BE horse trials. He was in the 4 year old class. He did a lovely test "36" despite getting a "3" when he halted instead of showing 4 walk steps as he quietly did a mini spook at a nearby loo!
Then he just popped round double clear, quietly and calmly around a testing XC, I didn't have to shorten my reins or use my stick once it was like we were cantering around a few cross poles!
He finished in 3rd place qualifying for the Lycetts Young Horse Championships and thanks to Lycetts and Blaze Clothing we came home with a pile of prizes. He is such an exciting horse for the future.
Duvet Day also went double clear inside the time in the 100 finishing 10th, somewhat in Top Guns shadow!
Then today Icon has been to Allens Hill to jump the Newcomers in preparation for his Advanced at Aston tomorrow, he went clear and won it, lets hope it will put him in good stead for Aston.
He did his first ever XC competition yesterday at Stafford BE horse trials. He was in the 4 year old class. He did a lovely test "36" despite getting a "3" when he halted instead of showing 4 walk steps as he quietly did a mini spook at a nearby loo!
Then he just popped round double clear, quietly and calmly around a testing XC, I didn't have to shorten my reins or use my stick once it was like we were cantering around a few cross poles!
He finished in 3rd place qualifying for the Lycetts Young Horse Championships and thanks to Lycetts and Blaze Clothing we came home with a pile of prizes. He is such an exciting horse for the future.
Duvet Day also went double clear inside the time in the 100 finishing 10th, somewhat in Top Guns shadow!
Then today Icon has been to Allens Hill to jump the Newcomers in preparation for his Advanced at Aston tomorrow, he went clear and won it, lets hope it will put him in good stead for Aston.
Saturday 17 July 2010
She Has Foaled!
I checked outside this morning at 4.10 am and there was Butterfly just starting to clean her new baby. I rushed outside to find a lovely skewbald filly foal. My first homebred filly ( I've bred 6 colts in a row). All was well until 8 am when we decided to call a vet to help Butterfly get rid of the afterbirth-placenta. Graham Potts arrived and took one look at formidable Butterfly arching her neck, looking about 18 hh and stamping her foot, proudly protecting her baby and he dissapeared off back to his car for some more dope! The removal went to plan and this evening everything seems perfect. It was a worry though Graham warned mares can get laminitis or colic when complications like this occur so soon after foaling.
I rode Top Gun and Icon while I waited for the vet and after he had gone I rushed off to teach at Ledbury Pony Club Junior rally for 11 am. We had a fun day over the XC jumps finishing at just after 3 pm. ThenI dashed home to check Butterfly, she was fine so I loaded John Wayne onto the Lorry (he has been back in work for a couple of weeks) and took him to the Malvern Pony Club fun show. He jumped double clear in both classes. Next it was home to muck out and feed and then teach Katy Richards who is off to Stockland Lovell Horse trials tomorrow. We worked on teqnique for gaining better marks in her dressage, so fingers crossed as this is her horses weakest phase.
Then Anthony and I made it to our local Shindig just in time to see Badge play. This is a local band, I teach Declan (guitarist) on his pony and the lead singer is son of Dermot, our freind and who helps with Ants cattle. They were really good and I didn't have to cook as we had pork roll.
Monday 12 July 2010
No Foal Yet
I am awake and looking out the window at 4.15 each morning but as yet Butterfly just stands there like a giant iceberg waiting for the Titanic! She is enormous. The forecast is at last for some rain, Butterfly is wise enough to wait till its gone so at least another few days to wait, unless she has it tonight before the rain.
Professional photographer Liz Evans (lizevansphotography.co.uk) has taken some photos of my young horses with me feeding them and one photo is going to be on Barbour Clothings "Great in Britain" website that is launched later this month. Liz said some of the photos she has taken may appear in some of the national newspapers.
Milo, Josie Jump and Monty (Take It To The Top)are the horses in the photo Liz has chosen, they are nearly famous and they haven't even won Badminton yet!
Professional photographer Liz Evans (lizevansphotography.co.uk) has taken some photos of my young horses with me feeding them and one photo is going to be on Barbour Clothings "Great in Britain" website that is launched later this month. Liz said some of the photos she has taken may appear in some of the national newspapers.
Milo, Josie Jump and Monty (Take It To The Top)are the horses in the photo Liz has chosen, they are nearly famous and they haven't even won Badminton yet!
Friday 9 July 2010
Duvet Day at Fab Shipton Moyne
Shipton Moyne had done wonders to make the going perfect. Sand had been put down on the take off and landing of every single fence even the SJ and the warm up fences. The course was beautifully presented.
Duvet Day did a lovely test to score 35 even witha couple of green mistakes when he lost balance into the halts. He then had just the last down in the SJ and then clear XC with a few time faults. The water caused quite a few stops and eliminations but Duvet Day just plopped right in.
I hacked down to the XC with Rosie Thomas who commented on what a lovely horse he is, he needs to start a list as last week he was admired by Matt Ryans groom!
Icon had his chiropractor visit and needed a few bits done so I withdrew from Barbury cic**.
I am quite relieved as The British Champs is our aim this summer and I don't want to miss it having jarred him up elsewhere. His next run will be Aston Le walls Advanced, I have already "walked" last years course on worldwide eventing and it looks ok so fingers crossed as this will be our final run before the British Champs at Gatcombe.
This week I have weaned Crunchie (Credit Crunch Christmas) from his Mum (Josie Jump) and we are waiting for this years foal to arrive out of Butterfly. She is going to pop soon.....she is in foal to Old Leighlin....Icons father.
Duvet Day did a lovely test to score 35 even witha couple of green mistakes when he lost balance into the halts. He then had just the last down in the SJ and then clear XC with a few time faults. The water caused quite a few stops and eliminations but Duvet Day just plopped right in.
I hacked down to the XC with Rosie Thomas who commented on what a lovely horse he is, he needs to start a list as last week he was admired by Matt Ryans groom!
Icon had his chiropractor visit and needed a few bits done so I withdrew from Barbury cic**.
I am quite relieved as The British Champs is our aim this summer and I don't want to miss it having jarred him up elsewhere. His next run will be Aston Le walls Advanced, I have already "walked" last years course on worldwide eventing and it looks ok so fingers crossed as this will be our final run before the British Champs at Gatcombe.
This week I have weaned Crunchie (Credit Crunch Christmas) from his Mum (Josie Jump) and we are waiting for this years foal to arrive out of Butterfly. She is going to pop soon.....she is in foal to Old Leighlin....Icons father.
Sunday 4 July 2010
BYEH and Icon fails to do Welsh Champs
Icon is a little bit sore from the run at Salperton, however he is full of it, bucking and messing around and does not believe me! Ant agreed he is a tiny bit more unlevel behind than normal so we had to sadly withdraw from the Welsh Champs. He looks sound tonight however and is booked into the chiropractor on Tuesday just to make sure.
Top Gun did his young event horse class at Glanusk on Friday. It was all a bit of a fiasco. The rules said I had to declare an hour before the class began, which I did, even though it meant he was there two hours before he competed. Three of us declared on time everyone else ignored the rules and turned up half an hour before their time!
Top Gun did a lovely test (apart from finding a rabbit hole as he did his final halt) and jumped clear but was given a very low score which left us bewildered. As I did my dressage test the commentator announced "This is Stella Baylis who has only come from Malvern, whereas some competitors have travelled from Cornwall". Making me feel very inferior! None of the commentator info that I had given them was read out about his very successful parents or his BEF futurity win last year.
One horse in the jumping reared and spun round and had to be hit into every fence. It scored a higher mark than most other horses! Others stopped and had two down but were still given good jump marks. One youngster seemed to be a headshaker yet was chosen for the final ten. Most of the young horses were ridden in spurs.
After watching the entire class we decided they were looking for a horse that had flash movement and is very sharp to bring its front legs up jumping. Regardless of its trainability or if it had a bold outlook. Top Gun has super natural balance, uphill paces and a careful jump but does not yet snap up in front as well as he could but as he was only broken in March he really is exceptional, he is also very bold and very trainable.
It was one of thoses classes where everyone seemed to be winging about the judging and no one could understand the scores given, however it was super experience for him. We may do one more of these classes as different judges will look for different things. I have John Wayne back in work now so perhaps I will take two and put I live in Cornwall!
Top Gun did his young event horse class at Glanusk on Friday. It was all a bit of a fiasco. The rules said I had to declare an hour before the class began, which I did, even though it meant he was there two hours before he competed. Three of us declared on time everyone else ignored the rules and turned up half an hour before their time!
Top Gun did a lovely test (apart from finding a rabbit hole as he did his final halt) and jumped clear but was given a very low score which left us bewildered. As I did my dressage test the commentator announced "This is Stella Baylis who has only come from Malvern, whereas some competitors have travelled from Cornwall". Making me feel very inferior! None of the commentator info that I had given them was read out about his very successful parents or his BEF futurity win last year.
One horse in the jumping reared and spun round and had to be hit into every fence. It scored a higher mark than most other horses! Others stopped and had two down but were still given good jump marks. One youngster seemed to be a headshaker yet was chosen for the final ten. Most of the young horses were ridden in spurs.
After watching the entire class we decided they were looking for a horse that had flash movement and is very sharp to bring its front legs up jumping. Regardless of its trainability or if it had a bold outlook. Top Gun has super natural balance, uphill paces and a careful jump but does not yet snap up in front as well as he could but as he was only broken in March he really is exceptional, he is also very bold and very trainable.
It was one of thoses classes where everyone seemed to be winging about the judging and no one could understand the scores given, however it was super experience for him. We may do one more of these classes as different judges will look for different things. I have John Wayne back in work now so perhaps I will take two and put I live in Cornwall!
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