Icon Would Have Won But........

It was a fab day at Highclere, warm enough to be nice(I hate the heat), perfect ground, super course, we had early times and had left home at 4 am and so had a good place in the lorry park right next to our friends the Skeltons who had 4 horses running.

Dressage went well for a 36 and then double clear, it was the first time this year I have gone quick on him as the ground was so perfect, we only had 4 time faults yet this tiny amount cost us first place.

We finished in 9th and ever since I have been ridng the course in my head trying to loose those 12 seconds!!!

My friend Imogen Peck did her second advanced and went clear on her tiny expony club horse, he is amazing and this advanced was a good test even for an established advanced horse.

John Wayne qualifies for British Champs

Photo by Greg Dixon-Smith of "John Wayne"

Had a good week at Malvern PC senior camp. Most of my ride were on young or new horses and it was lovely to see them improve during the week, well done to Annie who has got a lovely partnership going with her new horse Stan, Megan as usual rode beautifully and turned her horse out immaculately all week, Claire learnt about a years worth of stuff on a very young green horse she had kindly been lent for the week, with moral support from Leenie (whose horse was this green at camp last year) and is off to Crickland SJ champs with him this weekend. It was a very good week even though I got very tired trying to ride 3 and muck out 6 before I left at 9.15 each day.

The famous MPC Bun Run (Iced Buns and juice) kept us all energised through the week, thank you to those who helped deliver them just at the right time everyday.

The early mornings were all worth it, John Wayne went double clear into 2nd place at a 4 year old qualifier today at Milton Keynes and has qualified for the Lycetts British Young Horse Championships.

Poor John Wayne had to do his dressage in a terrible rain storm and we had some twisty head moments but just then the rain was so thick the judge couldn't see me!

I now have both 4 year olds qualified and looking at the champs website its going to be a real occasion, very exciting. www.bedeltd.co.uk

My website is having some updates mainly on the horse news http://www.stellabayliseventing.co.uk/

Other big news is Sarah Dixon-Smith (my livery) sold her beloved Champ (mister muddle) and has bought Hope Dettori (Frank) a 15.2 hh 5 year old welsh cob x. She has worked hard with him in the few weeks she has owned him and today she went double clear at their first BE80t with a 34 dressage. Brilliant.

John Wayne Proves He is a Future Star.

Had a busy fun week at Malvern PC Camp with a group of six girls who giggled their way through the week. We did dressage to music, grids, SJ, working Hunter, handy pony, games and the highlight was jumping a metre. Only one faller all week when poor Esme's pony ran out, happily he jumped lovely on the last day at the end of camp show.

Today John Wayne went to Solihull to do the 4 year old qualifier. Daniel my sponsors son came as groom for the day and we had a fan club arrive in the form of our friends Joy and Dave Galley. John Wayne was 3rd after dressage and then had one down SJ. A clear xc put us in 7th.

This was a really good result as the course was very spooky and the fence judges were all sat under umbrellas (it was raining). We practised by getting Daniel to stand in the Lorry park with Joy and Dave's umbrellas so I could trot around them!!! Then several riders joined in with their spooky horses when they realised what we were up to.

Photographer missed John Wayne at water jump today so photo is of my young stock arriving for polos (Snip, Mika, Smartie, Monty, Crunchie, Josie) I have to take one sugar lump as Monty (Take It 2 The Top) hates polos, he is as the back, black white star!!

An Interesting Day

I rode four horses early, Spicer (Duvet Day) is back in work. Next Ant and I went off to watch Hartpury cic3***. It all looked so much easier when I was not competing!

We ended up finding our friends Joy and Dave Galley who were judging the influential corners. It was an exciting few hours and we became honoury fence judges for a short time although I was best at putting back up the knocked down flags, which happened alot. Several riders fell in the water jump which was near by and we had a horid horse fall at our fence. All riders and horses were happily ok.

On arriving home this evening Ant went off to do his farm. I was busy mucking out and I could hear a chugging of a tractor. It was Ant arriving with tractor bucket full of yellow sand. "What is that for?" I asked perplexed!

He explained that he remembered last time at Soilhull they used alot of yellow stone dust by the fences and especially at the water, it caused horses to spook. He thought if we put some by my jumps in the field I may have half a chance of getting John Wayne used to it!!!!

4 year olds at West Wilts

Yesterday we took John Wayne to his first ODE at West Wilts, (it was a young horse breeding finals qualifying class) he did a 34 dressage, clear SJ and shied at a photographer so sailed past a jump giving him an unfortunate 20 penalites. He was a bit spooky at things around the course, but not the jumps. Next he is at Solihull which usually has lots of decorations round the water so lets hope he is less spooky.

Top Gun was HC (as he has already qualified) he was fab especially XC, he had 2 down SJ but this was the first time he has jumped indoors so I was thrilled.

Bernice and Daniel came with us as grooms and I certainly needed the extra help as we only had an hour to SJ and XC both horses.

Top Gun gave us a laugh when he took my baseball cap off my head with his teeth and threw it across the lorry park!

Today Icon did the guinea pig test at Hartpury CCI2*, (this is so the judges can get their eye in before they judge the competitors) after Gatcombe he was pretty excited and did the worst test he has done this year. I walked the 3* course, it was a good course with some challenging lines but the ground is firm so I am glad we are not entered.

gatcombe montage

My friend William Fox has just emailed this fab montage of us at Gatcombe.

We Did The British Championships...

We arrived Saturday morning for dressage and I was gob smacked, it was all so posh, no gutters for arenas, we had 3 judges and a commentary and someone to open the little gate to the arena.

Icon performed the test of his life scoring 39 which left us a fair way down but we were along way from last place. He had a whole pack of polo's. We went home very happy.

I walked the course and found it pretty impressive but it all seemed very jumpable. Alan Nolan was walking the course the same time as me with his trainer and she was kind enough to give me some positive advice.

We returned on Sunday early to re walk the course and got more tips from Louise Skelton who had won the advanced the day before. Lots of friends and family (Mum, Dad my sister Anna, her daughters Monique and Maisie and my Auntie Geraldine) had come to support us and I prayed we didn't flop in the show jumping. He was fab and only had one down, it was a huge course but it looked a lot smaller once I was on Icon. I was over the moon!!

Next my friend Louise Calverly and I shot off to watch a few XC jumps being jumped, after seeing a few mistakes I announced I did not want to watch any more and we went to get Icon ready!

We set out XC with the aim of a slow confident clear and it went absolutely perfectly as planned, we only took one long route (at the top of the steep hill in front of the house, I was worried he would be short of puff) he remained bold all the way round. He coped with the hills really well but I was very glad we took our time as he needing nursing a little over the last 3 fences. However he recovered well and surprisingly quickly.

I am tonight a little stunned that we actually did it and so very pleased with my superstar horse.

(Thanks for the comment Stan. Stan is the grandson of Icons breeder, I teach him on his pony, he is always tells me Icon can jump anything, it seems that he is right!!!)

All Ready For Gatcombe

Icon knows the dressage test better than I do and keeps doing everything a stride early! He looks fab and has been to the gallops a couple of times in the last week (6 am before I go off to camp).

I am surviving another week of Camp this time at Hartpury, its exhausting this week more than usual as my group seem to be particularly lively! I am again riding 3 and mucking out before I leave as well as teaching when I arrive home. More sleep needed!

Top Gun and John Wayne are both going really nicely. John Wayne is being particularly impressive, he jumps a metre for fun and is incredibly good at skinnies, I have never had such a good jumper at just 4 years old. I am beginning to wonder how on earth I will stay on his jump, he has a super careful flick behind which feels both amazing and unseating at the same time.