Rain and Slippy Reins at 4 yr Old Champs

Despite the rain both boys did their very best test, the standard was high and they were about midway afterwards.
Lotta who runs Hartpury stud came to support us along with 5 students, I would like to say they had a lovely day but it just poured with rain, they were lots of help, holding horses in between the SJ rounds and putting on tack, taking off boots etc. It was a real rush with only 22 mins between their Showjumping rounds.
They both jumped really well but I messed up the same related distance on both of them and had one down, I lost power in the canter trying to get more spring, they are green and not ready to be too organised it would have been better to just kick!
John Wayne went XC first, he loved the mud and was just amazing, he so impressed me, it was a tricky course in places, a funny positioned brush out of the water made it seem we would land in the river, a black shiny corner on a turn with bales to spook at (pictured). Also a coffin and a step to a brush and two brushes on a turn.
Our only mistake came at the step to brush, he flew up the step ignoring my attempts to organise a bouncy step canter and wet slippy reins meant I couldn't turn to the skinny, I stopped him and did a wiggle in walk to avoid crossing my tracks and popped the brush from 2 strides of trot. What a star he was he finished 16th, so we can say he is the 16th best 4 year old eventer in the country and definitely the best one called John Wayne!
When I got back I decided to withdraw Top Gun as I felt he had struggled in the mud in the SJ and the XC was quite deep in front of some of the jumps. He has not had a winter learning about jumping out of mud on Castlemorton Common like John Wayne.
By the time I had finished Ant and I were so wet it was like we had been swimming, the biggest award of dedication should go to my friend Joy who sat out in the pouring rain to watch their SJ rounds and she is currently nursing a very broken leg.

Both horses are now having a few weeks holiday.