Allens Hill Eventing

Sapey horse trials cancelled so its all sad faces yet again, must be awful for poor Audrey who runs this friendly event. Lets hope next year is perfect.

I had 2 horses entered so I quickly rerouted to Allens Hill Eventers Class. Top Gun had a 3rd with a double clear and Amazing Mika came 5th with just one down SJ. Both boys did good dressage tests, very pleased with Top Gun as this was his first outing since winning at Stonar over 2 months ago. After Stonar he was off for weeks with a puffy hind joint, but is all better now and raring to go. Despite all the time off he is in 3rd place in the UK FP rankings, he was in 1st so he now has some serious catching up to do.

Photo is Icon at Hartpury (kindly taken by Maria Norrell) I love the reflection.

Solihull BE100 and BE90

Nothing very exciting happened, easy courses, perfect ground, both boys went well with Amazing Mika finishing 11th in his first BE90 event (a 28 dressage) and Take It 2 The Top 4th in a BE100. My last XC round was at 3.30 and we had to wait until 7 pm for prize giving, I got so bored waiting I went and helped put Show Jumps up. My prize was a generous £30, sounding ungrateful I did think I could have gone home 4 hours earlier to earn double that teaching for 2 hours and still had 2 hours spare. It seems more and more prizes are not picked up at prize givings, leaving awkward gaps and those of us in attendance applauding Mr Gonehome! I can quite understand why, with riders having long journeys to make home, people paying for child care, horse care and having to pay travelling grooms extra while you wait 4 hours to collect a prize, it also seems mean to keep your lovely horse having performed so well hanging round at the event for 4 hours more than needed, especially on a warm day.
We were invited out that evening and that had to be sacrificed as we rolled back in the yard at 9pm still with jobs to do, evening stables, chickens etc etc
I am not sure what the answer is, either prize givings are abandoned and prizes are sent on, or if events want to hold prize givings perhaps riders not wanting to stay should become HC and prizes pass down the line if they are not prepared to wait! Now that would make for a full attendance!!!

Amazing Mika at Hartpury International

Pictures my friend Louise took at Hartpury of Amazing Mika in the 4 year old Burghley Young Event Horse Class at Hartpury last week.

Hartpury International Three day Event

Just got home and want to sleep but will do my Blog first..........
Weds
9am - We arrive at Hartpury International 3DE with Icon for the 3DE, Amazing Mika BYEH and Take It 2 The Top BYEH. My friends Louise and Amy came along to help plait etc which was a good job as I was in a busy flap at times!
10 am - Amazing Mika went beautifully in the BYEH I was so thrilled with him, he was totally dwarfed by the real event types but what a little star he was. The BYEH was held in the main arena with everything set up for the 3DE, a big ask for a young horse.
12 am - We stable Icon and settle him in after he is checked over by the vets.
1 pm - I school Icon in one of the many superb indoor arenas.
2 pm - Take It 2 The Top performs outstandingly in the BYEH to finish 11th in a very high class field.
3 pm - We plait and prepare Icon for the official vet inspection and trot up.
4 pm - Icon trots up, but disaster he does not pass and is sent to the holding box, we all gain a few grey hairs from stress!
4.15 - Icon passes the trot up. Phew that was scary.
5 pm - I take the young horses home, ride Top Gun and return to Hartpury to look after Icon.
Thursday
Icons dressage is Friday, I have sold one of my youngsters so I had to return home to have him vetted and to load him off to his new home in Wales, then I ride Top Gun and then back to Hartpury to look after Icon, I ride him for 2 hours in despair as he refuses to relax and just gets covered in white frothy sweat, while all the other horses look amazing. Grrrrrr!
Friday
Icon relaxes and does the best test of his life to score a disappointing 67, I was gutted and got ready to withdraw him and go home. Then we hear it was a mistake adding up and he had a 57, so its game on again!!
Saturday
XC Icon flies round clear but I get held at fence 3 as a rider has had a fall on course and I have to wait for them to be sorted. This completely messes up my stopwatch, I complete clear with no idea if Icon has got inside the time or not. Later on we find out he had easily. I don't have a paid groom so thanks loads to all my friends who came to cheer us on and then helped wash off and do all the other stuff at the finish.
Sunday
5 am - Up early to exercise Icon and loosen him up.
8.30 am - Icon passes the trot up easily. Phew.
11am - Icon Show Jumps with 2 down, he was far too jolly but it was good to complete a 3 day event and especially at a local venue and to compete in the same class as our newly crowned Olympic Silver Medallists Tina Cooke and Nicky Wilson who were next dashing back to London for tonights closing ceremony.
OK Blog done' now I can sleep.

Herefordshire Country Fair 2012

This is a proper old fashioned grass show held in stunning parkland. Take It 2 The Top and Icon jumped in the 1.05 and both went double clear and both made the lower placings. I was especially pleased with Take It 2 the Top who coped well with the busiest ring he had ever been in. Trade stands round all 4 sides of the arena, archery, terrier racing, hound parades, balloons etc etc and as it rained lots - about a thousand umbrellas being held by a large but damp crowd. Amazing Mika came along for the experience. I rode him around the show ground taking in all the sights and sounds of a busy county show, he behaved perfectly even when we met the Knights of The Dammed - see photo!

Amazing Mika

Took my 4 year old to Leyland Court (Nr Bristol) XC schooling today. It was a fab course for technical fences and most importantly had a dew pond, so often found at BE events but not many schooling places have them. And a super owl hole which he flew, but then he flew everything.

There were also a variety of good and different ditches, shallow, some deep, some had water in, others in hedgelines and several coffins. Mika was fabulous, loving every minute he was almost too bold at times. I am looking forward to his first BE event in a couple of weeks. He is also entered for a BYEH class although at 15.2 he is probably a bit small to shine at these.