Worth Clearing The Snow

Keeping the school free of snow was well worth it this week, the sun shone all weekend so I went to Gracelands BS where Take It 2 The Top won the British Novice. I also took a lorry full to Hartpury. My new horse William jumped in the 70 SJ class and popped round really nicely. Mika jumped a double clear in the 80 and my older horses were 4th and 2nd in the unaffilated Grand Prix.
Best bit was the lovely sunshine at last.

Tonight a lucky 1* pupil of Lauren Shannons  had a flatwork lesson on the great Icon. She is boarding at Malvern College and needed some practise while she is away at school. It was blowing a gale and the rain was lashing sideways. Icon put his "best behave myself" hat on and did his best to teach her some of his better advanced movements, we worked on shoulder in and he did some amazing medium trot. I sent a very soggy but happy rider back to school, hope she dried out eventually!

Snow Riding and a Titanic Safety Device!

 I have managed to ride 5 horses a day despite the snow, I cleared a track on the school. Here are Sweet William and Hartpury Take It 2 The Top enjoying some safe exercise. they are desperate for some fun galloping and jumping on the grass. This week the Lorry has been to www.kshorseboxes.co.uk for some repairs, it is back home now all ready for the new season. Today Ant made me chuckle, I have an old hammer and a metal sieve for breaking the ice and then getting the icy lumps out of the water troughs. I showed my brilliant invention to Ant; he sarcastically replied " Yes Stella very good, if only they had one of those on the Titanic!!"

And The Winner is.......

 

Louise Calverley has won the 2013 Training Award which I have donated. She is a true grassroots rider with one horse and a 9-5 office based job. The progress she has made in a short time is amazing.

Louise started British Eventing in 2009. She bought her lovely young horse Charlie just over 12 months ago, he was very green and could hardly hold a canter. Louise's training facilities amount to a small very steep field and with no horse keen or wealthy parents financing or encouraging her, she is determined and dedicated. Her hard work paid off and they finished the 2012 season by winning their 1st foundation point. An amazing achievement and I am very proud of them both.

Many of the riders I coach work as hard as this and it was a hard choice picking someone. As you can see from the photo Louise and Charlie are worthy winners and I am sure her achievement will inspire everyone that I coach.

Louise has won a Jacket, a Rug, a years worth of Lessons and BE riders Membership for a year.

Very Exciting News from BE

I am thrilled to bits. I have today had confirmation from British Eventing that I have been accepted as a Trainee BE Coach.

I applied in November, since then time waiting for news has passed slower than ever as I haven't stopped thinking about it,

The training courses are later this year and we will be assessed on our ability to train 1* level riders in all three phases of the sport, plus advise athletes on rider fitness, nutrition and a suitable event programme.

I feel pretty nervous about being assessed. But once I have got the nerves out of the way the training will help me work on my weaker areas and build on my strengths, also learning new skills and ideas.

The riders I coach have some super horses and I want to upgrade my training skills further so I can assist them in moving up the levels.

Core Stability Training at Allens Hill

Well this was courtesy of 4 year old Hartpury Twilight. He lept about and took off in the dressage scoring several 2's and comments that said "impressive riding" "naughty" and "amazingly well sat". Total score of 49% the worst I have ever had in my life. He went clear 75 cm SJ (with a few more attempts to improve my Core Stability) to finish 2nd.

Sweet William competing at his first show scored 73% and clear SJ, he went like a dream.

Also 4 year old Crunchie went to his first ever show finishing 4th with a clear SJ but a little lazy in the dressage. He is exceptionally quiet and sensible in every way and is for sale if anyone would like a nice project.

William Goes Jumping

 William went show jump schooling on Saturday, he loved it, very brave and almost a bit too bold. I love how he has his ears pricked and knees up and out over the jumps, he is saying "done that one, now where is the next" and his trot is saying "Hello dressage judge give me an 8"

BE Training With Ros Morgan (Bevan)

I took Take It 2 The Top to this training day at Usk College. The venue was easy to find and loads of hard parking. Phew! We vaselined his sides as he has some hair loss where my legs go and off we went.

Take It 2 The Top was very spooky in the arena, he did one sharp massive spook and flew upwards into the air with me clinging on to my neck strap, when he eventually landed he got his head down and bronced, I clung on some more and could hear Ros shouting "Well sat". Fleetingly I wondered if the vaseline was hindering or helping me stick on!

He did calm down in the end and I stayed on for the whole 1 1/2 hours!

The clinic was amazingly helpful, as you would expect from a coach of this calibre. We did lots of pole work and jumping from trot with place poles. I hate that, its hard, but we needed it, and oh boy did it show up our weaknesses. The exercises forced us to allow the horses to do the thinking. I have got to do less and let my horse do the work.

Ros summed up Take It 2 The Top correctly she said hes a poser, lazy, yet talented and spooks just to make excuses not to have to work too hard, she also said Horton Point was exactly the same! That's got to be good. Loads of home work will keep us really busy for a few weeks and hopefully we will appear the other end ready for more success at Novice!

Sweet William

I am told he is rather handsome! He was bred by Alex Moyles who coincidentally rode Icon eventing when he was a baby.
I bought William from Jeni Clements who had bought him as a project to sell on. I had seen her riding him at Pony Club and was really impressed with him. He is by the Advanced Dressage stallion Doreste II and is out of a mare that I used to ride when she was a youngster. He is rising 5 and is 16.1 hh, he will be aimed at BE90 in mid Summer 2013, so far he is learning fast and is due to go to a small show very soon.