Hartpury Take It 2 The Top Wins a Novice

This was at Bicton today, we were balloted out of our local event Withington and so entered Bicton late and got both horses in just before they closed entries. At least we were in good company both Mark Todd and Matt Ryan were ballotted too and also redirected to Bicton. For us Bicton is 2 hours further to drive!!

So glad we did, super course, big and bold asked lots of questions, including 2 waters. SJ was on a superb surface in the main arena and dressage was on beautifully mown flat arenas with a thick covering of very green grass. All looked very posh.

More to follow but after a 3.30 am alarm I need to sleep, we still can't believe he won.....zzzzzzzz.

Woken up turns out it was not a dream, here he is flying the b element of fence 14. The course was super, the first water at 7 concerned me, it was an upturned boat jumping almost straight in. He is still green at water, however he jumped in boldly, it felt like he did not clock the water the other side until it was too late! The 2nd water was a log carved into the shape of a crocodile, a drop direct into the water, he was very bold and confident, although once in he broke into trot for a stride. Apart from that he felt foot perfect all the way round, he just goes into cruising speed and jumps everything I point him at.

Other news this week is Amazingmika flew round double clear at Milton Keynes to finish 10th, it was a decent track and he loved it. Hartpury Twilight won an 80 Eventer Training class at Allens Hill so the brothers are on winning form this week. It looks like Amazing Mika is sold so that will mean I will have time to bring Hartpury Top Gun back in work who is still on his winter holiday!

Solihull Eventing

Mika went double clear inside the the time although lost marks in the dressage when he tried to peer over the hedge during the free walk! He just nipped round the XC, rode him in a snaffle too. Clever pony. William did an amazing dressage test to be in 3rd place after this phase. A clear SJ put him in a very good position. He went inside the time XC so is really improving but unfortunately locked on to jumping the string at fence 5, it meant I had a squiggley line to the fence. Although the commentary called it as clear the judge on the fence decided it was a 20 penalties. I was really disappointed, as we didn't stop, go past the fence, cross our tracks or turn a circle, just jumped the fence on a peculiar angle.

I did query it as his hoof prints showed quiet clearly the line we had taken, but sadly the judge had gone home so we were not able to examine my excellent hoof print evidence with them. He is still pretty green so a 20 penalties is good excuse to stay at 80 a bit longer.

Ledbury Pony Club Evening Dressage Show

Amazing Mika did a lovely test at our local evening dressage show at Gadbury. A grass show at last and its a busy one with 6 classes so lots of people warming up. He came 4th. Sweet William scored an incredible 77% to be 3rd in the other class. The class was won by Badminton bound Jeni Clements (see previous blog I obviously did too good a job! ) so we were beaten by real high class company.

Then the best bit of the night was riding 4 year old Hartpury Twilight at his 1st grass show. I lunged him and grazed him for a while first. Then braved getting on, he was as good as gold. Not competing this time but will be ready for his eventing debut in a few weeks, better go XC schooling next and find some grass show jumping too.

Getting ready for The Badminton Test

Helped Jeni Clements with a run through her Grassroots BE100 Badminton test yesterday. Had the arena all laid out on grass so it was a real proper practise. Jeni has owned her Mowgli since he was an unbroken youngster and I have helped him her with him all along the way, she has also benefited from working in local event yards, dressage yards and  the excellent training provided by several Instructors from the Ledbury Pony Club. A real local team effort but Jeni can take most of the credit.

We ran through the test and it all looked really good, just a couple of tweaks relating to correct size of the movements in a long arena. It took forever for Mowgli to get up the centre line with his little legs, I joked she will get time faults in the dressage!!!

Hartpury Take It 2 The Top Is a Bad Boy....

Eland Lodge, course was amazing and I couldn't wait to jump it, the Novice looked stunning too. There were two waters, a sunken road, steps down, some woodland and a vegetable jump.

H was a bit fresh warming up for dressage and SJ despite having run only 3 days ago, even so he jumped clear and somehow gained a 31 dressage.

Warming up for XC he was very fresh and when he is fresh he is naughty. He was excited and leaping about, I had no engagement in his canter and he ignored me as I tried to gain some balance and control of him. Dam him, so frustrating.

I managed to get him down to the start and stayed on like a limpet when he spooked at the sight of some flowers decorating the start box. Grrrrrrr!

He messed about all the way to fence 4, the first water and then hesitated on the step in, nooooooooo that's 20 penalties. I then got after him he flew round the rest with me cursing him all the way he finds it all too easy so was still finding it fun to play me up. He finished as fresh as he started, he needs roads, tracks and steeplechase to wear him out before XC and get his mind on the job to do.

My friend who is an equestrian journalist said it will make a great story for her when he goes round Badminton and I can recall his more interesting runs as a youngster. I replied yes and probably I will be a decrepit old owner and Oliver Townend will be on him, she told me off for being defeatist!

Aston Le Walls -Sapey in disguise

Last Friday just 5 days ago Sapey was cancelled due to snow still being on the course. Aston Le Walls the same day announced they would replace the event at their Eventing Centre. Amazing!  Entries opened late pm Saturday and by Saturday evening over 300 entries had been received.

I entered Hartpury Take It 2 The Top and Icon in the Novice and ON. I was up at 4.30 am mucking out and we arrived at ALW at about 7.30. I walked the course and then plaited up. While I was plaiting I decided I definitely needed to have another look at the double of corners. So once I had finished,  I borrowed Ants bike and pedalled over to re walk it, I left my bike behind the string in the spectator area and walked the fence, I then got a good telling off by an official for using my bicycle. Even though I was walking the fence on my feet, I was not allowed to cycle to the edge of the string, the rules say "the course must be inspected on foot". Whoops!

Next who should I bump into was a smiling Audrey Thacker, organiser of the snowed off Sapey event. She was still so disappointed they had to cancel as the ground is perfect but fences like the Quarry are still full of snow. Audrey had kindly driven down with a car load of helpers to assist in the running of  the ALW event that has replaced hers. Some friends of ours also were fence judging, they got the call at 6 pm last night.

Both my boys went fab, Icon double clear and Hartpury Take It 2 The Top just floated in canter round the Novice, it was an easy course. Icon hadn't run since last year and HTI2TT is still very inexperienced at Novice level, so it was perfect for them. The water was interesting. It had a log on a high hump of ground in front of the water, splash through the water with a triple brush after, jumped fab though.

It's a good feeling to have both boys jumping good confident XC clears.

Aston Le Walls Unaffiliated ODE

Had a fab day today. Both my boys got a twenty something dressage and gave me super rides XC.

Amazing Mika finished 5th. Sweet William had a spook (which I failed to control) at a XC fence by the trade stands, it meant we sailed past the snail jump!

William has the most easy swinging stride to a XC fence, felt lovely, his violent spooking at every fence from last week has almost gone and he was starting to lock on and go. He jumped into his first water jump, cleared his first corner and came home all pleased with himself.

Mika (pictured below) is now officially for sale, he is very bold XC and SJ, with his 28 dressage should now be a very appealing grass roots horse for someone. It would be fab to sell him and see him at the grassroots Badminton final in a year or two. 5 years 15.2 homebred, very kind, easy to do and hack etc but as he is so young will be looking for an experienced home.

More Blue Chip Champs

Took Icon and Hartpury Take It 2 The Top to jump at Blue Chip today. Icon had a fence down in both jump offs......clumsy Icon he always jumps by Braille.  I did't have Hartpury Take It 2 The Top engaged in his canter in the 1st class and had one down, I was cross with myself I should know how to ride him by now. I sharpened up for the next class and he jumped double clear for 8th place, fab.

Blue Chip staff were spraying the collecting ring fence between classes to help stop the spread of any infection. A good job as I have just heard a rider there this week had come from a yard with strangles, thanks for that.

Then on our way home we called in at Ledbury Pony Clubs XC schooling day at Gadbury. Hartpury Take It 2 The Top jumped boldly round the open course he was still pretty fresh despite having jumped 2 classes at Blue Chip.

Blue Chip Show Jumping Champs Hartpury EHV

First take a look at this http://www.eventingworldwide.com/the-prize-giving-louise-calverley/
 Louise's knowledge and dedication has also impressed the ed of Eventing Mag and she has been asked to write event reports for them. Look out in next months Eventing for her article on Howick.

Blue Chip Champs

Hartpury Take It 2 The Top went along to jump at the Blue Chip Champs, we thought it would be fab experience for him to jump at a BS championships. He coped really well with the Championship atmosphere, I was thrilled with him. He had a pole down in the final jump off and felt amazing.

Due to the EHV scare we had to be checked by the vets as we arrived, initially the security seemed very strict, with a guard on the main gate. However we didn't actually see a real vet, horses were being checked by Hartpury staff, a friend of mine checked my horse. His temperature was 37.4 so he was well below the danger level of over 38.5. We were then given a certificate to keep with us in case anyone wanted to check that we had passed the vet inspection. No one asked to see it however and if I had taken along other non competing horses to hack about, I don't believe anyone would have noticed. Flu passports were not asked for either and although I was asked how many horses I had on board no one actually checked, maybe it was because they knew and trusted me.

With regard to Bio Security and health and safety I was flabbergasted at Howick on Sunday to find a loose horse quietly grazing right close to my horses by my lorry. It turned out the lady who owned it always lets it graze loose at events afters he's finished, she was behind our lorry leaning on a gate watching dressage. I was pretty grumpy with her, I had been keeping away from other horses as much as possible at the event just in case someone had unknowingly got a horse with EHV.