Rif Raf The Dragon - Ready to Break

Rif Raf is nothing like a dragon, quiet the opposite, she has been lovely to long rein, one of the nicest most polite easy to train horses I have ever dealt with. Wants to please and reminds me of Icon (they r by the same stallion) and of her uncle Toby Two Tone (who is also lovely). She is off to be ridden away for a month with James Grassick next week, he has always done an amazing job with every horse I have sent him to break, hope he likes her as much as I do.

I am cutting down on the number of horses I have so will be advertising a couple in he next few weeks, it's just hard to decide which ones. I need to sell 2 or even 3.

Picture is Rif  Raf The Dragon at only 3 hours old. Cute. She is now 3 years old, time flies!

Pontispool Novice Eventing + Castlemorton Scarecrows

Hartpury take It 2 The Top went to Pontispool to do the Novice today. A good dressage put us in 6th place but then disaster SJ with 4 down, we were trying a new bit and although he warmed up fab he was very unsettled and unbalanced once in the arena. There was little point running XC after that! The XC looked very technical with a hanging log directly into the water, 2 steps out and then a triple brush skinny. Another tough fence was a big cart on 4 strides to a big narrow corner, the course jumped several fences that I am sure were in the Intermediate a few years ago, the bounce steps up and also the old Intermediate trakener, it would have been good education for him, but after the SJ faults I decided to save him for another event in a few days time. The Intermediate had been upgraded, with a large footbridge instead of the trakener and something that looked pretty meaty on top of a mound after the water. This time their bounce steps were followed by a large corner, previously they had been followed by a forgiving brush.

Photos one of SJ today and the rest of Castlemorton's Big Weekend Scarecrow competition, several Castlemorton Farmers and the chain sawing one up the tree will haunt you forever!!!!! The Scarecrow outside the parish hall is not pictured as she apparently had gone home to watch Britain's Got Talent! 

Hartpury Top Gear from Llama to Lovely!

This is Hartpury Top Gear when I bought him 12 months ago from Hartpury College Stud, everyone joked I had bought a Lama, photo below is of him today, he is still in the rough and has lived out all winter but what a transformation. Another brother to break in next summer. Exciting, he is out of same mare as my others, but by the SJ/dressage stallion Ragazzo.

BOMB FOUND

An unexploded bomb has been found in our XC field. Police have been and inspected it and the Bomb Disposal team are on their way. It's quite big, about a foot long and it's in Icons field, WW1 or earlier.

Poor guy who found it hit it quite hard with a shovel as he thought it was a piece of lead, you can see the marks. They have had to have tea and biscuits to calm their nerves!


The army have been and taken the bomb away, we have been severely told off for digging it up and hitting it with a shovel, if it had been live we would be dead. The Army didn't seem keen on checking field for anymore, so if anyone has a very lazy horse that needs a bomb under  it we may be able to assist!

Amazingmika Sold and his Sister is Started

Amazing Mika has been sold to go eventing and to do pony club, he passed his vetting last week and after a few days trial he is sold to some really nice people near Longleat. Maybe we will see him at the grassroots final in a few years, they are keen to do lots with him so fingers crossed. He is only 15.2 yet is a brave and game little horse as you can see from his photo below.

So yesterday I went off down the fields and caught his 3 year old baby sister Rif Raf The Dragon, named as she has a dragon shape in her skewbald markings on her side. She is a big and very beautiful lady. Her only education so far being when she was weaned as a yearling, I taught her to tie up, lunge and lead. Today she was a star remembering all her previous work so I progressed to teaching her to jump on on the lunge, this morning she has also had a bit in her mouth, a saddle on and also  a rug. It was also, in view of her colour, important to get her used to the hosepipe and being washed. She took all this in her stride without too much fire snorting! Can you see the dragon, it's even breathing fire, when my vet came to draw her for her passport she said I have a very good imagination!

Stunning Chatsworth

Love this event its the Peak Districts answer to Badminton or Gatcombe. Huge crowds, rows and rows of trade stands and car park full as far as the eye can see, all held in front of a stunning stately home in the most superb parkland.

Been very excited all week and a little anxious about running 6 year old Hartpury take It 2 The Top here. Would he cope with all the people, the atmosphere, the trade stands, the show jumping in a grandstand arena.

No need to worry despite several wobbles in the dressage he was in 2nd after this phase. He show jumped super (2 down) and gained a new admirer in Oliver Townend who commented on what a nice horse he is and he asked me all about how and where he was bred. We then followed Oliver into the SJ and had to cope with the loud applause they gave him as he finished. XC was challenging and and more like a small Intermediate, fence 3 (see photo) was a brush on a very acute angle, and the roll top  (photo) was just before the 2nd water, quickly followed by a jump in the water itself, he gave me the most super ride, I took him steady he was green between the fences, locking on perfectly to the fences themselves but spooking at every cadet on every crossing point. We had a bit of rain and discovered hes...

....now umberella proof, thanks to my endless work at home with umberellas. Now all I need is a cadet to stand  by his stable for few months!!!!!!

Icon came along too, he went double clear for a 7th place, picture is of him knocking the flag off the corner combination. Little devil, he is getting too smart in his old age.

Broadway Novice

Hartpury Take It 2 The Top jumped clear round Broadway Novice this weekend. He went round pretty easy although he was still a bit green at the water. Uncertain but had no thoughts of hesitating and I only gave him a tiny kick. He took off a stride early for the step out, making the bounce to the log a bit of a stretch so it's lucky he's got masses of scope and just jumps from anywhere.

His 5th clear at Novice means in theory he is qualified for Intermediate, but we won't be upgrading just yet. The course at Broadway begins with a steep hill, it's undulations mean its difficult to make the time especially on a green horse. The fences at at Broadway seem small compared to other Novices I have done but the hills make them harder to jump. I was pleased with how balanced he is becoming jumping downhill and how he is beginning to learn how to gallop.

We avoided undulating courses last year on him as being so gangly he found it difficult to balance up and down hill but now after a winter of hill work he has certainly improved and he will have learnt from jumping the hillside track at Broadway. Still lots more work to do though.

Broadway BE90 and BE80

Fab day here, Loiuse Calverley, winner of my training award this year, finished 2nd in the 90, with yet another double clear. She now has secured a regional final place, where a top placing could lead to Badminton 2014.

I rode Amazingmika into 8th place in the 90, he went really well, one rail in the sj and a good dressage, clear inside the time XC one of only 7 inside. He is very bold XC, very quick and nippy too. It seemed a smaller 90 than the last one I did at Milton Keynes and much less technical.

Sweet Williams dressage gets better and better today scoring 26, he had the last down sj and then a 20 pens XC for a dither at the water, he's normally fab at water but by the time we went XC the sun had gone off the water and it was looking a bit dark. He gave me a super ride, very bold at everything else, will be outstanding when the green moments disappear!

Badminton Grassroots

Had a fabulous day out at Badminton Grassroots, we went along to support Jeni Clements, she did a good dressage and an amazing foot perfect double clear.
The courses both in the BE90 and BE100 were fab a true championship test, although it was sad to see so many eliminated, the jump into water and the skinnies caught out many, but surely this is the fault of the regional final qualifiers which are run over normal BE90 courses. Perhaps RF classes need to be asked a few more questions.
Photos of the day below. Last one is our favourite trot up outfit from the 4*.