Summerhouse - The last Tues Show Jumping of 2013

It was ice cold when my alarm went off, the heating doesn't turn itself on until 7 am. By 7am I had mucked out 6, loaded 3 and was off down the road towards Gloucester, leaving Ant at home tucked up fast asleep under the duvet.

The biggest achievement of my day was coping with 3 horses on my own with none of them getting loose in the lorry park!

Rif Raf jumped a clear in the 85 cm, she confidently bustled her way round like a jolly old hockey sticks 1950s school prefect! She's probably the most advanced 3 year old I have ever had!

Hartpury Twilight also felt super confident almost jumping me off several times in the 90 cm, hope he curtails his jump a little when it's time to go XC, especially for drop fences! 

Top Gun jumped amazing in the 1m, the fastest time in the jump off and double clear, it was a shame he was let down by me. I thought I had got lost in the first round but hadn't, I pulled up to change course then realised I was correct, this slowed us down and although clear it gave us 4 time faults. 

It's not even December yet and all 3 horses are jumping well up to the level they need to be doing when Eventing begins in March, so next we need to do some dressage💤

Hartpury BSJA

I took HartpuryTwilight along to Hartpury for the Area 41 affiliated show jumping, an event not actually ran by the College. I left Top Gun at home as he had an appointment in the afternoon with a potential purchaser. However while. I was at Hartpury I had a text to say they were not coming after all so he could have show jumped instead!

There were 60 in the classes and waiting took hours and hours, I sat with an eventing friend of mine wondering why on earth BS can't do times, I mean Eventing manage it for 300 competitors doing 3 different phases in a day, and sometimes 300 per day for 3 or 4 days so why can't BS manage that for one phase.

Twilight jumped really well, he is only 4 and has yet to have a fence down. He was spooky of the water tray in the jump off of the British Novice. He just skipped past it snorting, and off course two skips past in BSJA you are out with no third attempt, home work required with water trays. Everyone agreed it was very mean to put a water tray in a Novice class.

I wanted to jump a bigger class on him so jumped him in his first ever Discovery, just the first round, once again he did not touch a pole (wow he is so talented and such an easy canter) It was a shame to have to withdraw from the jump off  but the water tray was involved and an affiliated event is not the place to go into battle with a baby horse.

Sunny November - Hill View Arena

It has been the most glorious sunny day today. I was up early hacking out Hartpury Twilight under the stunning blue sky. We had a super relaxing hack, well deserved as yesterday he won  his first £ BSJA when he finished 2nd in a British Novice.
Next Ant and I were booked to help one of my customers with loading a pony, they had been trying to load it for 16 months and after another 4 hour session yesterday called us, desperate for some assistance. Loading is a bit of a speciality of ours, after 10 minutes the pony was happily walking in and out of its trailer. I am not convinced we have cured it, as it's a clever yet stubborn pony, but its a step in the right direction.

This afternoon I took 3 year old Rif Raf (pictured) to Hill View Arena www.hillview.myzen.co.uk
This venue is becoming really popular, they have a set of lovely jumps and the courses have improved over the last 12 months. Its a super venue which has really good facilities, perfect arena surfaces and friendly organisers. The dressage competitions here are also really well presented with proper white boards and good judges. They have recently added a sheltered spectator viewing area and the cafe is really popular.

The busy atmosphere was a lot to ask of a young horse, lots of ponies and small children whizzing about, loads of spectators too, but really good experience for her. Rif Raf behaved perfectly and went on to jump a super round with just 1 rail down.

November End of Season Update

It's my least favourite month gloomy November so it helps a lot that its been a fab season, especially finishing with a 12th in a CCI*. During the summer I have also been lucky to sell a few of the horses to some really nice people, which means I can concentrate on turning the ones I have kept from superstars into megastars!! Sweet William is doing really well in his new home and I have some lovely emails and photos (see below) from Joanne his new owner. She was thrilled to bits to score 64% at their first dressage show. Amazing Mika my superstar 15.2 home bred I sold in the spring has recently qualified for the pony club Denji ridden by his new owner Poppy, they seem to be winning rosettes every time they compete him.

Riders I coach have had a super season too, Anna Millington is ready for Novice next season, Louise on Arleys Champagne Charlie, pictured below in front of Weston Park House, finished her season with a top ten place in a 100 and is also looking towards Novice in 2014, Sue on Rasper qualified for a regional final so we can spend the winter dreaming of watching her at Badminton 2015!

In addition a few riders I coach are working towards their first ever BE event in 2014 and a few more are planning to start unaffiliated eventing next spring. An exciting new partnership for 2014 is Becky Amos on Annie Oakley. 4 year old Annie is showing signs of being something very special indeed and will be aimed at BE90 next year.

I have registered all my boys BSJA (or BS as it's confusingly called now, I thought BS stood for British Steel or British Standard, I googled BS and it's embarrassing what it means in the urban dictionary!) Top Gun jumped really well in his first newcomers this week and 4 year old Twilight felt superb jumping double clear in his first BS British Novice.
Here is a photo of Nolton Tobago who I sold several years ago, he is still eventing successfully with the same people and has just won a Petplan Open Novice Dressage Championship.