Farley Hall Eventing 2014

This is a brand new event to the British Eventing calendar. The xc was meaty and challenging set in stunning open galloping parkland similar to Barbury, Chatsworth and Weston. They did well to run, the lorry park still had deep pools of water on it, where the nearby river still hadn't returned to its proper place, several large lorries were towed on and off. The team at Farley were friendly and efficient, they moved the show jumps several times during the day and lots was being done to help the going out on the XC. The ground was sticky and deep in places, if you hadn't jumped your horse much in wet ground then you were going to struggle. Luckily Hartpury Take It 2 The Top has jumped out in my wet fields a fair bit, he completed a super double clear, finishing on his dressage score to be 3rd. There were 3 ditches, the first one a big ditch brush at fence 5, also a Trakener, a proper coffin and several skinnies. On a bold horse it was a super course to ride. Monty was the fastest horse XC in his section, this was despite being so excited to set off he shot out of the back of the start box after the starter had said go, we we're heading off back to XC warm up, I lost about 5 seconds. Over keen lad but he was lovely XC. Having gone XC at 10.30 we then had a long wait of 6 hours until prize giving at 4.15. It's a super event and definitely one to put on my list for next year.

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Hartpury Top Gear

This photo amused me, it would probably take me ages to get a horse to stand as correct as this for a judge. Here is 3 year old Jeremy standing perfectly for the camera with no head collar or level ground.

He should look good for young horse classes next year.

 

 

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Mighty Beetle in for Mini Bandaging!

This is my very cute and very smart yearling Mighty Beetle. He has a foot abscess so has come in to have it poulticed. It's also a good opportunity to get him used to being tied up, picking feet up, grooming and leading. He's an absolute delight to handle and is proving very easy and trainable. He is out of the daughter of a 1* 3DE mare who also won the 15hh working hunter champs at wembley, his sire is from a long line of Eventers and dressage stars, Catherston Gold Storm who is by Dutch Gold. 

Beetle has outstanding conformation and moment.

Diva and Dippys Grandmother with her Moorlands Tortilas Foal

 This is a video of my two yearlings grandmother Harvey's Gazelle with her stunning foal who is by the world famous Moorlands Tortilas. She had a foal by him last year too, so my babies have two very famous Aunties!

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Fab Run For 11th place at Aston Le Wall Intermediate

Hartpury Take It 2 The Top scored a 31 dressage to put him just in the top ten after this phase. I had some help with him on the flat earlier this week from www.tomsearleequestrain.co.uk and whatever Tom had done had a magic effect, making Monty feel much more rideable today.

He got himself wound up before show jumping due to a badly positioned pushchair on the hack to the arena!!!! Just 2 down so not too bad considering.

Then followed a fab ride XC, he was lovely, not at all strong, I had changed his bit, although when I galloped him in the new bit last week he bolted 2 laps of our 20 acre field before I could pull up. I decided to try it XC anyway.

Monty jumping the big hedge before the triple brush skinney at 11. Also below the huge drop into the water at 5b.

The course had been changed overnight to allow the event to run, amazing effort by the team there. This did mean though that the water came up early at fence 5 and it was a pretty big jump in, several riders were unseated here, although Monty was foot perfect.

 

 

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Solihull Novice

Had some fab news driving up to the event in a text from Kirtsy Cocks who I coach, she had finished 4th in the 100, a fab result. I have trained Kirsty for over ten years, she has owned her lovely horse Charlie since she bought him off me as a very green youngster. Kirsty is now able to focus on eventing properly having qualified as a physio last summer, for the last few years her eventing has been squeezed in when she's home from college.
This is always a good event to upgrade a Novice horse at as it's a short XC course and usually straightforward. Monty has just had a couple of weeks off to recover from a minor injury and so we decided to withdraw from Rockingham 2* and instead run here as he had lost some of his fitness.

I had really late times, evening eventing!!! Monty's dressage was good (could have been better) but he was in the top ten. Show Jumping was interesting, he was very forward and over fresh warming up. The SJ arena at Solihull is right next to the water jump, which was unlucky for me! As I cantered to turn into fence 1 someone went through the water jump.........Monty adores XC and couldn't believe his eyes, he took off XC speed into fence 1 and that's really how the rest of my round went. I felt like a rag doll, struggling to turn him and with no rhythm at all = 3 down.
The XC had been beefed up in places with some tough new technical fences, but it just wasn't big enough for him and he felt like he just hurtled round it, we saw some fab gallopy strides though which felt like we were flying, they had added some super new hedges into the course.

The Novice shared a 100 technical fence at 12, a rail on one stride to a ditch, it was far too small for bold Monty, I set up really well to it but still he bounced it. There was an accutley angled skinny brush at fence 4 at the top of a very steep narrow path which caused trouble all day, it didn't help that the footing on the slope up to it was getting inconsistent epecially if u wanted to go on the grass to get a better line, the roll top into the water was a decent size but there was an alternative. It was a shame there was no long route at the very narrow tall looking skinny at 10b, many were E here, it was on a curving line with the (a) element also being tall and skinny.
Here is Monty jumping the last few fences including the water.
Photo above of fence 4 by kind permission of www.shoestringeventing.co.uk A fab website where u can walk most of the UK BE courses online.

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Middleton learning to jump a Coffin.

 

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