Once again I had the most fantastic time as assistant groom for Louise Harwood and her mum Jackie Skelton at Burghley this weekend.
Louise had 2 horses there Jenga who is doing Blenheim next week and Mr Potts who was doing his 4th 4*. I had a wrist band that gave me access to the stables and the riders TV tent and of course the collecting rings and start boxes. Potts did a better dressage test than last year but slightly disappointingly received a similar mark.
Early on Saturday Jackie and I grazed the 2 horses while Louise had a final course walk. We had ages until Potts went XC at 12.45 but it flew by. By the time we had tacked Jenga up for Louise to take him for a gallop, had some breakfast, skipped out the stables and looked after Jenga when he returned it was time to start getting XC tack together.
We studded Potts up and went to watch the first few on the tv screens. The first horse was sticky and backing off so not the best one to watch. However a few good rounds eventually followed and then it was 11.50 and time to go tack up Potts. Once tacked up I walked him round to begin his warm up, Louise was on board by 12.10 and took him for a short hack before returning to jump a few show jumps before moving onto the XC practise fences. Potts was fresh he was jumping fab but huge. Then there was a hold on course which delayed their start time by 30 minutes, by the time they were called over to the start Potts had time to chill and was jumping more economically he looked much more like he did last year. Phew!
Waiting to start.Over by the start box Jackie made us all laugh as I put on his XC grease, I put lots on the same as we do for our horses " careful with that Stella, not too much, it's £17 a pot" she shouted!!!!
Once Potts was safely started Jackie and I went into the riders TV tent to watch nervously. They made it look easy and jumped a super clear, and at the half way point into 4th place, how many riders come back from jumping round Burghley and say the Cottessmore leap felt small! Clever Mr Potts. Wiggy was disappointed with her time faults at first, but as the day progressed the time remained tight, her score was looking very good and she went into 15th overnight.
Just 1 rail the next day and they finished in an amazing 12th place. Wiggys best result to date, it was amazing.
Jackie, Wiggy and Graham Potts the vet who Mr Potts is named after washing off a warm Mr Potts.
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