Solihull 90 XC gets strong

I walked solihull BE90 and thought it looked like a decent 100 track. Lots of new fences and lots of interesting fences which I felt were a huge ask for my homebred 5 yr cob. 

But she flew round double clear. Bless her. Brave Rif Raf. 

Another Sunny day Eventing - This time at Sapey

Rif Raf gawped her way through her dressage test!!! She was first to go at 8 am and she was the only horse in any of the 4 arenas, she couldn't understand why she was in a different field to all the other horses and SHE needed to see what THEY were all doing. One by one the other horses trotted through the gate to start their tests in the other arenas and everytime this happened Rif Raf turned into Mrs Nosy Parker!!! 

Despite our Giraffe impersonation of a dressage horse she scored a surprising 34.

A double clear followed, she pinged the SJ and was again first to go, it was a big wide track for a 90 and very few clears followed her example. 

The XC was a big step up for her, with a more spooky course than at Howick. the blue boat before the water was pretty startling, knees up - see below!!!

She's not naturally a spooky horse and didn't spook at any of the fences although we had a sideways wobble at a large dead hay bale before the combination at the top of the hill. This reminded me that despite her feeling like an old super sensible horse most of the time she may still have the odd baby horse moment!

A whoops at 70 cm Elmwood Eventing

It was an incredible windy day today at Elmwood near Oxford. Lots of horses spooking in the wind.

Elmwood is super prep for BE Eventing, the courses are superbly built, banks, ditches, water and its a really interesting course to ride, mainly on flat ground which is perfect for an unbalanced, green, young horse but with a few man made grass tumps so we can educate them on undulating ground too. The dressage and SJ are both on a level fields with plenty of space to warm up a youngster safely and calmly. 

Despite the blustery conditions my 4 year old, Alvescot Massimo, remained level headed and calm throughout his day. He continues to impress me with his unbelievable trainable, want to please attitutude. His 28 dressage meant he led his section after a clear SJ.

He is still one of the boldest, if not the boldest, young horse I have ridden and he popped round the XC like a horse twice his age. There was plenty to spook a young horse too, every XC fence was dressed with colourful flowers blowing about in the wind.

Sadly I hadn't walked the course correctly and missed out fence 6B a small step down, as I completed the commentary announced I had been technically eliminated. 

Slightly amusing (and annoying) as we had walked the XC and had stood on the bank discussing how much nicer it would have flowed had they included the step off. It was not numbered fence 6B when we walked it. Our numbers were orange but the step was only numbered with a yellow number. We should have realised there might have been a problem as when we got to fence 11 the wind had blown the number round so it couldn't be seen. We spotted the error and turned it round but it never occurred to us this may have happened on another fence that we had already walked.

Even when I was warming up I could hear people being Eliminated for missing a fence, I carefully went through the course in my head.

It would have been lovely to have had a placing, so early in his career,  I feel I let Massimo down, but at least I have come home feeling excited about having a potential top class horse again.

Had some fantastic news today from pony rider Saffron Cresswell who I coach jumping. She finished 2nd in the Pony Trial at Weston Park yesterday and is looking a strong contender for GB Team selection for the Pony Europeans this summer.  Saffron and her Mum called to see us this evening, they were buzzing with news of their brilliant day Eventing. 

Howick BE90

Spring arrived in a frantic hurry on the Sunday of Howick, near Chepstow.  It seemed the sky turned a beautiful blue, the grass a luxurious green and all the daffodils and primroses all burst out into flower just as we arrived in Wales.

The event had done wonders to run, they had a huge amount of rain a couple of days before and I was convinced they would cancel, Goring Heath and Llanymynech had both already been abandoned due to water logging. But the organisers at Howick had faith in their well drained ground and had worked incredibly hard over night and between classes during the day with all the various machines and tractors to keep the show on the road. In addition almost all of the 200 lorries needed towing out, I was told only 6 got out on their own! We didn't.

Timeforasharpexit did another super dressage test for a 30. He show jumped early in the day before the sun had got a grip on drying the ground and he tipped down 3 show jumps. As he felt a bit green in the sticky mud I decided to withdraw him XC.

Rif Raf The Dragon did a nice dressage for 33. Show Jumping she was amazing, she pinged them all and yet again didn't touch a single pole. I took some rather odd lines to avoid the mud and chose a line to the penultimate that didn't quite work, I gave Rif Raf a kick and she went "hey you have Spurs on" she shot sideways making the line even more unworkable and so I had to turn a circle giving Rif Raf her first ever SJ fault along with 9 time!!!! This was the first time I have competed her in Spurs although we did practise at home this week.

XC she was super, so bold and confident. I let her plod round and I chose lines that avoided the sticky patches, she was late on in the day and the ground was pretty cut up by then. The ground felt energy sapping and she was trying so hard. A lovely clear with just 8 time which surprised me as it felt that we went very slow. The XC was super for a first 90, the 90 fences were mixed with a few shared BE80 & shared BE100 fences too, there was a super dew pond water complex, a coffin and an interesting log drop down a steep slope to a tall but inviting brush skinny.