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.
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