Ledbury Pony Club Easter Egg Hunt

This is day that I help organise. I write out clues and hide them under Easter theme props - a toy bunny, yellow flowers, basket of eggs etc etc.
Then fellow instructor Jeni and I laid a trail round the pony club fields at Gadbury. The children rode their ponies following the hidden clues collecting ribbons on the way.
At the end of the hunt the children exchanged their ribbons for yummy chocolate Easter eggs.
Normally a fun day with lots of smiley faces.......... except today it was freezing cold, they did get their eggs but also got very very cold!!!!
We finished the day with the children practising bandaging ponies legs.
When I got home frozen, I made hot for hot soup and cheese sandwiches and eventually I warmed up....brrrrrrrr.

Double Clears Stafford and Howick

Top Gun and Take It 2 The Top both finished on their dressage at Stafford in 2nd and 3rd place. TTT was doing his 1st grown up BE event a "BE90 Open" he was the youngest horse in the class so finishing 3rd was amazing.
Stafford is the most wonderful event, perfect in everyway. Top Gun and TTT between them managed to text their breeders at Hartpury to keep them updated of their good day.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hartpury-Home-Farm-Stud/73225432691

Thought they were very quiet for a while on the lorry. Took them ages as mobile phones and hooves don't work very well together!!!!

Sunday I went to support riders that I coach at Howick. Emma and Sarah both came home pleased with double clears and top ten placings, at their 1st BE event. We celebrated with the most delicious Aberdeen Angus burgers that were more like a joint of beef.

Talking of beef our new Bull at the farm is an Aberdeen Angus called Eric. He will be out on Castlemorton Common with his ladies in the next few weeks.

Gatcombe a Whoops at The Corner Double

Icon jumping the problematic water clear at Gatcombe today. We changed Icons bit for the 1st time in 6 years for the SJ to a waterford. This meant I was very anxious waiting to go in. However I need not have worried as although we had 3 down I could hold him and there was no repeat of Lincoln of jumping over the wings, he stayed very straight.
The XC had a tough double of corners at fence 7, they caused numerous run outs including me, the distance was on 7 yards and I felt Icon just went yikes that's tight for all 16.3 hh of me. I then jumped the alternative and got another 40 pens for crossing my tracks, that's the whoops! The way it was flagged would have meant taking his back teeth out to not x my tracks. (photo kindly taken by Lizzie my young groom for the day)

Amazing Mika and Take It 2 The Top

Unaffiliated ODE at Offchurch today, what a wonderful venue, it was like Badminton Park with the SJ held in front of a beautiful manor house. Super XC and acres of flat parkland for the dressage.

Rising 4 years Mika (photo) went double clear in the 80 with a 32 dressage.

Take It 2 The Top came 2nd in the 90 out of a huge class of over 50, he is without doubt the most exciting young horse I have ever sat on.......the 4* dream lives on.......

6 riders I coach took part and all had a fab day especially LPC member Jess at her very 1st ODE. Judging by the very smiley face at the end of the XC we have a budding event rider in the making.

Hartpury Top Gun is Top at Draycot BE100

He won, such a good boy, one of the fastest XC rounds of the day and finished on his dressage.
Lazy monkey though I gave him a slap on the neck to gallop over a big field and he responded with a corkscrew buck, he is such a character!!
Anna who competed Top Guns mum Top Totty told me she was awesome XC, just point and go, Top Gun is following her way of going and it feels amazingly easy.
Milo was 6th in the same section, also inside the time XC.
Course was a little twisty at the start then quite gallopy, there were 2 waters the 2nd had a statue in the middle, there was a beautifully built wall jump and steps up and down and some big skinny logs put in interesting places which required positive accurate riding. Fab catering at Draycot, I had a delicious homemade lasagne with salad while we waited for prize giving.

Lincoln Intermediate and Swalcliffe Eventing

At Swalcliffe Top Gun came 5th in a BE100, he is almost ready for Novice but despite being a tiger XC he still goes shy at one fence somewhere in the SJ so a few more BE100 before we upgrade I think.
Icon was a star at Lincoln despite demolishing 4 of the first 5 show jumps. At the fifth he jumped right handed in the double and jumped over the wings taking the lot with him, I lost a stirrup and wasted time getting it back. Funnily enough he then went clear! He had warmed up so well I think I was riding a bit too quietly.

XC he was fab, Lincoln is regarded as one of the biggest XCs in the country and they had beefed it up again with an old fashioned coffin near the end. I hacked him round slowly taking all the direct routes, lots of skinnies off banks, drops and angles. A good 1st outing apart from the SJ!

I had a new helper for the day Megan from Malvern PC, it was her first experience of a BE event and she was able to enjoy watching many Olympic horses and riders in action including the awesome and very beautiful Lenamore.

Photos are of brave Icon jumping the "B" element of fence 4, it caused lots of run outs and brush palisade half way round the course, it had a ditch in front big enough to park a small car in!

Funny things that happen training

Taught a little boy on his pony recently. I was thirsty so asked him to walk round the school while I ran to the house to grab a cold drink. To my amusement he got off his pony and walked round on his feet!!!
I must make myself more clear in future.

Pic is of my web designer Louise and I schooling at Tack Farm last weekend, we used the SJ and the XC jumps and had a fab time. I rode Take It 2 The Top and Mika, also our friend Sue joined us with her lovely youngster Gangster.