Hartpury Take It 2 The Top Is a Bad Boy....

Eland Lodge, course was amazing and I couldn't wait to jump it, the Novice looked stunning too. There were two waters, a sunken road, steps down, some woodland and a vegetable jump.

H was a bit fresh warming up for dressage and SJ despite having run only 3 days ago, even so he jumped clear and somehow gained a 31 dressage.

Warming up for XC he was very fresh and when he is fresh he is naughty. He was excited and leaping about, I had no engagement in his canter and he ignored me as I tried to gain some balance and control of him. Dam him, so frustrating.

I managed to get him down to the start and stayed on like a limpet when he spooked at the sight of some flowers decorating the start box. Grrrrrrr!

He messed about all the way to fence 4, the first water and then hesitated on the step in, nooooooooo that's 20 penalties. I then got after him he flew round the rest with me cursing him all the way he finds it all too easy so was still finding it fun to play me up. He finished as fresh as he started, he needs roads, tracks and steeplechase to wear him out before XC and get his mind on the job to do.

My friend who is an equestrian journalist said it will make a great story for her when he goes round Badminton and I can recall his more interesting runs as a youngster. I replied yes and probably I will be a decrepit old owner and Oliver Townend will be on him, she told me off for being defeatist!

Aston Le Walls -Sapey in disguise

Last Friday just 5 days ago Sapey was cancelled due to snow still being on the course. Aston Le Walls the same day announced they would replace the event at their Eventing Centre. Amazing!  Entries opened late pm Saturday and by Saturday evening over 300 entries had been received.

I entered Hartpury Take It 2 The Top and Icon in the Novice and ON. I was up at 4.30 am mucking out and we arrived at ALW at about 7.30. I walked the course and then plaited up. While I was plaiting I decided I definitely needed to have another look at the double of corners. So once I had finished,  I borrowed Ants bike and pedalled over to re walk it, I left my bike behind the string in the spectator area and walked the fence, I then got a good telling off by an official for using my bicycle. Even though I was walking the fence on my feet, I was not allowed to cycle to the edge of the string, the rules say "the course must be inspected on foot". Whoops!

Next who should I bump into was a smiling Audrey Thacker, organiser of the snowed off Sapey event. She was still so disappointed they had to cancel as the ground is perfect but fences like the Quarry are still full of snow. Audrey had kindly driven down with a car load of helpers to assist in the running of  the ALW event that has replaced hers. Some friends of ours also were fence judging, they got the call at 6 pm last night.

Both my boys went fab, Icon double clear and Hartpury Take It 2 The Top just floated in canter round the Novice, it was an easy course. Icon hadn't run since last year and HTI2TT is still very inexperienced at Novice level, so it was perfect for them. The water was interesting. It had a log on a high hump of ground in front of the water, splash through the water with a triple brush after, jumped fab though.

It's a good feeling to have both boys jumping good confident XC clears.

Aston Le Walls Unaffiliated ODE

Had a fab day today. Both my boys got a twenty something dressage and gave me super rides XC.

Amazing Mika finished 5th. Sweet William had a spook (which I failed to control) at a XC fence by the trade stands, it meant we sailed past the snail jump!

William has the most easy swinging stride to a XC fence, felt lovely, his violent spooking at every fence from last week has almost gone and he was starting to lock on and go. He jumped into his first water jump, cleared his first corner and came home all pleased with himself.

Mika (pictured below) is now officially for sale, he is very bold XC and SJ, with his 28 dressage should now be a very appealing grass roots horse for someone. It would be fab to sell him and see him at the grassroots Badminton final in a year or two. 5 years 15.2 homebred, very kind, easy to do and hack etc but as he is so young will be looking for an experienced home.

More Blue Chip Champs

Took Icon and Hartpury Take It 2 The Top to jump at Blue Chip today. Icon had a fence down in both jump offs......clumsy Icon he always jumps by Braille.  I did't have Hartpury Take It 2 The Top engaged in his canter in the 1st class and had one down, I was cross with myself I should know how to ride him by now. I sharpened up for the next class and he jumped double clear for 8th place, fab.

Blue Chip staff were spraying the collecting ring fence between classes to help stop the spread of any infection. A good job as I have just heard a rider there this week had come from a yard with strangles, thanks for that.

Then on our way home we called in at Ledbury Pony Clubs XC schooling day at Gadbury. Hartpury Take It 2 The Top jumped boldly round the open course he was still pretty fresh despite having jumped 2 classes at Blue Chip.

Blue Chip Show Jumping Champs Hartpury EHV

First take a look at this http://www.eventingworldwide.com/the-prize-giving-louise-calverley/
 Louise's knowledge and dedication has also impressed the ed of Eventing Mag and she has been asked to write event reports for them. Look out in next months Eventing for her article on Howick.

Blue Chip Champs

Hartpury Take It 2 The Top went along to jump at the Blue Chip Champs, we thought it would be fab experience for him to jump at a BS championships. He coped really well with the Championship atmosphere, I was thrilled with him. He had a pole down in the final jump off and felt amazing.

Due to the EHV scare we had to be checked by the vets as we arrived, initially the security seemed very strict, with a guard on the main gate. However we didn't actually see a real vet, horses were being checked by Hartpury staff, a friend of mine checked my horse. His temperature was 37.4 so he was well below the danger level of over 38.5. We were then given a certificate to keep with us in case anyone wanted to check that we had passed the vet inspection. No one asked to see it however and if I had taken along other non competing horses to hack about, I don't believe anyone would have noticed. Flu passports were not asked for either and although I was asked how many horses I had on board no one actually checked, maybe it was because they knew and trusted me.

With regard to Bio Security and health and safety I was flabbergasted at Howick on Sunday to find a loose horse quietly grazing right close to my horses by my lorry. It turned out the lady who owned it always lets it graze loose at events afters he's finished, she was behind our lorry leaning on a gate watching dressage. I was pretty grumpy with her, I had been keeping away from other horses as much as possible at the event just in case someone had unknowingly got a horse with EHV.

Smiles At Sunny Howick

Had a fab and sunny day at Howick, sun seemed to shine all day long, both my boys went clear XC, Sweet William double clear although a little green. He also gained many more admirers, took ages to get back to the lorry as people kept stopping me to ask about him. One lady wanted to buy him.

Riders I coach also went brilliantly, Louise on Charlie 7th, Sue on Rasper and Mr Gangster 9th and 10th, Sarah on Mini Monkey 12th, Kirsty on Practical Magic 11th. Lots of happy riders, it was a lovely course, all 3 tracks had a ditch, ground was perfect and it all rode really well. Thanks to all who helped make it happen, despite the sunshine the volunteers all looked a little chilly, especially the poor XC steward.

Wiki Peedi Off Guide To Eventing

AWCE or Adverse Weather Conditions Eventing is a sport invented in the UK during April 2012.

It is a unique sport where vast amounts of money and time is spent but there are no winners. Competitors spend months and months training horses to a high level with the aim to take part in a fictional Horse Trials. In the days before the Event they speculate on Face Book and Twitter as to weather (!!!!!) the Event will be rained or snowed off, adverse sunshine is surprisingly rare.

There is a theory the sport was invented by the designers of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter with the aim of obtaining more members. This is certainly working, recent new members after an entire weekend of the sport being abandoned include Olympic Gold Medallist Matt Ryan and 4* rider Louise Harwood.

Once the event has been called off competitors and volunteers (amazing people who do all the work) compete to take the best photo of the Abandoned Event. Flooded fields or jumps covered with snow are the norm.
Everyone then has a day off watching rubbish daytime tv while planning for the next AWCE.