Eventing in the Rain & Married in the Sunshine

Massimo was once again a star when I took him to Allens Hill Eventer Training on a very wet Friday.

29 dressage and then jumped fab in the 90 with just one rail down in the XC section. Not sure where he finished but I am guessing somewhere between 2nd and 4th. I left before the results were out as I had an important day to organise, Ant and I were getting married the next day!

The sun shone all day. It was the perfect day we had hoped for, being both fun and relaxed, everyone seemed to be smiling and laughing all day. The Wedding began at 4 pm and we had the most amazing day with almost all of our friends and family with us. The tables were all named after horse colours, the theme was my XC colours, blue and pink, and we had horses and horse shoes on the cake. Well we had to really with Ant being a farrier!

Below pic, two of my best friends Nikki Cox and Emma Horton Smith who helped me with my hair, make up, and kept me supplied with sweets and my fav drink, diet Pepsi. Emma was also an expert on working the hotels room service ordering champagne flutes for our diet Pepsi to go in, and she knew where the hair dryer was for when my nails wouldn't dry. Although when nails still wouldn't dry, 20 mins before the ceremony Nikki turned into a hero dashing into Boots The Chemists for varnish remover and fast drying varnish.  On her return she made us laugh announcing she definitely didn't get any odd looks at shopping in Boots with a large feather on her head!!!!

Eventing guests included Louise Harwood and her mum Jackie Skelton, they drove from Aston Le Walls just to be with us on our special day and then, after dancing all night, drove the 2 hours back again as they had more horses competing the next day, they were also celebrating an Advanced win on Whitson. Also dancing almost all night were Badminton 4* rider Josephine Challens (who now has my retired advanced eventer Icon to hunt)  & GB pony team rider Saffron Cresswell. It was also great to have along 2* rider Tom Searle, European Gold Medalist Claire Oliver with her showman husband Robert Oliver and also Horse & Hound/Eventing Mag reporter Louise Calverley, who also caught the bouquet, although she didn't have much choice as I crept up behind her and threw it onto her lap!!!! 

We made everyone laugh by starting our first dance with one of our favourite songs Paul Macartneys "Yesterday" but the lyrics are totally unsuitable for a wedding, so I pretended to be very cross which every one chuckled at, and then the real song came on Elvis "I can't help falling in love with you" which appropriately starts with "Wise men say only fools rush in" Ant and I have been together 24 and a half years!!!! 

Our day was made extra special as once the evening had finished and we were on the way up to our room, we had a huge round of applause in the Hotel bar from The Proclaimers and their road crew who were relaxing after an evening playing in the nearby Malvern Winter gardens.

Here are some of the photos. 

P.S. I am now called Mrs Stella Bunn! 

Below a dance with my lovely Dad.

A huge thank you to Tomas our event supervisor from the Abbey Hotel who made our day completely perfect, nothing was too much trouble. 

And finally thank you to everyone who contributed to our day.

Stafford BE 90

We arrived with Massimo and Rif Raf all plaited and ready for dressage. But sadly when I walked the XC I decided the ground was a little bit too hard to run Massimo. They hadn't had the rain which we have had at home. So instead I tacked him up and rode him in the lorry park where the ground was a little bit better. All good experience for him just to be out and see new stuff even if he didn't get a proper run. 

Rif Raf put her best foot forward to do a super dressage test but her mark wasn't that good. She did a super SJ clear. We then withdrew her from XC due to the ground being a bit firm.

Massimo watching the show jumping and below Ant and Massimo both looking rather bored waiting to go home!!!! 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner at Chepstow!!!!

'Rif Raf did a lovely dressage at Chepstow, one down SJ and then a super clear XC inside the time, she is so bold and clever XC putting in a huge jump at the trakener. Galloping down to it I could see no stride at all, she just felt like she said " it's Ok I have one" and flew it. She made the time easy which I was surprised about as its hilly round there, but she is now so confident it's easy to cut tight lines and jump fences on the angle.

Next the 4 year old qualifier with Massimo.

Massimo gave me a big loose trot in the dressage, courtesy of me dusting off my secret weapon, my Barrie Swain Semi Flex Saddle, horses move much bigger in them. This was the first competition I have ridden Massimo in a dressage saddle. I came out of the arena a bit frustrated as I felt while the saddle gave us a bigger trot, the small space of the arena meant we struggled to maintain a good enough overall picture to get a good mark. I needn't have worried as he went into the lead on a 29!!! 

He show jumped boldly but he lacked consistency in his rhythm and had two down and I thought oh well we can't win now.

He set off XC like a horse much older than his 4 years, but by the time we reached fence 6 a hail storm arrived. It was the most horrendous storm, hail with unbelievable high winds too. I approached fence 6 it was a dark imposing box jumped downhill, under an oak tree. The branches of the tree were bending in the wind, everything was blowing, Massimo spooked at the spectators who were running for cover, and I thought he's not going to jump this but he pricked his ears and off he went. 

By the time I got to 9 the hail stones were stinging so much I couldn't hardly see, my reins were slipping and I couldn't steer, we got through abc the roll top, step down to roll top all in trot. We were now riding directly into the storm, Massimo didn't like the hail stones battering against his face and nor did I!!   I wondered if I should pull up, I didn't want to put him off, it was his first ever BE90 but he just kept on jumping and went clear to win the class. Even the hail stones bouncing off the water making it look like it was alive didn't put him off.

When I came through the finish I found out the storm was so bad they had put the course on red/stop and everyone had ran to shelter. What a hero Massimo is! 

We didn't even know he had won, I only went to the scores to see where my livery Emma Horton-Smith had finished, she was 2nd, a fab day for her too, couldn't believe it when I noticed 1st in red by Massimo's name on the score board!!

Sapey unaffiliated

Friday I was feeling very excited to be preparing my two coloured horses ready for our local u affiliated event round the BE track at Sapey the next day.

Then an hour later after I had cleaned them I decided I need to sell one of them, cleaning two coloured horses is very time consuming!!! 

At the event itself however they both had lots of admirers, they do both look stunning with their white bits all poshed up! 

It was a shame the ground wasn't great, they had done lots to improve it, however the sand on landings and take offs that we had appreciated so much at West Wilts 10 days ago was absent, so I ran Rif Raf slowly XC but I decided to withdraw Massimo. He is still so young and not yet at all used to summer ground. They both did a good dressage and both clear SJ. Rif Raf finished in 10th, she was so much fun to ride and brilliant XC, she just jumps anything and try's so hard. Bless her.

Below 2 pics of Massimo and one of Rif Raf SJ.

Getting Married

Really sorry if you follow this blog for Eventing and horse news, so far this year has been a totally different year for me.

I have now sold most of my older horses to help pay for the renovations on our new house and our other huge news is that after 24 years of being together, Ant and I are getting married in 4 weeks time!

We decided in February, only we were both far too shy to announce it. So I made a plan, we were going out for a rare family meal which celebrated my niece Maise's 11th Birthday. 

At the very end of the evening I asked Maisie to stand at the head of the table and open an envelope I had given her and read out the below card!!!!   Maisie had no idea she was about to announce something so important, she did a fabulous job even tapping a wine glass to get everyone's attention. Maisie started to smile broadly as she read through the words, not quite believing what was written on the card.

There was a stunned silence for a few seconds as it sunk in, then everyone was crying and clapping and congratulating us. 

It was such a lovely happy and perfect way to announce our news. Slightly nerve wracking waiting for the right moment though!!!! 

Maisie blowing out her candles.

Massimo Dressage Allens Hill

I decided to go to Allens Hill to do dressage on Massimo today (Friday) so I can keep the weekend free for teaching and earning some money!

It was a brave choice as it was affiliated day at Allens Hill with all tests being judged by qualified judges and held in long arenas with all the posh equipment out, quite a big ask of a green 4 year old to cope with. Affiliated day is quite intimidating, as I warmed up large horse boxes were rolling in with DRESSAGE HORSES written imposingly on the front! Gleaming warmblood horses were unloaded with petite immaculate plaits. I looked down at Massimo's neatly pulled mane and felt rather underdressed.

However Massimo did a nice first test, he lacked suppleness and needed to be more forward but went great for such a green horse. We were doing prelim 15 and then prelim 17 and the two tests are very similar. I got the two tests muddled up at one point although I think I masked my late transition well!!!

Then he went better in P17 and was much more supple and more forward, with his ears pricked it was like he had enjoyed the first test so much he was pleased to be doing another one! Best of all he was totally non spooky and put his best foot forward throughout, I finished the tests feeling so lucky to have such a lovely young horse.

Massimo had a huge fistful of carrots as his reward (he doesn't like polos or sugar lumps) 

Then I was so surprised when I went to check the scores...... he had only gone and scored 68% and 72% winning both classes! 

West Wilts Schooling

This was a fair way to go just for schooling,as one of my friends pointed out. It was a 2 hour drive. But it was well worth it to jump round the BE track all flagged, dressed and the landings and take offs all sanded and beautifully prepared from the event that was held over the weekend.

I took Rif Raf just for a run run and 4 year old Massimo to do his first 90 cm track.

Both were just lovely, I went round as if it were a proper competition. Rif Raf was bold and confident and really easy to a fence. Massimo was green but bold, I came back thrilled to bits with them both and very excited about Massimo as he feels a future star in the making. 

Ant came with me and on the way home we stopped off at Beswick Stone to chose tiles for our new house. So I guess that's killing 2 birds with one Beswick Stone!!!!! 

Our new house is looking fab and our old one is on the market now and is causing quite a stir on the sales market with loads of viewings so far and several people say they are very interested. 

Below our new house before and after!!!