25 July 2010
Well the season is getting busier and busier by the day. June, July and August are the busiest months of my year. I headed to Hickstead Premiere League earlier in the month and took Cortaflex Varisto to compete in the PSG. He has only done a few so this was a big ask as it’s a hotly contested competition. Everyone comes to Hickstead as it’s got such good arenas and the atmosphere is like no other show we have in the UK. He competed in two classes and I was so pleased with the way he performed. We made a few green mistakes but I got the feeling I was looking for and that was to know I had an international horse in the making. He finished fourth so that was a bonus too.
Not long after the show finished I flew to Scotland to teach for two days at Kingsbarn EC. I have a team of showjumpers to train and visit every few months so it’s totally different to my normal cliental. However, I find it so interesting as showjumpers need the basics of schooling as much as our dressage horses do and we spend a lot of time working on that and improving the quality of the canter to help them with their jumping.
I then headed off to Holland for some horsey shopping! I had two clients looking for horses. Natasha Mitchell was looking for a young horse for me to compete and we found a lovely 4 year old by Vivaldi called Bascola (we call him Cola in the stable). He has so much talent and I like his temperament. I have since showed him to my trainer David Hunt and he thinks he is the best young horse I have ever had so that has also given me lots of confidence. However experienced you are choosing horses always has an element of luck, especially when they are so young. You just have to go with what you see and think what you can make for the future. I don’t go necessarily on breeding although I do have bloodlines that I like and dislike. I always go on natural movement, type and trainability. I like quite forward going horses and something with good looks. We also found a lovely 7 year old mare for my other client Emily Stanford. We actually saw this mare last year at an auction and liked her then so I knew Emily would fall in love with her. I am looking forward to training the combination this year and hopefully Emily will have lots of fun on her.
A few weeks ago my dream came true. I rode at Badminton! Maybe not out on the x-country course but in the indoor school where the Badminton Young Horse Championships took place for 4 and 5 year olds! There were 52 in the class, which was massive but the prize money is £3500 so it definitely boosts the entries. I rode Dave and Marcelle Wards Dornroechen. We had to warm up in a big field with the Pony Club competitors that were also taking part in another area. I think she thought she was warming up to go x-country. She was very excited and I did struggle to keep her relaxed and focused. She went well in the test but I was a bit disappointed in my score. She finished 16th and 6th out of the 4 year olds.
We then headed off to Hartpury International for the 4 year old Shearwater Young Horse Final. I rode Dornroechen and Korenbloem Bascola. What a day it turned out to be. Dornroechen was 2nd and Reserve Champion and only 1.3 marks behind the winner. She got a 9 for her canter and when I think that was one of her weaker paces when I first got her it just shows how much she has come on with her training. Her owners are lovely people and I was so happy for them as they bred her and she is like their baby! There were lots of Kleenex! Korenbloem Bascola came 7th which was also fantastic for him as he has only been to one show in his life and coped really well with the arena and atmosphere.
One of my event clients, Emily Baldwin, has just finished 5th in Aachen last week which is amazing. She was best of Brits and was lying 2nd after the dressage (which means my phase was good!). It’s lovely when your clients do well as you work so hard with improving them through the year at home.
Next week is Hickstead International and I am really looking forward to a fantastic week. It’s a great place to watch top horses and catch up with my other rider friends. I have helped for the last 6 years running the grandstand seating and I will be doing this again last year. Hickstead is an amazing venue but it totally relies on volunteers to run it. I am passionate about this show and I always help where I can as does Polly and my mum. If it wasn’t for volunteers this show wouldn’t go ahead.
Next month I have my regional championships as well as going to Gatcombe with one of my event clients so I will fill you in soon!
Bye for now
