The Dressage was disappointing but it was my fault for a lack of warming up. I had not realised that the dressage was in the furthest field possible (and to get there you have to walk alongside the XC which is a bit unfair). We didnt allow enough time to get there and on top of that, a tractor towing off a lorry upset him in the lorry park just after I had got on so I had to get off, get back on again.. all wasting time. In the end I had 5 mins to warm up and he was understandably still tense.

Moving on to the jumping, he felt a bit full of it warming up and certainly showed off some of his talent; jumping everything with about 2ft clearance! A whopper of a buck just infront of one of the fences was not very helpful but we jumped clear :)

The XC was a decent step up from Intro and included a house on top of a bank and a tricky corner and a double where the second part was a skinny triple brush. He packed in another massive buck in the warm up but once we set off he calmed down and jumped a super round, growing in confidence the whole way round. I moved him on a bit which felt good and for the first time I felt like he may be a cross country horse in the making! Now very excited about our next run on a much better dressage score! 

On a slightly lesser scale; Hambledon (Rio entered) cancelled, then Moreton Morrell (both entered) cancelled,  then Aston Le Walls (Rio entered) cancelled!!!

Very FUSTRATING... someone make this rain stop!

I also joined up with Lisa Maynard and Kevin Sheppard a few times at Waresley Park over the winter. We hired the indoor school and with 6-7 horses between us we had great fun jumping and using the gallops; the horses looked fitter for the time of year than normal. I took Zorro SJ to Patchetts a couple of times in January and he jumped some super rounds and Rio had a SJ session with Stuart Reeve Young where I tried him in a Nathe Pelham which he went well in.

Rio at Goring Heath

Zorro finished the year well, still sticking to Intros to build his confidence Cross Country (he is bred to SJ and it has taken alot of patience letting him hand canter round XC courses but I fear if I had pushed him too soon I would have put him off). His last 5 runs were all clear cross country and with nice tests and good showjumping rounds. Time penalties XC kept us out the placings but hopefully I can go up a gear next year.

Rio finished the season by doing two Intermediate runs having his last Novice run at Aston Le Walls in July and coming 9th. His first Intermediate was at Aston Le Walls in August where he did a lovely test (31.4) which put him in the top few after dressage. We came a little unstuck Showjumping as it was on their surface and so quite tight and he had three down and some time penalties. However he jumped a super clear cross country (but steady) round a massive Intermediate XC course!  We were then supposed to go to Highclere to do the Intermediate but this was rained off. He therefore didnt get tocompete again until Burnham Market in September so understandably he was a bit excited to be out again which slightly spoilt his dressage (got 37.3). He showjumped better but still had 3 down but again jumped very well and clear cross country.   So, all in all a very positive end to the year!

Rio and his love affair with vets meant that he has only just started competing (he had sinusitus in the Spring) His first event was a BE100plus to get him going again at Little Downham and he was very naughty! He failed to contain his excitment at being out and was explosive in the dressage and wanted to attack the SJ at XC speed resulting in 3 down. He flew round the XC and luckily got the excitement out of his system for his next run which was Novice at Great Tew where he did a very nice test to score 30 which left him in second place in his section after dressage. The showjumping was also alot calmer but annoyingly we still had two down (the first two fences) - he just wasnt being careful enough but got his act together after the second fence and jumped a super round after that. He was also awesome over what I thought was a seriously meaty cross county course, it was beautifully built and the ground was good too. He slipped a couple of times on the turns and it transpired that he had pulled off a shoe so even more impressive that he jumped so well.

Zorro has been out a few times now too and has taken eventing very much in his stride. His dressage and showjumping has been very consistent and he has been in the top ten after these two phases on more than one occassion.  He has been green cross country but very willing and showed plenty of ability. We are yet to get a clear having got 20pens each time so far but only for baby mistakes so I am still very pleased. He just stepped back at two of waters and had a baby runout at his first corner. Rider error for missing a fence at Milton Keynes resulted in us being elminated which I was very cross with myself about!

I kept the ponies ticking as much as I could over November and December mainly by hacking. However, the snow that fell over Christmas meant that I had no choice but to give both ponies two weeks off. To Rio this was no drama but for Zorro it transpired that it had slipped his mind that he had ever been backed and when I did get back on he rodeoed around the front garden until I was on no longer! After that little incident I knuckled down to getting him out and about as much as possibe, boxing him out to menages at least once in the week in the evenings and at the weekends. In Januray/February I did two trips to Keysoe for evening unaffiliated dressage and he won both of them! Since then, I have had some jump lessons with Nick Turner (pic attached), taken him XC Schooling and been back up to Keysoe three times for evening clear round jumping. We are really progressing now and I have a feeling that he is going to be a bit special! He is now entered for his first intro!:)

Rio was getting fit and was entered for Gt Wichingham, but sadly we have had a set back. He had a bit of discharge from one nostril in late January and he was put on antiobiotics. These cleared it up, however as soon as the course was finishsed the snot returned.  A second course of antiobiotics had little affect so an x- ray was taken to confirm that he had infected sinuses.  He has just been to the Royal Vet College for a CT scan and has had to have a sinoscopey (where they make a small hole in his head to access the sinuses and flush them). He is now back at my vets under the care of Gavin at Chiltern Equine Clinic for a further 4 days of flushing. The infection is fungal so I now have everything crossed to hope that this clears up on a first attempt. He is not insured and this is giving my credit card a proper bashing! Most importantly though he seems happy and is making good progess.  The vets have been absolutely brilliant both at RVC and Chiltern Equine Clinic.

On a slightly different subject, I am looking for a new house mate so if anyone is interested please do get in touch with me (07584 684881). I live just outside Whitwell in a lovely rural spot but less than 10 mins drive from Hitchin and Knebworth.

We arrived on Tuesday to settle in, only to discover that he had pulled off a shoe on the way there!  Unbelievable! and even more unbelievable; no farrier at the event until lunchtime the following day! After a few calls to local farriers by the very helpful organisers we managed to get someone out the following morning - back on track!

He trotted up on the Wednesday and my dressage was on Thursday. Fortunately Thursday was a dry sunny day but we had already had a lot of rain and the ground was getting a bit soft. In hindsight, I warmed him up for a fraction too long, he has never done a 3 day event before and having been there for 2 days already he had decided by then that everything was rather dull ( he hadnt seen any evidence of a cross country fence or heard a tanoy) . So on reflection he didnt need that much of a warm up, especially in the soft ground which was quite tiring . As a result, he got a little low in his head carriage which was a shame. I had set out for a mark around the mid 40s as I knew we were capable of doing a really good test but ended up with 51.8- this was respectable though so I wasnt too disappointed.

The next day (Friday) I had nothing to do other than walk the course and exercise Rio. The heavens opened again and it poured all day. I felt sorry for the riders that had to do their dressage on that day. I walked the xc course 4 times in total (over Thursday and Friday). It was a long course (8 minutes was the optimum time) and there was also an energy sapping hill half way round. The course itself was lovely, most of it was of a decent novice standard with a few combinations which I would say were of an Intermediate level. There were not many skinnies but there was an old style coffin combination which caught out several horses and also a couple of big open ditches; one in front of a palisade and another as the second element of a hedge combination. 

I walked the course with Kylie Roddy and friends of hers who measured the course and I made a note of my 2, 4, and 6 minute markers. My XC time was early, at 9.30am, so it was an early start to make sure that his breakfast was well digested before I got on. He  jumped fantastically and did not question anything the whole way round and Im pleased to say that I gave him a good confidence giving round, setting him up well for the coffin combination and he jumped the biggest and most techincal parts of the course brilliantly.  I set out aiming to make the time and was on track up until the halfway point (just before the large hill). He did  however tire after after that and I had to accept that we werent going to make the time. We got 11 time penalties which was not too bad atall and he finished confident and sound which is the most important thing.  I was so pleased that my family made it there so early and were waiting for us at the finish line :)

Saturday stayed dry and sunny until the evening and then down came the rain (Again!)

Sunday was a bigger wash out than Friday, the trot ups were a wash out; he passed and then we had a couple of hours until the showjuming. I watched a few go and the ground was really claimings its victims, in all, out of the 102 who started on the final day there were only 7 rounds without penalty.  We warmed in, jumping as little as possible so that he did not tire in the bog. I was concerned about the ground; because it was very wet  therefore alot of horse were slipping and loosing confidence .  I therefore went in with the aim of getting him round without frightening him because I would have felt awful if he had slipped into the bottom of a fence. I picked the best ground possible (jumping to the right or left of each fence) and took some slightly wider turns than I maybe would have if it had been dry, I also had to keep him short and bouncy so he could jump out the mud. As a result we picked up 9 time penalties but he only had one down and jumped brilliantly, pinging out the mud and he seemed to enjoy himself despite the pouring rain !

We finished 61st out of 127 starters and have achieved a result which will form part of our qualification to move up to 2star level.  It took me a week to clean the the pile of tack that had been soaked and covered in mud but it was an enjoyable week and I am very pleased that Rio has just completed his first ever full season  of BE in his life and had some super results!!

Zorro has been working well at home, been cross country schooling and showjumping at Patchetts. He will have a month off starting when Rio and I leave for Osberton.

We led from the start with a 27.5 dressage, a clear round showjumping and clear inside the time cross country. I am so chuffed with Rio, he has suddenly developed a conscience over the showjumps and is trying his hardest not to touch one!

This has qualified us for a BE Regional Final which ultimately qualifies for the BE 100 Championships held at Badminton but if Im honest I now have my hopes set on doing a 1star 3day event with him which could mean that we may outclass ourselves for this; time will tell.

Rio scored a 27.5 dressage which put us in equal first after dressage alongside Victoria Panizzon, he then jumped clear showjumping and clear cross country with just 1.2 time faults! To jump a clear showjumping was an absolutely great feeling, so many times we have had two or three fences down (after doing a good dressage test), that jumping a clear in the showjumping was becoming a real mental block in my head, causing me to override and tense up when I really just need to sit quiet. Stuart (Reeve-Youngs) clinic the other day really gave me the confidence just to sit and wait for the fence and what a difference that has made and thats after just one session! I had a little cheer as I cleared the last - anyone would have thought that I had just jumped a winning round at a major three day event!

We finished in 1st place and won £100 so covered the cost of the day - now that is a first!

Next outing is Berkshire College Pre Novice and then Purston Manor Novice, now just keeping everything crossed that he stays sound so that we can keep on improving.....

First of all - What a wonderful event in a fantastic setting! It was a family occassion since I was competing, Dad had a tradestand there  and so did Mum (Mum makes jewellery these days) (www.vivaldijewellery.co.uk) and Sarah was there helping all three of us!

Rio did a nice test which scored 32 and put us in 3rd after dressage. He warmed up for the SJ beautifully and jumped clear to fence 4 at which point i was getting excited that we may even jump a clear but it wasnt to be, he had two down; on both occassions just taking them out with his back feet. This really put us out of the running so I didnt go very fast cross country and jumped clear with 7.2 time. It was lovely to be eventing again and i was really pleased with how he went, It was probably the best showjumping round we have every jumped even though he did have two down. I had been to a Stuart Reeve- Young s jumping clinic a few days before and he really helped me but this was our only jumping preparation because of my injury so overall I was really very pleased.

Also, lots of thanks to my friend Jason for taking so many lovely pictures and coming with me. :)

Despite this, he came second on a score of 75.5% and therefore we went through to the final round at 5pm in the Grand Arena (grandstand seating, big screen, clapping! All very proper!) This left the middle of the day for browsing round the trade stands, eating, and watching the showjuming. I also stopped in at the Kettering and Oakley stand to drool over some horse boxes; Ive never been inside the ones that have pop outs before and OMG are they amazing!!!! I could live in one of those things!

The final was great but fustrating at the same time. We retained our second place with a score of 76% narrowly missing out on the amazing first prize of a trip to Kentucky. Nonetheless I was still very pleased especially given the lack of preparation because of my leg.

The following weekend I booked Zorro to go cross country schooing again, this time at Waresley Park which is much closer to home! He was pretty excited to start with but soon settled down and was more confident than the week before and I stayed on so all in all a good outing!

With the Royal Windsor dressage championship fast apporaching on Wed 28th April I toook them both down to the local menage after work for an intense schooling session and this is where everything went  a bit pete tong I think Zorro thought he had come out for cross country schooling session number 3! He looked pretty perky but I got straight on because he hasnt really put a foot wrong since I bought him. In hindsight I should have put him on the lunge first. Once on board I realised that his mind wasnt really on me, I walked half a circle and thought I need to get this horse moving, I asked for trot and got a spanish lipazaner move that I deny anyone could of sat. The result was that i ended up on the floor and under his legs. He trampled on my thigh and OMG did it hurt. After a 5 minute argument with Mum over whether I needed an ambulance I decided to give in; I couldnt move and was needing some pain relief. So said ambulance turned up and gave me gas and air on the way to the Lister hospital. Gas and air may I add is rubbish! The morphine once I got to the hospital however did the trick.

A few x-rays and several hours later and no broken bones I was allowed home, on cruthes and wearing doctors scrubs as they had cut off my jods. I have been layed up and unable to ride since until yesterday (10th May) where I did manage to ride Rio for 10 minutes. My sister Sarah has kindly taken over the reins on Rio and kept him ticking and  took him to Patchetts dressage yesterday, coming 4th in the Novice. Royal Windsor is on Wednesday but its only dressage so I reckon i will just about manage it.  As for Zorro, I am waiting to be back to full strength before I get back on him!

Rio and I have a jumping session booked with Jonathan Chapman on Easter Monday and then I will go out and do some affiliated jumping and XC schooling to get our eye back in. I have just renewed my British Eventing membership and am planning on entering Hambledon and Brigstock in May if all goes to plan.

Zorro is also going well, but still just mainly hacking at this stage. We are really getting to know each other now and he feels much more channelled between my leg ...although he has put in a few big bucks recently so is obviously enjoying life!!!

Unfortunately, the saying ‘cobblers daughter’ does ring true but I would be lying if I said it doesnt have its advantages too!……  just recently Dad has agreed that I can have a new jump saddle on a long-ish term loan! This is a very rare event! :)

 When it comes to jump saddles I love Albions and the Albion Kontact Lite that I have been lent is fantastic!  I  feel like I am glued to my horse even though it has a lovely flat seat which still gives me lots of freedom, plus you can move the blocks on the front which is handy for when you are altering your stirrup length ie between SJ and XC.  It was designed with the help of William Fox-Pitt  (who is uber tall) but despite this it is perfect for me even though I am only 5ft3!

For dressage at the moment I have a second hand Amerigo which I absolutely love because it doesn’t have a lot of bulk to it and again a fairly flat seat. I just hope a customer doesn’t want one just like it because I will end up losing it!

This weather is really making life difficult when it comes to getting horses fit. With no ménage at home I rely on hacking in the winter to do alot of my fitness work and schooling. Luckily, I do have some very good countryside by the house and just 50 yards down the lane I can get onto tracks and bridleways. Twice this week though it has been so cold and icy that even the short 50 yards to the track has been a bit hairy!

Last month I took Zorro to have a dressage lesson with Tabitha Perry. I had not used Tabitha before and it was also my first lesson on Zorro. Tabitha was really excellent and Im sure she is going to really help me with Zorro’s progress. ..we were both a bit unfit though (actually it was me who was most unfit)..so hopefully next time I will have got a bit fitter and we will be able to achieve a bit more. I also plan on taking Zorro back to Jonathan Chapman’s yard for some jump lessons once we have got to know each other ….updates to follow!