Since my last update about my broken arm, I’ve had a birthday (22 again!) and I’m pleased to say that I am now back riding and eventing…and what a busy time I’ve had!
My first event back was Salperton. It was only five weeks after my break which was pretty amazing after what the doctors had told me at the time, but I was passed by a doctor and on my way! I rode Lord Of The Owls in the AI and he did a nice dressage test scoring 35.6. He had one pole showjumping and we good cross country but I ran him slowly as I didn’t have the strength in my arm. That said, we finished 11th so I was really pleased. I also took Montiny on his first run of the year and he came 4th with a dressage score of 32, a double clear and just a few time faults. Simply Sox had a run and was a little wild but did a nice cross country so I was pleased!
Stonar was next and I was riding three including Floating Island, the homebred I fell off five weeks previously. I was a bit nervous but she put in a brilliant performance and finished 2nd in the BE100 on a score of 30, her dressage mark. It was good to get that run under my belt.
Purston Manor was next on the agenda and I was riding five. Floating Island had another great run at BE100 finishing 4th adding just 1.2 time penalties to her dressage score of 33. Les Bossons, who was also in the BE100 did a nice test, had one down and 1.9 time penalties cross country to finish 9th, and Simply Sox tackled the Novice to finish 6th after adding just four time penalities to his dressage mark of 32.5.
The next event in my rather packed schedule was Shipton Moyne and I was due to take Floating Island and Squadron Leader but we had an issue at home and I couldn’t go. Our broodmare had a foal but it wasn’t a simple delivery with the foal being upside down. He was a beautiful colt foal and although he last two days with intensive nursing at home, he just wasn’t strong enough and we lost him. It is devastating when anything like this happens and despite staying up with him and his mum at night and trying to help him live, he didn’t make it. The mare needed some TLC too, but I’m pleased to say that she’s OK.
This was all in the run up to Barbury, so by the time I got there, I’d not had the best of weeks, but, that said, Barbury is one of my favourite events and it was a good event for me. Lord Of The Owls ran in the 3* and did a lovely test which incurred a pretty harsh mark. We had one pole showjumping, and after a slight issue at the owl hole cross country, I decided to take the direct routes for everything. He was brilliant. The owl hole was just one of those things- I was exhausted from the week’s events and with him being a little green about that kind of fence it just happened, but we had a brilliant round and it has set us up well for the rest of the season. HHS Foracruise came 17th in the Novice adding just 8.4 time penalties to his dressage score, Simply Sox was 3rd in the Novice and Montiny was 3rd in the RoR- so it really was a very good weekend.
Stockland Lovell and Ascott Under Wychwood followed in quick succession and produced pleasing results. The three horses at Stockland Lovell (Montiny- NRF, HHS Foracruise- N and Simply Sox- NRF) produced double clears, and three horses at Ascott Under Wychwood also did well.
Aston-Le-Walls was my next event and I had two horses, Les Bossons and Floating Island, attempting their first Novice. They both went really well with lovely tests and clear cross country rounds, but it became apparent that the hard ground was taking its toll. I took them slowly as they seemed a bit flat and jarred. The ground is a real problem at the moment.
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