Long Overdue update from me...

SO what with exams, assessed essay deadlines, falling off etc etc I am going to give you a few choice updates from me.

Lets start with Team Chasing at Kingsclere. At the last minute I managed to find a team with the Bookham Riding Club girls to do the novice. With our lengthy preperations (comprising of meeting each other in the lorry park) we were off and Iska and I had the most fun we'd had in years. Flew round the course to find out we had WON!  Even better I got to meet my hero Claire Balding...

After the cancellation of Gatcombe, we re-routed to a pony club Open (BE Novice) at Calmsden. Jasper does a dressage test in need of improvement but jumps round for an educational day.

Isky on the other hand, managed to get me to end up in the joys of Swindon hospital. For general amusement I have included the photo below. Spot the error...

Splat and Bang were words which come to mind...

 

 

Very sadly they cut me out of my XC colours and the lovely lady who made them isn't able to make me a new set. So am sadly having to ruin the red and white check set with a white rugby shirt. But never mind!

Next outing was to Hambleden - Isky did the BE100 and went clear XC.
Jasper did the Novice and we sadly had to retire at the water as he was much greener then he was meant to have been! He did however, have a whale of a time up to that point and no confidence really shaken.

Now for the final installment! We entered Aston Le Walls novice on both of them and trundled off there last Friday. Jasper was on first, he did a very nice dressage test for 33.5, then had four faults in the SJ. Had a bit of a negative start across country. I don't think I had taken it into account that we were starting in the lorry park and would need a LOT more leg to get him thinking forward. Jumped the first four beautifully, through the water and on to the gun carriage and shotgun as 5 A and B. VERY annoyingly he had a very silly spook at the gun carriage and stopped. Reminded him of his job and he flew round the rest of the course! Jumped the two bounce steps up, downhill to the corner BRILLIANTLY and galloped round over the brush, sunken road brush combination, through the owlhole, jumped INTO the water (hooray!) and flew home. Huge pats for pony and lots of carrots! 

Took Isky to the Novice as well as we didn't want to go on two seperate days. She did an average test for 38.5, just had four faults in the SJ (hooray!) and we entered the XC feeling a bit nervous. Anyhow, needn't have worried, she flew round the entire course! Finished with just a couple of time faults. Really really pleased with how well she jumped, bring on the next outing.

All photos posted with permission from the photographer! Copywright still remains with them!

 

Sadly no more competition updates for a while, but I have been having some fantastic lessons with Douglas Hibbert for polishing up the dressage- report will be written on the next one!