Flora Harris Blog

It is with great sadness that yesterday (24th Feb 2013) we had to say good-bye to Flora Harris’s top horse: Law Choice, aged 13, owned by Caroline Harris and Jane Keir. He sustained a tendon injury during training that resulted in the agonizing decision to have him put to sleep.
Throughout his career he amassed over 200 BE points, and amongst many fantastic results he won the CIC** at Osberton and the 2010 Express Eventing competition. He also gave Flora her first experience at CCI**** during the 2011 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, jumping clear cross-country.
“I am utterly devastated to have lost the horse who was my best friend, and he will always be remembered for his stunning jumping performances and his “never say die” attitude. As my first top horse I had hoped that he would grow old with me but sadly it wasn’t to be. I feel honored and privileged to have known him and he will be remembered fondly for the opportunities and experiences he has given me in my career to date.”

Since I last updated my blog things have been unbelievably busy and I haven’t had a moment to update anything!

The horses are all on fantastic form and are fit and ready to go for the season ahead. I have taken a few lorry loads out jumping to Wellington and Crofton Manor and they have gone really well. Harry and Barney both came away with plenty of ribbons and Maisie, Bobs and Gordon all jumped super double clears in their outings in the 1.15m and Foxhunter. I have been training hard with Fred Bergendorff really improving the horses technique and quality of canter and I am certainly seeing the results. Gordon especially has changed out of sight and his balance in particular is so much improved he feels unrecognizable.

Click here for a video of Harry jumping in the Fox

We have started galloping all the big boys now and they were very fresh to be out, if definitely helped my fitness too! All the entries are in for the first few events, I can’t believe how quickly it has come around, with double the number of horses I had last year it certainly looks like it is going to be a busy season.

I was thrilled to be invited to the pilot day for C.A.T (Combined Analysis Training) last week. This is a new concept of training designed by Jon Pitts who founded the initiative Fit to Ride. The day consisted of two rounds of showjumping which were filmed followed by two rounds of a shortened cross-country course which was also filmed and I had the opportunity to use a head cam. Lucy Thompson was on hand offering help and advice for the show jumping phase, and Jon was helping us all with our Cross-country. It was a hugely useful and enjoyable day and I would strongly recommend it to anyone really wanting to up their game and improve their performance. More information is on their website www.fittoride.org

I am doing more and more teaching, which I am really enjoying. I have recently started helping a top pony event rider and an up and coming YR show jumper. They are both seriously talented so it’s very exciting to be involved.

We have some new additions to the yard, Bolana (name to be changed!!) known as Minnie has arrived from Bowen Sports horses. She is a 16.hh 7yo bay mare by a Heartbreaker stallion. She is very green on the flat but has the most phenomenal jump and a super brain so I am hugely excited about her. She will start this season very slowly as she has only competed in a few training shows in Holland but I have no doubt she will progress rapidly.

The next new ride is Revel, owned by Helen and Frisk Jones. Revel is a 16.2hh 5yo ISH and has come all the way over from Nenagh in Ireland where is owners live. He is completely beautiful with enormous movement and a huge scopey jump. He has done some hunting in Ireland proving to be very brave so I can’t wait to get him on a cross-country course.

Finally I am thrilled to welcome French Denim to the yard owned by the Peak Family from North Molton in Devon. He is a 16.2hh 12yo Intermediate Gelding. Matt Peek who previously rode Denim is away working in London so he has come to me to compete. I am very excited about him and can’t wait to get going.

My wonderful sponsors Devoucoux delivered me two fantastic new saddles yesterday and the horses and I are hugely grateful, I don’t know what I would do without them! More about their products can be found on theirwebsite: there is a link on my sponsors page.

I am off jumping and cross-country schooling next week so will endeavor to update my blog again soon! Best of luck to everyone competing this season, lets hope the weather is kind to us! PLEASE!!

Things are still all systems go on the yard with us and the bad weather hasn’t affected us too badly. We are so lucky that here at Beaurepaire Stud we have an indoor school so none of the horses have missed any work, though given that we had around six inches of snow we haven’t been able to hack out. Unfortunately our first few shows of the year were cancelled due to bad weather, but I have still managed to get plenty of training in and we are planning on going jumping regularly in the next few weeks.

Our new addition Beaurepaire Rupert (Rupert) is looking to be very special and is improving day by day, he’s still quite green and weak so we are keeping things low key for the moment but when he’s ready to come out he looks to be very exciting.

Thankfully Charlotte is now back from her holidays and things are a little less hectic, I must say a huge thank you to Harriet for coping so well whilst we were a man down!

I am teaching a lot at the moment and really enjoying it, I have a number of clients at various levels and am now booked in to do quite a bit of pony club cross-country training as soon as the weather improves. If anyone would like some help then please do get in touch.

I am over the moon to be re-signed by Spillers Horse Feeds for the 2013 season, and am also very lucky to also be continuing with my other sponsors who’s help and support is so valuable. I have also had some very exciting meetings in the past week; things are looking very promising so I will endeavor to keep you updated.

I was very lucky to have another session with Jon Pitts last week where we worked on my position and posture in the saddle, its so easy to become relaxed about how I am sitting and fall back into bad habits so it was wonderful to really focus on this. I have a lot of work to do and am now dedicating one horse a day to working entirely on myself and my position

I can’t believe that the first events of 2013 are now open, with at least 9 horses Eventing this year we are going to be extremely busy and the winter seems to have flown by. I am so looking forward to getting going again…

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone: All the celebrations seem such a long time ago now! Christmas and NY were a fairly quiet affair for me as I let my amazing grooms have the festive season off and I was mainly working. It was nice to have a few easier days though and catch up with some friends and family.
We are very much back to it all now, and the yard is buzzing. I have been training hard and all the horses are feeling so well. They are all really strengthening up and are feeling supple and positive. I have a few dressage and jumping shows planned for the next few weeks and then before we know it the season will be upon us!
A new addition to the yard is Highly Likely (Louis) a 4yo gelding by Its Without Doubt out of the adv mare Highly Sprung. He is owned by my mother Caroline Harris, and was bought as a 2yo. He has been growing up on the Exmoor hills but has now gone up in the world and has come to the yard for me to produce. He is still very raw but is well known for jumping out of fields and stables so he looks to be quite talented over a fence.
Charlotte is enjoying a well deserved few weeks off so Harriet and I have plenty to do. I am also really enjoying doing plenty of teaching.
Last week I had my first session of 2013 with Jon Pitts. We discussed my plans for the coming season and identified some targets for each horse and areas that we will particularly focus on; both in training and competition. It was great to discuss various things about the horses and the yard and I can't wait to get going this year.

Last week we had a very exciting new addition to the yard in the form of Beaurepaire Rascuado, known as Rupert. He has been bought for me to ride by Penelope Makins and Jim Chromiak. He is a 4yo Hanoverian gelding by Rosseau (Ferro) out of a Lauries Crusador XX mare and is absolutely stunning. We found him at the Brightwells Stars of the future sale and looks to be hugely exciting. He’ll be 5 in January and will be aimed at some of the Lycetts 5yo classes next season. He’s still very green having only just been backed, but seems like such a fast learner I can’t wait to get going with him.

The big news so far this winter is that sadly we have now left Oathill Farm in Oxfordshire. Jane Keir who owns Barney and Bobs is also very keen on her racing and unfortunately her bloodstock business was expanding so rapidly we were running out of stables. We were very sad to go but equally thrilled to now be moved into Beaurepaire Park Stud in Bramley, Hampshire. Beaurepaire is owned by Penelope Makins who owns Jasper along with Jim Chromiak.

We are now fully settled in and all the horses love it here. The facilities are wonderful with 17 boxes, acres of year round turnout, stacks of off-road hacking and most importantly an indoor school. We are very closes to the A303, M4 and M3 so it’s a great area with easy access to get on the road to go Eventing. It’s all very exciting and I am thrilled that both my grooms, Charlotte and Harriet have moved down south to the new yard.

Back in the middle of November Law Choice and I were thrilled to be invited to compete at Horse World Live at the Express Eventing competition. It was Law Choice’s first big outing for over 18 months so I was so excited to have my top horse back out competing with the best. I was drawn second to go for the dressage; Bobs was quite lively and was a little tense in places so I was pleased with his mark to lie in 8th place, still plenty to play for! This year, the organisesrs had increased the speed of the cross-country by 25 m/min so you had to absolutely motor to get anywhere near the time. In fact no one made the time all day! Bobs and I only had the chance to watch one horse go before we entered the ring, and this horse took a longer route to a combination I had planned. I could behind enormous curtains we couldn’t see what was going on. Bobs started like a rocket, feeling awesome and like he’s never been away. I was up on time as I made a very tight turn to a double of angled houses after a corner, but unfortunately Bobs just didn’t quite read the question and we ended up having a run out. We quickly came round again and finished the rest of the course clear still with our foot flat to the floor! The run out left us with 10 extra penalties as well as our time, but the course certainly caused a lot of trouble with over half the class having trouble including last years champion.

The showjumping was up to height with an enormous set of planks at the finish as a joker fence. Bobs did feel a little tired by this stage, but he jumped his socks off just rolling one pole coming out of the first combination, he jumped the joker fence clear so finished with a clear round! We finished in 8th place, I was thrilled with the result, and it was a great come back for Bobs and a great position for us to build on for the 2013 season.

We are now back to being very busy with all the horses back in work, they have all had a few weeks hacking round the estate and are now just about all back in the school knuckling down to some hard work before Christmas. They have all been clipped out and are looking very smart!

The last event of the season for us was Aldon International down in Somerset. I has CESANO H (Harry) and BAYANO (Barney) contesting their first 3-day event in the CCI* and FAERIE CONCORDE (Concorde) in his first BE100.
We arrived on the Wednesday evening and worked the horses who were feeling very fresh and full of themselves! They flew through the trot up on Thursday and then I was first in to the arena on the Friday morning on Harry. Its always a tricky place to be being early in the morning but Harry was a really good boy, just making a few small mistakes to score 45.9. Barney was quite a bit later in the afternoon, he worked in really well but we just picked up a little tension in the ring and he got a little stuck in the mud, but I still pleased with his mark of 47. With both horses in the top 10 after dressage I was very pleased with our first phase performance.
The cross-country course at Aldon is always tough enough and makes use of the natural and very steep hills! It was certainly a test for both the boys but they felt pure class and both cruised round well inside the time.
On the final day again the both trotted up very well and then went on to both jump clear inside the time in the show jumping. Harry finished in 4th place and Barney in 8th. A fantastic result for these two at their first 3 day, I am so excited about their future as they seem to have come on so much in their first season. Harry is now in Intermediate points, with Barney just a point away as well!
Concorde coped really well with his step up. The ground in the dressage was very boggy by the time we got into the arena, but he coped really well to score 33. He then just rolled an unlucky pole round what was a very tricky show jumping track and went very well cross- country giving me a very classy feel. He picked up a silly 20 penalties at a coffin but he is another I am really looking forward to riding again next season. He is still a very new ride for me so I feel once we get to know each other better over the winter there could be some very exciting results to come.
So with the season over there are so many thank you’s that I have to make. My amazing team has kept us on the road all year and it has been a fantastic year with plenty of great results. A huge thank you must go to my sponsors: Jon Pitts Human Performance, Fit to Ride, Devoucoux, Maxavita, Spillers, Horse Radar and Patey Hats. Thank you as well to all my wonderful owners and of course my fabulously supportive mother, without whom none of this would have been possible.
The horses are now enjoying their winter break whilst we re-organize and basically clean everything! There are plenty of things going on over the winter and then before we know it the season will be upon us again!

Last week we headed north to Osberton.
Barney was in the CICYH* National 6yo Champs and Maisie was in the CCI**. Maisie was the most settled she has been in her tests this year to score 44 in another very hot section. She was so unlucky to stumble in the mud in the walk and so broke, but I was thrilled with her. Barney was a star in his dressage in very testing conditions (the arena looked more like a ploughed field!) so I was disappointed with our mark of 52. The section was competitive though with a very tough cross-country track so we had all to play for.
On Saturday Barney had his showjumping in the morning and it was by far the biggest CIC* that I have ever seen: he made it all feel easy however and posted a lovely clear. Maisie’s cross-country was up next. She set off like a rocket but early on I slightly struggled to turn her and we ended up with a very silly run out. I was kicking myself as it was such a minor mistake but that’s horse sport and we decided to save her for another day.
On the Sunday, Barney cruised round his cross-country well inside the time. It was the toughest track he’s jumped and he felt full of confidence, I can’t believe he was jumping intros in the Spring! He finished in the money in 14th. A great result leading up to his first 3-day event.

BCA was my first event with new ride Faiere Concorde owned by Sussanah Downey. I rode Concorde a couple of years ago when I was living in Somerset. In the meantime he has been ridden by Jack Downey but now Jack has decided to concentrate on his school work I am really pleased that Sussanah got in touch and asked if I'd like to take over the reins.
It was a very early start but well worth it as BCA is a great event and after all the rain we had had the ground was perfect. Concorde is still living down in Somerset so I was only able to ride him once before the event. Our dressage was a little average with a couple of mistakes but I think this is more a case of finding the right buttons as Sussanah has had some great results on him doing pure dressage. He then followed this up with a very easy double clear. I was having to ride HC as I have competed at advanced and they didn't have an open section, but had we been competitive we would have ended up 2nd. A good start! He will now head to Broadway for his first BE100.

It was a very early start setting off to the South of England show ground as CESANO H (Harry) was in the CIC* and had dressage shortly after 9 o clock. We also had FLASH GORDON (Gordon) in the truck for the CIC**.
Harry was fantastic in his test, just made one silly mistake in the counter canter. He scored 45 to lie 3rd after this phase. Gordon was on later in the afternoon, I was really pleased with his test especially in the trot work where he is now scoring 7's and 8's. He still struggles slightly with this balance in the canter but I was pleased with his mark of 54 to be in the top half after the dressage. We then headed to Lingfield racecourse for the night as all the jumping phases were on the Sunday.
It was another early one on Sunday made slightly more complicated by my dog looking slightly off colour after I let her out of the truck in the morning. I put her to bed in the living once we got to the show ground and hoped she was feeling better soon. Harry was first on and jumped a super clear not touching a fence. He finds this phase so easy! When I got back to the lorry Mavis did not look well at all so I took her to see the equine vet on site. She was worried about her respiratory rate and so the secretary kindy gave me a lift to the vets. Mavis was rushed in to x-ray which revealed a massive collapsed lung so I had to leave her there for surgery and head back to the show ground. It was quite difficult to concentrate as I was very worried about her but I jumped on Harry as soon as I got back and he gave me an awesome feel cross-country. I had no idea how the time was riding as I was very late, so I just let him cruise a long at his own pace and we picked up 2.8 time faults. This was good enough to leave us in second place. A great result for a relativly inexperienced horse. He will now go to Aldon CCI* for his last event of the season and his first 3-day event.
Gordon was on that afternoon. I had spoken to the vet about Mavis and the surgery to drain the fluid and air from her chest had gone fairly well and she was stabilising in an Oxygen tent. This was good news as I was able to focus on Gordon and he gave me a brilliant ride jumping clear with a very quick time for the section to pick up 12 time faults. No-one made the time and as Gordon has taken time for me to get to know I was very pleased to finally be able to let the handbrake off. He didn't show jump until that afternoon so we had a long wait whilst the heavens opened and completely flooded the place!! It was such a shame they had to cancel the INT sections but thankfully they were still keen to show jump all the CIC horses.
Gordon felt great after the cross country and skipped clear round the show jumping for another clear round. This elevated him to 8th spot in what was a tough section so I was over the moon! He will now head to Little Downham Adv for his last run of the season. I was able to pick up Mavis that eventing but she needed to go back to the vets the next day for another chest drain, fingers crossed she is better soon.

This weekend we have been at Gatcombe with BAYANO (Barney) for the CIC* and AMAZING VIII (Maisie) for the CIC**.
They both had their tests on the Saturday with the jumping on the Sunday. Maisie had not been out since Hartpury after a very mild muscle pull to her shoulder so was feeling rather fresh! She was a little tense in the canter work and made a couple of mistakes in the walk pirouettes but overall was very good to score her best mark at two star level with a 42.2. She was lying equal 8th overnight out of over 120 starters so we were very pleased! Barney was a little tense in his test which was a bit disappointing as he has been so relaxed recently. There was a rather wild horse in the warm up galloping and squealing which did set him off slightly so he has a small excuse, but a few mistakes left us a little down the order with a mark of 50.2.
On Sunday Barney was up first and he jumped a super clear in the show jumping feeling very careful and giving the fences feet! He then gave me a wonderful feel cross-country, jumping clear inside the time to finish in 10th place. He is feeling as good as ever and it was the perfect set up for the Young Horse Championships at Osberton in a few weeks time.
Maisie was up next, she was a little spooky in the show jumping but jumped a super clear to move up the order. The cross-country was causing plenty of problems and the time was very tight so I set off very positively. I was trying a new bit which was fantastic and she felt very easy and was very quick. At fence 11 she jumped very big off a drop a fence and just never locked onto a skinny straight after so we ended up with a very annoying 20 pens. So frustrating as she wasn't naughty at all she just never saw the fence but then continued on and was class round the rest of the track.
It has certainly sharpened us up for her final run of the year in the CCI** at Osberton.
Photo courtesy of Uptown Eventing

Last weekend we took the long drive down to Somerset for Pontispool Horse Trials with Bayano (Barney), Cesano H (Harry) and Flash Gordon (Gordon). It was really nice to get back to the west country where I grew up and Pontispool holds a lot of happy memories for me as I spent a lot of time there during my pony club days.
Harry and Barney both performed much improved tests, both scoring 32. They are still new to this level and so are still getting to grips with the quicker pace of these tests as everything seems to come up so much quicker, but they are really settling into some fantastic work and some good marks are well on the way. Barney then felt a little flat in the show jumping and rolled a couple of poles. This is unlike him as he is such a careful jumper, but the surface at Pontispool rides very deep and I think that this can affect some horses more than others. He then gave me a fantastic feel round a very tricky cross-country course just having a slight baby mistake at the first water. He is now heading to Gatcombe for another CIC*.
Harry was a star yet again and jumped a super double clear to finish 5th. I took him fairly steady as the ground was quite firm but he his feeling better and better with each run. Gordon and I certainly put some problems behind us with a consistent result to finish 13th. He performed a smart test for 34, just lacking a little suppleness for the better marks. He then skipped round the show jumping but was unlucky to pick up 4 faults. On the cross-country I was trying out a new bit which was such a success as I felt so much more in control and could ride him in a much softer and more relaxed way which he definitely prefers. He will now go to South of England in a couple of weeks for the CIC**.

We set off for Breda in Holland very early on the Wed morn with Flash Gordon for his first CIC***. We were travelling with Emma Humphries and Ellen Svennerstall so it was certainly going to be a fun week!
The venue was slightly crazy as they were also holding the world para driving championships there, and there seemed to be carriages everywhere going at high speed! Gordon was a little unsettled in his test which showed in the canter work but we still felt his mark of 63 was quite harsh.
The show jumping was up to height in their huge international arena which was very spooky, but Gordon really rose to the challenge producing a fantastic clear. It caused plenty of problems so I was thrilled with his step up to that level.
On the cross country we set out very positively round what was a very twisty and tricky course. It wasn't huge but had plenty of tricky lines and questions and caused a lot of trouble. Gordon however thought that being positive was a lot of fun and really took hold of the bridle completely ignoring my efforts to set him up. We ended up running past a few skinnies and had a walk home which was very disappointing, but with a change of bit I am sure he will be back to his best and flying round the top levels. He is so brave and confident we just need to add in a little control!

Bayano and Cesano H then moved onto Wellington for their first Intermediate. When I walked the course I was quite worried as it was definitely big and up to height with plenty of tricky combinations!
They both performed nice tests, but Barney got a little tense through his neck, which the judge marked him down quite harshly for, and Harry found the simple changes rather exciting! The show jumping was a step up for them both and the ground was very tack and holding after a very wet day the day before. Barney struggled slightly in the going for 8 faults and Harry was unlucky just to roll one pole. They both set off cross-country very positively and gave me a brilliant feel both jumping clear.
Harry picked up 4 time to finish 7th and Barney 2 time to finish just outside the ribbons. A very good start at Intermediate level for them both.

After Hartpury we had a few days to get organised for Somerford CIC with BAYANO and CESANO H in the CIC1 star and FLASH GORDON in the CIC**. We also took my working pupil Harriet Shopland Reid up with us as she was also competing in the CIC*. It was a bit of an unknown as it was Barney and Harry's first CIC but they both were brilliant!
Barney's test was first, he can get a little tense in the dressage and this was his first test in the long arena so I was thrilled with his mark of 46. Harry was later in the afternoon and really excelled himself to score 44. These two still have so much more to come so we were very pleased. Gordon was much improved in his dressage to score 52, his best mark at this level. He is still progressing all the time on the flat and I think soon will really start to produce some special marks.
In the show jumping Barney jumped a fantastic round, just rolling the first part of the last combination which was frustrating, but totally rider error! He then cruised round the cross-country making it all feel really easy. I picked up a few time to finish still in the money, just outside the top 20. He gave me a great feel and wasn't phased at all by the step up. Harry jumped a super double clear just picking up 0.8 time faults to finish 4th! Gordon also had a good jumping day also jumping double clear and feeling very confident. I picked up a few time on him as the ground has started to get quite greasy and the turns were very slippy but I was thrilled with the feel he gave me as we are still a relatively new combination.

We took just AMAZING VIII (Maisie) to Hartpury for the CCI** as my other ride was balloted from the CIC***. Maisie is a relatively inexperienced 8 year old given all the cancellations that have been this season, but she has been improving all the time so I was hoping for a good result.

She flew through the trot up on Wednesday and then settled really well into some good work on Thursday and Friday morning ready for her test on Friday afternoon. She has become so much more relaxed this year which was definitely useful as the ring at Hartpury is very spooky and there were a lot of horses blowing up and really struggling to keep there cool!

I was very pleased with how she worked in, she has become a lot more up hill in her frame and is starting to swing a lot more in all of her work. During her test she was a little bit spooky especially at one corner of the arena but over all she made just a few minor mistakes so I was very pleased. She has such an enormous canter and so it is still quite tricky for her to balance but she really kept a lid on it and scored a personal best at this level of 45.8. This left her 5th going into the cross country of over 70 starters with less that a fence between the top 5, so there was certainly all to play for.

The cross-country was both big and technical with a big fence into the water coming very early on at fence 7. There were also some tricky bending lines to corners on awkward distances so it was going to take some accurate and positive riding. Maisie set off her usual enthusiastic self but was a little spooky at the crowds at the beginning of the course. She soon settled in and then was very brave and really took all the imposing fences on. She gave me an awesome feel and was very forward thinking the whole way round, I had a slight navigational issue towards the end of the track which was frustrating as it meant we picked up a few time faults, but I was thrilled with a super clear round.

Again she flew through the trot up on Sunday morning, then it was a long wait until the middle of the afternoon before we show jumped. The track was big and technical and very square and caused quite a few problems, especially in the top 10. Maisie felt very fresh and jumped her socks off for a clear round inside the time. She has matured so much and is a horse I am very excited about for the future.

We finished in 6th place. Her best 3-day result and she has also qualified for the Intermediate champs in 2013. She will now have a short break before winding back up for another CIC** towards the end of the season.

Last week we took CESANO (Harry) and BAYANO (Barney) out to their final Novice run at Purtson Manor. It is a great local event and really nice to only drive 15 minutes down the road.

After being so well behaved on his last few outings I was really surprised that Harry was very cheeky in his dressage to score his worst mark of the season! No more easy work ins for him. Barney made up for Harry's test by being the softest and most relaxed he has been all year. He scored 30.5 which I thought was quite harsh but he was still lying 2nd after dressage in his section. They both then went on to jump really easy double clears in what was quite deep and holding going. Harry especially had the worst of the going as he went quite late in the day after there had been plenty of rain. I had planed just to canter round with them both but they seem to cover the ground so well they only ended up with a handful of time faults each.

Barney finished 2nd and so qualifies for an NRF in 2013 and Harry picked up a 7th place. They both now head to their first CIC* at Somerford followed by their first Intermediate.

Gordon's next event was the Advanced at Aston just down the road. I had planned to run him in the Intermediate at Cholmondeley Castle before taking him to another advanced but as this was cancelled we didn't have a lot of choice!

He did an improved test for 39, but there is still so much more to come in this phase. Unfortunately he then was a little fast and flat in the show jumping for 12 faults. This is very unlike him but the arena at Aston is quite small and he has been there so many times I think he may have slightly lost the sense of occasion. As Gordon can sometimes be a little strong I had been practising a lot adjusting my canter in a soft way and this really paid off on the cross country. He gave me an awesome ride picking up 6 time faults and feeling very confident and straight.

He will now head to Somerford for the CIC** before contesting his first CIC*** in Holland.

Harry and Barney were out again the following weekend both in the Novice at Carlton. They both scored 35 in the dressage which was slightly disappointing as they have been scoring so well but I was very pleased with how they both went. Barney then went on to roll an unlucky pole and jump a steady clear xc finish in 11th. Harry produced another smart double clear to finish in 5th. They are both heading to Purston Manor as their next event and last Nov run.

We had four horses running at Aston, AMAZING VIII (Maisie), FLASH GORDON (Gordon), CESANO H (Harry) and BAYANO (Barney). Gordon was doing his first advanced. Nigel Taylor did a wonderful job with keeping the event going in horrendous conditions, but the ground in the dressage was still quite challenging! Gordon certainly struggled in the ground so I wasn't too disappointed with his mark of 42 which left him about half way down the order. He then show jumped brilliantly jumping a superb clear round. He felt great and is such a scopey and careful horse. He gave me a great feel across country but just went a little green and had a couple of glance offs at skinnies, the first of which was totally my fault as I completely missed my line. As I came to re-present at a fence I circled and the fence judge deemed to have re-presented twice. This meant we ended up Eliminated which was such a shame as he really didn't do an awful lot wrong! As we are based very close to Aston I was able to go back and ride round the course after the event was finished and like a star he flew round the whole thing…without any flags!

Harry and Barney were both in flying form. Harry scored another 25 in the dressage in quite gluey deep conditions and Barney was much more relaxed to score a 29. They both then jumped classy double clears and finished 2nd and 3rd. They are both really feeling very special and are so exciting for the future. Maisie was first into her arena so was harshly marked in her test to score 35. She found the holding ground quite a challenge as she is such a big mover so I was still very pleased with how she went. She went on to have 8 faults show jumping which is very unlike her but cruised round the xc giving me a confident and bold feel. She finished just out of the money and will now head to Hartpury CCI** as her next event.

With all the cancellations due to the weather we have found ourselves still chasing qualifications for all the the horses. Thankfully I was able to get quite a few entries in at Nov level once the weather improved.

Our first event back from our impromptu break was Daunstey where I had GREY GERRY (Bruno) in the BE90 and CESANO H (Harry) and BAYANO (Barney) in the Nov. Bruno is a new ride for me, he is a 14.2hh pony who I have in to sell for some regular clients. This was his first attempt at BE90 level and he coped very well. A 35 dressage followed by an unlucky fence down and a great clear cross-country with just 0.4 time faults was an excellent start. We were competing HC as I have ridden at Adv level but I was thrilled with our first outing together.

We were back the following day with Harry and Barney. Barney was a little tense in his test having not been out for a while but I was pleased with is mark of 31. Harry really excelled on the flat scoring his best mark of 25.5. He has settled down so much and it is so rewarding when all our hard work on his sometimes fairly cheeky dressage is beginning to really pay off. They both had really unlucky 4 faults each in the show jumping but otherwise show jumped well, I think they were both just keen to be out and jumping on grass again! They both gave be fantastic rides cross country jumping clear and feeling bold and accurate.

Once we got back to the score boards however I was devastated to see that I had been technically eliminated on both horses due to an error of course. Unfortunately I had omitted a fence during my course walk and so made the same mistake on both horses! I was absolutely gutted as both horses would have been in the money and Harry would have won by a mile! The main thing is however that both horses went fantastically and I certainly won't make that same mistake again.

Last week we headed to Scotland with AMAZING VIII (Maisie) and FLASH GORDON (Gordon) both in the CCI**. For the first couple of days the weather looked really promising but on Thursday night the heavens opened and it didn't stop raining until we left on Sunday afternoon.

They both performed competitive tests, Gordon scored a 54 and Maisie a 50. I felt that Maisie was harshly marked but the cross country was tough so it certainly wasn't going to be a dressage competition.

The ground on Cross country morning was awful and just got deeper and deeper all day. Gordon was early out and jumped clear but I went very very slowly and picked up 30 time faults. The most important thing for me was to make sure that I had a sound horse at the end! Maisie set off feeling very confident and determined, but she really struggled in the mud and became quite strong and low. I wasn't able to set her up properly and the rain was making everything so slippery and the ground was so deep she kept trying to balance herself so we ended up having a couple of run outs. This was really frustrating as she didn't deserve to have faults as she is such a genuine horse and she tried her socks off but again I finished with a sound and happy horse so that is the main thing.

I will have a play with some new bits for her and then she will go to the CCI** at Hartpury as her next 3-day event. Gordon now heads to Gatcombe Intermediate Champs for our first Advanced together.

Earlier in the year I had a phone call from an old school friend: Vicky White, asking me to ride her Working Hunter horse as she had aged out of the Intermediate worker classes. I have never really done any showing but this seemed like a good opportunity to try something new and gain some more experience in some high profile rings. Our first competition was a RIHS qualifier at Bury farm. Merlin and I jumped a clear round and finished second and so qualified which was a bit of a surprise as I had only ridden him once before! We have since won our first two HOYS qualifiers at Manchester County show and at South Of England Show. Merlin is fairly quirky to ride but is enormously careful and I am really looking forward to doing something a little bit different and riding at the Horse of the Year Show in October

At the beginning of the month I went over to Ireland with Ross Millar to look for a horse for Ross to buy for me to bring on and sell. We looked at quite a few but have come home with a very smart 5yo ISH Dapple Grey gelding called Charlie. He has done quite a bit of hunting and has plenty of jump and real presence. He will do some BE90's and BE100's with us before being put on the market later in the season. He is certainly a very exciting project.

It was so nice to be back out eventing again at Aston after all the horrendous weather. The ground was perfect and they had done an amazing job. I had BAYANO (Barney) doing his last BE 100. FLASH GORDON (Gordon) doing his first event with me in the Intermediate and AMAZING VIII (Maisie) in the NRF.

Barney did his usual smart test to score 29.5 and then followed this with a really easy double clear to finish 2nd. A good result to prepare him for his first Novice.

Gordon did a smart test and I was very pleased with the mark of 33. He needs to make some progress with his dressage and I felt this was a very positive start. He also jumped a really amazing double clear giving me such a good feel. I just went very slowly cross country as I wanted ot get to know his habits and way of going etc, but he gave me such a great ride and I am so excited to have him in the yard. We are now looking to sell some shares in the syndicate that own him: the FLASH EVENTING SYNDICATE and I think they are worth every penny. I don't think he will be around for long!

Maisie was competing in the NRF. I thought she did a really nice test but unfortunately the judge didn't quite agree and she was marked harshly for a score of 38. She too however jumped a really nice double clear to make it a hatrick.

We took the long drive to Cambridgeshire with Cesano H and Bayano in the Novice, Flash Gordon in the Intermediate and Amazing VIII in her first CIC**.

Barney who was in his first novice and Harry both did nice tests to score 34 and 32. They were both a bit fresh but I was pleased. I think with a bit more experience under their belts they will really start earning some top marks. They then both jumped super double clears making the whole thing feel really easy. Neither of them touched a pole and felt awesome cross country. You can watch their show jumping rounds on my youtube channel. They both picked up a few time but I was over the moon with how they felt and Harry finished in 2nd place (qualifying for an NRF) and Barney finished in 6th. Gordon was also fab, scoring 35 on the flat, just rolling an unlucky pole in the show jumping and cruising round the cross country to finish in 11th place. I am still really getting to know him as he is quite different to what I have ridden before, but I feel that we are going to make a really good partnership.

Maisie was a little fresh in her test and I was disappointed with her mark of 52. She is so stunning on the flat she has the potential score very good marks! She totally made up for it jumping however with a very classy double clear. She was ultra brave xc and gave me so much confidence in her ability. She felt every bit a top horse. I couldn't believe how quick I went as she felt just to be flowing around easily but she only picked up 3 time to finish in 6th place. A great result for an 8yr old.

We took just Bayano in the absolute pouring rain to Milton Keynes for the BE100. We weren't sure if they were going to run as it had just been so unbelievable wet but they managed to keep going despite the weather. The first hurdle was that we didn't have any way of being towed in in the new truck but we just decided to abandon the truck in the hard standing so as not to get stuck and it worked quite well!

BAYANO (Barney) did a nice test given the conditions to score a 30 and then jumped a super double clear to finish 5th. I picked up some time faults as the ground was understandably very deep in some places but I was thrilled with how he had coped in the mud. I think it is really important that they learn about tricky conditions when the fences are still small so that they are not phased by mud as they go up the levels.

On the first day of Larkhill we just had ABERSINAA (Nina) in the Novice. Nina is a new ride for me this season as her owner Rose Carnegie has been unwell and so has handed the reins over. Nina performed a very smart test to score 35 and then jumped a really easy double clear. We are still getting to know each other so I went fairly steady cross-country and so picked up a few time faults but I was thrilled with the feel that she gave me. Sadly Rose is having to put Nina on the market and she is now for sale. She will make a really top class horse for someone as she has such a lot of talent and scope and is also careful enough to go pure show-jumping. She will head to Moreton Morell as her next event.

The following day we took BAYANO (Barney) and CESANO H (Harry) for the BE100. They performed good tests but were a little fresh in the high winds! Harry was especially cheeky to score 33.5, and Barney was a little better to score 32.5. They then both jumped really great double clears inside the time to finish 4th and 3rd. Barney felt hugely more confident and has entirely got over his little blip at Goring where he misunderstood a corner. Harry is really making the courses feel easy now and he will head to his first Novice at Weston Park at the weekend. Barney has his next run at Milton Keynes.

On the 27th of March we had AMAZING VIII (Maisie), BEAUREPAIRE JASPER (Jasper) and ABERSINAA (Nina) at Sommerely Park. Maisie and Jasper were in their first Intermediates and Nina and I were having our first run together in the BE100. We left the yard at 3.00am and arrived and walked the course in the dark and Maisie was first in her arena at 8.00am. She did a nice test just dropping slightly behind the leg which was a shame but still scored a good mark of 32. She then jumped a super double clear making everything feel very easy. We were trying out a new bit so I didn't really put my foot down cross-counrty but I was very pleased she finished in the ribbons in 9th. Jasper did a very nice test so we were a little dissapointed with his mark of 35, but he also jumped an immaculate double clear to finish 9th aswell. For his first intermediate we were very pleased. Nina was a little tenst in her test to score 38 and then rolled an unlucky pole and jumped a steady clear to finish just outside the top ten. All in all an excellent day and the two intermediate horses will now head to Weston Park and Withington Manor.

Last weekend we took BAYANO (Barney) and CESANO H (Harry) to Goring Heath. They were both in the BE100. Harry was very cheeky in his test throwing in some extra movements so will now have a little longer working in for the dressage! He then jumped a very easy double clear to finish in 11th place. He will head to Larkhill for his last BE100 before taking on his first Novice at Weston Park. It was Barney's first attempt at BE100 so I was very pleased with his test of 28. He then jumped a great clear show jumping and went well cross-counrty until the second last which was a very skinny corner fence. He didnt really understand the question so we decided to call it a day and have been practicing a lot of skinny's at home. He now heads to Larkhill aswell.

NEW RIDE!!! Some very exciting news is the arrival of new ride FLASH GORDON (Gordon) on the yard. He has been bought for me by the Flash Eventing Syndicate and is at Intermediate level. He has been produced beautifully by Phoebe Buckley and has had some good results at CIC** level. He has a bit of a following on the circuit as he is known to be a bit tricky and quirky but has the most amazing jump and is very good looking! We will start off fairly quietly getting to know each other and then will hopefully aim for a CCI*** at the end of the season.

Today we took RATHKEALE BOY (Ronan) and BAYANO (Barney) to Munstead in Surrey for the BE90 open. Ronan scored 36 rolled an unlucky pole and then cruised round the cross-country to finish just outside the ribbons. Barney scored a 29 and jumped a steady double clear to finish 9th, he'll now upgrade to BE100 at his next run at Goring Heath. Ronan heads to Larkhill but his owners have sadly decided to put him on the market so we are also looking for a new home for him.

Over the weekend we had BAYANO and RATHKEALE BOY (Ronan) in the BE90 at Swalcliffe and CESANO H and ITS WITHOUT PREJUDICE (Sam) in the BE100. Bayano and Ronan are both new rides for me and it was Bayano's British Eventing debut! They both performed solid tests with a couple of mistakes to score 32.5. They then both jumped great double clears making it all feel very easy. Bayano felt especially brave which is really encouraging, they were both HC but otherwise would have been placed. We were back the next day very early with the other two. There had been a lot of rain over night which made the ground very deep, and unfortunately Sam did not enjoy the ground so we retired him. It was still a great day as Cesano H made it a hatrick of double clears with a 29 dressage to finish in 3rd place.

On Friday we took the long trip down to Somerset with AMAZING VIII and BEAUREPAIRE JASPER for the Novice at Aldon. Amazing VIII was on form on the flat to score a competitive 26 to lie second in her section, and Jasper scored a 36. They both rolled an unlucky pole which was a shame but overall jumped really well in the ring. Jasper cruised round the cross-country making it all feel easy. He picked up 4 time to finish 4th. Maisie also gave me a great ride but sadly picked up a spooky to 20 pen at the first water. At this stage in the season we can forgive her this minor mistake and they both now head to Somerley for the first Intermediate of 2012.

On Friday we were up at Oasby with Amazing VIII, Beaurepaire Jasper, Cesano H and Its Without Prejudice. It was a great first event of the season with Amazing VIII leading from the front with the best dressage in her section and an easy double clear inside the time to win! Beaurepaire Jasper also jumped a good double clear after an excellent test to finish second. This was our first competition together so a good start. Its Without Prejudice was a little tense in his test but show jumped well and flew round the xc really confidently, and Cesano H really impressed the judges to score a 26. He also show jumped well just rolling a pole as he found it all a bit small (he has been jumping 1.25m all winter) but unfortunately we had a little mis-understanding at a skinny so picked up a 20 pen. He felt really good though so can't wait until our next outing together!

So finally I have found a few minutes to sit down and write my blog, despite being frustratingly held up like the rest of the country by the artic type weather; it feels like we have not stopped! We have a full yard and my desk looks like a nuclear war zone!

All of the horses are on top form if a little fresh from their impromptu holidays. We have been getting out and about to a number of dressage shows and have come back with plenty of ribbons and some really encouraging results. It’s always nice when your hard work in the freezing cold starts to pay off. We took Barney, Harry and Jasper to an evening dressage show near Rugby and even though I was still in the ring at 9 o clock at night it was a really great completion. Barney had never been inside a competition dressage arena before and he won his pre-lim test on a score of 75%. Harry was also fabulous finishing 3rd with 68%. Jasper competed in two novice tests winning both on 68% and 71%. He is a new ride for me this season so it was a really promising start to our partnership together.

We have also been out jumping quite a few times with all of the horses. Barney is proving to be a real star and still (touch wood) has not had a fence down with me. Harry is still jumping with his exuberant style and is picking up plenty of double clears. I have kept his classes relatively small for the time being so as not to over face such a careful horse, but I would like to jump him in a few 1.30’s and possibly some small grand prix before the season starts. Although he is still Eventing at a relatively low level he really enjoys his showjumping and challenging him occasionally keeps him really fresh and on the boil. He’ll start of this year with a few BE100’s but the main aim is a CCI* some time in the summer.

Jasper has improved his showjumping hugely since he arrived and I am thrilled with how much stronger he feels. He has always been a good jumper but his consistency is now really starting to show through and looks to be very exciting for the season ahead. He will start with a Novice and then move up to Intermediate aiming at Tattersalls U25 CCI** in May.

Bobs (Law Choice) has also been out and about competing. He disgraced himself somewhat at his first dressage show by bolting in the medium canter and jumping out the end of the arena, but after that he calmed down (a little!) and was a bit better. He went to his first jumping show and came second in a 1.10m class and then jumped a steady clear in the 1.15m. He is feeling on amazing form and I cannot wait to get cracking with him this year. His dressage in particular has improved out of sight and he now has some serious trot! He will miss Badminton this time unfortunately but will head to Bramham U25 CCI*** and then a CCI**** later in the year. His fantastic personality and out and out talent never ceases to amaze me and I have to remind my self regularly how lucky I am to be riding such an awesome horse.

Maisie is feeling particularly full of herself this year and is looking a million dollars. She has really matured and I am sure has grown another hand even though she is now 8! Her dressage is feeling more and more consistent and mature and she is so much fun to ride as she knows all the tricks and finds them so easy! She was quite spooky out show jumping but settled down really well for the second class and really gave me a great, loose and powerful feel. She too will aim at Tattersalls CCI**.

We have some really exciting new rides in the yard; Abersinaa (Nina) is a 7yo black mare owned by Rose Carnegie. Rose is busy away at University so I have taken over the reins to compete Nina. She is very smart and I am so excited to have her. Rathkeale Boy (Ronan) is a 15.1hh Strawberry Roan gelding who has come to me from his owners in Somerset. Although small he has such an amazing jump and is also a wonderful shade of pink! Ed is a 14.2hh grey Connemara pony who has just been bought by Ross Millar for me to produce. He is so cool and I am really looking forward to riding him this season.

This year I’m really lucky to be involved in the world class Equine Pathway so we have been having some training sessions with Lizzie Murray and Kenneth Clawson. Maisie in particular has benefitted from these and it is great to have help from a new eye occasionally. I have plenty more of these lined up so watch this space…

After three attempts at booking a cross-country course we finally managed to sort something out for our filming with Horse Hero. Lyneham Heath very kindly made an exception and let us on even though all the water jumps were frozen solid! I am certainly no natural in front of the camera so I did feel very sorry for Fiona, her camera lady and my groom Charlotte who suffered in sub-zero temperatures as we did take after take. The horses all went brilliantly though and didn’t embarrass me as I had anticipated! Barney was jumping his first ever cross-country fences so I had no idea what to expect; but he was awesome and seriously brave. Its always a risk buying young un-proven horses that they are going to have the balls to go Eventing, but I hope that our patience and methodical training has given Barney every opportunity to be as confident and bold as possible. Harry felt fantastic as ever but also felt much more mature even if he did stand on his front feet a few times enthusiastically bucking! It was a real learning experience for me with Jasper as I don’t know him all that well yet but he too was great and gave me a completely push button ride.

Some more really cool news is that Elkington Stud (aka Oathill Farm) were myself and the horses are based has produced its first crop of foals. Jane Keir my main owner breeds Tb racehorses and this year is expecting 5 foals. 3 of the mares; the maidens; have gone away to foal but the two girlies that have done it before were left to me to act as midwife. The first arrived in the 6th of February at about 2.30am. I had spent the preceding 4 nights getting up every hour to check the mare and was so exhausted that I slept straight through my 2am alarm. Thank goodness it all went well and I managed to get to the yard in time to get her on her feet safely and supervise the first trip to the milk bar. Jane has named her Poppy and she is so lovely. She is an absolute biffer and weighed 57kg at birth. Way above average. The next foal arrived this morning at 4am after I had managed to do hourly checks for 5 nights as well as riding all my horses during xxthe day! I was there for the birth and I can safely say I have no desire to have ANY children of my own after watching that!! Polly is another bay filly and is also stunning. I’m so relieved and also thrilled for Jane that everything has gone smoothly as it has always been her childhood dream to own a stud farm and she has finally made it a reality.

Next week I have a days training and video analysis planned with Jon Pitts that I am really looking forward to, as well as continuing with our pre-season training. I am sure the next month will be a blur of jumping galloping and dressage not to mention getting soaked and rather cold! – Still, I wouldn’t change it for the world and with more horses arriving next week 2012 is proving to be better and busier than ever!

Last week we took Beaurepaire  Jasper, Bayano and Cesano H to Onley Equestrian Centre for a BSJA show. I jumped all three horses in the 1.05m and the Newcomers. Cesano H and Jasper both had unlucky 4 faults in the first class with Bayano jumping a very easy double clear. In the Newcomers they all felt fantastic, jumping 3 double clears. They are really starting to settle in the ring and jump some really classy rounds. 

On Thursday we were back at Onley again this time for a Dressage competition. This was Bayano and Cesano H's first pure dressage show, so they were both a little bit fresh and excited. Nevertheless I was placed 2nd and 4th in their first class and then I won the second test on 74% and also came 3rd on 68%. A very promising start. Beaurepaire Jasper was the star of the day winning both his Novice tests on 68% and 71%. He will now be entered for some elementary tests before the season starts.

Happy New Year to everyone, I hope that you all had a fun and relaxing Christmas and a New Years Eve to remember. I have had a few easier days (even though I did muck out 8 on Christmas day!!) and it was nice to catch up with friends and family over the festive period.  As the clock struck 12 last night I had an odd feeling of anticipation, excitement and also some nerves in relation to the 2012 Olympic Games, to be held here in the UK. With such a massive amount of funding and at times controversy surrounding the games; especially the equestrian events and their location, I think that it has been easy to forget what a privilege it will be to see a “home” Games right on our doorstep. We certainly will not experience another in our lifetime and although I won’t be involved with the Olympics as a competitor on this occasion, I am sure I will be inspired beyond all imagination by the drive, talent and determination of the greatest athletes on the globe.

My horses are all on fighting form and feel fresh and ready for the season ahead. I had a fantastic day training with the World Class Equine Pathway at Solihull Equestrian Centre, which certainly gave me loads to think about. I took Amazing VIII, Cesano H and Bayano. All three horses jumped really well, doing a similar grid exercise, which included a bounce to an oxer followed by a bending line left or right. All three jumped superbly however it pinpointed some small errors to do with straightness and accuracy and also some positional things that I can work on. On the flat Bayano and Amazing felt great and we worked with both of them on achieving a better contact. Amazing can occasionally get strong as she is so powerful behind and can easily un balance herself. Plenty of transitions within the pace and keeping her right up in front of my leg really helped and I am looking forward to getting her out to some pure dressage competitions next week. I also have some improvements to make to Bayano’s contact, however he is the total opposite to Maisie as he is very light in the rein and we are trying to encourage him to take longer and flatter steps and really take the bridle forward more. He finds stepping under so unbelievable easy that I’ll often almost be in piaffe without asking! He’ll be going to his first proper dressage show in the next few days. 

Unfortunately I am still having some transport issues (all will be revealed shortly) so I haven’t managed to get out competing as much as I would like, but father Christmas very generously dropped some new show jumps down my chimney so I have been busily thinking up all sorts of exercises for all of the horses. Some really exciting news is that Law Choice; My Badminton ride and 2010 Express Eventing winner is now back jumping after his injury in the spring. He is feeling rather over exuberant and is so glad to be back in proper action. We’ve decided to miss Badminton this Spring and head to Bramham to have a crack at the U25 CCI*** title and then he will be aimed at an Autumn CCI4*. He’s such a star he’s been worth waiting for and I cant wait to get him out and prove again what an amazing talent he really is.

My new head girl Charlotte Aitkin starts on the 3rd so we are very pleased to welcome her to the team. She brings a wealth of experience having groomed for an international CCI*** rider in New Zealand, and also for Olympic medalist Daisy Dick. I am also absolutely thrilled that all of my sponsors have resigned me for the forthcoming year. Their support is so valuable and along with my wonderful owners and trainers, I really can’t thank them enough.

The next few weeks I know are going to be unbelievably busy, my fist gym session of 2012 starts tomorrow and we seem to be at a dressage or jumping show almost every other day not to mention fitting in all that training and galloping! Before we know it the season will be upon us and I cant wait!

So things are very much all back to normal and we are busier than ever. All of the horses are back in work and are feeling fresh and well after their holidays. We have been very busy working a lot at home both dressage and jumping and things are certainly coming along really well. The plan this month had been to get out and about to shows as much as possible, but due to some serious lorry issues we have mainly been yard bound. We have still found plenty to be getting on with however: who on earth said that the winters were a quiet time???

My new horse from Holland: Bayano is proving to be such a find. He is absolutely stunning and is improving and becoming braver and more confident every day. He has the most awesome hind leg so at the moment we are actually trying to get him to work with less power and look after his balance a little more. He is so much fun to jump and throws the most fantastic shape. I have to be very strict with myself not to keep putting the fences higher and higher! I can’t believe that he is only 5 years old and I am really looking forward to getting him out and about on the circuit next season.

A large part of my winters work is focusing on my training techniques, my own motivation and attitude as well as how I am physically riding the horses. These things are what I have been working on with Jon Pitts recently and it has given me plenty to think about. In previous years it was the done thing to turn your horses out at the end of the season and not even broach the idea of work or training until the New Year. Whilst this may sound appealing to some, Eventing has changed into such a professional sport that I feel it would be impossible for someone at my age and stage to neglect such a crucial time in terms of training and self analysis. Having said this, no training is certainly better than bad or sloppy training so what I am doing and how I am doing it is something that I have really tried to sit down and analyze. It seems easier to look at the horses progression and level of work with greater clarity at this time of year when there are no imminent important competitions to cloud my judgment, making an issue seem more or less important than it actually is. Jon has got me focusing almost entirely on the basics of what I am doing, for example whether or not I and the horses are truly in balance or if I am covering up or “holding” the horses up instead of teaching them to go in self carriage. I have spent endless hours recently jumping the same small set of fences with my groom measuring my take off spot each time, to make sure I am getting to exactly the same shot whilst still maintaining a completely even rhythm. 

We are trying to set the highest standards we possibly can, both on the horses and on the ground in the yard and make this level of attention to detail the absolute norm. Hopefully with a strong foundation of top quality basics both the horses and myself will be able to perform at our very best even when things don’t go quite as to plan as we would have hoped or when we are under great pressure. 

A bit of exciting news is that Amazing VIII has been selected onto the World Class Equine Pathway. A scheme aimed at identifying horses with the right attributes and talent to perform at Olympic level. I am so pleased as she really deserves the recognition and I am also thrilled for Sue Nicholls her owner who is wonderfully supportive and has been very patient with a hugely talented but occasionally tricky horse. 

The next few weeks promise to be busier than ever with more horses arriving and various jumping and dressage shows organized. I have plenty of lessons with Brigid (dressage) and Fred (jumping) in the diary so I’m really looking forward to all of that. I am also off to a 3 day foaling course in Newmarket to prepare me for the foaling season when I will be foaling down Jane Keir’s (who owns my yard) mares in January. Certainly not holiday time for me!!

Last week I just had Amazing VIII at Aldon International in Somerset. It was her first 3 day event, competing in the CCI*. We arrived in time for the trot up on Thursday, which she flew through, and then worked her that afternoon in preparation for her test on Friday afternoon. She was quite wild on the Thursday but settled quickly and produced some good work. I was pleased with her test, she lacked a little flow in some places and made a couple of mistakes where she lost some rhythm, but overall I think she went well. I was quite disappointed with our mark of 50.3 as she has been scoring some really special tests in her last few events, but we were left in 10th place overnight so had all to play for. 

The cross country was tough enough, with two waters in quick succession and accuracy questions right to the end. She set off quite strong and stayed that way all the way round. I didn't really have any scary moments and she was very brave and positive which was great as sometimes she can be a bit spooky. I went long at fence 16, a step up to a sharply angled rail, as I felt that I would easily make the time without taking a risk and I was right as she finished well inside without be having to push to the line. She felt great that evening and we were able to enjoy a stress free eventing without too much drama and icing! Our clear round had moved us up to 8th place.
The show jumping was fairly straightforward and after the had passed the trot up again I went up to watch the first few horses go. It was causing enough trouble, but Maisie made nothing of it and jumped a good clear inside the time moving us up to 7th place. An excellent start to her 3-day career. I am very excited about her for next season and will aim to do a 2* with her in the spring. 

She will now enjoy a long holiday before picking up for some dressage and show jumping over the winter

Cesano H and Its Without Prejudice were both running today. Cesano started the day with a very enthusiastic test which scored well in the section for 31. He is still making a few minor errors here and there but what is pleasing is that he is improving all the time, and the judges still seem to really like him despite his added extras in a few of the movements. Hopefully with a winters dressage we'll be able to iron out any small mistakes and some really good marks will come. He then jumped another good clear in the show-jumping and also gave me an excellent ride cross country. I was very annoyed to have a glance of at a skinny early on, which I can contribute entirely to rider error. He has been a little bit careful cross country, but finally he is feeling ultra brave, and I just let him get a little quick and onward. Still an excellent first attempt at this level and definitely one I am very excited about for next season. 

Its without Prejudice also found the dressage quite exciting but performed a solid test for a mark of 35. He then rubbed that last fence show jumping to pick up 4 faults and jumped a super clear xc to finish just outside the ribbons. He is definitely ready to move up a level for next year, and I am looking forward to spending the winter hunting and taking him to some jumping and dressage shows.

Next stop Aldon and then the 2011 season is over!!

I have been lucky enough to find another horse for Jane Keir; owner of my yard and Law Choice. Bayano is a 5yo bay gelding whom I found on a show jumping yard in Holland. He is very smart and I hope will be a real star of the future. Jane wasn’t originally looking for something so young but he was so easy and straightforward with a really special way of moving and a cracking jump that we really couldn’t leave him behind. He’s travelled over to the UK really well, and has settled in. I’ll spend the winter getting to know him and taking him to some dressage and show jumping shows and then hopefully he’ll make a really positive start to his Eventing career at the beginning of next season. 

Another new addition in Lyfield Dark Surprise known as Tilly. She is a 16hh Irish sports horse/Tb mare who has done a couple of intros with Sarah Stretton. Her owner needed to sell her fairly promptly so I managed to afford her and she’ll be aimed at some young horse classes next year. She is very smart indeed and I think given a bit more mileage will make a really competitive junior or young riders horse, and hopefully make me a lot of money too!
The yard suddenly seems very full indeed which is a bit of a shock after a relatively quiet year. IT is really nice to be sitting on horses all day, though I am sure I’ll be moaning about it when the rain really starts to set in! 

I have just returned from the Express Eventing final at HOYS, where I was lucky enough to be lent a horse by Sara Burdess; Shiver St George aka Buster. As Sara and Buster live well north of Newcastle I was only able to ride him once before the big day. Ben Martin, a top dressage rider who is based locally was a fantastic help with my music for the dressage, but Buster and I never actually managed to go through the test before we entered the main arena. He worked in fairly well and some of the trot work in the test was pleasing, but unfortunately Buster got rather over excited in the canter work and although we did manage to perform all our set movements we also added a few extra of our own! Buster is about 17.2hh and I felt like a pea on a drum being towed along by a very excitable beast, but we got through it and ended up lying 9th after the first phase which wasn’t a complete disgrace! The cross-country phase wasn’t huge in size, but there was plenty to jump and the technicality of the course was certainly impressive.

Buster is a very experienced event horse, but Sara did warn me that he could be rather cheeky! I had jumped him over a couple of things a few weeks previously, but I still felt as though I was riding into the unknown as we walked through those infamous black curtains and into the main arena at the NEC. The first 3 fences were ok, I wasn’t really putting my foot down as I had planned to use the first half of the course just to get a feel of him and then press on in the second half. I turned to fence 4, which was a corner off a turn just in front of the entrance. I feel that I had a good line and a good shot in a forward balanced canter, Buster had other ideas! He crossed his jaw and serenely cantered past the flag 3 times in a row so unfortunately we were eliminated! I don’t think me desperately trying to hold him on a line made the slightest bit of difference, as he really wasn’t going to play ball. It was a real shame as I would have loved to be in contention to defend my title but I am really grateful to Sara for lending me her horse and it was such a privilege to be able to ride at such a prestigious competition as HOYS. I really think that Express Eventing is a sport for the future and I hope to be involved for many years to come. 

I have had a couple more outings with my other horses, Sam and Harry both jumping great double clears at Moreton Morell to be placed 5th and 9th. I have also been out and about at pure showjumping competitions, and the horses have all been clocking up plenty of double clears. Harry even got rather competitive and won a Newcomers class at Weston Lawns.

Next stop is Larkhill and then Aldon with Maisie for her first CCI*. Then we shall knuckle down to a winter of training before hitting 2012 hard!

Cesano H (Harry). He is 6 and came from Preston, which was also where we found Amazing, Sue Nicholls' fantastic mare that I have been riding. Harry is lovely and we are very excited about him indeed. He is German bred by Cesano, with a good bit of blood on both sides, so there should be plenty of gallop in there. He had done a fair bit of show jumping, so I have been very spoilt and been off jumping lots of clear rounds in some big classes. I have taken him cross country a few times and he seems to be very brave (if rather cheeky!)

So last weekend, we took him off to his first event at Solihull for the BE90 Open and he was a star jumping a really easy double clear. I took him very slowly cross country so he could really look at everything and take it in and he gave me a great ride. I am very excited about him for next season as I think he could be really quite special!

Another new pony in the yard is Beaurepaire Jasper owned by Penelope Makin. Jasper was previously ridden by Lucy Griffiths and has been produced beautifully. He has had quite a light season and we are spending the next few weeks getting to know each other before embarking on a dressage and show jumping campaign throughout the winter and then looking toward a very competitive season next year. I am very grateful to Penelope for giving me the opportunity to ride such a lovely horse.

I am still looking for a horse for Jane (my yard owner) to buy for me. I have been to see what seems like hundreds but still haven't located the superstar we are looking for! Having found Harry, I can’t seem to find anything I like as much! I spent another couple of days in Germany, but didn't see anything that caught my imagination. I have in my mind exactly what I would like to see in a potential event horse, and there don't seem to be many that tick all the boxes!

The first thing that I want to see is a good looking athletic horse with a nice face and head, this doesn't necessarily have to mean he is a beautiful horse, but I think you can see a lot about a horse’s temperament in their eye and the expression on their face, more often than not. If I walk onto a yard and like the horse just standing in its stable because he looks right, he'll be what I'm looking for under saddle as well. Having said that they have to move and jump too!

As far as the trot goes they have to be loose and active behind with a really quick hind leg that wants to work. I am not too worried if they aren't the flashiest movers in front, as this can be manufactured to a certain extent, but the canter has got to be there from the start. Over a fence I will look for something that really impresses me and makes me think wow! I like horses to be bold and keen to jump but really careful. Show jumping penalties are becoming more costly, so it is a fine balance between being brave enough to gallop down to an enormous ditch and still leave all the fences up for the show jumping on the final day! Good conformation is also a must. There is no point in having the most talented horse in the world if he's stood in the stable lame because he has bad feet or bent legs! Sam has been coming on well, he too went to Solihull and was a star finishing 3rd with a double clear and 28.5 dressage. He's off to contest the 5 year old class at Highclere next week, so fingers crossed he pulls another good result out the bag.

I took the long trip down to Cornwall earlier this month to have a look at my new lorry which is in build by a new sponsor. It is looking really good and I am looking forward to finally driving away with it! There seems to be storage everywhere and so many buttons to press that I shall need them to write me a manual of how to use it, before I take it away.

Very sad news is that Alice (my brilliant head girl) is leaving the end of the season. I am absolutely gutted as she is a total star, but she is off to get married to her long term fiance, so of course we wish her all the best. That means that I am on the hunt for a new head girl or lad to run the yard, and also a second groom to give a helping hand. Alice highly recommends the job! There are plenty of things going on over the next few weeks, hopefully some more (successful) horse hunting, various events and the Express Eventing final is also nearly here. I will endeavor to be more prompt with my updates in future!

Things have, for once, been a little quieter on the competition front. The horses are all going well, and Maisie was especially good in the Novice at Great Tew finishing 9th with another steady double clear. She is feeling better and better and we have been working very hard in her show jumping, in particular, which seems to be really paying off. I have been having some help with her and Gladys from Fred Bergendorff who is based very locally to me in the next village. Fred is both a top rider and trainer and Caroline Creighton suggested I go and have some help from him mid-season, as it is quite a long way for us to drive all the way down to Devon to see her.

We have been concentrating on really getting the horses to relax through their whole body in the air, thus using themselves much more effectively and creating a looser softer jump. I have also been working hard on keeping a better and softer rhythm into a fence and not relying all the time on my eye. I find it very easy to see a stride to a fence which can help a lot of the time but can also be a real hindrance as well, as it can sometimes cause me to kill the canter a little. Fred’s sessions give me a lot to think about and work on, and I often leave with my brain pretty full (which is not hard!!) but the work is beginning to pay off and I am really feeling a difference with both horses.

Next stop was Longleat, though unfortunately it wasn’t our best outing! The weather was so horrendous that I only did one dressage test and then drove all the way home again! I felt terribly sorry for the organiser Jessica Colson (who co-owns a yearling colt I have at Oathill) who had done such a fantastic job on the whole event. It seems so unfair that we have been praying for rain for weeks and when it does come we have so much of it in one go that it stops play altogether! My horse shopping expeditions (mentioned in the last blog) were really good fun and I was very lucky to see a lot of lovely horses and meet some really interesting people. Belgium started in a fairly dramatic fashion with me very nearly missing my flight and running the entire length of Stanstead airport! On arriving in Eindhoven, I discovered the cash machine only spoke Dutch as did all of the taxi drivers! I did eventually manage to get to my hotel and then realised that I had left my phone in the back of the taxi…not a good start but he noticed and brought it back to me and from there on in things went a lot more smoothly.

I saw 20-25 horses and left with a lot of video footage to go through. It was then back home to ride my horses the following morning and off to Gatwick in the afternoon to fly to Hamburg very early the next day. We saw less horses in Germany but again there was a lot of quality and they were all pretty impressive. I think that I have found a very special 5yo for Jane to buy, fingers crossed he passes the vet this week!

Some other news is that I have decided to sell my second string advanced horse BOY. It has been a very tough decision to make, but in the current economic climate I have had to think of the future. He has found a fantastic home abroad and I have no doubt he will be seen out and about on the senior circuit soon. I will be very sad to see him go, however, I have had him since he was 5 and have produced him up to 3 star level, so he is a very special horse.

We’re off to Eridge and then Brightling and plenty more events to come, so watch this space, and hopefully by my next blog I’ll be able to report on the new pony from Germany!

Late again on the blog but things have been so busy I can’t believe that it’s been 6 weeks since Badminton!

Gladys was having her first run of the season at Hambleden in the BE100open. She has had a bit of trouble with soreness through her quarters and her pelvis was quite significantly dropped to the right. We think this was causing her significant pain so after an easy year in 2010 it was very exciting to have her out again. She is always gorgeous on the flat and didn’t disappoint with a 24. In the show jumping she felt very green and spooky having not been out for some time, but jumped really well and then flew round the cross country. Maisie was doing her first CIC*. She was fantastic on the flat scoring 41 (even with an error from me!) She jumped well in both phases, but coming to the coffin on the cross country she managed to catch a knee on the upright of the brush fence going in. She jumped through fine but on finishing I realised there was a lot of blood! It was quite a nasty C shaped slice which required a few stitches, very frustrating as the horse performed well but it’s very superficial and she’ll be back on the road soon.

Unfortunately a few days before Hambleden my grandfather Geoff Harris died in Bath hospital. He had been suffering from a long illness since he had a stroke nine years ago, but it was a sad loss and the whole family especially my grandmother will miss him hugely.

Brigstock was the next stop for the Novice with Gladys. Again she did a fab test for a 24; frustratingly she had 3 fences down in the show jumping just from being very spooky at the coloured poles and fillers. She has always in the past been a very reliable show jumper so I am sure that given a bit more ring time she will become more settled. The cross country looked enormous for a Novice, with plenty of yawning open ditches and wide oxers. Gladys felt truly awesome and cruised round just picking up 3 time faults. The show jumping left us out of the ribbons but I certainly feel as though a big result is round the corner.

On the way home from Brigstock I stopped in to see Milly Earnshaw and her horse IT’S THE LAW, aka Vinnie. We had a good chat about me taking on the ride and he arrived the next day! He is a really smart boy, with a lot of jump and all the makings of a really top class horse. He had been a little bit cheeky in the past but I have really clicked with him and after a few teething problems at Pontispool he flew round the Novice at Moreton inside the time to finish 6th with a good dressage and show jumping round. He is so exciting and I really think a lot of him. He’ll now head to Longleat and Salperton Novice before doing our first Intermediate on him at Eridge. Certainly one to watch!

Another new ride is FLASH JACK aka Bacardi. He has been sent to me by his owner Jack Downy to sell as Jack is very busy concentrating on exams at school. Bacardi is only 14.1hh and will make a fantastic FEI pony for the right rider. He has SUCH a lot of jump and gives me a very good feel over some quite large fences. He’s off to Great Tew for the BE100 and then Longleat for a Novice, and then hopefully he will find a really talented child to take right to the top!

Jane Keir, who owns shares in Bobs, has decided to buy another horse, so I am off to Belgium and Germany next week for a horse hunting expedition. It’s very exciting and I am so grateful to Jane for her continued support. Her stunning yard at Oathill Farm is still getting organised but it’s so lovely to have the horses at home and they have all settled in really well. There are a few other exciting things in the pipeline but I can’t say too much just at the moment, just watch this space!

I can’t believe that Badminton is over. We have literally been preparing for my first 4star for what seems like years. It was an extraordinary and ultra-surreal feeling finally driving through those gates knowing that this year I would be riding round the biggest and most prestigious event in the world.

Our final preparations with Bobs had certainly gone to plan. I’d spent a lot of time whizzing up and down the motorway with him, visiting Brigid for dressage lessons and Caroline for a last cross country school. He felt awesome, really fresh and fit but also strangely calm as if he knew what was to come and wanted to be ready! Sarah Corbin from Spillers was also really helpful in the run up to the big day and Bobs had never looked so slim and hard.

Jon Pitts and I had been working hard in the run up to Badminton on my own mental and physical preparation, as well as my balance and straightness in the saddle. They key, and something that Jon I know is very passionate about is that preparation is everything. I can often lack confidence in my own abilities and trying to overcome this and believe in my own mind that I was capable of riding a good round at Badminton and finishing competitively was really difficult, but with Jon’s help (aka persistent abuse!) We also discussed a lot simplifying the whole Badminton experience, at the end of the day it really is just the same as any other event. One dressage test, followed by one cross country and one show jumping track. I was able to arrive at the big one feeling better and more confident than I could have hoped for.

The first trot up was pretty terrifying, I can’t believe that many people turn up to watch us run our horses in a straight line and back again?! Still the atmosphere was amazing and I was so excited that the competition had finally started! Brigid drove up the day before and the day of my test so help me work in. On the day before my test we worked him really short and sharp and really got after him about staying in front of my leg. He is so cheeky about suddenly disappearing behind me and leaving me totally alone in the ring, it’s really important that we set him up to be obedient and think forward with each step. He was so good during the session and I was really looking forward to the real thing.

Hacking up to the dressage from the stables sounds like such a normal thing you would do at an event, but at Badminton everything is just so different. You go along side all the trade stands and there are people there watching you just walk on a long rein. It is easy to let the whole atmosphere and enormity of the place completely overwhelm you. Bobs worked in pretty well for his test and didn’t seem bothered at all by the crowds, cameras or applause. He went into the ring and started pretty well but never really hit into the brilliant work we had had the day before. He managed a 9 for his walk, but in the canter dropped behind my leg and we slightly fluffed the last 2 changes on the 5 loop serpentine and then the final halt was a a little unbalanced. Overall I was pleased as we’d certainly performed respectively and finished in 14th after the first day of dressage, but just a tiny bit frustrated as I know he is capable of more than 10 marks better!

I walked the cross country 6 times and it still looked big! Caroline and I walked it a couple of times and Lucy Wiergesma was also hugely helpful. It was really strange walking up to such iconic fences like the outlander bank, hexagon hedge and the colt pond and thinking I actually have to jump these!! On the Saturday afternoon I walked with Jon Pitts for a new method of preparation which Jon had come up with. We must have looked rather odd wandering around Badminton with a step ladder but there was method in Jon’s madness! The idea was to take a photograph of each fence on the line I was going to jump it on, but from the height that my eye line would be whilst sitting on the horse. It sounds really simple but it was unbelievably effective at becoming more familiar with the course in a truly accurate way. This familiarity ensured that there were no surprises as I rode around the track and I was able to flick the photos on my computer all evening and the following morning becoming almost more “at home” with the lines and combinations that I was going to ride. On Sunday morning I have never felt so ill or had such a sense of dread. The excitement had gone and I was pretty terrified! I went for a run around the course running my lines so I could get used to coming towards them and making turns at speed. It definitely helped me feel less sick and I was confident in where I was going. I watched a few horses go round, mainly William FP as he is always one to show us all how it’s done! Then it was time to get ready… Jon Pitts arrived at the lorry with some boxing gloves which made me feel a bit daft at first but I really got into it and it got my heart rate up which I felt helped me to focus and get a bit more pumped up. We then did some work on the ball getting my reflexes sharper and also practising “saving” myself from any imbalances by catching a ball out to the side and still having to keep my core strong. As well as preparing me physically the exercises helped me get in the right place mentally and I can honestly say I have never felt better before any round. Badminton was the last place I thought I would feel so cool! I warmed him up in the bottom of the park where the atmosphere was electric and I just wanted to get out there.

He started strong and sharp and just felt fantastic, everything went to plan, all the fences seemed to come and go in slow motion feeling easy and like we’d both been there before. A big thing that Jon and I had focussed on in my cross country preparation was approaching each fence using the same sequence. Tempo (speed), line, and balance. I knew if I kept these three simple things in mind then I would be able to do my job and it really really worked. Coming to the Outlander bank I can’t pretend I didn’t think “shit that’s big!” but I rode to the plan and he seriously operated. We had chosen a bridge crossing after the first third of the course just before the first vicarage complex as a check point where I could just regroup and concentrate and just check I was still focussing on our simple sequences. We whizzed over the bridge and then suddenly the fence judge jumped out with a red flag and pulled us up. It was a pretty awful moment as I thought I had been eliminated for some obscure reason but they quickly explained that there had been a fall ahead of me. Those 28 minutes where the longest of my life! He had been going so well and I was worried that such a long hold would send us both off the boil. Jon managed to get down with a bucket and sponge to cool Bobs off and he just tried to keep me calm and focussed, not an easy task as I seem to remember talking quite a lot of rubbish! When we finally got going again the crowd were brilliant and made a lot of noise getting right behind us. If anyone reading this was there when we got going thank you so so much it was just the best thing that could have been done and really got the adrenaline going again! I was a little deep to the oxer over the ditch when we got going but apart from that Bobs seemed to just carry on where we had left off and flew round. Jumping through the lake then hearing the roar of the crowd was awesome and a moment I hope that I will always remember. I was going very fast but seemed to have time to really enjoy the round and fences like Huntsmans close and the Quarry flowed like we were just schooling round. Then we were home and coming through the finish I suddenly felt really quite emotional, I think it was more relief than anything else but I was so proud of my horse and pleased not to have let everyone down.

Bobs was a little sore on the Monday morning for the trot up and after we were held we decided to withdraw and save him for another day. Obviously the whole team where hugely disappointed especially Alice my groom who had worked so hard all week, but Bobs always comes first and he had absolutely nothing to prove. He has cantered round the biggest course in the world and he’ll be back!

There are so many people to say thank you to for making Badminton the fantastic experience that it was. My mother and Jane Keir; Bobs’ owners were brilliant at organising food drink and generally fielding phone calls and looking after all our guests. Alice my groom was a total star and Annabelle our team physio was also there and we couldn’t have coped without her. There are so many thank yous and I feel so lucky to have been supported by such a wonderful team.

I first met Jon just over 2 years ago at an event in Portugal and since then I genuinely feel he has made a transformation in not only the way I ride, but in the way I think and how I generally approach everything to do with my horses and my business. He had to be exceptionally patient with me at Badminton as I was so unbelievably nervous, but he was very cool where I am sure most people would have wanted to throttle me! The preparation we were doing way back in the winter all the way up to cross country morning was right every step of the way and I have never felt so ready for a round. A huge thank you must go to him.

Bobs is now having a long holiday and the other ponies are getting busier than ever! I am off to Moreton Morrell on Wednesday and then Hambleden at the weekend so it’s definitely not time for a holiday yet!!

I think I’m probably in quite a bit of trouble for being late once again, but things have been so unbelievably hectic I can’t believe that nearly a month has gone by already.

Gatcombe was a good day for the two big boys, Boy and Law Choice. Boy was a little harshly marked in the dressage but jumped another fab double clear with a handful of time faults to finish 8th. Bobs was in the AI, a very hotly contested section as there were a lot of Badminton runners. I was trying a new bit as he can get quite short in the neck and the aim with him is to always try and lengthen his frame. I found the new bit a little disconcerting as he was much lighter in the rein and so I ended up taking of a bit of ride and he dropped behind the leg slightly, but he still seemed to please the judges to score 33; his best advanced mark to date. There were quite a few major mistakes so I was pleased to be lying 7th in such a strong section. He jumped really well over another tough track, just touching the style for 4 faults, and I decided not to run cross country as we were heading to Belton the next weekend.

I had a successful run at Swacliffe with Maisie before setting off to Belton with Law Choice and Boy again. Law Choice performed the test of his life in the AU25 to score 27.5. Boy was also in this class and did a good test for his level of training at the moment to score 37. Bobs was in the lead and Boy was well in touch. Boy show jumped really well with another clear round and then was a total star cross country, but picking up a very irritating stop at probably the smallest fence on the course! I came into a log followed by a bending line into a corner with quite a deep shot to the log. I wanted to get a small economic jump going in so that the turn came up quite easily as Boy can be very keen cross country. For some reason Boy totally misjudged the fence I think perhaps thinking that he wasn’t actually meant to jump such an insignificant thing and failed to take off! Next time round he was fine and sailed home. Very disappointing in some ways as I think he would have been in the money but nonetheless he was a real star and feels very exciting. Bobs blotted his copybook big style by stopping and then whipping round at a very scary filler in the show jumping. He then did exactly the same thing at a coffin on the cross country earning himself a severely smacked bottom. Although in paper his day looked horrendous he actually jumped really well and hopefully we have got rid of any cobwebs before the big one!

The yard at Oathill is coming on really really well. It has been very stressful trying to coordinate all the different contractors and things are by no means finished but it is starting to take shape and the arena is looking huge!

Badminton is now just around the corner but I am feeling very positive after some hard work on my mental preparation with Jon Pitts. Bobs is certainly very capable of jumping the fences so it’s up to me to do my job on top, fingers crossed it all goes to plan!