Pontispool

We had a quick turn around after Blenhiem and headed of to Pontispool on Monday with Mo Cuiske for the Novice and Bonne Amie for the Open Intermediate.

Mo Cuiske went very well and managed to contain himself to produce a good test to score 26. I was expecting him to be a little full of himself as I hadn't been able to school him whilst I was away at Blenheim, but the team at home had done a great job and I needn't have worried.

He then did let his excitement slightly get the better of him in the showjumping and was a little over enthusiastic!! Because of this he had an unfortunate one down. He made up for it in the cross country and flew round, the ground was pretty hard so I picked up a few time faults. This was all good enough though for 4th place.

Bonne Amie also went very well, she did a lovely accurate test with no errors in it. I felt she was slightly harshly marked and scored a 32.7. She then jumped really well in the show jumping and was extremely unlucky to have the very last fence down. She stormed round the cross country and finished in 4th place.

I feel after Blenhiem that I am definitely having a little case of fourthitis!!!

Blenheim CCI***

I had Zidante doing her first ever CCI*** at Blenheim, at only eight years old she is relatively young for this level of competition, but as she had coped so well this season when she moved up to CIC*** level I made the decision that she was ready for this next step up.

She was absolutely amazing all week, we did our test on Friday and she coped with the pressures of the big arena very well. She did a lovely test and tried her heart out for me, we made a couple of small errors, one in the rein back and one of her changes was late in front. But as the quality of the rest of her work was so high she still scored very well. We got a 41.6 which was good enough to put us into 10th place going into the cross country.

Watch our test here:

 

 

 

The cross country was big, bold and technical and the toughest CCI*** track that I have seen at Blenhiem. I was quite late to go and had been watch how the course rode all morning, it was causing a lot of trouble and I was a little worried that this test might be one too far for Zidante as she hasn't had a huge amount of experience. I needn't have worried though as she flew round the track and made it all feel very easy. She felt absolutely mega and not at all green. It was a hilly course and the furthest and fastest she has been so I didn't push her for the time as I didn't want her to feel tired at the end. She finished full of running and well on the bridle. We were ten seconds over the time and picked up four time faults, leaving us in 5th place over night going into the show jumping.

Watch our cross country round here:

 

 

 

 

Zidante trotted up well on Sunday morning and didn't seem to be feeling the effects of her efforts from the day before. She warmed up well for the show jumping and I hoped she would put up a good performance as she is normally so reliable in this phase, but at a three day event you never know how they will come out and jump. Zidante however jumped like her normal self and posted a lovely clear within the time. Unfortunately  for Oliver Townend his horse wasn't feeling as good as Zidante and had a fence down, this dropped them down the order and moved Zidante and I up to 4th place!! What an amazing achievement for such a young horse!! I couldn't be more thrilled with how she went and coped with the event, she is now going to have a well earned holiday.

 

Watch our show jumping here:

 



 

 

All photos courtesy of Fiona Scott Maxwell

 

 

 

 



Burghley Young Event Horse Five Year Old Championship

I just had Ceylor LAN up at Burghley doing the BYEH 5year old final. He was an absolute star and coped with the atmosphere of the buzzy arena remarkably well. He did a nice test and scored well in this section. He then jumped beautifully round the show jumping and cross country track which is marked on style and performance and gained the best jumping mark of the day, 38 out of 40. Next we went of to the conformation section where he again scored well. All these scores put together were good enough to put us top of the pile and easily through to the final section which invites only the top ten back in.

Watch our dressage and jumping performance here:

The final section is judged on suitability and star quality and also includes a gallop. Again Ceylor LAN performed very well and was pulled in second in this section. All his marks were then added up together and he came out as the easy winner!! He won by four marks which was an amazing achievement. I am very lucky to have some wonderful young horses at the moment and now currently have in my yard the reining Seven Year Old World Champion, the reining Six Year Old National Champion and now the Burghley Young Event Horse Five Year Old Champion!!