Salperton

I had Mo Cuiske in the Intermediate, Persimmon in the Advanced Intermediate, Bondi Beach in the Novice and Caeleste and Ceylor LAN in the Novice Regional Final.

Mo Cuiske was fantastic and managed to win his first ever event!! His dressage was interesting, we scored a 32.3 and in the process scored a 0 and a 9!!! He did some stunning work, but had a slight panic attack when he entered the arena and halted, he got the shakes then struggled to move off!! After that he was fab. 

He then jumped a fantastic round in the show jumping and was very unlucky to have one down. When I came out I thought he had jumped clear until they announced 4 faults. He then jumped clear round the cross country inside the time making it feel like a walk in the park. It was a tough track causing a lot of problems, so I was thrilled with how easy he made it feel. 

Mo Cuiske - photo courtesy of Fiona Scott Maxwell

Persimmon was a little fresh and feisty, he was having his first run back after Tattersalls and was a little full of himself!! He also scored a 32.3. He made up for his freshness in the dressage by jumping a superb double clear and finishing on his dressage for 2nd place. 

Persimmon - photo courtesy of Fiona Scott Maxwell

Bondi Beach did a lovely test, he stayed very relaxed and soft. His balance is improving all the time and I felt it was his best test to date, he led the section on a 26.5.

 

He then jumped a lovely clear in the show jumping.

He then gave me a great ride in the cross country, it was a tough Novice track and we had a very annoying 20 penalties at some angled houses which he miss understood, but he jumped it very well the second time. 

 

Caeleste was very early in the NRF section, she did a very good test, just showing moments of greenness at this higher level. She scored a 30.9.

 

She jumped a nice round in the show jumping, but was quite in season and got a little tight and had an annoying fence down. 

She flew round the cross country making it all feel very straight forward. We picked up 0.4 of a time fault and finished in 10th place and ensured a qualifying spot for Gatcombe Novice Championships.

 

Ceylor LAN is being so consistent this season. He did a very good test and is really not finding the step up to Intermediate to taxing. He scored a super 25 and led the section. 

 

He then jumped a fantastic clear in the show jumping, he jumped really well and felt very mature and grown up.

 

He flew round the cross country inside the time. He to made it feel incredibly easy and took nothing out of himself. He won the section and is also now qualified for the Gatcombe Novice Championships  as well. I am really pleased to have both my super six year old qualified for Gatcombe.  

 

Nunney Internaional

I had Bondi Beach in the BE100, Ceylor LAN and Caeleste in the Intermediate Novice and Mo Cuiske in the Intermediate.

Bondi Beach did a lovely relaxed test, he swung really well in his trot work and just lost a little balance in his canter when he had to go down hill and scored 33. He then jumped two fantastic clears, we just went slowly cross country as it was very firm on the Friday and we were running HC.

 
                               Bondi Beach - Photo courtesy of Tanzy Lee

Ceylor LAN and Caeleste where both doing their first Intermediate Novice and both coped with the step up in the dressage and show jumping really well.

Ceylor LAN did a very gown up test in slippy conditions, his canter work was particularly pleasing. He scored a super 23.6.

He then jumped a foot perfect clear in the show jumping.

As he already has 33 BE points I decided to run him very slowly cross country as I am worried he will up grade to Advanced before he is seven at the rate he is going!! Even with 12.4 time faults he still finished 5th!

Caeleste also did a fantastic test for her age and knowledge, she just nudged ahead of her stable mate and scored 22.7.

She then jumped a lovely round in the show jumping, but didn't quite listen to me running down hill to a double and had her first fence of the year down.

She also has a lot of points for a six year old, so she went slowly cross country as well and picked up 12 time faults for 8th place.

Mo Cuiske was doing his second Intermediate and was rather over top in his dressage, Tattersalls had clearly gone to his head!! He did some lovely trot work, but got silly in his first canter and did a few flying changes as well as a fly leap!! I think he saw the other arenas being packed up and put away whilst he was doing his test and used that a good excuse to have fun. He finished his test well and scored 36.4.

He then made up for his freshness in the dressage with two brilliant jumping rounds. Both the show jumping and cross country were tough tracks and caused their fair share of trouble, but Mo Cuiske made both of them feel very easy. His good jumping rounds and only a few time faults were good enough for 4th place.

Tattersalls CCI* and CCI**

What a difference a week makes!! I had Mo Cuiske in the CCI* and Persimmon in the CCI**. Both were obviously feeling sorry for me after my bad week in France and were on top form all week.

Mo Cuiske was doing his first three day event and behaved like a pro. He did a very grown up test, with only a few baby mistakes, mainly in his halts and scored a competitive 45.4 to leave us in 10th place after the dressage. Watch our test here:

 

He then jumped a brilliant clear cross country inside the time, making it all feel very easy and small and retained his 10th place going into the show jumping.

 

                             

                                               Photo courtesy of Alex Colquhoun

 

The show jumping was a twisty track with a lot of related distances. Mo Cuiske jumped a fab round and was clearly not feeling the effects from the cross county the day before. The show jumping caused a lot of trouble and our clear round moved us up to 5th place.

 

Persimmon was doing his first CCI**, he should he have done Le Lion last year and was laying 2nd after dressage there, but the event was sadly abandoned. So although it was his first CCI** he went with plenty of experience having done a lot of CIC** and a couple of Advanced this spring.

 

He did a superb test showing a lot of expression and suppleness and made very few mistakes. He led the large and competitive section on 37.2. Watch our test here:

 

 

 

On cross country day he flew round Ian Starks big bold track and made it feel like a BE100 and finished comfortably inside the time. I was thrilled with how he felt round the track and how he finished so well within himself.

 

                                             Photo courtesy of Uptown Eventing

 

 

Our clear cross country inside the time left us in the lead, but not with a fence in hand. Oliver Townend was in second and jumped a great clear, so the pressure was on!! Persimmon jumped his socks off and didn't even breath on a pole. He jumped the best he has ever jumped in the ring and was a very deserving winner!!!

 

                                    Jumping the last - Photo courtesy of Lucy Hall

 

Photo courtesy of Alex Colquhoun

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Saumur CCI***

I just had Zidante out in France, which was very nearly a fantastic trip! She was a star in her test and really strutted her stuff. She scored 41.8 and led the very competitive class. Watch our test here:

 

 

She was amazing cross country round a very twisty and technical track. There were a lot of drops to corners and skinnys, tricky angles and interesting questions. She made mince meat of the track, finding it all very easy and was as straight as an arrow at all the accuracy questions. We were on target to make the time and retain our dressage lead. Unfortunately this wasn't to be and we had a very annoying, uncharacteristic fall at the last. She pecked on landing and that was the end of our Saumur dream. Both she and I were fine except both having a bit of French sand up our noses and in our ears!! 

You should be able to watch our round as well as the rest of the class by following this link. We are about 1hour and 56minutes in. Or follow the YouTube link to watch our cross country. 

 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1082y3_cci_sport

 

 

I am devastated for her, her owners and my fabulous support team. She really didn't deserve the fall as she had tried her heart out for me and really should have finished in the lead. Show jumping day is always another day, but she is very careful and consistent in this phase so I would like to think she would have jumped well. I was however thrilled for Bill Levett though, if anyone could take advantage of our mishap I was glad Bill could!

Rockingham Castle

At Rockingham I had Ceylor LAN, Mo Cuiske, Caeleste and Very Special Z in the CIC* and Persimmon in the CIC**.

Ceylor LAN was his fabulous, consistent self and did a superb test. It was his best to date and he scored a well deserved 38.1 to led the very large section. He then jumped an immaculate clear in the show jumping and flew round the cross county clear and within the time. He finished on his dressage to win his first CIC*!

  


Ceylor LAN - Photo courtesy of

Lulu Kyriacou Media and Photography

Caelese, who only started eventing this year was competing in her first CIC* and was a star, she did a very good test, with just a couple of green mistakes to score a very competitive 43.4. She to jumped a lovely double clear in the time to finish in 6th place. She has come a very long way in a short space of time and I was thrilled with how she coped with this step up in level.

Mo Cuiske was a little tense in his dressage and let the atmosphere of the main arena get to him, he scored 51.6. He made up with his jumping though and posted a great double clear and moved up to 18th place.

Very Special Z also showed a little tension and scored 47.8. He jumped a lovely clear in the show jumping and felt fantastic jumping round. He then had a very annoying 20 penalties cross country, where he miss understood me at a turning fence, but at the minute we are still getting to know one another.

Persimmon showed his absolute consistency at this level. He was a little fresh in the dressage and scored a 43.4. He skipped round both jumping phases and completed on his dressage for 3rd place.


Persimmon jumping the last - Courtesy of Lulu Kyriacou Media and Photography