I am very exctied as my win at Goring Heath JON has made it onto the Event Report on the Eventing World Wide website. THE website for eventing enthusiasts!.

However, some bad news. The vet came out on thursday to take out Belvedere's stitches and it seems that the cut is slightly infected. So it needs some more time to heal and he has been given anti-biotics. So we have had to W/D from Gatcombe CIC* which is gutting as I really wanted another (and more difficult) run before Weston Park CCIJ*. (If we get there that is...)
Furthermore Rosie has become lame and the vet thinks that either she now has coffin joint problems in the other leg, or that she has done a tendon/ligament. Tests will follow next week.

Well, we just popped down the road for a little outing at a local event on Ross (Cloons Master Plan).

He warmed up brilliantly for the Dressage. Absolutely fantastic, he is very good at dressage but I have never felt him go this well. Really good from leg to hand into a nice even contact. As I was waiting about to start my test a girl galloped flat out across in front on all the dressage arena's about 6 meters away from A while people were doing their tests. I could not believe it. I have never seen anything like it in my 8 years Eventing. It was disgraceful and I confess I gave her a bit of an earful about it. Unbelievable! Onto Ross' test. It was lovely; not quite as good as he was warming up, but very pleased. I was hoping for something in the 20's and we got 23!!! Very Pleased!

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Then we had the Show Jumping, he was incredibly strong warming up and I had very little breaking power! Just before I went in the ring he started pissing around and napping slightly so I was very concerned he was going to throw in the towel in the ring. However I needn't have worried as he put in a super clear, he didn't even consider napping. Now the pressure was really on for the XC!

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The Cross Country was very big and technical for a pony club intermediate (BE PN equivalent) but as he has gone round Gadbury so many times I was worried but not terrified about it. Although this was more technical than he has done for a long time. So we set off, flew 1, 2 and 3. 4ab was a skinny drop log down a small slope to another skinny. He has jumped this exact combination hundreds of times; we came round to it, perfect stride and speed, leg on and STOP. For no reason I could make out he just stopped. So I came round, represented and he went through foot perfect. He then flew 5, 6, 7 and onto a very big bounce of steps up at 8ab which he was brilliant through. We came down to the water at 9abc. A very very big roll top then into the water and out over the skinny. Perfect stride to the roll top and once again STOP. No reason. Went through fine on the 2nd attempt. Galloped around to the hedge, gave him a smack and he jumped huge. I nearly got jumped off. Popped up the step one stride to skinny hedge at 11 well and cantered down to the brush palisade three strides to skinny tipple brush at 12 so that my brother could take photos. Brilliant through that and galloped over the spread at 13, skinny house at 14 and box at 15. Great through the coffin at 16 and nice over the last at 17. So 40 penalties. Ross is such a depressing horse. 23 dressage, clear SJ and for no reason 40 XC. If he ran out I would understand as he isn't the moist reliable XC but unnecessary stops are horribly annoying. Blooming horse! He could be so good, and we could do really well BE if he wasn't so silly!

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Well firstly I have recently purchased a Treehouse hat silk and a Racesafe body protector and I emailed Treehouse a photo of me competing in my new gear and they have put the picture on their gallery page. Not only that but they have kindly put my website address with the photo caption and on their links page!

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Maxavita have kindly provided Belvedere with a very smart fleece rug for the JRN CCI* Championships at Weston Park in October! I am very grateful as all of Belv's current rugs are very old and scruffy Furthermore in the parcel with the rug were lots of leaflets and more cooling gel pads for the horses joints and for bangs etc. They have also offered me more numnahs and supplements whenever I need them!

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More exciting news - A while ago I contacted Forest Farmacy about their 'Organic Horse Performance Squad' and today I recieved a very nice email. I have been accepted onto the squad:

I am very excited about finding out the level of support they will offer me and working with them!

Finally my recent successes at Goring Heath JON and being selected to represent Wales & Borders have been typed up with a photo on the Pony Club Website!!

Well well well, what an amazing day!

We start with the Dressage, I have a new bit, it’s a nathe straight bar thing so it’s really bendy. It’s to stop him resisting the contact but I am not entirely convinced by it as it then means he is very strong and the contact is very strong and feels almost tense, even if it doesn’t look tense. However with this bit in the warm up he did the most AMAZING medium/extended trot. Best he has ever done, same rhythm and speed and fab contact but huge reach. Normally he resists having a contact in things like that.

Anyway the test, well it was alright. The seconds medium we broke and on a canter trot transition he changed legs and like whooshed off in a very strange way. So a few low marks there but mostly 7’s and some 6’s so ended up with 35.7 which I was happy with.

The Show jumping was a very nicely presented course, long, fairly up to height and with some challenging lines. I was terrified!! However I needn’t have been a super little clear. One dodgy moment where I was very naughty at 4 and went for a very long one! But apart from the last treble he didn’t touch anything.

I hate going Cross Country when I have done a clear SJ as I am sooo much more nervous! But I was also excited as new xc colours and a new breastplate! He flew 1, 2, 3. 4ab was a skinny house to a very large drop on a steep hill, popped that brilliantly and zoomed onto the water. Good in over the log and down the step at 5ab, trotted through the water and up the bounce steps at 6ab and very clever pony over the brush with drop at 6c. Galloped onto a very big rail/ditch/drop fence thing to a skinny brush which he flew through, then up a hill and over a brush at 10, down the hill and very tight turn to a brush, 3 strides to a step and then bounce over a skinny brush. He did the first brush well, got the three strides well, took off over the step and stumbled so we were slightly untidy over the bounce hedge. Galloped up the hill then over a roll top, zoomed through the wood and flew out over a drop log, galloped up another hill, over a straightforward fence at 14, and onto the wagon to skinny. Perfect over the wagon and nice three over the skinny. Flew 16 and galloped to a brush, two strides on a turn to a skinny brush at 17. Brilliant through that and then galloped over a big table at 18 and onto the second last. Two big corners on a tight curving line. Good stride to the first, then he came back, turned and popped the 2nd. A bit close to the last but through the finish three seconds inside the time! FINISHED ON DRESSAGE SCORE!!!!!!

When walking back to the lorry we stopped to do something and I noticed him pick up his right front leg, so I asked mum to take his boot off as I was worried about his tendons etc but she said it was just a fly. We got back to the box and I noticed a cut just above his overreach boot. Then I noticed that it was a deep cut, then I noticed that it was a big cut (3cm) and then I noticed that it was a huge flap of skin and quite a lot of blood. And then I started to panic a bit. Mum had a look and said it was just a skin injury and it looked worse that it was. But I thought it needed stitches so went over to the secretary’s to see if they had an onsite vet. They did, he came poked around and said it was just skin, no tissue or joint damage and stitched it up.  So unless it blows up and he becomes very lame, the bandage comes off tomorrow, and he has a week without being ridden, in 10 days he has the stitches off and then he should hopefully be fine to continue riding/competing. But it means that I won't be able to go XC at Gatcombe CIC* as it would be to risky that it would re-open and cause more problems, so I will just do Dressage and hopefully the Show Jumping.

HORSES!! You can never have a good day without some incident! Poor little mooch!

Anyway, the really exciting news, out of 40 starters I finished on my dressage of 35.7 and WON!!!!!! I was also the only person to finish on my dressage score!

Soooooo pleased! First win BE! Well actually one of my first placings even! But 6 points, which brings belv’s total to 15 and our total together to 10!! Very disappointed with prizes though, a cap and 67 pounds. That’s not even my entry fee...

But yeah, very very very very very pleased, but a bit upset about my ponies paw!

Well after years of wanting a 5 point breastplate I now finally have one! Sylvia Farmer said that I needed a Breastplate for the CCIJ* XC at Weston or I would be frowned upon. So mum agreed to get a Jeffries 5 point!

It has dark brown leather and blue elastic:

I can't wait to use it at Goring Heath JON along with my new Body Protector!!

Well at the beginning of the season Belvedere's breeders got in contact with us and sent us some photos of his sire (Achtermann) and him as a yearling and a foal. They were going to come and watch me compete at Withington but they couldn't make it (shame as we did an awesome double clear!!) but because i have been selected to represent Wales & Borders at the JRN CCI* Championships as Weston Park they are going to come and watch us on Cross Country day!!

Here are the photos (click to enlarge)

Well last week I had my first Team Training session. It was an on foot session where we discussed the Event at Weston Park and certain topics. E.g:

• What to wear
• Studs
• FEI Rules
• Flu Jabs
• Fitness
• Trot Ups
• etc

It was a very interesting and very useful session but did leave me feeling terrified about the CCIJ* haha!

Today was the final training session, it was a ridden session where we practised our:

• Dressage Test
• Show jumping
• Trot Up

The Dressage was interesting. Belvedere started warming up fairly well, then I stopped to take my jumper off and it went downhill a bit, but was okay. I went outside to ride through the test and he lost it. Got so tense and horrible, it was a truly shocking test and I was very upset. But Richard and Sylvia were very nice about it and gave me advice and a new bit for the 2nd ride through.
In the 2nd ride through Richard talked us through it, he gave advice etc throughout the test which was useful and helpful. This test was a lot better but still had a lot of very bad transitions and some dodgy moments!

We then moved onto the Trot Up where we practised trot up etiquette (e.g. saying Good Morning to the ground jury) and trotted up our horses. I now need to practise this with Belvedere using a schooling whip so he marches on more.

Finally it was the Jumping. This was very fun because Richard is so funny and he likes to take the mick out of us! He made us all ride with our hands upside down. Instead of the reins entering between our 3rd and little finger and exiting by out thumb, the reins entered under our thumb. This meant that we had to be soft with our hands and also made sure the pressure was equal on both reins. Belvedere was very good and Richard was very complimentary. Although Belv did have a random 'spazz attack' when I came round to the double. I am not sure why!! Other than that I was very pleased, we jumped a very short course at 1m15 with one parallel at 1m25!!!!