On Wednesday I went with Tor to Summerhouse to do some show jumping training with my boys. They both went really well and so I am looking forward to the forthcoming event season! Videos can be seen below. 
I am also really pleased with how they are both going on the flat which is good. Belv really turned a corner the other day, so here's hoping that his sudden change in character continues!

Today we took them Cross Country schooling at Lincomb and they both jumped flawlessly, so all bodes well for the coming months! On a sad note, my half term is coming to an end which means my time at Murrells end with Tor is also coming to an end - gutted! Even if I am knackered due to five 12 hour days in a row without even a stop for lunch...!!
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Well it was time for Tor Lessons today!
First up was Belv - He wasn't going brilliantly on the flat tbh, just not quite round enough for what we wanted. So I was quite disappointed with that, but then again I have started to expect quite a lot from him! We decided to move on and get him off the ground and over some fences. Last week it was just a simple fence with placings poles on take off & landing, but this week we decided to do some grid work to try and make him work his legs a bit more & make him put more effort in!

It did take a while but eventually we got there (see below!) and generally I was very pleased with how he went!
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Next up was Jack - we didn't do much with him on the flat, just a lot of canter work on a circle changing the pace and then leg yielding in and out of the circle whilst keeping him upright and doing canter-walk-canter transitions and such like. He went very well and I am hopeful that after my week of intense training during half term at Tor's that he will be set up well for the event season!

We also decided to do grid work with Jack and tried to work on me getting deep to the first element because I tend to stand off fences with Jack. He went really well and is such fun to jump!! 
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Last week I had a Tor lesson and jumped Mr Belvedere for the first time in six months! It was all very exciting...if a little nerve-racking! I can only just hold him together in canter so had no idea if I would be able to cope when jumping! However I was really pleased with him, still such a long way to go but considering it was the first time in months & how hard I find him to keep together, not too shabby!!

I need to work on riding more leg to hand, softening with my elbows and sitting and waiting for the stride/fence to come to me and not pushing & panicking. I have another jumping session tomorrow so will report back on how that goes but hopefully it will continue to improve getting us well on our way to the first event of the season - an OPN at Tweseldown. 
Jack is also going well, his flatwork is beginning to come back together after his time off over Christmas and hopefully it will be fully back on track by the time his first event at Aldon comes around! I can't believe the event season is already upon us! Very exciting, although the bad news is that my weekends will now be fully booked so I will have to quit my weekend job working for Venetia Williams (until next season hopefully) - gutting as I really enjoy it....and I will no longer have any money!
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Well seeing as I have just entered Jack for the OIU21 at Aston Le Walls I thought I had better get some bigger SJ practise in seeing as I have never competed at that level before! So we took him to Allens Hill yesterday to do the 1m15 open.

We got there quite early so hung around watching the newcomers until it was time to go. I walked the course and it was a nice but up to height course with quite a few set at 1m20 and three or four at 1m25. In the warm up I was very much concentrating on having a big energized canter (what I was working on at Tor's) and I think we managed to keep it up in the ring. He did a superb little clear, just getting deep to an oxer when he had a bit of a spook! Other than that we hit everything pretty much spot on and he just pinged! He is such a springy little pony!
(Click to enlarge)
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We then decided to enter the Foxhunter which was basically up one hole. I walked the course and some of it was 1m20, some 1m25 and three or four set at 1m30. Nice and big then basically! Set off really well over one, two and three but unfortunately he was disunited round to a one stride double at four and I didn't sort him out quick enough. We ended up right underneath the upright in, had that down and almost fell over, but amazingly Jack sorted himself out and managed to jump out clear! Picked up the reins and flew a 1m30 upright, came round to an oxer - again ended up dissunited but jumped it brilliantly. Went down the next line really well and then round to number 9. I came round the corner had no stride and fired him instead of waiting, consequently we had it down and then bowled on to the last double with Jack being rather exuberant! So I was a bit gutted with how I rode it because I messed it up for Jack in a number of places and in reality I should be going clear at this height with him. But hey ho he jumped brilliantly and I was really pleased with the 1m15. I think I was just a bit more nervous for the Foxhunter!
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Well seeing as Jack was no longer competing on Saturday at Weston we decided to take Belvedere to Allens Hill for some BSJA. We decided only to do the Discovery (1m) because Belv hasn't done any competitions for ages and I haven't jumped him much at all over the past two months. We had a really nice time, the weather was fantastic (actually it was too hot!) and we bought some nice things. A fly rug for Jack and a very smart leather head collar for Belv and Jack to share! Anyway, back onto why we were there - Belvedere did a lovely sweet round and went clear. I missed him to fence four but he picked up and other than that it was really quite acceptable. Pictures from the first round can be seen below.
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I was secretly hoping for a clear in the jump off too but I knew it was unlikely because Belv has never been good once he has already jumped a round and although I don't think either of us did anything particularly wrong we had two down. I think the last fence was my fault due to our approach but the earlier pole was possibly just him being a bit lazy. But it was a sweet round nevertheless. Videos from both rounds a photo from the jump off can be seen below:
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This morning we took Belvedere to Tor's for a dressage lesson. I was on him to begin with and although the walk wasn't brilliant he was doing some very nice soft trot work so that was good. Then Tor got on him for the first time in over two weeks and had a play and softened him up nicely. Put me back on board and did some work in walk, trot and canter trying to keep him soft and relaxed but up together and working from behind. He went very well and Tor seemed very pleased with it all. So that was all quite successful. Afterwards we then showed Tor the BSJA video and she said I should be very happy with it. 
Video of me and Belv in our lesson today -
And just to finish of Belv's very busy weekend we took him to Gadbury cross country course for a little play after the lesson. Tor was also heading over there with some horses so gave us a pelham with normal metal mouthpiece to play with (we think the Vulcanite pelham may be a bit too chunky in his mouth). In fact one of the horses Tor had belonged to a friend of mine who was there watching, so it was nice to see her! Belvedere went really well - better than he normally goes when XC schooling actually, I think he was quite happy to be out and about! Tor also got to see what an epic XC machine he is! 


Finally, on a good note Jack looked sound trotting about in the field earlier so I am going to give him a little ride in the school tomorrow and see how he is. If all goes well I will enter him up for Hambleden ON and Aston Le Walls OIU21!
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We took Jack to Hartpury for some show jumping today!! Seeing as our first outing at Allen’s Hill was such a success we decided to enter the 1m05 and the newcomers. Last time I competed him he was very strong in the snaffle, so for the 1m05 we put his new jump bit in (neue schule universal) and took off my spurs. However this had the complete opposite effect. Jack was really behind the leg and didn't have enough 'oomph' - I think this was because I now had too much breaking power and not enough leg power. This meant that we had a disagreement on our take off stride at an upright which led to 4 faults and then he spooked at the last fence (a water tray) which we also had down. So a very disappointing 8 faults.
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Jack 1m05
Onto the Newcomers, due to our lack of power in the 1m05 we put his snaffle back in and I put my spurs back on! Wow, what a difference that made, he was much more forwards and energetic! However he was then a lot stronger and I think my round ended up a bit too collected! However it was much improved on the first one and Jack did a lovely little clear!! There were a few places that he struggled to make the striding - I think due to him being a bit too collected. But my first clear at newcomers so I won't complain (and there were only six clears in the class).
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Newcomers - Clear
Finally was the jump off, I was desperate to get a double clear however it clearly wasn't meant to be. Jack jumped the first jump off fence beautifully and then I kicked on and cut the corner to the triple bar, unfortunately I didn't see a stride and we crashed into the bottom of the fence. Jumped it fine the second time around and popped the next very large spread very cleanly. It was then round to a double off the wall which we got very close to and just took the first rail out. The next very big upright and spread he popped absolutely foot perfect and then clear over the last. So a very annoying and disappointing 8 faults. However I am still getting to know him and he was clear in the newcomers which is the main thing!!
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Well, yesterday we set off to do some BSJA on Ross and Jack at Allens Hill. I had Ross in the 1.00m Amateur qualifier, which was run as a single phase and was an incredibly long course!! He was jumping brilliantly in the warm up but kept on trying to nap out of the arena. So I was concerned that he might throw in the towel when we went into the ring. However we managed to get a double clear! (Even if he did plant himself in front of the double and then nap coming around to a spread by the entrance/exit!)

Next up was Jack; he was in the discovery (1.00m first round). Unfortunately his jumping bit hadn't arrived in the post and so he was just in a snaffle, consequently he was quite strong and so we did have a pole down. But he jumped really well and considering it was my first course with him and I have only had him a week it wasn't too shabby! Although we had a pole down, the judges missed it and so we got into the jump off - It didn't affect the results as we were on a ticket so our score didn't count anyway! The jump off was a full up discovery JO - Up two holes, so set at around 1m10. This time I took my spurs off and jack wasn’t quite so fresh and we had a really super round. Nice rhythm and hit everything on nice strides! We got a super little clear, one of only two in the jump off. So we would have been second if I was registered BSJA.
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Round one - 1.00m
All in all a very good day, and very promising for our event season! I can’t wait to enter Weston Novice now!
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Well, well, well. FINALLY I have made it into the Horse and Hound. Unfortunately not for Eventing, but either way, I’m still in there!
The H&H came out with my hunt - the North Hereford a couple of weeks ago, as I mentioned in one of my blogs - Click for link and although I hoped I would get in, I knew it was unlikely!
However, it turns out I got two small mentions and am in one of the main photos, trotting along behind friend and field master Dawn and her husband Kevin.
My mum, who is the hunt field secretary also has a photo of her jumping a tiger trap on Ross (one of the horses I compete).

So enjoy the photos (click to enlarge)
I also had a Show Jumping lesson with Brian today. The original plan had been to go to Graceland’s and have a lesson there, but unfortunately his child was ill so it was inconvenient for him. In the end we just went over to his place. The lesson was alright, it started off well, then I messed up a few jumps and as per usual lost confidence in myself and my ability to get belv to the right place. But it came round okay in the end. I am regularly jumping 1m20ish now with him in lessons, which is good, and so hopefully I may be able to tackle a 1m20 BSJA sometime in January/February.
As you can see from the video, we are in draw reins. I have never ridden in draw reins before but Brian is very keen on using them in training and he wanted to see how belv went in them. The aim was to teach belv to stop lengthening his neck and poking his nose on the last stride.
Once again, sorry for the massively long stirrups, Brian wants them this length to strengthen my legs and body.

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My Cross Country video from the JRN Championships arrived in the post yesterday! I have been very excited about it a while now, and finally Lucid Dreams popped it in the post!
I am quite pleased with it, they have got almost every jump, bar the first, the third last, and the combination before the coffin.

So here it is (please excuse the colours, they are my JRN Team ones!)
Also, I had my weekly SJ lesson today. And I have to say it went very well!! We started off with the grid that we used last week (two raised canter poles to an upright) and then the upright became a spread. We wanted to work on getting Belvedere up off the floor and over bigger fences, so put up a big but not very wide spread at the end of the grid. (1m20). Then we did a small course, the grid, then a gate, then planks, and then an upright of a very tight very difficult turn. We struggled with this turn to begin with but got there in the end. The course was set at 1m20-1m30. He jumped his little socks off and Brian said it was the best he had seen me riding!

Unfortunately the camera died, so I only have this one clip of the grid and the gate before we added the other jumps and put them up. (Both set at 1m20).
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 Well, It's all go at the moment with Belvedere.  I have been hunting him on Saturdays with the North Hereford Hunt. He is such a fantastic hunter and enjoys it so much that I am willing to accept the injury risk that comes with it. After all if I did nothing with him that could cause injury then I wouldn't event him!
The Horse and Hound came out with us this Saturday when we were hunting at Ganderland. The report will hopefully be published soon, and you never know, I may get lucky and get a picture/a mention! It was a very good day, however we did have an incident where Belv got stuck in wire going through a mostly closed gateway and totally panicked and leapt all over the place jumping onto the gate and bending it. Luckily we both got off very lightly. (A lost shoe and a small cut).

 The next day I schooled him in a double bridle for the first time, the thinking behind this is that he goes so well in his Pelham and a double it very similar to it! Also at Intermediate Novice + it is dressage legal so I will be able to use it Eventing when I get up to Intermediate! I am pleased to say he went very well in it! Not perfect, but much better than a snaffle - Although two reins will take a bit of getting used to for me!!

 Last Thursday I had another show jumping lesson with Brian. I didn't think it went very well, but I am told my Brian and mum that it was fine. Belvedere was good but I just wasn’t happy with the way I was riding. Also Brian (a pure show jumper) thinks that I (as an eventer) ride to short and so put my stirrups down THREE HOLES! So that was weird, and it felt like my legs were all over the place!

Take a look for yourself:
I Have also been spending the time that I havnt been at school/doing homework or riding playing around with GIMP (Photo editing software) and have made some rather cool images, even if i do say so myself! I think they are quite effective.

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Finally my friend has very kindly offered to make me an Eventing Promotion video. She is incredibly talented at making videos; you can check these out on her YouTube channel TheBlackHorse92.

Here is a short preview of the video, it looks fantastic and I can't wait until she has finished the whole thing. I will post it on my blog as soon as it's done!! Link to Eventing Promotion Video.
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