A wet & windy start to the season

With the weather being less than pleasant and with it looking less and less likely that that season will get underway when planned these last few months have all been about training.  Getting the homework done so that when the season kicks off, we’re ready to go and can hopefully deliver some great results.

We’ve spent time up at Vale View with Caroline Moore working on a range of areas unique to each horse.  The higher-level horses, Lulu, Crunchie and Kojak, have all been working on some of the more technical lines, questions and turn.  Really making sure we’ve got our eye in for the start of the season at Intermediate and 4* level.  With Zorro, as we’re still working out what buttons to press it has all been about getting to know each other, building the trust and the confidence, especially when it comes to water, ditches and skinny fences! Baby Jack has really grown in confidence and seems to have very much enjoyed his trips to Vale, seeing new things and learning more with every ride.  We’ve worked on the basics and have slowly introduced questions such as skinny fences, corners and angles.

We seemed to get wet an awful lot in February, with a VERY wet trip to Tweseldown for some cross-country schooling, and combined training at Rectory in hurricane like conditions.  Luckily all the horses coped really well and are certainly well prepared for bad weather at events, and the team and I were well wrapped up in Stierna waterproofs!

We did finally make it out eventing with Tweseldown getting our season underway.  There were some entertaining moments in the dressage as they were all rather excited to get back out competing, and once again the weather turned, and we got rather wet and windswept!  As a first event of the season the main aim for some good confident jumping rounds to get them back up and running.  With four steady cross-country clears in the bag for Lulu, Crunchie, Kojak and Zorro, it was onwards and upwards to Thoresby.

Easter eventing at Thoresby did at least bring some better weather!  Crunchie lead the CCI3* dressage for much of the time, to be edged out by Kojak later in the class.  Lulu again did a really pleasing test in the walled gardens as a prep for Badminton.  Thoresby can always be a challenging one, the first big event of the season and a good crowd to bring some atmosphere to the event.  This was perfect for Lulu who just cruised round the 4*, and a great experience for Kojak who jumped a mega clear round to finish 5^th in the CCI3*.  Things didn’t quite go to plan with Crunchie who after getting held on course just got a bit too eager and had an early run out, so we opted to Retire and regain our focus for Burnham Market.