Posted by admin | 0 Comments

A First Dressage Outing For Zeus

ZEUS went to his first dressage competition at the weekend and behaved really, really well.

I was so pleased with how he coped working in with all the other horses. He did a nice test and did everything I asked of hi.

His halt was super at the end… not one bit of fidgeting!  His walk was really good, very settled and didn’t jog, all his transitions were good too, for a young horse who has only been in ridden work three weeks I was delighted especially as he finished fourth in his class.

Data was very good too he was third in his novice test and was second in the elementary. I was very pleased with him and as it was my first competition with him I learnt a lot about how best to warm him up and how he reacts in a competition environment.

Working horses at home is never the same as when they go to a competition so it was a great opportunity to have a ‘practice’ before the riding club team competition next weekend.

I have had a new girl start working for me part time, she is going to cover weekends and help Vikki in the yard when I am away competing. Rachel is currently doing her GCSEs and is going to be a great addition to the yard.

It was great to see some rain in the last few days and it was a very welcome sight as the grass was starting to look a little brown and the ground was getting very, very firm. Hopefully the grass will turn green again and the ground should soften up in time for my next competition.

We have started painting our stables which is a mammoth task and somehow there always seems to be more walls than you think! So the horses are playing musical stables at the moment while one by one we get each stable painted.

Happy Riding!

Harriet

Posted by admin | 0 Comments

Competing in the Heat!

It has been so hot the last few weeks that keeping my horses comfortable and happy has been paramount.

I went show jumping at Port Royal with Snowy, he jumped a lovely clear round in the 1.20m class, but it was so hot that I decided to save him for another day and not wait around for the jump-off.   Whilst it is good for horses to get used to competing in different weather conditions and all types of ground, if they are going well, and it is not an important competition it is best not to overdo things and leave on a good note.

I had a lot of horses waiting to be ridden at home so I came home early to carry on schooling and getting the yard done.

The Sunday just gone, I headed to Aske Hall with Snowy to compete in the Open Intermediate class.  We got 35.9 in the dressage and were clear across country, however we incurred time penalties and then had a fence down in the show jumping which put us just out of the placings.  He went very nicely for me and coped extremely well again in the hot weather.

Following his post Bramham holiday, Sultan is back in work.  He has appreciated his little break and is ready for his next adventure.  I haven’t decided where we will head next, but watch this space to keep up to date!  The aim is to go to Osberton 2** at the end of the year.

Zeus is going well still and appears to be settling in and has also stopped trashing his stable which is a relief.  Some horses take time to settle and it is very rewarding to see him relaxing and enjoying his surroundings.

Data is busy learning his half pass ready for the Riding Club Elementary team dressage competition in a few weeks.

On a non horsey-note I had a fabulous time in London last Tuesday as we were invited to a charity dinner in the Long Room at Lords Cricket Ground, a room steeped in sporting history.  The event was in aid of Children in the Phillipines, to get them off the streets and give them an education.  It was a very worthwhile cause and a lovely day.

Well that’s it from me until next week!

Harriet

Posted by admin | 0 Comments

Zeus Proves He’s A Rock Star Horse!

Things are progressing well with my new ride, Data.  I have been asked to do the riding club team dressage with him and we are in the Elementary level team.

He is a really nice horse who is willing to learn, has a good brain and shows plenty of talent, so fingers crossed that the progress will continue at a pace.

My other new ride, Zeus is coming along really well, although I think he must have been a rock star in a past life as he is slowly destroying my yard!

All horses are different and you have to treat them as individuals and adapt to their ways as necessary.

That said it is important that owning and producing a horse is team work and you can’t afford to let them have their own way with everything.

Zeus has pulled the hay bar off the wall, chewed the window frames, thrown his feed bucket out of the window ont o the drive and attempted to knock the wall down!

More work and bonding required I think!

I am planning to go show jumping at Port Royal this Sunday with Snowy, while Sultan is still enjoying his post Bramham holiday!

Last weekend one of my pupils Bella Watson, was competing and recorded her personal best dressage mark of 26 and then went double clear to finish sixth in a very competitive section, and I was delighted for her.

I went to the hair dressers this week, which I hate! I find it really irritating to sit still and do nothing as I am always usually rushing around all over the place!

But at least I don’t look so much like a scarecrow anymore!! Ha ha!

That’s all for this week, bye for now!

Harriet

Posted by admin | 0 Comments

Meet Zeus!

Well a lot has happened since I got back from Bramham – I haven’t stopped!

I have an exiting new dressage horse on the yard – his name is Zeus, he is a 17.2hh, five-year-old, almost black Hannoverian gelding.

Zeus is out of a very good dressage mare and by a stallion called His Highness.  He also has Donnerhall lines in him – Donnerhall was a very famous and successful German dressage stallion.

So far Zeus hasn’t done anything – he was successful in hand as a youngster at the Performance Horses Grading.  These gradings are very prestigious and help to find future top horses.

Zeus is settling in well and we will be starting him lunging and long reining this week.  Watch this space for his progress.

Last weekend I was invited to a Pro Am Polo match at the White Rose Polo Club.  We had a fantastic day, we took a picnic and Pimms and went to the after party too.  I am very tempted to have a go at Polo, but am worried that I might have one lesson and get hooked – I’ve heard that it can be quite addictive!

Last week I went to Sowerby Bridge to my sponsor, EquestrianClearance.com to sit down with Lee Marriott their Online Marketing Manager and edit some instructional video clips that we have been working on.  It took much longer than expected, however I came away armed with the knowledge on how to edit video clips and will have to finish off the remaining clips at home.

Over the next few weeks, I will be preparing Snowy for Aske One Day Event, in Richmond, North Yorkshire and also doing dressage with Data and Ronald.  Data joined my yard a month ago, and is settling in well already.  He has qualified for the Summer Regionals Dressage competition which is in September and held at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire, so I hope to get out a couple of times before then to get to know him a bit better.

Bye for now!

Harriett

Posted by admin | 0 Comments

An Emotional Bramham

Well Bramham was an eventful week, I took my little chestnut horse, Sultao De Valada (Sultan to his friends!) to compete and Snowy came along partly to keep Sultan company and mainly to keep him working as five days off would make him very naughty!

The action began on Thursday.  In the afternoon, we had a briefing where the ground jury introduced themselves to us, explained who they were and where to find them if we needed them.  Then we were free to walk the cross country course – my first of three course walks!

Later that afternoon, the trot up got underway.  They were held in front of Bramham House with a lot of spectators.  The trot up is always a bit of a fashion show for the riders too!  I wore white jeans and a t-shirt with a smart black jacket over the top with some nice posh shoes that thankfully I was able to run in.

On Friday I was last to do my dressage test.  We managed a respectable 59 penalties and were lying in 12^th place in the under 25’s section.

Saturday dawned and being drawn last to go, I was able to walk the course again with my trainer and also go and watch some of the other competitors in action to see what the course was riding like.

There were quite a few difficult questions which were causing problems, and the water was a real toughie.   It was good to get an idea beforehand so I knew where to aim!  Course designer Ian Stark brought his many years of experience to Bramham and really beefed up the course bringing in some old fashioned rider frightener type fences.

In the end, I had two run outs on the cross country course and we finished with 40 jumping penalties and 32 time penalties, which left us in 24^th place after the cross country.

On the Sunday, we had a few fences down in the show jumping and remained in 24^th place, completing our first CCI***.

It was disappointing not to have gone clear on the cross country but it was excellent experience for both myself and Sultan – we will be back!

I will be sitting down this week to plan my next lot of competitions, and also hope to take out new horse, Data, to compete very soon.

I am also visiting my sponsor, EquestrianClearance.com at their head office to catch up with the gang and also edit some of the ‘how to’ clips we are planning to put on You Tube – they are small practical guides giving advice on flatwork, jumping and stable management.

I will also be spending some of my sponsorship money on rugs and a few other bits and pieces – there are so many great bargains to be had!

The weather seems to have gone a bit typical of the English Summer!  My holiday to South Africa in May seems a long time ago now –  as you can see from the picture whilst I was there, I was able to practice my stickability on a banana boat!

Bye for now!

Harriet

Posted by admin | 0 Comments

Trials and Tribulations

Over the last week, I have been getting to know my new horse, Data better.  Data is a nine-year-old chestnut gelding who is a lovely horse to ride and handle.

I have had him on the yard for two weeks now, and although he hasn’t done many competitions he is a very willing horse.

My plan is to concentrate on his dressage and show jumping this year and see how he progresses.  He has qualified for the British Dressage Northern Regional Summer Finals at Laura Fry’s so we are off to a good start!

Last weekend I took Sultan to Brigstock.  He did a lovely dressage test, and we had a fence down in the show jumping but then unfortunately had a nasty fall on the cross-country course.

We were both fine and fortunately my Point 2 Air Jacket deployed in fine style with Sultan then legging it the minute he got up and it took a while to catch him!

Hopefully we will have better luck at Bramham, we have had more training with Chris Bartle this week, practicing lots of ‘skinnies’ and this weekend will not compete as Bramham follows in a few days.

I am having a nightmare deciding what to wear for the trot up at Bramham, especially as we won’t know if it will be hot, cold or raining!  I can’t run in heels – many of the other girls do – so it’s flat shoes and  trousers I think – any tips or ideas are most welcome!

Also I have to make sure that I co-ordinate my colour scheme with Sultan, who is bright chestnut – it’s a big no-no to clash!

The hot weather has been taking its toll.  I avoid riding in it so have faced lots of early mornings as a result.  I have made sure that I keep myself and my horses hydrated by drinking lots of water.

I will be going over to Sowerby Bridge to my sponsor’s at EquestrianClearance.com on Friday – we are working on my website and also editing the video series for You Tube that we filmed last month.  It’s a ‘How To’ with myself and some of my pupils and gives instructional tips and advice.  Watch this space to find out when it goes on line!

Bye for now Harriet.

Posted by admin | 1 Comment

Bramham Bound!

Preparing for Bramham has taken much of my time over the last few weeks, as I have been busy competing as well as having training sessions with Christopher Bartle over in Harrogate at the Yorkshire Riding Centre.

I took Sultan and Snowy to Christopher’s yard to practice the Bramham dressage test, we had a great lesson and both horses went really well.  We will have another training session again next week.

In the last few weeks, I have competed at Aston Le Walls and Withington Manor with Sultan and Snowy.  At Withington Manor, I was placed third and fourth after the dressage.

I was delighted to go clear on both in cross-country, but didn’t push either of them too much so incurred time penalties on the cross-country, putting us  just out of the placings.

Next week I will be at Brigstock to give Sultan a final run before Bramham.

Snowy will not run at Bramham but I will take him with the possibility of doing a show jumping class on the Saturday as well as a bit of posing – which is what he loves doing!

At Bramham, I am drawn last for dressage and cross-country on the Friday and Saturday – with a bit of luck I will be last to jump in the show jumping on Sunday  – as this will mean I am in the lead!

In between all of my competitions and preparation, I have been busy teaching, have had a horse in to be sold, and some exiting news – I have a new horse in to compete!

Owned by Judy Bettinson, Data as he is known on the yard is a really lovely horse, I am hoping to get out competing with him when he is ready.  Watch this space to see his progress!

Until next time – best wishes Harriet.