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Going from Strength to Strength

We took Data to the British Dressage Summer Regionals at Frys in East Yorkshire and were delighted with how he went.

Data was in great shape and was placed seventh in his section with a good score of 67.29%. We were all extremely thrilled with his performance, especially his owner Judy Bettinson.

We got some lovely comments from the judge, her words were… ‘This combination will go far, a very promising partnership’. I was over the moon with these comments and proves all the hard work is worth it.

The weather stayed nice too and Judy, Data’s owner supplied the picnic for the day which was divine with lots of lovely food and drink.

Zeus is going from strength to strength and we are busy competing him steadily to gain more experience.

He still has his moments and he decided he would test my ‘stickability’ a couple of times in the warm up but thankfully I stayed on board.

However he was very good during his test and was placed sixth in his Prelim class. I was very pleased with him and so were his owners Bernie and Kevin.
Catch up again soon!
Harriet

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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

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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.