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Annie is the Star of the Show

Well I am delighted to report that the ‘shock and awe’ tactics have worked a treat!! Annie was an absolute star at the dressage competition at the weekend at Port Royal!

Annie

She was placed second and third in her classes but most impressive of all was her compliant attitude and this was reflected in her great scores of 67% and 68 %!

I couldn’t be more pleased with her and I felt they were two of the nicest tests she has done.

Maxi Moo didn’t disappoint either and went superbly on his debut outing getting over 60% in both his tests….not bad at all when you consider four months ago he was still in training as a race horse.

I was delighted with his attitude and behaviour, he didn’t put a foot wrong all day and was very chilled in the collecting ring which was a nice surprise, I had been prepared for him getting a bit uptight when other horses were cantering around him, given his racing background, but he reacted as though he had been doing dressage for years and was very laid back.

He also brought home two rosettes which put the icing on the cake for a very successful and productive day!

Fiona Maynard a para-dressage rider has moved her string of horses to the yard along with her pupil Rachel. It’s great to be able to work along-side like-minded riders and also have some company, especially hacking out…. time passes much quicker when you can have a good chat while riding out!

I am really excited to say that I am writing a monthly column for Pocklington Post’s Equestrian section called Equestrian Life. The column will feature in not only the Pocklington Post but also the Driffield Times, Driffield Post and the Beverley Guardian. I am really thrilled to be asked to contribute to such a prominent paper.

With the popularity of the Winter Training Series kindly supported By EquestrianClearance.com, I am in the process of putting together some dates for a Spring Training Series so watch this space for more dates and details!

Catch up soon Harriet

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It’s Competition Time

Annie Dressage

It’s been a busy few weeks with Annie (Ruby Gunnar) out and about show jumping and at dressage getting prepared for the forthcoming event season.

She is obviously feeling very well as she was quite cheeky at her first show jumping competition of the 2012!

Annie was very fresh in the collecting ring and did a few rodeo horse impressions, she did a couple of rounds and jumped better and better each time she went in, which I was really pleased with.

We have been working hard on her maintaining her rhythm in front of a fence as she tends to be over enthusiastic and charge at her fences, but I am pleased to report that the hard work and patience is paying off and she is settling into her rounds more and more.

Annie Dressage

We went to a British Dressage competition at Port Royal Equestrian Centre and I was hoping that all the jumping would have taken the wind out of her sails and after 10 minutes in the collecting ring I thought it had, and she relaxed and worked well, but as soon as she went into the arena she definitely dipped into her fuel reserves and started bucking and spooking!! I was not very impressed

The judges comments were ‘lovely horse, showing lots of potential, needs to relax and show more submission, very well ridden!’ So after that fiasco I went back into the collecting ring and kept her mind busy right to the last second before her next test, which worked a treat, she went much, much better and was placed seventh in a huge class so I was very pleased.

Sultan (Sultao De Valada) has definitely put all his injury woes behind him and was on cracking form and won his first class with 70% and was second in his next class with 68%, which I am delighted with.

He too though was not his usual chilled out self, I don’t think he has ever bucked since I’ve had him and yet he gave me several heart stopping moments where he was bucking and kicking his heels, great to feel him so enthusiastic about being out and about!

Sultan -Dressage Port Royal Halt Salute

So with those two feeling fresh and raring to go I intend to take full advantage of all that energy and get out competing as much as possible! They won’t know what’s hit them!

I have also been training with Christopher Bartle and took Maxi Moo, which was his first trip out away from the yard.  He is entered for his first competition in about 10 days time so I am very fortunate to have Christopher’s expert input into the preparations.

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EquestrianClearance.com’s Sponsored Event Rider Harriet Morris-Baumber Talks About Her Advanced Ride Shannon Dales Skatman.

Here we talk to EquestrianClearance.com sponsored event rider Harriet Morris-Baumber about her Advanced ride Shannon Dales Skatman.

Name: Shannon Dales Skatman
Stable name: Snowy
Owner: Kim & Harriet Morris-Baumber
Colour: WHITE! (grey)
Sex: Gelding
Height: 17hh
Age: 16
Breed: Irish sport horse
Competition level: advanced

Introduction

Won a bronze medal as part of the GB team competing at the CIC** European Championships in Hungary, also listed for GB Young Rider team.
He is extremely naughty, loves escaping from his stable, he is the ‘king’ of the yard and is the source of all mischief! Snowy loves to be really really dirty and protests violently when being washed. He is the world’s biggest show off! Snowy loves jumping and thinks dressage is a total waste of his time, I have to ‘con’ him into practising dressage tests by doing it in the field around the cross country fences

His tack

Snaffle with a lozenge for flat work (no flash) and Waterford for SJ and XC (with a flash!)

His feed

I have to be really careful what I feed him as he is very sharp but also lacks condition at times so I have found Winergy Equilibrium Growth to suit him perfectly. The quantity varies depending on work load, it ranges from ½ scoop twice a day to 2 scoops twice a day

His performance strengths

He loves showing off so he performs best when there is a lot of atmosphere! In the show jumping in Hungary the atmosphere was very intense and as he jumped the first fence the crowd gasped as he jumped it so big, then the more the crowd gasped the higher he jumped!! He was in his element! He is very adjustable despite his size and is very good at jumping and turning… great when you have skinnies on a bending line!

His weaknesses

He thinks dressage is a waste of his time so he can be very lazy, especially when warming up, the best test he ever did was when the wind roaring and rain was beating down, he was about to explode, but I managed to channel it and he produced a brilliant test, so I always pray for a mini hurricane now!

Future plans

Last year he caught a virus which took months and months for him to recover from which was really disappointing so plans for 2012 and beyond are for him to return to eventing and focus on bigger one day competitions such as Chatsworth and Belton.

Three secrets that our readers should know about him:

1) Snowy IS ‘the stig’ from top gear
2) Snowy would be delighted if he was allowed to go to a very important competition still covered in mud and dirt and stable stains… he would think he was the coolest horse there
3) He has a make-up bag that we use at competitions so he looks FAB-U –LOUS at all times

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Eventing Season Just Around The Corner

With Christmas behind us the eventing season only seems a few weeks away now!

We had a quiet time competition wise over December as I had an operation and had to have 10 days off riding, which I found very frustrating,

I have been able to really concentrate on perfecting different things though so hopefully when we go out competing this weekend we should be able to put all the practice into our performance….always easier said than do though!

I suspect the horses will be quite fresh when they get out and about again, Annie (Ruby Gunnar) is certainly feeling very well at home, only this morning I was having to sit tight as the shooting party opened fire in the wood behind our yard!

Maxi Moo, the ex-racehorse is going well and will soon be ready to go to his first dressage competition, which I am very excited about. I bought him straight out of racing and considering I have only had him a little over three months I am very impressed with his attitude to his new career.

The EquestrianClearance.com Winter Training Series at the yard has really taken off and I am very excited about all the new partnerships I am watching develop as the series progresses.

We have been really really lucky with the weather as a repeat of last winter’s cold spell would have made winter so far such a different story!

I am very much hoping the weather continues to be mild as everyone is really looking forward to getting out onto the cross-country course, and the going at the minute is almost perfect.

If you are interested in taking part in the Winter Training series supported by EquestrianClearance.com details can be found here.

Bye for now Harriet

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Sultan is back on form!

Well with the leaves now falling and the weather gradually turning more wintery it is time to wrap up warm and focus on training and getting in some dressage and show jumping practice.

The wonderful Sultan is back to his best and looking in great shape.  He really has been a brilliant horse to produce and train and he is turning his hoof to dressage so well.

We made a visit to Epworth Equestrian recently for their British Dressage competition and had a great time.

Sultan was at his best winning both his classes with 69% and 70% so we couldn’t have been more pleased and he is only one point off qualifying for the regional finals which is very exciting.

Our young horse Annie is improving dramatically and also went really well finishing second in her first prelim test on a score of 67% before winning the second on 68%.

Fingers crossed for more wins! Will update you soon on our next outing.

Best wishes,

Harriet

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Annie’s Eventing Career Gets Underway

Harriet with Ruby Gunnar, also known as Annie.

I have been delighted with the way Annie, or Ruby Gunnar as she is known when competing, has been going. She is proving to be a real star and I cannot praise her enough.

Our first ‘proper’ event was at Brooksby where we completed a nice dressage with just a few unsettled moments to finish on a score of 36. The show jumping also went well with just one fence down as she rushed on a bit and just tipped a pole out of the cups.

On the cross-country course Annie was great and despite going quite green at the start by fence seven she was in a lovely rhythm and was really enjoying herself.

Overall I couldn’t have been more pleased with her performance and the team really enjoyed the day.

Our next event was Bishop Burton which is quite near to home and one of my favourite competitions. The day started with a fabulous dressage, Annie concentrated really hard and really listened to me being very obedient and attentive.

EquestrianClearance.com sponsored eventer Harriet Morris-Baumber and Annie

The show jumping was much better than at Brooksby when she was much calmer and more settled. Annie jumped out of a much slower, calmer rhythm and we recorded a super clear round much to the delight of her owner Ros.

The cross-country was just brilliant and she jumped everything out of her stride and was really bold, making the course feel very easy and like she was enjoying herself.

We had an army of supporters come to watch us and everyone was cheering for her as we crossed the finish line!

For Annie to improve so much in just a week I am absolutely delighted with her. I was so pleased that she did such a good dressage and to jump a double clear was just brilliant.

Harriet and Annie tackle the cross country course

Annie has only been with us for five months and arrived as a freshly broken baby who had never jumped before so I am so pleased with her progress.

Catch up soon,

Harriet

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Coming On In Leaps and Bounds!

It has been a busy month with lots of training and gaining more experience with the youngsters.

Annie was a very good girl at the end of August, jumping two super rounds in a show cross competition at Port Royal to finish in fourth place.

Show cross competitions involve jumping a round of show jumps then moving straight on to the cross country fences, all in the same arena. The course was very long with lots of twists and turns so I was really pleased with how well she went.

Annie is coming on in leaps and bounds and had her first cross country schooling session at Richmond. Following their BE event they opened the course for schooling which is an ideal opportunity to gain some experience over good courses.

She was a little bit green and spooky over the first couple of fences but once she got going she was brilliant and gave a lovely feeling over the fences. She went straight into the water with no hesitation, which I was really pleased about!

All eyes are now forward to her first BE event on 25^th September at Brooksby Melton College in Leicestershire.

Snowy

Snowy is now back in work and recovering well after his nasty virus. We have started with some light training and I am sure we will be back competing soon.

Sultan is also getting back to full fitness.  He has just started cantering again (for the first time since April!). Management of injuries and careful rehabilitation is crucial.