One Day Event!

So last week was busy preparing for Aston le Walls One Day event with hacking, dressage and jumping practise! Finally the big day came and with the weather set to be persistent rain, most of the car was full of various rugs!

I'm not going to blab on too much about it but it was an amazing day! I wrote off getting a place when we arrived late, I had no time to warm up for my dressage and Guinness spent 5 minutes before his test, rearing on the spot waiting to go in! There must have been 30 plus horses in and around the dressage arenas and warm up which was all a bit much for Guinness to take in 10 minutes after coming off the trailer. Never the less, we cracked on. The first half of my test was spent mostly going sideways but the second half was moderate and at least fairly straight.

When I walked the XC, I was suddenly aware that BE90 was bigger than I'd remembered! It's been 18 months since Guinness and I last went eventing and we've never before braved the 90cm class. Guinness has always been capable but his concentration, tension, spookiness and nappiness has always caused us problems. Suddenly I realised I wasn't going to be able to pop any of these out of a sideways trot if he got distracted!

The showjumping warm up was much less busy and Guinness warmed up well, although he was intent on only doing medium trot and medium canter, we stayed in a rhythm and he flew a few warm up fences with gusto! Into the ring and one little buck as the stewards sounded the bell and I gathered up my canter and pushed on. Guinness absolutely flew round, not looking at a filler or even the entrance and I was so pleased with our round! Took a long stride to one and just rubbed a pole but 4 faults and no airs above the ground; I couldn't have been happier!

We went straight to the XC start and were the first to go in my class. Getting out the start box has always been our biggest issue but I was very, very determined and I think Guinness knew so. 3-2-1- GO!!!

We flew out the start box and lots of leg and a few taps down the shoulder and the first 3 fences were a blur. I felt like we were taking every fence on a forward bold stride and I realised Guinness has never felt this confident before! Fence 6 was my worry. A big corner, off a 90 degree turn right by the mound with all the spectators. I made a good turn, got dead straight and kicked on to ensure Guinness locked on early. I felt him back off for a millisecond and quickly put my reins in one hand and gave him a tap so he knew there was no backing off now! We flew the fence, my reins in one hand and a huge sigh of relief from me on landing! 

We took our time through the water (walk in.....splash around a bit... tip toe out!) but the rest of the course flowed easily from a big bold canter and we galloped over the last and through the finish!! CLEAR!!!!

If any of you followed my previous blog which I started when I first got Guinness you will know how much we have over come together and how much of a big deal this was for me!! I'm so proud of him and yesterday he gave me the feeling that he really wanted to do it for me and that he really, really enjoyed it!! Best feeling ever!!!

We probably won't go eventing again this year as we've got lots of dressage planned over the next few months, but I'll definitely plan to do some more in the spring!

A great few days with Guinness...

XC practise
This weekend, Guinness and I brushed up on our cross country skills with a trip to Attington with my friend Louise and her horse Blondie. The weather was a little on the damp side, but compared to previous XC schooling experiences, Guinness warmed up extremely well and felt very relaxed. He was however a little pre-occupied with where Blondie was at first and kept not looking at the fence until stride before take off!!! Once we settled in to a better rythmn and I had his attention, Guinness was taking the jumps in his usual bold style. We jumped coffins, corners, houses on an angle and a scopey trakhener. I was very pleased to pop a double of skinnies on a dog leg and I feel much more confident about Aston le Walls this coming weekend!

Blondie and Guinness are becoming good buddies with all their recent outings together. I had to wait 10 minutes before I could tack up as they were to engrossed in grooming each other!

Amazing flatwork sessions!!
I had an amazing flatwork session this morning. I'm loving my new warm up routine which goes as follows:

• Walk on a long rein then collect the walk (still on a long rein) with belly button and core, then release and lengthen stride. This really gets Guinness walking out without me having to use my leg at all.
• Walk on a long rein shoulder in, then leg yield. Repeat on both reins. Gets Guinness accepting my leg but also lighter off my aids.
• Free walk on a long rein - pick up to medium walk - free walk on a long rein, repeat several times. This gets Guinness coming up into my contact in an accepting way, and helps him to not fuss with the bit, which has always been one of his 'thoroghbredy' weaknesses.
• Medium walk, shoulder in- leg yield - traver - half pass. Repeat on both reins.
  
• Then I do my canter warm up which involves a lot of forward and collect, using my core and belly button. I do inside and outside flexion on both reins and counter canter. This helps with his balance and helps him to come up in the shoulder.
  
• Then I do my trot warm up. Trot on a long rein, including shoulder in and leg yield. Then pick up to working trot, shoulder in- leg yeild - traver - half pass.
• Then work the trot medium on a circle then collect, then back to medium, just to get him lighter and more responsive off my aids.

All the above usually takes me about 25 minutes with a few walk breaks (to catch my breath!) and although I will then probably only do about 20mins of actual 'schooling' (followed by 5-10 mins cool down) I feel it's more productive this way than to rush the warm up and spend 40 minutes schooling when you haven't got all the buttons quite tuned which makes practising anything new much harder.

Today the traver just seemed to click and I felt like we really nailed the canter half pass for the very first time!! Plus Guinness trot mediums felt like he was about to dislocate his shoulders he was powering through from behind so much! Could not stop grinning and cuddling my amazing pony after and he deservedly got half a manger of carrots as a thank you!!! 

Very excited about my first affiliated elementary tests in a few weeks.... just got to get through the One Day event first!!!!

Groundwork and a pamper day for Guinness, a little operation for Peroni and lots of lessons!

So Peroni successfully had his little nose lump removed! After a decent dose of sedative and lots of local anaesthetic the lump came away quite nicely. Thankfully it wasn't the blood bath Olwen from Chess Valley Equine had mentally prepared me for and Peroni was a little superstar. He stayed in for 24 hrs and then was happy as larry to go back out in his field the next day. 

Guinness has  enjoyed some groundwork this week. I love my groundwork and it really helps Guinness and I with our communication and especially our bond, plus it allows Guinness a safe way to let off some steam. He likes to gallop round and rear and buck for the first ten minutes and then it's down to the proper stuff! Now his hocks are feeling better after his injections he likes to demonstrate this by showing me how high he can stand on his back legs but I'm never quick enough to get a picture!

On Friday Guinness was properly pampered with a lovely massage in the morning. Ros from 'Horse and Hand' has massaged Guinness for several years now and like all horses he can develop some tightness in his muscles. Thankfully Guinness is great at telling me when he needs some muscular release and so Ros came and worked on him to release any tensions built up before our one day even next weekend. 

When I first got Guinness I wrote an article on the benefits of Equine sports Massage and a case study for Chalfont Heights Riding Club newsletter. If you would like to read this or are interested in if this might be helpful with your own horse, then click here.

New Shoes!

Then in the afternoon, Sam Coad came to attend to his feet. Guinness has always had very flat, brittle feet, typical of his breed, but Sam keeps them in great shape so he can perform to his best!

Today I've had a great day teaching in the sunshine (although my shoulders are now a bit rosey!) 

Martha and Bingo practised their cross country technique over angled fences, skinnies and corners. It was lovely to meet Sarah's new horse "Havanna". She's a perfect fit for Sarah and her kids and I'm sure they are going to go on to do great things together! Ryan worked on his position and canter transitions with Puzzle and then worked over some canter poles. Finished off teaching Anna and 'William' in Seer Green. Anna is an excellent client to teach as she is very aware of how her position affects Will and although she has a weakness in her hip which makes if difficult to sit straight, since I've been teaching her this last 6 months not only has her strength and position improved but so has Williams strength and straightness!

Saud and 'Big Joe'

At Moorwards this week we said farewell to Saud, who is returning to his home country after finishing his degree. He came to Moorwards having never sat on a horse and in only 13 lessons, has achieved rising trot, some small jumps and even an accidental canter!. He has totally fallen in love with riding and especially with our lovely " Big Joe".

Jump training and a vet visit for Peroni

So two days back in the normal routine and reminded how lucky I am.

Guinness is going so well and we did some jumping before work today which was great fun. As the quality of my canter has improved with all the recent focus on our flat work training this has had a huge improvement on our jumping. Guinness certainly was excited to see jumps up in the school and although I felt a bit rusty at first and it took a while to get my eye in to find the right stride every time, by the end we were forward, bold and feeling very confident. I finished just before Guinness excitability got too much to contain and ended on a pleasing note.

Later today I took some of what I'd practised to my pupils at Moorwards and we did canter poles and grids with placing poles and landing poles throughout. Even though the ability in group varied quite dramatically, everyone had a great lesson, taking away one key point to work on next time. I was so proud of Grace who, although she has only started cantering on her pony Dexter in the last few months, confidently cantered through the grid like an old timer. It's so satisfying when you can see the bricks of confidence each week slowing building up and up and both pony and rider having a great time together!

Peroni my yearling has unfortunately opened up his nose wound again and is being visited by our lovely vet Olwen from Chess valley equine tomorrow. He cut it a few month ago and it just hasn't knitted back together well so I think he might have to have the flap of skin removed now as it's becoming problematic especially as it's right where the nose band on his head collar goes. Fingers crossed Olwen can fix him up nicely.

First day back on home soil!

The Pyrenees Mountains!

Home again..

Well I'm back. As much as I love it in France, nothing quite beats the shade of green we get from our grass here in England and it always makes me happy to be here. I had a lovely break and visited markets in St Girons, a Jazz festival in Tarbes and amazing scenery in Luchon as well as a lovely day out sight-seeing in Toulouse. I also enjoyed lots of bread, french cheeses and plenty of sleep!!

My sisters horses who emigrated with her and the rest of my family in 2013 are both very well. Beanie, a 16.3 Irish sports horse is training well at home and Taffy, my first pony who is going to be 30 this October (shhh! don't let him know that!), is as fit and full of life as ever and is enjoying the new cross country jumps they have at the yard!





Europian Dressage Championships at Aarchen
I've been avidly following the dressage championships the last few days and it's been as nail-biting as it's been controversial! Having learnt so much the last few years about understanding horse communication it's blatant to me which partnerships are in harmony with both horse and rider free and relaxed compared to those who look tense and even a bit forced. I totally love dressage because of the harmony factor between horse and rider but I almost think the sport has become so focussed on flashy extravagant movement which appeals to the masses of slightly mislead eyes in the international audience, that some of the basics of relaxation and harmony are being overlooked. That being said I'm not holding my hand up to swap places with any of those riders yet!!!! The amount of concentration from both horse and rider, under that amount of pressure in such an electric atmosphere is phenomenal. For me, Carl and Nip Tuck really showed what correct training can achieve in the Kur and although he had some small mistakes (which are totally understandable), not once did 'Nip Tuck' fall behind the vertical, his extended walk showed true relaxation and his expression was positive throughout with pricked ears and almost a grin on his face! A real pleasure to watch and a true inspiration.

Training with Guinness
Fresh off the plane, I squeezed in a lesson with my trainer, Sue Edwards. This was the first time I'd ridden Guinness after 12 days off which could have gone one of two ways!! However, he outdid himself as usual and we had a fabulous lesson. Today we really worked on me using my core to engage for my collection and release my belly button and hips for more forward and length of stride. At first I found this particularly difficult in the walk, where bad habit means my first impulse is to put my leg on to ask for more energy. However, with practise, I was able to move my leg away when I felt the need for more 'go' and release my hips and core instead and it was amazing how quickly the energy flowed through us both. It's so easy to fall in to the habit of relying too heavily on leg aids but one I'm definately going to concentrate on going forwards!

I've entered for Aston-le-walls One Day event at the end of the month so Guinness and I will be doing lots of hacking and a bit of jumping this week, to make sure were not too rusty!!!

It's back to work tomorrow and I'm looking forward to catching up with the Moorwards crew and a busy week of lessons and fun and games with the happy hoof campers!

My horses and recent sucesses!

So, firstly, a bit about me and my horses. My competition horse and closest equestrian partner is Guinness, a 9 year old ex-racehorse I’ve owned since his 4^th birthday. Retraining Guinness has been my greatest achievement so far in my eyes (my previous blog racehorse2eventer details all my struggles with keeping him sane and keeping him sound!). The first part of this year was mostly spent with Guinness recovering from a pulled muscle on the inside of his hock, so this year got off to a slow start. In June, things started to pick up and training with Sue Edwards was progressing extremely well, so I decided to aim for some dressage competitions. Before affiliating to British Dressage I wanted to qualify for the Chiltern and Thames unaffiliated dressage champs. On the 21^st June, I set off for a local competition at Rob Waine Dressage in Beaconsfield. An excellent warm up culminated in two excellent test resulting in Novice and Elementary qualification and two first place rosettes! 76.15% in Novice 24 and 69% in Elementary 49. Not a bad start!!

A week later, Guinness and I enjoyed a leisurely stroll around Milton Keynes eventing centre with my friends from Moorwards Farm, raising money for medical detection dogs with ‘canter for a cure’. Guinness enjoyed himself and we popped over some of the cross country fences at the end and had a splash in the water. I think a varied exercise regime is so important for all horses, not only for their physical development but also to keep things interesting and to challenge them mentally so they get even more enjoyment from their work.

On 13^th July, we embarked on our first affiliated competition in over a year. A hiccup with the trailer and torrential rain didn’t make for a particularly calm warm up but credit to Guinness, he kept his cool and despite sideways rain, pulled out two fantastic performances again. 69.26% in Novice 23 and 68.45% in Novice 39 and two more red rosettes! The thoroughbred had done it again!

6 days later, we headed to Bury Farm in Slapton and tested ourselves in a busier environment. I made a few mistakes in my second test (all my fault) but still achieved 61.38% in Novice 39 but my first test was better in Novice 23 with 67.13% and a 4^th place, giving me my 3 results over 65% to qualify for Area Petplan regionals!

On 26^th July weather was yet again not on our side at Classic Dressage. Although the warm up was indoors the outside arena was practically under water and my mediums suffered as a result. However I was still over the moon to achieve 69.31% in novice 39 and a 5^th place in a very hotly contested class.

The next day I took Guinness with me to Moorwards Farm for the week where I was helping with the pony club camp. It was great to have Guinness with me and during a few quiet moments in the evening we did a bit of jumping, had a canter round the track and played with some ground work ‘at liberty’. It was a really special time together.

Guinness is now enjoying a short and well earned holiday whilst I’m away visiting my family in France, but when I’m back it’s straight back to it with lessons booked in with my trainer Sue Edwards, and a Horse Trials at Aston le walls booked in for the end of August!

 Peroni at 1 day old!

My other horse is my KWPN youngster, Peroni. Bought from my close friend Kevin Malyon who bred him himself from his stallion and one of his mares, I actually agreed to buy him before he was even born! I first saw him at only 5 hours old and I’ve very much enjoyed watching him grow, gaining his trust (which is still an ongoing project!) and even starting some groundwork training. He is so interesting and with his excellent breeding all the effort I put in between now and hopefully when it’s time to back him, we will be a great partnership.

Peroni now at 14 months