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The season picked up a notch in May with four event days and a hunter trial.

Rod and Uno went to Brechin at the start of the month for the open novice. Rod was a late entry after his run at Scone where trying a new bit led to a cricket score! So frustrating and he went really well in it at home! Uno was having his last run at novice before going intermediate the following weekend so a good performance was expected from both horses. Zak also went along to be worked and get more experience in a busy atmosphere. Rod and Uno managed to get the same dressage score and both produced double clears, with Uno third and Rod fourth, picking up the first eventing prize money of the season.

Three went to Auchinleck the following weekend, with Rod and Jay doing the open intermediate and Uno doing his first intermediate. We stabled at Rowallan the night before and Rod managed to wind himself up to the max. This continued the following day where he totally refused to let me on before the dressage so he needed a spin on the lunge before he would consent to have a rider on his back. He settled in the warm up but put on a display of grumpy, bad behaviour in his test, with dressage being his better phase this did not bode well for the rest of the day! Fortunately he calmed down progressively, after the excitement of stabling away had worn off, and jumped a good double clear. Jay did her best test to date and followed up with a double clear to finish 6th in a competitive section. Uno warmed up beautifully for the dressage but unfortunately the judge was writing an ‘essay’ and sent us round the arena six times so he thought he had finished poncing about before he went down the centre line. He also jumped a double clear which was very pleasing as he felt quite bold and confident even though there were several ditches on the cross country which he hasn’t always been that keen on. The course was up to height from the start, something I had forgotten about since I last rode at the event. Having done the intermediate course on Taz a few years ago all I remembered was that it rode well, forgetting just how much of a jumper he was, no course ever felt tough for him! With these three jumping round well, they are hopefully on their way to being as good as him in this phase, but preferably a bit more rideable.

Newt and Zak had their first competitive outings the following weekend at the Strathearn Pony Club hunter trials. I was a member of this branch when I was younger and hadn’t done the hunter trial since I was riding Wattie (now the yard babysitter at the age of 23). Newt was excited to be at a party but went really well round most of the course. He had a green stop but then managed to tip me off when he tripped up the step out of the water. My Dad caught him and was heading back to the trailer while I took off my air jacket, I then had to chase after him as Dad presumed it was the ‘one fall and out’ rule. So after repeatedly shouting Dad, and all the males in ear shot turning round to look, I remounted and finished the course. This is pretty much the same sort of thing that happened to me when I did Pony Club competitions first time round, so some things never change! After retrieving Newt and restarting where I came off, he finished the rest of the course as if nothing had happened. Zak was also impressed to be at a party and couldn’t possibly go near the smallest practice jump. Fortunately, he then realised he was meant to leave the ground and had no further problem. When out on the course he had a couple of green moments and added in a few extra jumps by leaping over every patch of sand between fences- luckily this got boring by midway and he was considering himself to be quite the professional by the end.

Newt had a cross country school during the week before going to his first event of the year at Floors. He did a not too wobbly dressage test and went double clear within the time to finish third in a large, competitive section. He even picked up some prize money, which is a first for him! Hopefully he is now on the right track after all his little setbacks so the aim for this year is to quietly gain some more experience while he strengthens up. Rod, Uno and Jay were at Floors the following day for open intermediate and intermediate runs. Rod was much more settled this week and did his best test of the season to get a 33. Jay didn’t go as well as she can so I was a bit disappointed with her test but she still came away with a 34. Uno was more civilised but still too wriggly so got a 44 before going clear showjumping and going well cross country with a green runout at a skinny after a step down. He had been spooking at the step, landed short and couldn’t make the distance to the skinny but it was one of those things that happens when horses are learning. Jay and Rod both had one down in the showjumping and went clear cross country with Jay finishing 8th and Rod 11th.

Spirit was returned to his owner at the start of the month. He had to overcome a few initial challenges including arriving with a worm burden and sarcoids which had to be dealt with. After putting a lot of time, effort and money into him it was a difficult decision to make to return him as he is a lovely, handsome individual but he really didn’t have the brain of an event horse. The advice I sought from other professionals totally backed up my feeling and reluctantly he wasn’t a horse for me.

Only two events this month but one was the first three day of the year, at Burgie, which was the main target for three of the horses for the first half of the season.

The week previously, Newt had again been in action in public again at Oatridge. He warmed up well for the dressage but managed to get a mouthful of grass when I had to adjust his saddle just before the test. He spent the test concentrating on sucking every last blade of grass from his bit rather than on dressage so he got the mark he deserved, most irritating after going so well! He followed this up with a good double clear with some cross country time penalties so finished out of the placings but felt much more grown up in the jumping phases.

Uno, Jay and Rod made the trip north to Burgie, which was down on entries so ran a day shorter than normal. This meant we were very busy with three dressage tests on Friday and five coursewalks to be completed before Saturday. Rod and Jay were in the two star, with Uno in the one star. Rod went better than he has done in the dressage at this level before to be seven marks off the lead. Jay did a very civilised test but one judge gave her nearly twenty marks less than the other so she was four penalties behind Rod at this stage! Uno’s test was mixed with some very good trot work to start, a good walk and a good second canter. His rein back was non-existent and his first set of canter movements also didn’t happen so I was pleased with his mark in the 50s. When he manages to contain himself for an entire test he should be capable of getting a very good mark. On cross country day, Uno started off brilliantly but after flying round the majority of the course he got confused at the second last combination resulting in a stop and a circle before slipping and losing his footing when coming out of the water for our third disobedience and short walk home. He was up on the clock and had made it all feel easy so there were a lot of positives to take from the round although the result on paper does not look good. Rod was up next and set off enthusiastically before running out at the fifth, then twice at the seventh to get eliminated. He had no intention of jumping anything narrow out on course despite having done them in the warm up so he was not popular. He seemed to be back on track cross country after his last two clear rounds and he jumped clear round Burgie last year so this was very disappointing. The plan is to keep him for one days for the rest of the season. Jay was left to restore morale and duly obliged with a fast clear, going all the straight routes very smoothly. With only one to trot up on Sunday, we didn’t have as early a start as planned and were then able to get the lorry packed up before her showjumping in the afternoon. She felt great in the warm up and jumped a very good round but for some reason she got slightly distracted by something outside the ring and caught the fourth fence behind to have four faults which dropped her down a place to seventh. This was the first time she has been required for a mounted prize giving but she showed how much she has matured over the past couple of years by taking it in her stride and almost being bored by it! Quite a change from the horse who even as a six year old had to be sent off to work on her own at jumping clinics until she had calmed down sufficiently (which never seemed to happen) to work in company. She will head for her first advanced at the end of July, just the small matter of flying changes to deal with before then!

After Burgie, Jay and Uno had a short break but Rod, having only done less than two minutes cantering was kept in work. The targets for the second half of the season have been set so work towards those has commenced.

Five days of events this month, starting at Hopetoun with Newt and Silver. Newt did a less wobbly dressage test than previously before a good clear showjumping before having a green stop at the trakehner. In his defence, Jay did stop twice at this fence when she did the pre novice four years ago and she has never had an issue with ditches since so he has been excused this time. This was my first event with Silver and we hadn’t had the chance to go cross country schooling as he had given himself a knock in the stable earlier in the week. He did an acceptable dressage, had an unlucky two down in the showjumping at the final treble before storming round three quarters of the cross country until he applied the brakes turning into the water. He rooted himself to the spot and got himself in a bit of a state about turning right. The fence wasn’t the issue as he hadn’t even noticed it but he apparently has had these ‘moments’ before so we will need to work on building a partnership.

Eglinton was the following weekend with six horses over the two days, the busiest I have been for a while! Jay, Rod and Uno were doing the open intermediate and intermediate on the first day. Uno was rather harshly marked in the dressage and was clear up to the final treble in the showjumping when the next rider in rode across the end of the line and distracted him, causing him to lose rhythm and have a stop at the last element. I withdrew him before the cross country as he was sitting on a non qualifying score and the ground was on the firm side. Jay was a bit behind my leg in the dressage for a high 30s score, then didn’t pay much attention in the showjumping to have two down. I ran her steadily cross country for her to finish 8th, her fourth top ten finish in a row. Rod was on his final warning after Burgie, if he did not perform at Eglinton I was considering his career options! He came out in a very good mood, showing off in the dressage for a 30, one of few clears showjumping and the fastest time of the section on the cross country for a win. This is the first time this year that he has felt like he has performed to the level he is capable of which in one way is pleasing but is also frustrating as he has plenty of talent if he deigns to use it! There was an early start the following day with Newt doing the prenovice, Silver the novice and Zak making his debut in the intro. Newt did another solid test and clear showjumping before having another green moment cross country without which he would have had a top placing- all in good time, I hope. Silver did a similar dressage test to the previous week but got a harsher mark, left all the showjumps standing but had a run past one jump for four jumping and four time penalties. He had one stop cross country at the water, where he had a rather wet fall last year but at least it was a completion this week without even a hint of napping. Zak had had a long wait on the lorry and was not impressed with the request of a dressage test. He stayed in the arena but behaved like a child not wanting to go to school! He did an exciting clear showjumping and after a stop at the first cross country jump, went round the rest of the course without a second glance.

Aston le walls was the next event which coincided with attending a family wedding nearby the following day. This was Jay’s first advanced and also her first time competing in England. I last went to Aston five years ago for the young rider final trial which Tom won. She was very calm when we arrived the day before but concentration levels were not impressive when she warmed up for her test. She was in season and doesn’t like other horses coming towards her so there were a few whip rounds and scootings off bucking before going down the centre line! Her test wasn’t as good as she is able to do so her mark of 40 was acceptable considering her lack of behaviour. She had one show jump down but there were few clear rounds and she coped with the step up in height well. I didn’t wear a watch cross country and let her go at her own pace as she had missed canter work after pricking her sole at Eglinton. She went clear taking all the direct routes and came home with 6.8 time penalties which was among the faster times in her section. The course was predominantly flat so I think the fact she is used to running up and down hills round courses up north contributed to her being able to stay in a consistent rhythm for a fast time without having to be pushed. She finished 20th out of 80 starter in the 8/9 year old class which was very pleasing considering she missed so much time last year and didn’t perform to her best in the dressage phase.

The last day of the month saw us at Strathallan with Uno in the intermediate novice and Siler in the novice. Uno’s dressage arena was next to the cross country and when a horse came through the finish as he went down the centre line, he decided there was no way he was doing circles when the exciting part he would rather be doing was going on. He did settle down by the final movements but his mark of 57 was probably generous! He was still excited in the showjumping, clearing each fence by at least a foot for a clear round. He was strong early on the cross country but had a stop at a step down in to water under trees. This was similar to the issue he had at Burgie so I took him back to the schooling day to build some confidence. Silver did a better dressage test but wasn’t rewarded with a mark to match, had one down showjumping and had another of his moments on the cross country. We were back to Strathallan the next day for Newt to do the pre novice and Zak having another intro outing. Zak was much better behaved this time and did some nice trot work early in his test but decided he had taken enough instructions by the time the canter work came. He got a poor mark which he didn’t deserve as there was little difference in the marks where he was behaving and when he wasn’t. His day improved as he did a competent double clear. Newt did another consistent test and jumping in a downpour that made the going slippery, tipped the last showjump. He then went clear in the time cross country to finish 7th.

I have also been busy writing this month, with the first article appearing in the Scottish and Northern Equestrian Magazine. It was an honour to be asked to do this, although it feels like being back at uni with deadlines to work towards, and there are two more to come in the following months.

The yard was nearly at full capacity as we had a schooling livery in while their owner was on holiday. I enjoy working with new horses as it is a challenge to get to know them and work out what makes them tick in a short space of time.  The teaching side of things has also been busy but it is great to see people progressing towards their goals.

Hendersyde, Scone and Blair are the events for August.