News Archive

A very busy and mixed month. Things started off well on 1st March with Tom having a winning first BSJA outing of the year. He won a 1.15 speed class and jumped really well in a Foxhunter qualifier which was huge (for an eventer!), just tapping a pole off the back bar of an oxer (I was anti safety cup here as in traditional ones it wouldn’t have fallen- safety cups release when there is downward pressure on the pole, normal ones don’t) and missed out on a 2nd place.

The following week I took Newt, Oz and Uno to jump on tickets and again they all went well and would have been placed if they were registered.

During the previous week I had spent three days at Ingliston doing the first part of a UKCC Level 3 coaching course. Being the youngest there and the only eventer I was quite apprehensive about it but once it got going I really enjoyed it and have come away with plenty of new ideas. It turned out that being an eventer and having knowledge of the three disciplines was almost an advantage as it is a generic course. The next dates are at the end of September and I have a portfolio to complete before I can sit the practical assessment at the end of the course.

Rod and J went to a hunter trial at Duns in preparation for their first event of the year at Lincoln. They both jumped good clear rounds but I didn’t think I had gone fast enough to be placed as we were just training so we left before the prize giving.

Two days later at SEA training the month took a turn in a different direction! I had taken J and Uno to training with John Ledingham. J had gone just about the best she has ever done and was even keeping up with the two pure showjumpers that were in the lesson. Uno also went well until the last exercise where he didn’t quite make the distance in a line of jumps (that he had already jumped) and came down on the back bar of an oxer- no safety cups this time! He broke the pole and couldn’t get his feet out in time to land so tipped over and did well not to squash me in the process. He was straight up on his feet none the worse but although I felt fine initially I soon realised something was amiss as I didn’t bounce up as quickly as I normally do. I had to be taken to hospital for an x ray which confirmed I had a displaced fracture of my left collar bone. Uno was fine and I was more annoyed that he had had a bad experience than me being injured- all the other oxers in the arena had safety cups on them so we were really unlucky to pick a fight with the wrong one! To complicate matters further I had driven myself to Ingliston so had to leave the horses there overnight and arrange for my Dad to drive them home in the lorry the following day while I went to the fracture clinic. The team at Ingliston and SEA were brilliant in helping me out, arranging stabling and feed for the horses so a big thanks must go to them. Uno was checked out by the vet the following day and was passed fit.

More hospital visits were needed for me and the different opinions I was given varied from being healed in 4 weeks to not moving the arm for 5 weeks. Needless to say I settled with a more active approach so after less than three weeks the shoulder brace and sling are off and I don’t need painkillers anymore. I have an xray  on 1st April and start physio the following day so I am likely to be given the green light to compete 6 weeks on from the injury. This meant that I had to withdraw from Lincoln and Weston.

I have had to alter the event plan slightly to account for the delayed start but the horses have been kept ticking over by my staff and Diana has been schooling them on the flat. David Gatherer very kindly offered to take 4 round a cross country course while he was teaching a clinic. Oz, Newt, Uno and Tom went so David had a varied day, with Tom being the perfect nanny to a horse that didn’t want to know about ditches and Uno pretended he had never seen water before- he would happily jump in but didn’t like paddling about in it at the start.

Most of the month was spent getting back in action! I had my second x-ray, three weeks on from the fall on the 1st. They were pleased enough with my progress to allow me to get back on board although jumping was not allowed and falling off forbidden for a further four weeks (if only it were that simple!).

I had my first sit on a horse the following day. The 22 year old, Wattie, was chosen as he was the least likely to spook and he was perfect for the job. I was amazed how sore I was the following day and how much fitness I had lost. I then went to my first physio session and was really sore afterwards after all the tension caused by the muscles having to compensate was worked out. I was given lots of stretc hes to work on but still not allowed to put any weight on the arm.

We went on a short holiday to Ireland, mainly to stop me trying to ride! It proved to be a good distraction even though it rained the whole time.

After five weeks were up I started to do some jumping. Tom was the obvious choice for this as we have been together as  a partnership for six years so I knew he would look after me. We managed to leave the ground successfully at home, then went to Ingliston for SEA training with John Ledingham. I was cut some slack and allowed to stop when I got tired as I still wasn’t riding fit. The first day went well although I wasn’t allowed to jump very high but I managed to miss big style on the second day! Tom being the saint that he is saved my bacon and still cleared the fence, I made a much better job on the second attempt but it did show how rusty I had become having not jumped for five weeks.

I stepped up my fitness programme by walking up an incline on a treadmill. I usually either run or go on a cross trainer but that had been banned by the physio as it wouldn’t do my shoulder any good. A further physio visit brought yet more pain but fortunately not as much as the first visit.

Three horses (Tom, J and Rod) were entered for Brechin in the open novice which was just over six weeks on from the injury.  Tom was entered to run first as he never pulls and I could see whether my shoulder was up to the job. The plan was to do the dressage and showjumping before deciding to run cross country. The day turned out more successful than intended with them all going double clear, J was 5th, Rod 6th and Tom 9th. I got a bit braver with each cross country round, Tom went round sedately and I got gradually faster on Rod and J. My shoulder coped well, only getting one jolt when Rod launched out the start box keen to get going.

Diana has been coming down twice a week while I have been sidelined to keep them ticking over. She did manage to get her own back when I got on at the end of the month- it was my turn to do the hard work!

After the delayed start to the season, May marked a return to normality with three events during the month. Five horses ran over two days at Scone with open pre novices on Saturday and the intermediates on Sunday. As Oz and Uno were having their first outings of the year and had had less preparation than normal, I dropped them down a level. Oz went well in the wet to come 2nd which was a big boost as it has taken a lot of patience and effort to get him back out and his owner has been rewarded with a successful outing. Uno was unsettled in the dressage due to the proximity of some peacocks which he thought were going to eat him, then went double clear to finish 10th. J, Rod and Tom were there for the intermediate and open intermediate. Tom had an unfortunate time in the dressage when the steward wouldn’t let him in the arena on his time and he was made to wait 40 minutes- he only does a maximum of 15 minutes work before his test as he blows up which he predictably did on this occasion so was last after this phase. Rod did a good test and J also got her best intermediate mark yet and was more consistent during her test so the hard work seems to now be paying off. Tom went double clear to finish 10th having been anchored by his dressage, Rod had a pole down in the influential showjumping then went clear cross country to finish 5th. J went double clear with a quick time to win the intermediate. I had intended to take her steadily but she had other ideas and seems to have learnt how to gallop this season as she never felt as if she was going fast but was covering the ground much more than previously. Scone was a great event in terms of results and my arm stood up to it pretty well.

J, Rod, Oz and Uno went to some SEA training at Ingliston with John Ledingham and the older ones went well while the younger ones took a bit more effort.

Zak came back from Rhona’s having spent a few weeks there while I was off. In addition to herding sheep he had also done a bit of jump schooling so he coped very well when I took him to a jumping clinic later in the month.

Floors was next with five running again. Oz and Uno were in the novice and had educational outings. Oz did a good test for his stage of training and went clear showjumping but had a glance off cross country- he had been quite bold at the previous drop fence and I didn’t get him back in time for the next combination and he popped out on my weak side. Uno was very lit up for the dressage so his marks ranged from 8 to 3 so there is plenty of scope for improvement. He too went clear jumping but had a green stop cross country during an otherwise promising round. J, Rod and Tom all went double clear the following day in the intermediate and open intermediate. J picked up a couple of time penalties as I made sure she went steadily to avoid upgrading to advanced but she earned a rosette for 7th. Rod and Tom both flew round the cross country to finish on their dressage scores with Rod 8th. The dressage judging in the open section was a tad contentious with several unhappy competitors and I wasn’t pleased with Rod’s mark of 40 as he had gone just as well as at Scone where he got a 30 for the same test but that’s the subjectivity of dressage.

Uno, Oz and Newt were due to go to Scotsburn but Uno had developed a slight skin irritation so needed medication which meant he had to miss out. Oz had lost 4 days work due to having a lost shoe so wasn’t as prepared as I would like particularly as the breaks needed altered from Floors the week before. Newt was quite wobbly in the dressage but finished 12th after a showjump down and time penalties cross country. Oz was 6th after dressage but didn’t seem to like the new bit for the showjumping or cross country so it’s back to the drawing board with him.

I also had my follow up x-ray this month and it was not the news I wanted to hear. There is still a sizable gap between the bones as they were very displaced initially. I was given the option of an operation or leaving it to see what happened so I opted for the latter but it did explain why I was having a bit of difficulty with horses running out to the left. Further bad news this month was that Harvey is likely to need an operation after a kick in the field from picking a fight with someone much bigger than him.

Three events this month with most of the horses getting an outing. First up was Hexham with Jay, Rod and Tom doing the intermediate / open intermediate so only one dressage test to remember. We travelled down on the morning of the event and managed to miss just about all of the rain. Tom did a much more settled dressage to get his best mark of the season, Jay also got her best mark to date and Rod did a good test for another good mark. The showjumping was up to height and influential with Jay and Tom going clear and Rod just having one down when the jockey got a bit keen. Tom went first cross country and decided to take a second look at the water jump but the other two put in fast clear rounds. Rod even managed to get time penalties for going two seconds too fast, I thought we weren’t going fast at the beginning of the round so I sent him on up the hill to the finish to help his fitness but I managed to underestimate his cruising speed as I wasn’t wearing a watch. Jay finished 4th in her section to upgrade to advanced and with Rod also finishing 4th  it was a successful outing.
Oatridge was the next outing for the younger horses. Newt doing his second pre novice of the year, and Oz and Uno doing the novice. A change of warm up tactics worked for Uno who produced a more settled test and gained an improved mark. Oz was quite spooky but still did a reasonable test. Newt felt very wobbly but also got a reasonable mark. The showjumping was held indoors and although not big there weren’t many clear rounds. Newt had one down as he has yet to master collection, while Uno and Oz went clear. The ground on the cross country was very hard despite efforts to improve it as there hadn’t been much rain in the lead up to the event so I decided not to run Newt and Oz as they aren’t really that long back following injuries. I would have withdrawn Uno too if we hadn’t missed events prior to this and as the course was small and straightforward it would be an ideal run before he went to do the novice at Burgie. I took him round very slowly but he gained a point for a double clear.

Rod, Uno and Oz made the trip up to Burgie later that week. Rod was doing the CCI** and the others were doing the novice on the Sunday. Rod had a Friday dressage and had been going really well but luck was against us. It rained heavily before his test making the ground very holding as he was in the last group to go. Being a short legged, small footed individual he gets very stuck in going like that, then he gets grumpy! He didn’t do too much wrong in the test other than get stuck in the pirouettes but his mark was by far the worst he’s ever had and he was fairly harshly marked compared with some other tests. Putting that disappointment behind us we were looking forward to the cross country which looked to be a tough test. The plan was to take all the direct routes as the intention is to move him up to advanced. He was held in the start box due to a fence repair so set off a bit fresh after the delay. We were too bold at the third fence so had to circle round the combination at four before taking the long route. This was frustrating but far better than risking a run out. He then went really well round the rest of the course, going all the straight routes and finished full of running with 12 time penalties caused by our early detour. His performance was all the more impressive as only one in three starters got round clear and he felt full of confidence. On Sunday he show jumped well but had one down which was my fault for cutting in a bit too much on a corner. He finished 18th and even managed a rosette for that. Meanwhile, Uno and Oz were doing the novice one day. Uno was the most settled he’s been for the dressage and again got a better mark. Oz did a good test on the whole but did try to turn tail and run in the opposite direction during a transition so got a mark in the 40s. Both showjumped clear and were handily placed going into the cross country. Uno went first and came home clear but with time penalties. Oz was storming round until the water at the second last where he misjudged the jump out, lost his backend and sent me flying. My air jacket worked as I didn’t feel hitting the ground, of course I managed to land on my broken side so checking my arm still worked was my main concern after seeing Oz disappear into the distance. It was really disappointing as he had been going so well and would have got a high placing had I just stayed on! He’s not had much luck this year but he’s due some soon hopefully.

The bad news this month is that Jay will miss the rest of the season. She trotted up sound after Hexham and although there was no heat I wasn’t happy with the way one of her legs felt. A scan confirmed that there was some minor damage so she was withdrawn from Burgie to start rehabilitation. Very disappointing news as I have been very careful with her but the positive side was that it was caught early and she should be back to full work in time for a winter of dressage and showjumping. Had it not have been spotted she would have done some severe damage on her next run and needed a lot more time off. She has had her second scan and things are definitely heading in the right direction. Harvey is also on the injured list having had an operation following rare complications from a kick. He was unimpressed to be on box rest and was certainly not following the instructions not to exert himself in anyway but now seems to have settled to his new routine.

July was spent working towards the targets for the second half of the season and things didn’t always go to plan.

Oz and Uno started off at Hopetoun in the novice. The ground was on the firm side and extremely slippy in places. Oz did an ok dressage but skated around in the showjumping to have two down although he jumped well. Uno had an exciting dressage warm up when a considerate competitor went shooting past him in the collecting ring en route to the cross country, he regained his composure only to have two loose horses rocket into him returning from the cross country! After some acrobatics he did calm down just before starting his test, which was pleasing as he was able to settle and concentrate despite all the distractions. He showjumped clear and did his most focused performance to date. On to cross country and Oz dwelt too long in front of the ditch in the coffin for 20 penalties but felt a bit spooky after his riderless jaunt at Burgie. Uno jumped round well but also hesitated at the coffin, trying to sneak out through my weak side. We headed off home but later found out he hadn’t been given a stop and was placed 6th- I assumed he would have been penalised in the same way as Oz because although neither of them stepped back or had to be re-presented they did have a think about it before they jumped.

We returned early the following morning for the four year old young event horse class with Zak. This was intended to give him an educational outing to build on the show jump schooling evening he had been to earlier in the week, rather than be evaluated on his perceived potential. He was quite spooky in the dressage and had a couple of looks at the first showjump but completed so as only 9 competitors remained he was required for the final showing section. Zak is not the type to do well in this sort of class being vertically challenged and half pony so his 8th placing was a bonus.

On to Eglinton the following week and Rod was doing his first advanced. He did a respectable dressage even though he felt the need to throw in an extra flying change, then showjumped clear to by lying 4th/5th going into cross country. The course was on the large side for an advanced but I was fairly confident before starting although I did wonder what he would make of the huge ditches that came early on. He set off meaning business and made light work of the course until we got to the road crossing where I didn’t get my approach quite right and Rod thought he was meant to swing right and head down the road. I was coming out the side door when he realised he had better jump the hedge out, I clung on until a stride after landing before gravity won. A silly fall but not Rod’s fault and I was pleased that he had made the effort to jump and kept us out of trouble. He had been going so well that although it was frustrating to retire I think he showed he was capable of coping with the extra height and width of advanced.  I was back the following day with Newt, Oz and Uno. Uno did a much improved dressage for 28.5 then went double clear for 3rd. Oz also did a good test for 33 then had one down showjumping but didn’t run cross country as I felt he needed a confidence building cross country school after Hopetoun. Newt was very excited to be out but the plan was not to run him cross country here. He did a good test although the judge didn’t agree and show jumped clear so I feel that he is progressing in the right direction.

Our next outing was Zak doing another young event horse class this time at Border Union. This was his owner’s first chance to see him competing and he did a much better dressage test and showjumped clear. His dressage mark did not reflect his performance as he got a poorer mark than he got at Hopetoun so he wasn’t required for the final section this time. This was no bad thing as I had to rush back home for a physio appointment to work on my shoulder before preparing Rod and Tom for Auchinleck advanced. Unfortunately Auchinleck had to cancel which was a shame. To fill in the weekend I took Newt cross country schooling to get him ready for Strathallan as the course there would be suitable for his first cross country run in a while. 

Four events this month starting with Strathallan. Heavy rain in the run up to the event made for challenging conditions. Newt ran in the pre novice but was harshly marked in the dressage before having one down in the showjumping and a clear in the time cross country to finish 11th. Oz and Uno were doing their first intermediate novices. Both were unimpressive in the dressage but Uno’s behaviour improved with a double clear. Oz had a couple of showjumps down before ducking out through my dodgy side at an angled combination then getting much too onward for the remainder of the course. A change of bit was planned for the next outing. Zak went the following day for the four year old class. He did an improved dressage test but went very green in the showjumping and had a couple of looks but improved as he went on. A bit disappointing given the lovely clear he had jumped on his last outing but that’s what happens with youngsters sometimes. I withdrew him from the cross country so as not to knock his confidence- there is always another day especially at his age.

Hendersyde the following weekend was a quiet event for us with only Uno in the intermediate novice and Oz in the novice. Uno had challenging conditions in the dressage as a heavy downpour had made the going very slick. He slipped a couple of times and had the added distraction of the judge flashing her car lights at him in an attempt to find the windscreen wipers! He then had one down in the showjumping before going clear cross country. Oz did a good dressage to be in the top few after this phase but wasted it by having four showjumps down. I decided to run him cross country to see how he went in the change of bit (obviously not a success in the showjumping!). He started off quite green and whipped round on the approach to a combination after getting away from me going down a steep hill so was given 20 penalties. He improved as he went on but the bit wasn’t really to his liking. Despite his problems he managed a rosette for 10th place as it seemed that other people had a worse day than he did.

At Scone the following weekend I decided to drop Oz down to the open pre novice to give him a confidence boost. He did a good test to lie second and finished on his dressage score to win the section which was an unexpected bonus. He is still strengthening up from his time off last year and as I am not yet at full strength either I will need to be patient with us both for a while longer. Tom, Rod and Uno went the following day. Tom and Rod were in the CIC** and Uno was contesting his first intermediate. Rod needed a qualifying result for Blair so we went fairly carefully to finish 8th and gain our qualification. Tom was delighted to be out for the first time since the beginning of June and added a few time penalties to his dressage score to finish outside the top 10. Uno did a reasonable dressage test, jumped a good showjump round and set off meaning business cross country. Unfortunately he misunderstood the 5th fence and ducked out to the side and having done it once he did the same thing at the second attempt, jumping through an overhanging branch. At this point I retired as he was genuinely confused by what is a fairly tricky fence.

Onto Blair and again the weather wasn’t very kind! Uno was doing his first three day and Tom and Rod were doing the CIC**(Rod’s first attempt at this level). Uno didn’t try particularly hard in the dressage and dropped behind my leg, getting a mark in the 60s. Tom tried his best in the deep going (not his favourite) and wind (also not his favourite), keeping it together until the last three movements where he started to go sideways, getting a 64. Rod had even deeper going to contend with and he got progressively more annoyed as the test progressed- not helped by me forgetting a rein back and the ground jury not noticing I hadn’t done it until five movements later and sending us to redo the test from the rein back. He got a 72 which is the first time Tom has beaten him at dressage. Rod then jumped clear round a testing showjumping with Tom not liking the ground and having one down. Rod was out second on the cross country and was storming round until the second water. I took the direct route in which didn’t ride too well and he lost impulsion and he just caught a knee on the jump out as a result and I tipped out to the left. I had the wind knocked out of me by my air jacket as I had leant it to someone in the one star who had accidentally set theirs off just before they had to start, what I hadn’t realised was that they had altered it from my setting so I had a bit of a shock when it went off! Rod was fine except for a small scrape on his knee. I was frustrated as he had been going brilliantly and made the course feel easy. Having gone out early I didn’t get to see how the fence rode and as it turned out hardly anyone attempted the direct route after a few uncomfortable looking jumps at it. I had to be passed fit to ride before taking Tom round. We took the alternative at the second water but he nipped out to the left at the following corner combination, yet another cross country penalty caused by my lack of power in my left arm. Uno coped well with the longest course he had attempted to date. I took all the direct routes but didn’t hurry him for the time as the ground was deep in places and he wasn’t in a competitive position after the dressage so I decided to save his legs and give him a confidence building experience. He finished full of running and wasn’t bothered by step up. He showjumped clear the following day to finish 35th and left me feeling very positive about his future. The rain and mud made the week as much a test of endurance for support teams as it did for the horses and riders, my grooms did a super job of turning the horses out to a high standard and remaining upbeat despite the conditions which made my job much easier.

After returning from Blair the lorry was emptied and cleaned up as much as possible to take three horses out the following day. Jay was going for her next scan and treatment, a new arrival was going for a check, and Harvey had his follow up visit to the vet school. A busy day was spent dropping off and collecting but the news was all good. Jay has been given the all clear to resume hacking and Harvey has progressed better than hoped for and will also have his work increased. The new arrival is a five year old from Ireland bred by William Micklem. Called Spirit he has some famous relations and he will be brought on over the winter with the aim of starting eventing next season.

The season wound down for us in September with only two events. Turnberry had to be postponed due to wet weather so the horses went quite a spell without a run, during which Newt managed to get himself a sick note so he missed his last event for the year. This was fairly typical of his luck in 2009 as he was fine within days after the event! Oz was the only runner but he had a disappointing day as after leading the BE100open dressage and showjumping clear he ran out twice through my weaker left side. He wasn’t hugely popular as there wasn’t any justification for it other than him taking advantage of my current lack of strength.

Earlier in the month Rod had made the trip to Blenheim for the 8/9 year old CIC***. His test was 15 marks better than his Blair effort but that was mainly due to firmer going which he prefers and meant best behaviour. His changes weren’t brilliant so there is still scope for considerable improvement for the future. I was slightly disappointed with his 2 show jumps down as he was distracted by the crowd and atmosphere at the start of his round and this also meant we clocked up 4 time penalties. He jumped much better in the last two thirds of the course when his concentration improved. Cross country was also a mixed performance. We clocked up three run outs on course so had to walk home from the second last which was disappointing. He ran out to the left at fence 7 and then realised this was an option, which he took advantage of coming out of the second water and the corner two from home. However, he did jump easily through some of the other testing combinations so I know I have a potentially very exciting horse for next season and he will have learned a huge amount from this competition due to the crowds and atmosphere.

With a fewer events I had time to go to collect our homebred 2 year old. He has spent the summer in the Borders having left the stud he was born at earlier in the year so I have only seen him a couple of times previously. His competition name is Master Opulence (his dam is Miss Opulence and sire is Mill Law), which is shortened to Mop in the stable.

I decided to finish the season early this year so I could spend more time getting my arm sorted out in preparation for next season. An operation at this stage was ruled out as it was as likely to lead to further complications as possible improvements - a bone graft would need to be taken from my hip which I was less than keen on! This means that I am doing a much more intensive rehab and physio programme instead which I hope will mean I will be back to more or less full strength by next year.

I attended the next three days of my UKCC Level 3 course at the end of the month. I find it quite challenging being back sitting in a seminar room or standing at the side of an arena for extended periods as I am used to being on the go most of the day during the event season. There seems to be quite a jump from Level 2 to 3 but I am now looking forward to the next couple of days in December then getting ready for the external assessment.

Due to an increasing number of horses on the yard we now have space for a working pupil with their own horse. The key requirements are reliability, enthusiasm and willingness to learn in return for good pay, conditions, training and tuition on own horse. The advert had a huge response within 24 hours and we are still accepting new applications so we are looking forward to welcoming someone new to the team over the next month.

The youngsters were the centre of attention this month with three outings in as many weeks for Spirit and Zak. They are hugely different in temperament and experience and their work to date has also been different. Zak is a year younger at 4 and had done very little until getting backed a year ago but has spent the summer in work and been to a couple of clinics. Spirit is 5 and hasn’t had nearly as much experience of the outside world. He is also bigger and weaker than Zak so currently feels like a three year old in a five year old body. The good thing about spending time on the young ones at this time of year is that you can really build a partnership with them which will make taking them out eventing next year that bit easier. Trips out were to Inchcoonans and John Ledingham and David Gatherer at Gleneagles. They are now having a couple of weeks at home to consolidate before more outings next month- hopefully showing an improvement.

The older horses have had a short break and having had an early finish to the season are now back in work. Jay and Harvey are continuing to progress on their controlled exercise programmes with Harvey being ridden for the first time since June and Jay doing increased trotting.

There has still been plenty to do on the yard and I have been fitting in some teaching. The yard team had a quieter time at the start of the month but it’s now fairly full on with horses to clip and other jobs to prepare for winter. As everyone is happy to muck in and work together as a team, we are ahead of where we were at this time last year. A new working pupil is joining the team at the start of November so they will be a welcome addition as there are eleven horses in and a couple of new boxes being built. I was inundated with applications for the placement. The standard was very high and I found it difficult to narrow down to interview the most enthusiastic and then even harder to allocate the job.

Despite being the eventing off season there was still plenty to do this month. The youngsters have continued to have educational outings with Zak, Spirit and Newt doing the combined training show at Gleneagles at the start of the month. This was Spirit’s first show outing so I made sure to arrive in plenty of time to allow him to settle in the atmosphere. I had only entered him for the jumping section as I didn’t want him to have to try to wobble through a dressage test at this stage. I rode him around twice before warming up for his round. This seemed to help as he insisted on vocally introducing himself to any horse that would answer the first time he was out but when he came to warm up prior to jumping he was relaxed and focused on the job in hand. He jumped a nice round but tapped a couple of poles so I was happy with the way he had gone. Zak was entered for dressage and jumping. He warmed up well for his test but found the arena spooky as it was next to the road so after doing the first few movements sideways he did settle but was in last place after this phase! He did a lovely double clear in the showjumping so managed to redeem himself. Newt was having his first outing since August and was delighted to be out. After some high jinks in the warm up he did a pleasing test then went double clear. He managed to claim 4th place in the jumping and 6th overall which was a pleasant surprise. He has taken a while to get right physically after his field accident but after some tweaks from the vet and farrier 6 weeks ago he seems to be on track and looking very promising. However, he is something of a ‘sick note specialist’ and never been the luckiest of horses so we are hoping that his current good form continues.

The other competition outing this month was BSJA at SNEC. Rod, Tom and Uno went on day one and all jumped well. It was their first outing since August/ September so Uno in particular was very fresh. He jumped double clear in two classes, just missing out on placings, and was much more civilised after four rounds. Rod jumped really well with one down in the jump off in his class which was quite respectable for him. Tom was hyper to start off as there was music playing in the collecting ring (he can’t stand music in indoor schools for some reason, he doesn’t mind it in the yard or outdoors but this is one of the eccentricities he refuses to change) every time he went under a speaker he shot sideways then stood shaking until it got turned down. He jumped well considering the shaky warm up but had one down in the second phase. Newt went on day two and continued his good form to jump double clear to finish second. Being on a ticket he wasn’t eligible for the awards but was allowed into the prize giving (his first!) to collect a special rosette. I am tempted to affiliate him but fear that will prompt another sick note.

The eventing outing of the month was the BE Scotland dinner at Dunblane. Tom had won the arena events series earlier in the year so I was awarded the trophy for that.

While there were fewer competitions this month I was still busy with horses at all levels. Zak and Spirit went to a jumping clinic with John Ledingham and he saw an improvement in them from the previous month. I have also been trailering the horses over to a local forest to get in some longer rides up hills. This is part of Jay’s exercise programme so she has gone most often but Newt, Zak and Spirit have also gone to build their strength without putting pressure on their legs. The two year old, Mop, has also been getting some attention. He has had a roller and tack on again and has progressed to being leant over and has taken this in his stride. I am waiting for the weather to improve before starting him on the lunge again and sitting on him as I don’t fancy trying this for the first time in gale force winds.