News Archive

Busy time at Scone with seven rides over the two days although BE results have me down for an eighth ride which was not me!  Rod continued his fine form with another novice win and upgrades to intermediate. O’Sullivan (Oz) finished a PN tenth in his first ever event. Tom and Jay also had top ten finishes whilst Diamond Jim came straight from a racing yard to take second in the Open Intro. He is completely green but shows great promise for an eventing career.
Tom went to Chatsworth and had a steady clear in the Advanced section despite going the very last of the weekend and doing all three phases in monsoon conditions.

Five horses went to Floors where Tell Tarragon (Taz) was 7th in the OI despite amusing the dressage judge with his unusual interpretations of the walk movements. Jay was placed in her first novice whilst a show jump pole down in the very competitive Novice Regional Final was difference between 2nd and 10th for Rod. Oz picked up another rosette with a double clear in a PN.

Up to Scotsburn for the first time with three rides. Jay had a nice 6th in the N but unusually misbehaved in the show jumping. Oz took down his first show jump poles but managed 10th while Diamond Jim had an excellent dressage but was confused by his first sight of drops into water!

Month did not start well as Rod picked up a tiny wound in his fetlock which within hours needed surgery under general anaesthetic. His prospects of a full recovery are very good but, as well as missing his first intermediate at Hexham, he is doubtful for Blair which was his target this year.

Tom headed off to Bramham for the National Under 25 three star championships and, despite a very tense dressage test, I was confident going into the very big cross country phase. However we had problems at the water complex which ruined an otherwise foot perfect effort. As we were way down the field, I decided to withdraw but it was brilliant to see Emily become the first ever Scottish winner of the event.

Burgie felt strange not competing in the International classes but I took up three youngsters for the atmosphere at a three day event. Diamond Jim entered an Open Working Hunter for some jumping and ended up in 5th place. A thin TB racehorse did not fit the judge’s idea of a Hunter! Oz picked up a third in an Arena event class whilst Jay seemed on song as she won the Open Arena event class. However she was not settled in the one day novice and missed the top ten for the first time. It was a useful trip but not the same as the real thing! While we were at Burgie, my dad’s injured racehorse, Miss Opulence, had her foal to Mill Law and I now have a very smart Colt to bring through. Miss O has some quality having won at two, three and four years of age and her first two foals look like making the racetrack.

The month was not as busy as planned due to the weather cancellations. The UK was a wash out for most of July. Hopetoun went ahead at the end of June and both Jay and Oz had good days in the novice and pre novice classes. Diamond Jim had a clear XC but was untidy over the show jumps which dropped him down the field.

One advantage of the bad weather was that Rod only missed one event during his recuperation and attended a BE training camp in Gloucestershire with Jay and Oz. It is nice to be invited to these squad sessions but the 18 hour round trip makes for hard work. However the following week at Strathallan, the training appeared to pay off in the PAVO Scottish qualifiers as Jay won the 6 YO class and Oz was 3rd in the 5YO section. Both have now qualified for the UK final in October but as it takes place in Hampshire, we may not attend.  Newt (Billy Fox) was 7th in the 4YO section and though he found the showjumping to be new and exciting, he was relaxed going round the XC. He had his first public outing a couple of days earlier in a Burghley Young Event Horse qualifier and managed to make the final line up, winning his first rosette.

Hendersyde took place over the first weekend in August and I took four horses along. Rod came back well to competition, finishing 3rd in the Intermediate Novice class, going double clear. Jay was 5th in a novice section, a single show jump costing her a second win in succession. Although this was annoying initially, it has turned out to be no bad thing as she is quickly heading towards intermediate points and I don’t want to upgrade her until next season. Oz was in the Scottish Open Pre Novice Final and his single show jump pole dropped him from 4th to 11th. As only two other five year olds made the Final, his progress is very pleasing and I will step him up a grade in September. Diamond Jim behaved well going clear XC but he was very excited in the other phases and his dressage was not to the taste of the judge.

The disappointment of the month was that Taz could not get a run because of cancellations and Tom’s Bramham injury did not clear up in time to get him ready for the Three Star at Blair.

Central Scotland ran a second weekend of horse trials, replacing the discontinued event at Houston. This was intended to give intermediate and advanced horses a run before Thirlestane and Blair. However the downpour on the Saturday caused the cancellation of the Sunday classes with Jay, Rod and Taz missing out. On the Saturday, Oz had a fourth in his PN section while Diamond Jim finished a place out of the rosettes but had his best dressage test to date. Both horses did not cope with the soaking ground in the show jump arena and good XC rounds could not make up the lost points.

Thirlestane had to operate a wait list due to the huge entry from down south brought on by the recent English weather. Poor Taz appeared to be first reserve for the OI class but did not get a run despite a number of withdrawals. Billy Fox picked up a fifth in a large 4YO Burghley Young Event Class which was very pleasing as he was much more relaxed in only his third public outing. He has a bit of maturing to do but shows a lot of potential.

Jay was 6th in a Novice class despite me taking her slowly XC. She was very quick on her last two runs and I wanted to make sure her brakes still worked.

Rod had qualified for the Novice Championships which is run as an OI and I was a bit anxious taking him on such a big course for his first intermediate particularly as he has been injured and just a few days before Blair. However as he was fourth after the dressage, we gave it a go and he was clear XC although over the time. An afternoon monsoon created a quagmire for show jumping and, although it turned out a clear would have won, Rod could not get out of the mud and dropped down to 8th. The only clear round of the day was by an advanced horse. It can be confusing that Novice championships are contested generally by intermediate and advanced horses due to the prolonged qualification period. However having had two months off due to his operation, Rod has come back competitively at both Hendersyde and Thirlstane even though he has not yet regained all the lost muscle tone.

Blair also had a huge entry with 129 entries in the CCI*. Rod excelled himself to lie 4th after the dressage which he followed up with a clear XC inside the time. We had a bit of anxiety as we were wrongly given a run out at a log pile but by the time this was sorted out, we had moved up to second, just 2.5 points off the lead. Show jumping is not Rod’s best element and the top ten on the leader board were within two poles. Despite this pressure, we were clear until the second last when we tickled a pole which fell. As the leader also had one down, a clear would have won but I am very pleased with 3rd place in such a big class containing a lot of the international stars with a horse I have brought through myself. We picked up some nice prize money as well as trophies for Best Scot and Best British Under 25.

Taz finally got his run in the CCI**, his previous outing being in May. Although he entertained the ground jury with his spring heeled walking technique, he was flat on the XC for the first time in the six years we have been together. He jumped his usual clear show jump round but, at 17, I think it is time to retire him from eventing. He is much too strong to be a schoolmaster for a junior so looks like he will go back to his previous owner in Ireland for a bit of hunting and a lot of eating in the field. He has been great for me and his character will be missed around the stable.

The weekend after Blair I had three horses entered at Tullibardine which was held at Strathallan Castle in place of Gleneagles. Jay and Jack both made it to the event but Oz, who was due to tackle his first novice, managed to dig an impressively large hole in his foot so had to miss out. Jay continued her good form to win a novice section and Jack finished just out of the ribbons but put in a much improved show jumping performance and cruised round the cross country.

The next weekend Jay and Jack were joined by Rod for the long journey north to compete at Aswanley. Jay and Rod were in the intermediate novice which was a first run at this level for Jay, with Rod returning after Blair for a run as he had missed out earlier this year when he was injured. Jack went really well but still had a show jump down despite threatening to go clear until the second last. He came fourth and much to the delight of his connections was the recipient of a bottle of whisky. Jay did an encouraging first intermediate dressage test showing how far she has come from the start of the season where staying in the arena at pre novice level was challenging! She then produced one of only two clear show jump rounds and went quickly round the cross country to finish second. Rod was unimpressed by his surroundings after last performing at Blair so did as little as he possibly could in his dressage test but was still close enough to the lead. He had one show jump down which was ok for him and then flew round the cross country inside the time but was beaten by his stablemate into third. After his Blair exploits, Rod went into the event only three points behind Sharon Lindop’s excellent Waikiki Bay in the Stirlingshire Saddlery Scottish Points Championship and although Sharon led after dressage, they had uncharacteristic jumping problems and finished out of the points. This meant that Rod’s third place was enough to become the first horse to win both the Winter and Summer competitions in the same year.

After having to withdraw Oz from his novice debut which was intended to be his last run of the season, I found an alternative at Wee Burgie. Having missed nearly three weeks work he wasn’t as tuned in as he usually is but he was mainly going for experience. Jay went too as the slightly more mature influence although that was not the case in the dressage as Oz got a mark better than her. Jay had one pole down show jumping and Oz had two down due to some spooking. The cross country was fairly testing for novice level which was more of a concern for Oz especially as the terrain is fairly hilly. Oz hasn’t quite got to grips with the size of his body or the direction it is going in all the time so this was going to be his biggest challenge to date. Jay went first and went clear in the fastest time of the day. The course seemed to have been causing trouble but I set out on Oz planning to take the straight routes but would take the options if he felt green. After heading in not quite the right direction after the first fence, he then got in a great rhythm and took the course on with enthusiasm. He went clear in one of the faster times to finish 5th and gain his first BE points. Jay managed another win and has now upgraded to intermediate. Wee Burgie was my last event of the season and it was great to end on a high note. I decided against taking Jay and Oz to the Young Horse Finals as they have progressed well this year and will come out better next year after a winter’s work.

To illustrate the ups and downs of horses, I took Newt for some experience to a working hunter event. Much to the amusement of the jumping judge, my trainer Les Smith, we were eliminated at fence three, something that has not happened to me for years! So plenty to do over the winter.

October has been a very quiet month after a busy season. The only competitive outing was to the Gleneagles Hunter Trial with Jack and Newt. Newt found the collecting ring quite exciting but produced a good cross country round with a green run out at a combination. Jack went really well and did a lovely clear for third place. He has really got the hang of cross country now so I will be spending the winter working on his dressage and showjumping as the plan is for him to move up to novice level next year.

I also bought a nice little mare to bring on as a project over the winter. She has a super jump and a good attitude to her work so the plan is to improve her flatwork and give her some competition experience before selling her on as she would be an ideal first horse for a teenager or small adult.

Four horses went to training with John Ledingham at Gleneagles this month. After having time off since the end of the season some were better behaved than others. J was not too impressed at being brought in from her month long field holiday for a haircut!

Most of the horses have now had their holiday. They were turned out over night and brought in during the day which they seemed to enjoy. All are now starting back in work as the majority of them are young and are more likely to lose muscle and condition than the older ones. Taz is still waiting to go back to Ireland and being
unclipped looks more like a fluffy pony than the sleek, advanced event horse I took to Blair.

The 2007 season was  good as the youngsters, J, Rod and Oz, all progressed better than expected but Tommy P. being injured in June was a blow. In hindsight as he was nearly fit again in time for Blair, I perhaps should have kept him going for one of the autumn 3 or 4 star events but he should be fresh for 2008.

I am having a short holiday in the sun, my first for seven years, and then it is straight into the winter prep work for next season.

It still seems quiet with no outdoor events on the go. I enjoyed my first holiday in seven years having spent ten days in 5* luxury in Dubai followed by a few nights in a 5 euros per night hostel in Madrid. Both were really good fun but I actually missed the horses so the break must have done me some good!

The Scottish region BE Awards Dinner was well attended even though the UK function was on the same evening. Rod is the first horse to win both the Stirlingshire Saddlery Arena Winter and the Summer Points championships and did so in the same season. The trophies for top Scot and top British u25 at Blair were also represented so we came away with plenty of silverware.

The following week, as part of my agreement with The Gleneagles Hotel, I took Rod and Newt to a Mark Phillips demo for a party of enthusiastic Americans concluding a week long coaching clinic. As well as picking up some insightful pointers, I also was invited to the Gala dinner, complete with champagne reception in the Hotel so well worth the effort!

Next was a trip to Newbury for a briefing on the World Class Equine Pathway to 2012. The aim of the programme is to identify a fairly large group of talented young horses and monitor an ever reducing group to hopefully end up with a handful of championship standard horses for 2012. The horses on the 2007 list were selected by a very loose and subjective method and the meeting was presented with new objective selection criteria with clear targets for retention on the scheme being listed. The final list will not be published but those successful for 2008, together with the 2007 rejects, will receive letters in early December. Rod was the only Scottish owned horse on the 2007 list but the new criteria should now include a number of Scottish horses. Jay’s 2007 results clearly exceed the new entry criteria so we await our letter with interest.

Taz finally has gone back to Ireland, to his old stable overlooking his old paddock. I am sure someone will decide to try “the old boy” over a few fences only to end up in the next County. Taz started my eventing career, gave me my first wins and deserves a happy retirement.

I have also retained my place on the Scottish Equestrian Association Eventing Rider Development Squad. The main benefit of the squad is the opportunity to continue regular training with John Ledingham plus some flatwork with Ferdi Eilberg.

All the eventers are back in work with the aim of attending some indoor dressage and jumping comps in the New Year. Tommy Pink is being brought back slowly and will have a detailed health check at the end of the year to see if his mystery injury has indeed cleared up.

I have three young horses to start off eventing, two of whom are straight off the racetrack. As they are all under 15.3h, I will likely produce them with an ambitious teenage buyer in mind.

Although one groom is now on maternity leave, the stable staff is back to full strength which is just as well as there are now eleven horses in.

This month has mainly been directed at the beginners in the yard although all are in some form of work. The real work for the 2008 season starts in January and every horse has a specific conditioning /training schedule mapped out. With eleven horses, our routine has to be spot on otherwise everyone will be run ragged!

Both Hownam Law and Moores Stream have officially made the 2012 Olympic Equine Pathway list, together with around half a dozen other Scottish based horses. The only disappointment is that the winter training for Pathway horses is at best a full day’s drive south, with the new venue in Hampshire out of the question. There are still not enough northern based horses to justify a northern training venue so we have some long drives ahead of us.

SEA organised a days training for the Development Squad and I had several rides under the eyes of John Ledingham and Ferdi Eilberg. I had taken Rod to guinea pig for SEA’s coaching seminar the previous day. I also handed in my EFI level one coaching portfolio which I have been completing by teaching some students over the past year. It is now being processed so I will soon be a qualified coach.

My only “event” was at the Gleneagles Christmas Charity Show in the Fancy Dress Pairs class. Rod was a late substitute and took offence at my tinselled elf style riding hat before performing rodeo moves in the lorry park. Both hat and I were shot off in different directions and whilst I only had cuts and bruises, the hat did not survive. The class was held up for us and we eventually came first and fourth with Another Elf, my friend ( Emma Stewart ) and Mini Santa ( Jessica Zajda ). The lack of an Elf hat lost us the chance of the fancy dress prize.
Three of the Yard Team passed the Driver and Attendant test for the Horse Transporters Regulations. A lot of pieces of paper are now required for one lorry going to horse events but at least we have that part of the bureaucracy covered.

An update on my 2008 horses is in the horse section but the present plan is to have a full season with the five more experienced horses and introductory events with the five “beginners”.  Whilst it would be good to have a string of advanced horses to compete, not many riders are that fortunate and I have several exciting prospects that could prove to be quite special.

The wet and windy weather in January did not make it easy to get back in to the swing of going out and about for horses or rider. Thankfully, I have an indoor school so we didn’t miss too much work.

Our main event this month was the arena event at Dabbs. I took, Oz, Jack, J and Rod. All were a bit ring rusty with Rod developing a sense of humour half through his first round when his saddle cloth slipped. He proceeded to buck every stride through the related distances much to Les’s amusement! J had the attention span of a piece of fluff as there were much more interesting things going on other than jumping fences! The less experienced, Oz and Jack, went well on the whole behaving in a much more mature fashion.

I took four horses to training at Ingliston with John Ledingham. Penny went really well for her first outing since arriving and did everything asked of her first time. Newt also went well and is maturing with every session. J was fresh but knuckled down eventually - the problem being that she finds things far too easy so has to be challenged, otherwise she doesn’t feel the need to pay full attention. Rod went well and has improved dramatically over the past two seasons.

I also passed my trailer test this month. I now have another picture on the back of my licence to go with the big and small lorries! Hopefully that is me finished with driving tests