I’ve been pondering on an end of season round up… I suppose the New Year is as good a time as any to be thankful for an awesome though challenging year.
Having made the decision not to enter events until the winter had dried up, it was then incredibly frustrating that the ground baked so incredibly quickly… and we had to be seriously careful where and when we actually ran!
We had some new horsepower that is proving to be very exciting, and the only thing holding them back from Intermediate was getting in enough runs to qualify! I think Cannon and Lordy are pretty exciting for the future, and it’s even more exciting adding Frank and Jane Herrick onto the team as part owners for Cannon. I do love having people to enjoy the journey with!
We had a couple of horses that didn’t do well for the hard ground, but hopefully they will be stronger for 2019, and young horses on young legs have had the winter to become stronger… particularly with the addition of Water treadmill sessions to improve core stability and strength.
My main season reflection was every single moment of Pete’s step up to 3* at Millstreet… in hindsight, a true championship type course might not have been the best choice for a step up, but fascinating with it being a Nations Cup and Olympic format trial… and even more exciting how well he answered ALL of the questions for a double clear!! Mr enthusiastic ‘Tiger in a Tuxedo’.
Excitement again for Mac, who I ride for Mrs Eleanor Cursham stepping up to real grown up things- he did a super classy double clear in his first 2* at Somerford, and also answered some serious questions for a clear round the 2* at Osberton. His winter was supposed to involve learning Flying Changes, so we can step up to Advanced if he decides the time is right… but my ‘installing new buttons’ time is getting a little short as I have been a little unlucky with ‘flying lessons’, but hopefully I can catch up on lost time soon!
I can’t help be as excited as a puppy with a new toy when I think of 2019… my key players are looking fabulous; particularly with Smokie rejoining the fun… and we will be welcoming a couple of new horses/ owners into the competition team… watch this space to keep up with the exciting news unraveling… and if any of you fancy coming along for the ride… we’ll be thrilled to have you with us!!!
