We've had a busy month on the non-horsey front since our triple competition month in March. I had hoped to the do the Dressage at home on 3 April, but with biblically wet weather meaning the horses had to be in quite a bit in March, I didn't fancy trying to ride a test in the spooky outdoor arena on a very sharp Freddie.
A break in the weather and some glorious sunshine over Good Friday weekend meant that whilst we were off in London celebrating Ewen's 50th birthday, Freddie got out in the field for the weekend - naked no less! But the hail and rain returned on Monday.
I had in mind to jump the 80cm and 90cm at the daytime competition at home on 12 April. The weather was shocking and right up until the last minute I wasn't sure if I was going to do it.
I had ridden in gale force wind and rain on Tuesday for 20mins only and it was all I could do to convince Freddie to keep putting one hoof in front of the other. But he had to get out as he'd been back in his box from Monday and I wasn't going to try and compete him after not leaving the box for a day!
The Wednesday started with 'the calm before the storm' sunshine as we walked the dogs. But the wind soon began to build. Gusts of up to 55mph yellow warning from the Met office. But as I drove up to Badgworth, the sun came out and I thought maybe just maybe we'll get away with just wind.......
WRONG!! The rain came, and kept coming. At 1.50pm I tacked up and at 2pm an almighty hail storm came through. I was due on at 2.30pm, but wasn't going to go out in that. And it kept coming. Finally at 2.15pm I got out and managed to coax Freddie around the black arena in trot and canter. He was super sharp and I didn't dare go in to the Sand arena with the others cantering around. As I walked back down to the Indoor Arena to jump, he registered the others and we piaffe'd and passage'd sideways down the hill snorting.
And so, we went straight into the 80cm - first in - without popping a fence. I wasn't expecting much but Freddie gave me a really lovely clear round. Super forward (and slightly less control than I wanted, we finished 3rd to get a qualification for Hartpury Champs on 20 May - how exciting. I hadn't even realised it was a qualifier! I did not join in the lap of honour as I thought I was going to get decked.
We then popped the 90cm. It wasn't our cleanest round as another hail storm coming through meant I very naughtily didn't go back out to warm up before going back in, so Fred had to do it from standing. As a result, he was a little shell shocked and didn't given me the travel he had in the 80cm class. It wasn't a disastrous round, just not as forward, so we got under a couple of the spreads as I tried to balance him rather than sending him on.... We had two down - the upright at fence two and one of the spreads I think - well we certainly rattled one if it didn't come down. It's not like Fred to have knock downs so when we got to the 'end' of the first phase at jump 7, I didn't continue on into the final jump off fences. He jumped the final fence (no7) cleanly, so it felt like the better decision.
Perhaps if we'd gone back out to warm up (or like with the working hunter where we had just done walk trot and canter to finish the class) we'd have had a smoother 90cm this time as we did then. But hey... we're doing 90cm classes and we're not annihilating fences or afraid to take them on even when we're not quite right. So there's a brucie bonus in itself!!
No video as Jayne's phone was on strike but I did get some pics of the boy.
