Super proud of my BE-E-EAU-TIFUL Freddie. He gives me so much, all of the time and today was no different. Finishing on 4 faults (4 faults first round, clear second) taking joint 15th place out of 52 people.
Back at our favourite venue
Hartpury is fast becoming our favourite venue. Fred just loves it there. He rocks up, chilled as you like and really stays in the zone and in the last 3 visits has gone amazingly for me.
We've now done the SWWRC championships 4 times in 3 years for BKRC:
in 2019 - we did prelim team dressage
in 2021 - we did prelim team dressage and team SJ
in 2023 - just the team SJ
In 2019, I got a 'free pass' to the team dressage. I had been booked to do the dressage qualifiers but Fred wasn't right. However, my team qualified and so I got the opportunity to ride at the Champs. He was a little bit 'rabbit in headlights' in that first test 4 years ago, and I remember watching the show jumping team stuff indoors and thinking 'oooh, one day, bucket list.'
So I was delighted then when, in 2021, not only did Fred's 67.5% dressage test help the team to qualify for the champs but I got another 'free pass', this time to the Show Jumping - I'd had my covid jab two days before the SJ qualifier at KSEC, which ruined me so I was unable to compete (although entered). However, my team won and I got the 'free pass' to the SJ champs.
I was delighted to do the 'bucket list', ecstatic with 7th place in the dressage. Got a bit nervous in the 80cm round and 'dropped my knitting' causing a run out incurring faults and time faults and then had just 4 faults in the second 85cm round that seemed immense!
This year I was busy riding Quest helping our team to 2nd place whilst our SJ team was at KSEC. Rhea felt unable to compete at the 80/85 on the day there, so although the team won and qualified with 3 people, they wanted an extra for the Champs and so Freddie and I got the 'call up'. So bizarrely I've only ever qualified myself once of the 4 times lol.
The first round
I was 4th to ride for the team which meant I got to arrive at 12 to course walk and then watch Kaye and Dave before having to go and tack up. Both went clear and I suddenly became a bit nervous. But Fred is just soooo chilled at Hartpury. As soon as I got him off the lorry and tacked up, I was like, yeah, all is fine. He warmed up beautifully in the NEW indoor arena at Hartpury - all very posh, nice and light and airy - just popping each fence on a good stride.
The first round had 10 fences and he ticked around, quietly and easily popping each fence. As I approached fence 9, I was thinking about the turn to fence 10 and whether I'd get inside jump 6 still as I didn't want time faults, possibly already turning my body, I let Fred get a bit flat and he just knocked it with his front right leg - which was so gutting. We were clear over fence 10, but I had blown our chance of doing the individual placing jump off. I was kicking myself. Further, I'd discovered that our third rider had been eliminated in the first round, so now our team carried 4 faults not clear, which would make it harder to come back. (At the end of the round there were just 19 clears out of 52)
The second round
This time there were only 8 fences to jump - with those going double clear allowed to continue to fence 12, two of those fences were set at 90cm so I had really wanted to have a go, but on walking it I realised it was just two uprights and so I knew Fred could do those already. Having walked, we sat and waited for Kaye and Dave.
Many of the horses in the second round were tired. They'd gone of the boil a bit - I know Fred had been the year before after doing the dressage first too. Kaye nursed a mentally (not physically) tired Hennessy around for a clear, getting into the final 4 fence jump off (also clear) for an individual placing. After some literally crashing and scary rounds, Dave came in. Dabs is a lovely horse, but only young and I think was feeling the 3rd round and long day, after a couple of knock downs, Dave missed fence 5, and whilst he could have circled, he retired which was the right decision for the horse and therefore right decision end of. However, for the team, the day was over.
In theory I had an hour to go to my time, but I figured with the dressage running late and people being eliminated in the first round, there may be a chance of going early. A quick pop down to the warm up ring confirmed that was the case, so I quickly tacked up and came down.
My warm up was super short and sweet. I asked Fred to trot on and he bounced straight into canter, so a couple of laps each way and then we popped each fence (cross, upright, spread) before heading down to the holding pen - where we had one more pop whilst we waited before going in. The horse falls had made my head a bit stressed, but feeling that Fred was firing on all cylinders with plenty in the tank made me tell myself to park those thoughts.
The course was similar and finished over the blue wall that we'd had down in the first round and I was determined to leave it up this time. Fred ticked round popping everything for a clear.
I'm so pleased I got to go to Hartpury again for the club this year after all. He jumped amazingly there in May and this August. But this August I had a direct like for like comparison and he felt so much stronger and more competent and able even than in 2021.
This height no longer presents a challenge to him and his scope, so may be time to find the brave pants and start doing 90s. Ironically arriving home the 90cm course that had been set up by someone hiring it, didn't look a patch on the 85cm course I'd just jumped. Fred's been ready for 90s for a while now, it's just taken me time to get my head back in the game.