Eden Valley BE - the eventing season is underway!

Hi All,

Our first BE event has been!

Entered BE90 with Jack for Sunday, at Eden Valley Horse Trials

The day before involved scrubbing Jack to try and make his grey bits white (diamond blue shampoo) and gathering up everything orangey to load into the lorry

Got up Sun morning 5.30am to feed and plait, I much prefer plaiting on the morning, night before ones I do never look as nice. Surprisingly Jack and Mack (who was going with helen) were not a green as they usually are so we were loaded up to leave by 7am.


Arrived at 9.30am so made good time, I'm like the queen as I never carry cash and forgot my start fee!  Thanks to Helen and Justin for bailing me out!

Walked the course – the BE90 felt like a lovely course with some fences sharing with the BE80, with
latter half of the course sharing some jumps with the BE100, and was a nice course for the start of the season.

The ground was fab, the only bit of ground that was deep was up by the trochaner, but I can’t complain, the course looked like it had been rolled overnight so the organisers were working hard to manage it.

My Mum arrived with Dapper,  as she lives in Cumbria she doesn’t get to many events to watch so it was lovely to see her! She brought her dog Tanni along (little JRT) and I think we may need to get her an orange rug before the next event

Anyway got Jack ready for Dressage phase, the other night we were schooling and he had a nasty fright with thunder/lightening above so was a bit jumpy – I decided it was best to keep with his jump saddle as I feel more secure in it, just put the stirrups down a few holes. Good choice I felt after jumping aboard, he was a bit nervous, although settled once I rode him if for half an hour. Since the arena was built I have been having weekly flatwork lessons at my house, our trot work is coming along brilliantly and he felt excellent for it – it’s the first time I have enjoyed preparing for a test!

Pics taken from Video so not the best but still nice to have:

When the scores came out I was a bit disappointed but thanks to the technology of video I have since re-watched it and agree with the judges comments. We ended up with a 38.5 – gaining 7’s for our trot, and a few 5/6’s for hollowing in transitions, no free walk, on forehand in canter – all things I now need to practice on! We are also doing the same test at Central Scotland Horse Trials in two weeks so I can work on it between now and then

Jack decided that salute included him too!
 

Onto the SJ, tacked up, stirrups up, and off we toddled.  Lovely arena and surface and well manned, they were only allowing half a dozen people in at one time. Not sure if my wood fibre surface is very springy or if the surface was a bit flat but in the warm up I didn’t feel like Jack was really jumping. I even thought he was tired however after a nice pop over the parallel we headed in, and I rode like a muppet!! Missed him at the first, buried him at each fence after that so I was lucky to only have one down.


Anyway onto my favourite part – with J he makes riding XC lots of fun! Warm up was a bit sticky so only jumped a couple, then headed over to the start box.



Out of the start we jumped a grey patch of stones on the ground, commentator thought he had bucked, and flew the first fence. Unfortunately I’m a bit rusty with my speed so we picked up 8 time penalties and watching the video(below)  I slowed up from early on.

On the way to the water, think Jack spotted he was being filmed!

My plan had been to have a good forward run up to the trochaner:



where we would go slowly through the deep going then pick up speed again but it all looks slow on the vids. that said, he was fab and jumped everything – I think he could do with being a tad fitter, but soon got his breath back after finishing and was hardly sweaty so after a quick mobi-wash down, walked off for 10 mins, both Jack and Helen's horse Mack were grazing happily after their fun filled day.

Video of the dr, sj and xc: http://youtu.be/5G4WIEhyYjo

Ended up with a 50 score but happy that my hoss has done another clear xc, plenty to work on before Central Scotland, so hopefully (fingers tightly crossed) we can improve by then.


Charlie is having a dental this Thursday and will be off quarantine so hoping to make a start this weekend - lunging first with a kind bit in then maybe riding if the weather is kind to me will keep you all posted.