High points of Somerley - dressage and cream cakes!

Early start to Somerley. I fell asleep on the journey there, Mum navigated most of the way herself. I woke up  in time to spot Macdonalds, we took a quick detour and got breakfast, I took over navigating, that was my first mistake, its not that easy to turn an 8 metre, 7.5 tonne lorry around TWICE! Thankfully when we eventually got there David and Will were already there and had gone to the Secretary and to get my numbers.

Yara had a 33 dressage, harshly marked for what we all thought was her best test! We got 4 in the showjumping with masses of time penalties. It was a huge arena and we have been practicing this really slow canter to get her to lift, which she did when she didn't lose concentration with the crowd. Then cross country,  she was a bit sticky round it but managed to get over everything, then she caught a leg and stumbled on to one knee, we nearly parted company but not quite, got back into our stride again and then had a refusal at the second to last jump, it was the jump before the water AGAIN! Knickers!!

Mull had a 28.5 dressage in the Novice, with a stunning medium trot that nobody thought him capable of. The organiser got out of her car and thanked me for coming to the event and told Mum and David that it was such a pleasure to watch a horse being ridden so well and use itself properly. Which made all that work so worth while(But that was just a brief moment)! Because then came the SJ. Warm up went well. We went into the ring, reared, backed off of the first jump but got him over, he really did not want to jump, a few jumps later, I ended up on the jump looking up at Mull and then was dragged round the ring for a bit! We retired. I took him out to the warm up and jumped him again, he jumped brilliantly and then he bolted off through the carpark, when I finally managed to stop him he reared up again a few times. What a monkey!

So after finishing the horses the only thing to do was to sit down with David, Will and Mum, have a cup of tea and a big cream cake! Mum made me watch the video, last week even though he was naughty I knew I hadn't ridden him as well as could but this week I was really happy with my riding and after Mum and Will showed me the evidence I felt that I had ridden him to the best of my ability. So after much deliberating Mum rang Alice, we think he is has become such a big and powerful horse and I am quite small on him that he is taking advantage but of course it could be something else. We asked her to take him back and see if she could ride him for a couple of weeks and maybe take him to Aston next week. Alice was so supportive and said that she would do whatever we wanted. So Mull has gone home for now...... Its hard not to feel like I have failed him but he goes back with brilliant flat work, he now does ditches and water, if Alice can sort the show jumping he will be unbeatable.

Meanwhile Yara has been doing a lot of water jumps this week and I have strict instructions from my Osteopath to stop falling off and undoing all her good work.