2016 season is underway...kind of!

March 2016 report

The event season is finally underway...kind of! It took two attempts to get to our first event. Isleham didn’t happen due to me being ill and Tweseldown was cancelled because of the ground, but we finally got there.  

In addition we welcome new super groom Sophie Offord who joins Sian Barden our current  Head Super Groom. Sophie is covering the times that Sian doesn't work, they make the most amazing team and I feel very luck indeed to have such fantastic support. The one thing they have in common is their absolute love and dedication to the horses. To have two people that love my horses as much as I do is wonderful.

Aldon became our first event. I took Boo and Hector to do the Novice.  

Now if you have ever read my blogs before you will know that we always have some sort of disaster on our journey or it never runs as smoothly as we would like. This should have been the most straight forward of journeys, but we had a slight detour on the way there and ended up going through a housing estate, our three and a half hour journey resulted in four and a half hour journey. 

  

It was a quick turn around, I had no time to walk the cross country so I jumped straight on Hector to do my dressage test… he did a sweet test with a few fresh moments.  

I had time for a quick croissant and then it was Boo’s turn, I stayed very quiet trying not to wake the diva up inside and end up getting a 30’s test, she stayed sweet with a couple mistakes. I was so pleased she didn’t explode and I was just having a nice walk back the lorry on a long rein, thinking about how good she had been when all of a sudden she exploded she did a buck, a rear and leap all at the same time! This left me holding onto a few plaits for dear life to keep me on board!  

So by then the horses had realized they were at an actual horse trials, that they weren’t just going to go round in circles all day, it had suddenly become very exciting.  Show jumping both horses was interesting; they were both a complete handful! I nearly bit the dust again when I was in the warm up on Hector but this time I had a neck strap on and I managed to regain my seat! The actual show jumping rounds were a little unruly but I stayed on. 

The cross country went a lot better they both did a lovely clear round I kept them steady to avoid any mistakes.  

I was very happy with them for their first event it even though they were a little excited!  

My next event was Munstead, this time it was Rosie and Arabella’s turn. We brought along new groom Sophie for her first experience of eventing and a Team Upton day out! Just the one little thing on the journey with the haynet cupboard bursting open,  Tina Cook was right behind, flashing Mum, calling her on the phone and trying to get her attention, Mum kept driving oblivious to stray hay nets and phone calls! Finally Tina's groom Rachel called me,  Sian answered (we were travelling separately, she then managed to get hold of Sophie who was in the passenger seat of the lorry and she told Mum)!! Haynes rescued and cupboard closed, they were underway again!

Rosie did an obedient dressage test, Arabella not so much! She tried to gallop back to the lorry park afterwards too! We were nearly on for two double clears but Rosie just tipped the last pole and then they went on to do two lovely clear cross country rounds. Weather was awful but the girls were great and felt so good. 
Getting out of Munstead was a different matter, it took Mum half an hour as it was absolutely gridlocked with traffic trying to come in and traffic trying to get out and no marshals. We have a 36ft, 18 tonne lorry, that takes some manovering on a narrow path! 

Wish me luck!  

It’s all starting again!! 

Many thanks as always to my wonderful sponsors who are so supportive and a huge part of Team Upton: MDR Photo, The Pure Feed Company, Equ streamZ, Timothy Foxx Clothing, LMEQ and Sue Chinn Osteopathy