All the motivation you need before your first event of the season

As you know I have been training hard all winter, we live on top of a hill, the weather is harsh and the wind has been incredible but we have hardly lost a days training and now my first event is a couple of days away, I am excited and motivated beyond belief, I am not expecting great things early on in the season, I just want to give my horses confident runs. This week I received this letter out of the blue from someone I have never met. I won't embarrass her by putting her name on there but I was so touched and if I ever need a confidence boost, I think I will read this.

"Hi 

I know this will probably come across as very cheesy and out of the blue but I just wanted to say how much I look up to you as a young rider trying to make their way in this tough and selective sport. Not only do I view you as a talented rider and horsewoman but I also see and appreciate your hard work and your work ethic. I remember seeing an interview of yours from fit to ride and how you said that you don't go out to competitions to win as such but see them as 'training' and believe that the results will come when the foundations are solid and have been put in place when both the rider and horse work together well on the day. I also share this view and I have always struggled with it because of how patient you have to be, I am constantly saying to myself that I must be disciplined and school all of my horses slowly and correctly in order to get results when it matters at the higher levels as our basics will be so solid and there is no point in rushing a nice young horse for the sake of a rosette at a 90 or 100 etc. I wanted to wish you the best of luck for this season and beyond and I really am rooting for you to have a great junior year as well as your young horses putting in further quality rounds at the lower levels because they seem lovely types. 
All the best fellow aspiring event rider "

Debut in British Eventing Life Magazine!

Ramping up for the season!

Training and fitness has been ramping up here at Upper Barn pre season.

Rocklodge Nasdaq (Hector) has made a very welcome return (in his brand new rug) and has settled right back in as if he never left. Mum looks forward to her cuddle with him every morning and he has come back better than ever, he is much softer and working really well. He will be ready to event by the end of March and we will start doing some dressage in the next week or so. He has now been clipped so is ready for action!


Our baby Dramatic Effect (Boo) is just fantastic, we have been out winning dressage shows, getting placed and qualifying for the British Eventing JAS finals, she is jumping clear rounds consistently. However her time back on the cross country at LMEQ was somewhat tentative, I am not worried, she is such a fast learner and next visit I know she will fly round. Cannot wait to start the season on her.


Fitness training has involved a lot of water work due to the nature of the flooding, but we have to get on with whatever weather we have, these horses have to be ready for the season. But as you can see this week the weather finally got to me and Danny and whilst it was raining and howling gales outside we hid in the stable and went to sleep!




Joe is still with us but his owner Eliza has gone off to learn to be a skiing instructor and then will go travelling later on in the year so Joe now has Megan Rogerson riding him. I am still going to compete him occasionally. He came 4th and qualified for the JAS championships with me and came 1st in his first showjumping competition with Megan. He is looking fantastic at the moment and I hope he does well at the championships at the end of February. He will do his first BE event with me at Tweseldown. We send photos to Eliza every week to keep her updated.

Danny and I are off to Junior Training this week at Aston le Walls, we have also been showjumping training with Ronnie Healy, we have a comprehensive plan for the season. He has had all his pre season vet checks, legs have been xrayed, he has been shod up to Xray and he ready to go. Our first dressage show was interesting, well to give you an idea. He and Boo were in the same class, he should have walked away with it but Boo beat him and he was barely placed! Naughty boy. Our aim next time will be to stay in the arena and contain our medium canter instead of flat out galloping down the longside!

In addition to my own horses I am still working for Carolyn Gorman, schooling the pointers, I have a few people that I teach and a couple of other horses that I ride. I have also been asked to ride for a couple of other people which I hope will start soon and when I do I will let you know who they are. (I am very excited).

Sadly I will be saying goodbye to my groom and good friend Catherine. Catherine and I have worked together for nearly a year. I will miss seeing her everyday but she will still be coming in to cover when we need her. I would like to thank Catherine for everything, come rain, wind and the little shine we have had she has been there for me.

2014 bring it on!

Since my last blog I did exactly what I said I would do and got the rest I needed together with treatment and a holiday and I feel great and ready to take on 2014.

Hector has been away on holiday and returns to us in a week or so but during that time his stable has not been empty, in fact I feel so lucky as we actually had a waiting list of horses to come in for schooling, which has been really enjoyable, but I must say we have really missed Hector even though I have been going over to Sarah's and riding him and I am looking forward to his return.

Danny had quite a big holiday and is hacking out he is due back in the school next week but before we crack on with any serious work we have Ed Lyle our vet and Grant Laing (my uncle and farrier) coming out to see him together next week, he will be be shod up to xray and also make sure that we have a proper plan to keep him in the best shape for 2014.

Boo is back!

Boo finished her season end of August and had 3 months off as she is so young, I am so excited about her she has come back better than ever and I am going to start taking her out to some shows next week.


Joe had a break from show but has been kept in work and is such an awesome showjumper, his owners live in London and are currently looking for a sharer for Joe as Eliza will be doing a bit of travelling now, in the meantime I will continue to compete him.

Arabella had a small break and then I have continued her winter training, she is going amazingly but she has got quite big and is using her strength against me and we took the decision with Jill to send her back to Ken, he will continue her education and he will event her this season.

So 2014 begins, my training has begun in earnest. My sponsors this year remain the same, we considered trying for more but I have just the right amount and they are all so supportive, anyone new would need to be exactly the right fit. My main sponsor is MDR photo and really Micheal and Lisa are such a crucial part of the Upton team. My main trainers this year will be Tina Cook, Gill Watson and Fiona Bigwood. Tina, Mum and I are meeting for a planning and mentoring session in the next week and I feel so ready........

2013 Satistics

2013 season's statistics
6 horses, 25 events, 44 classes, average dressage score 31.01, 23 clear sj rounds, 8 xc jumps refused, 28 top 20 placings, 8 top 10 placings, 2 internationals, 1 win!

Know when to stop......

Huge apologies for the eight weeks of silence, truth be told its been a bit of a roller coaster and I have learnt a lot of lessons!

Firle Place International Horse trials 

After Wellington I had four at Firle where Danny had a top 20 placing in the international class and a top 10 placing for Hector in the national classes, it was a great weekend helped by Gary, now a fully fledged member of Team Upton  who drove and groomed, helped warm me up for my show jumping and generally made sure I got everywhere on time whilst Mum organised and fed about 14 people a day out of the lorry! In terms of enjoyment it has to be one of the best of the season, filled with family and friends supporting me and gorgeous weather. The most exciting thing that happened that weekend was when Shaun Lawson gave me 90% ownership in Danny, I cannot thank him enough

Hector flying the 1.10m at Hickstead

Hickstead National Championships was our next outing with Hector, Boo, Danny and Joe, They all did fantastically Danny did a double clear in 1.20m , Hector flew round the 1.10m and Boo showed how special she was and coped with a huge atmosphere at such a young age but special mention must go to Joe as he was in the money in the 1.00m class. We found the first day of showjumping a little overwhelming but luckily with Gary's help we managed to get to grips with the timing and got to most places when we were supposed to!

Worthing Hospital

And then it was the build up to Gatcombe which sadly never happened instead I became ill and that was the start of a long and painful 6 weeks. I was very sick, very dehydrated and in a lot of pain. Later we were to find out that I had got a kidney stone. This was caused by a combination of prolonged hot weather, over exercising, not drinking enough. Unfortunately the repercussions have been great even after I got rid of the kidney stone (the pain is indescribable), because I twisted and writhed around so much I tore a muscle and trapped my femeral nerve. I lost so much weight and I was generally very weak. Of course I didn't take the time off I required..........

South of England U21's

Finally on my feet again and a lot of umming and arrghing from the parents I convinced everyone I was fit enough to do The South of England Open Intermediate U21's, having not competed for a month I was feeling a little nervous. Dressage went well we were in 3rd place going into the showjumping. The showjumping didn't go quite so well and to be honest I was in quite a lot of pain. I could not actually walk very well after the show jumping and there then followed more umming and arghhing. Mum and I went and talked to Tina to get her take on what went wrong in the showjumping and advice as to whether to continue. I wanted to, Mum thought I should withdraw. But after looking at the video, Tina felt there was not much wrong with the show jumping and if I felt strong enough she was happy for me to continue cross country, I am so happy I did, we ended clear and coming 7th!

We'll skip Berkshire College...... oh ok this supposed to be a warts n'all blog. Took Arabella, dressage was not brilliant, clear sj and then two refusals xc. To be fair to her the horse in front of her got eliminated and was circling by the jump and I think it unnerved her a little. We went home with our tails between our legs :(

John - Paramedic and Sports Therapist!

Next up Pulborough, I had kept it quiet from Mum that week that I had not been well and was in pain because I knew that she would make me pull out. We had pulled out Boo as she would have been too much but I had 5 rides, 4 of which were for other people and I did not want to let them down and it was Sarah Millard's horse Hectors first Novice...... This was my facebook status afterwards "Summary of weekend - Soaked through to skin, 10 jacket changes, 5 horses evented, 5 different classes from 80 to Intermediate Novice, 4 different dressage tests, 5 different SJ courses, 4 different xc courses, 1 placing, 2 double clears, 4 clear sj rounds, one stop xc on a first timer. Phew! #eventinglive#needmybed" I owe that weekend though to John in the St Johns Ambulance, if it had not of been for him I would not have been able to ride, he was incredible.


Then off we went to Larkhill with Arabella and Jill Chator, we normally expect rain or snow there depending on whether we are at the beginning or end of the season, this time we got hail! Catherine our groom came along and so did her Mum and Dad. We had a lovely day despite the weather and Arabella did a beautiful double clear to end the season. So we were so pleased.

And that is where I should have left it.............

But no off we went four hours to Somerset with Danny and Hector and that was where I found out my limits, it was one event too far. We pulled out of the xc and came home and ended the season on a fizzle.

And now to rest, recuperate, next week I am booked in to get the treatment I need and then I go on holiday. I will be spending the winter building up my strength with loads of pilates and yoga. Tina Cook has committed to do winter training with me and I am really hoping to get some dressage in with Fiona Bigwood. Got a good feeling about 2014 season.......

Huge thank you's to Sarah Millard, Jill Chaytor, Shaun Lawson, Mum and The Thormans for letting me ride their precious horses, thank you to my sponsors and supporters MDR Photo, Timothy Foxx Clothing, Andrew Reilly, LMEQ and Frances Goodman from Imagine Success. Massive thank you to my trainers Tina Cook, Fiona Bigwood, Ken Spencer, Jon Pitts and Chris Wellings. I could not have got through this season if it had not been for my fabulous groom Catherine Lockyear and Gary Stevens who stepped in as show groom and driver. To Sue Chinn my osetopath who has done such an amazing job of keeping me riding. Ed Lyle our vet. Chris Wellings for keeping the horses backs in good order.  To all the people who have come and watched me and supported me to only name a few Carolyn and George Gorman, Lisa Sparrowhawk, Katie Roberts, Micheal and Lisa Rogers, Jill Chator, Sarah Millard, Grandad.

A massive thank you has to go to my Mum and Dad, they are the most incredible parents and I could not do it without them!!!!!

Wellington!!

Saturday BE 100
3am in the morning is not a time for getting up but with all the horses to do before we left at 4.30am we were left with little choice. As it happens the 4am starts of the previous events stood us in good stead and we all woke up at 3am no problem and we  were actually on the road for 4,15am - a first!

It was a day of beautiful moments and moments of pure naughtiness from Hector and Arabella.
Hector's dressage was not as good as it can be which was annoying but that's Hector boy he can be absolutely brilliant in his dressage or a right pickle and will just spook and canter just cos he can, I think it is to stop be getting complacent! So it wasn't a brilliant mark 38.
But this  gorgeous boy always tries to redeem himself in the jumping and he did a fab double clear, couldn't have faulted him, his xc round was spot on, it was causing so many problems but not for Hectorrrr! What a clever man, I wanted to pop him over a few Intermediate xc fences he felt that good!
Arabella was just as cheeky in the dressage, I had her until I asked for a canter and she leaped forwards and slightly took off with me on the circle, I did have to try hold back my laughter, she then proceeded to buck when she could and she wouldn't walk, she kept jogging and then in the trot she kept doing medium trot, so errrrr her score was something else ...cough...48...cough... Oooppppps
She wasn't any different in the SJ, the warm up, well I cleared the whole place, she took to bronking, bolting and spinning, it was hilarious, such a naughty girly! So she went in the ring and wanted to do anything else but concentrate so we had a silly pole.
But once again she definitely redeemed herself in the xc and did an awesome clear, absolutely  fab, it was such a stiff course and I do sometimes forget Arabella is only 5yo but she didn't half rise to the challenge! Fabulous horse!!!!!

Sunday - Intermediate finallllyyyy!
It was Danny and my fist intermediate and I was so nervous!!
Our dressage was an average test, I did not realise how unfit I had become in a test situation, having not done many tests in sitting trot for a while, it was so tiring! But Danny was a good boy, he found it very boring but I was still pleased with our mark... 35.
We then went to walk the cross country course with Pippa Hawksfield who came to watch me and help and Georgie Wood who was also competing in the Intermediate. I was feeling quite confident walking round the course until we came to one combination... It walked slightly odd on the striding and was on a tricky line, so we asked the fence judge how it was riding in which she replied, ' I would tell you but no-one has actually got to this point' Georgie and I had a little laugh turned to our mums who were a lovely shade of white!
Anyway we finished walking the course and I was feeling very excited and up for it.
The show jumping was big, mums heart had already stopped slightly at the xc but then she saw the SJ and dad had to hold her up.
I was feeling nervous about the SJ because Danny is so tricky to ride in the SJ he gets very bold and jumps absolute massive which makes the distances shorter.
He jumped well but he was very tricky for the first 4 fences being the complete opposite and backing off everything, he is such a monkey! But I managed to get our act together and finish the round with a lot more fluency and style. So we ended  up having 8 faults.
Cross Crountry now this was what I was looking forward to, he is a machine cross country, I just have to try keep a lid on his over excitedness cause he has been known to take out strides when I don't want him too and if any of you saw his round in the olympics its not just me he does it to! But he was absolutely spot on, strong but so awesome, I couldn't have asked for a bertter first Intermediate, lots to like and lots to learn from!!?

Thank you to Carolyn, George, Pippa, Lisa and Paul who came to help and supported me!!