Competing at Aston le Walls

We had a really busy 4 days at both the BE and the Unaffiliated Aston le Walls Events.  Roo started the competition with a 5th in the Open Intermediate with a lovely double clear inside the time.  She needed a run and a good canter round before her party at the end of the month at Blair and we were really pleased with how she went. She showed her class in the Show Jumping arena giving a clear round.  In the XC, she just hacked round nice and slowly at the Intermediate level to give her a nice steady clear inside the time meaning everyone was very pleased with this as a warm up for later in the month.  She show jumped really well.


The next day it was the turn of the novices: Dougie was 4th in the Novice with another double clear; Harper and Pickle both ran in the intermediate novice: Pickle coming second and  Harper third.  There was a slight SatNav issue turning into the water on Harper leading to her riding a circle before the water which gave her a time penalty: this sadly dropped her from 1st to 3rd.  This was a real shame as she had done a lovely, lovely dressage test but it doesn't take away from it being two really good results for the two of them.

The day was then finished with a ride in the 100 for Foxy: she had a nice dressage with a rail down in the Show Jumping - we feel the stop she was given was perhaps a little unfair - and then she had a nice steady clear round XC.  Very pleased with her for her first step up to 100.

On Saturday Sarah had a little bit of a chance ride one someone else's horse which is being a little bit naughty: the horse did a nice dressage, Show Jumped well enough but sadly they had a parting of ways on the XC which we think may have been Sarah's first fall of the season...?  It did tell us a lot about the pony, giving information for Sarah and the owner to work away at.

On Sunday it was the unaffiliated day: our two lovely duns (Connie and Carly) were entered in the 90.  Connie was a little bit exuberant in her dressage test as she hasn't been to a party for a while: she doesn't live on the yard and, due to the hard ground, has not done much with her owner.  This overbrightness led to her having a rail down showjumping but had calmed down to run a lovely clear XC inside the time earning her a 5th.  Carly did a lovely dressage of 27.3 but took it slightly slower XC, earning her a couple of time penalties which dropped her down to 7th - still all very pleasing.  Sarah then had a spin round the 100 on the new pony called Alice this was very much a fact finding mission with no pressure.  She did a smart Dressage, Show Jumped tidily but had a few little green moments at the water on the XC course.  Actually, this was not bad at all as she has only been XC schooling once since her arrival a few weeks ago.  There was lots to like: she really grew in confidence and it was very pleasing how she finished off.  As always, she has homework to be do but nothing to be worried about.

We also had one of our liveries canter round her first ever 80 - a really good run round there and we look forward to seeing her out and about eventing again soon!

It was indisputably a very hot Aston le Walls!  When considering the weather: yes it was warm but the horses were all well and healthy and they never got hot on the lorry.  Actually, all the horses coped probably a lot better than some of the footfollowers, bystanders etc.  Little Carly even jogged all the way back from her run round the 90 XC feeling very merry and jolly.  It is pleasing to report that, currently and touching wood, all the horses actually all seem well and all seem to have come out of the event fit and healthy.  The ground there was fantastic: having surfaces for the first two phases is helpful and the event organisers had gone to a lot of effort with the XC tracks.  Sarah is really pleased: a very successful event all round, though it was a little bit exhausting working in that heat.  All the horses have trotted up sound since and looking forward to the rest of the month!