Inflation at Great Witchingham....

A mere three hour road trip to Norfolk with Urbanus II to compete at Great Witchingham International Event. 

Having been prematurely smug that I wasn't eventing on the hottest day of the year the weekend before, the weather upped its game. The heat was unbearable for poor Louis, me and all of the team. We had so much water for drinking, washing and coolers of ice to stop it all from heating up (Thanks Felicity!) which was the best we could do. I also put all my kit in the fridge between phases...it was very effective!

The day started well with the dressage, Louis scored a very good score of 24, we received two nines and a ten! The show jumping showed much improvement from our last event.... and we went onto the cross country feeling positive....

My parents bought me an air jacket last year, and I was in the dark as to how it felt to pop and inflate the jacket....until Great Witchingham. I fell off at fence five, or 'unseated', as Horse and Hound magazine so kindly reported. Fence five was a rails with one stride to an open ditch to a skinny flower box, Louis was back in a canter suitable for the fence, however, the ditch took his focus away from the rails and we went through the top bar  (luckily it had frangible pins). Louis scrambled of to the right and I was thrown to the left. 

I now understand why riders get winded when their air jacket inflates! 

Louis had a few bruises and physio work, but is feeling very sprightly and is wondering when we are next competing! 

Dressage and a last minute qualification...

I am extremely lucky to now be riding the fabulous 'Bing'. He is an energetic, good looking bay horse with great paces and he has been trained well. 

Having ridden Bing a handful of times we took him out to compete at a local venue, Patchetts Equestrian Center, then, a few days later, to Keysoe Equestrian Centre in Bedfordshire . Bing won all four Elementary classes he was entered in, notching up high scores and more than enough points to qualify for the Summer Regionals. 

I now have two horses qualified for the Regionals, Bing and Cleopatra II (a.k.a Daya). 

Cleoptara II hadn't been out competing since Wellington Premier League so we decided to take her to Keysoe Equestrian Center for a few Elementary classes. Having arrived late we only had fifteen minutes warm up, which made for a grumpy Daya, so we were happily surprised with a win in the first class on 72% followed by a proper warm up and another win on 76%. 

Mabel, the youngest dressage horse, doesn't like being left out, so we took her to an unaffiliated dressage competition at Patchetts Equestrian Center. Travelling in a horse box is still very exciting and exhausting for Mabel but her behavior was brilliant the whole day! She scored a whopping 75% in her Prelim test and the judge commented, 

"A star in the making". 

Mabel doesn't have the stamina of the older horses yet... the dressage outing really took it out of her, which made her extremely sleepy for the rest of the week.....

The picture shows me tacking up Mabel while she is still lying down.