Grade 3 Winter Champions
I can’t believe we’re in April already - 2019 is flying by and so much has happened already! In February we had our first big competition of the season, the Winter Championships at Myerscough. The competition is combined with the able-bodied winter regionals to give the horses a bit more of an atmosphere and the first day includes qualifiers for the Summer Championships at Wellington later in the year. I’ve been working hard on asking for more in both the warm up and the arena, so it was important for me to concentrate on this in preparation for the rest of the year. As competitors, we’re always so focussed on trying to improve on the scores and make it look effortless but sometimes that means that you get stuck “playing it safe” and you end up forgetting it’s all part of the process and working towards the bigger picture. Pimms has so much quality and the extra special work I get with her at home, well I’m determined to bring it to the arena! Pimms responded well and she started to offer glimpses of some of the work that I know she’s capable of. We won our class on both days so we were crowned Grade 3 National Champions – good work Pimms! To top off the weekend my previous horse, Nirvana Morroko (Roko) who I sold to a talented Grade 1 rider, Caitlyn Saddington last summer went on to win the Grade 1 Championships against a strong class – a fantastic result for their first National show!
After the Nationals we were invited to take part in music freestyle gala evening at Wellington with Gaynor Colburn and Jennie Loriston Clarke, which was a fantastic opportunity for Pimms to be in an atmosphere. She coped brilliantly well with clapping and loud speakers, whilst I had a challenge of my own – riding and chatting wearing a mic! It’s great to showcase Para Dressage and how we train the horses to work with our different disabilities so that we can continue to educate the public and attract more riders into the sport.
Team GBR win the Nations Cup in Denmark
A few weeks later we were off to Denmark where Pimms and I were competing on the Nations Cup team alongside Sophie Wells, Charlotte Cundall and Suzanna Hext. As we couldn’t do much with the horses Suzanna and I decided to find a local pool to get some fitness work under our belts whilst Charlotte and Sophie did some out of water exercise. One thing we weren’t aware of is that you were required to shower (nude) due to the chlorine content before putting your swimwear back on and entering the pool, apparently if you didn’t use the special gel the water changed colour around you. We weren’t sure if this was just a myth that they used to scare you into following the rule but decided that this was a little too far out of our comfort zone and did the best we could whilst keeping our modesty. With my fingers taped together after getting bitten by a horse causing a hairline fracture I took it easy with my lengths before trying out the flume until it was time to go. Needless to say, the showering rule was enough to deter me from any further swimming and I stuck to doing sit-ups in my room for the rest of the week! It was a mixed week for me, the scoring was a little on the low side compared to previous competitions, but as my class was pretty much the same line-up as the medallists from the 2017 Europeans it was a good quality comparison. Pimms did some of her best work in the warm up but held herself a little in the arena so I played it safe to build up her confidence. Team GB won the Nations Cup and I finished with a 2nd place and two 3rd places, which although I obviously always want to win, it showed me that she’s up there with the best even when I know there’s so much more to come. Not a bad position to be in at this point in the year.
LJT Diamond Crusador - Loki
Finally, for the big news - I am delighted to say that after 18 months of searching we have a new member of the team! LJT Diamond Crusador (or Loki as he’s known) is a six-year-old gelding by Diamond Hit who my good friend Sophie Wells has been training and competing for the last year and was owned by Oakleigh Farm Stud.
I’m incredibly grateful to Henrietta Cheetham and the Lady Joseph Trust who have purchased Loki for me – I hope that I can do him justice.