I have finally had time to sit down and start a blog on my equestrian activities now that the 2010 Eventing Season is over.
I've not had the most successful of seasons, however it has definitely been a learning curve. Then again, after winning the Pony Club Intermediate Eventing Championships that year, it would be hard to beat!
I started BE in 2009, only doing 4 runs. Two at BE100 (gaining one placing 6th) and two at Novice (gaining a 5th in my second ever novice and I got two shiny points!). This year, I went straight out at Novice on Remi with my main aim of the season being to get onto the Central Region's JRN Squad.
Our season started off well, we completed Weston Park Novice with one stop on the xc, not bad as we were v inexperienced, and our season declined from there. Our next event was a JRN at Withington Manor, and after starting well we got eliminated on the XC. Back to the drawing board after this, we then headed for some XC training with Nigel Taylor and headed off to Hambleden JRN where I was extremely determined to get Remi around the XC. We got a fabulous dressage of 32.5 and a clear sj and a few time faults XC we finished clear and got 2nd place. I finally had a good feeling about this season, and I thought I may have done enough to have a chance at getting onto the JRN Team.
From there, it yet again went downhill. We were entered into a JON at Aston Le Walls, and got an ok dressage, and then it all went wrong in the SJ. We finished with 12 jumping faults and numerous time faults. But we finally got our acts together and flew XC clear inside the time. Typical!! We then headed to Great Tew, and after a fab feeling dressage test, we were extremely disappointed to get a 40!! Oh well, it was a good practise run! We then had an unfortunate 8 faults in the SJ and a stop XC with time faults due to a lack in control!! Back to the drawing board again!!!!
We then entered ourselves into a JON at Skipton Horse Trials and stayed the day before with some friends in North Yorkshire. We got off to an amazing start, a 29 dressage and a clear SJ over a huge track. I was thinking hey heyyy if I go clear XC I could win this! But.. here it went downhill. After a near tumble on landing after one fence, I circled what I thought was a "penalty free" distance away, alas the judge and I saw differently and I got a 20 plus time faults. But I wasn't too disappointed with this event, as I felt that I finally discovered how good our dressage could be.
From there we headed to Purston Manor JRN, in second place after the dressage, and a 4flts in the SJ and a clear inside the time XC, we finished in 2nd again. This majorly cheered me up, we were still surely in for a chance at getting on the team.
However, we then ran in the JRN at Upton Horse Trials, our final chance at impressing the Regional Coordinator. We did a nice test, but running on hard ground all season had taken its toll on Remi, he was not at all comfortable with more hard ground, and we struggled around the SJ, getting 12 jumping and 30+ time faults and withdrew from the rest of the competition. I think we subconsciously knew that we weren't going to be on the team after this as all 4 JRNs in our region count as "qualification" and we had stuffed up two of them. From here it went up again, I won my Pony Club Area Eventing Qualifier as a team and an individual. We also nearly won our Area Show Jumping qualifier, jumping an amazing double clear over a big track but having one down in the JO with the fastest time from the whole competition. We then ran at the PC Open Eventing Champs and I had to retire on the XC after he bruised his knee in the Show Jumping. Our regional coordinator was using the championships to see how we would fair over a very technical XC course, and I got that feeling that it again, wasn't to be this year.
A week or so later, I received a phone call from the JRN Coordinator saying that I wasn't on the team due to my show jumping being unreliable. Fair enough, we hadn't had the most impressive season, and as if to pour salt in my own wounds, I took Remi show jumping 2 weeks later and won a senior New Comers out of 42 starters and 18 in the JO. I won by 3seconds!
However, we decided to finish the season on a Novice run at Moreton Morrell (2), and we won on a 30.5 dressage and a double clear. Bringing our BE Points total to 18.
We were originally thinking of selling Remi after this event, however we decided to seize an opportunity and do a CIC* at Aldon International Horse Trials at the end of the season then decide about selling him. We made a few mistakes in the dressage, however we were all very pleased that I got to wear Top and Tails. We then watched the weather take a turn for the worst on the second day (the show jumping day) and whilst Mum and I tacked Remi up, it turned into torrential rain. Again, the odds were against us, as we were eliminated in the SJ after two stops (FEI Rules, two stops and you are eliminated) I then tried to get his confidence back by jumping a few cross poles in the warm up but he really wasn't happy with the ground and it was clear he had completely lost his confidence after slipping in the main arena and crashing through a fence.
However, we have made a family decision and decided to keep him for another season as well as keeping my 5 year old Dutch Warmblood Moomin who completed a BE90 this season and got eliminated in his second one, which we then put down to a virus. However, we will gain his confidence over the winter and aim him to either get up to BE Novice next season and maybe do a CIC* (5/6yo) class or aim him for a BE100 3DE. However, I would love to get him up to being competitive at Novice as my aim to apply for the CIC** European Squad at the end of 2011 which would be for the 2013 CIC** Europeans.
This is it for my season round up, as you can see it was rather eventful!! I just hope next season is more successful.
Lauren xx
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