I took just LSS LANZAROTE aka Sunny to Mount Ballan and Millfield. A slightly wobbly test to score 35.8 but a nice double clear in the time for 8th place at Millfield. At Mount Ballan, a much improved test fo 31.3, but frustratingly a rider error pushing for a stride that didn’t happen, causing a fence down and cost us 5th place after yet another double clear inside the time.
He is such a class horse, and although I feel is going to take time, he has all the ingredients to go up the levels!! Next we were at Moreton Morrel. It was a nice relaxed day at Moreton Morrell with FRIDAY KNIGHT in the ON and LSS LANZAROTE in the BE100. Both boys were great. LANZAROTE posting a good dressage of 31.0, frustratingly rolling a pole but an easy clear inside the time for 8th place.
FRIDAY KNIGHT was much more relaxed and did a lovely test, which was rewarded with a 26.5. And he went on to jump a nice double clear, sadly picking up 7.6 time faults pushing us out of the top 10!
I am absolutely over the moon to announce that Sam Wilson, a part owner of my top horse WII LIMBO has bought a half share in HOMERUS aka JAFFA to enable me to keep the ride and produce him. He is such a lovely young horse with a brilliant attitude and I think is a horse with a bright future.
I am now looking for an additional 50% sharer to buy the other half of him. So please don’t hesitate to contact me if you might be interested.
Next I was at Withington, and a great couple of days we had.
On Saturday I was there with CAPTAIN FUTURE and BILLY BALL. They were both doing the OI. The course was quite different from previous years, I had actually been joking with my grooms the day before, saying I have been there for 10 years and the course is always then same, then I drive in to a course plan, being told it has all changed.
It was great though and lovely to see some new challenges which really beefed it up a bit!! CAPTAIN FUTURE did his best ever test, annoying we can’t seem to get below the 29 barrier and again scored 29.1, but I was delighted with him. He then went on to jump a lovely easy double clear, but 10.8 time faults left him in 11th place. He is feeling very confident and established at this level and is now going to have a quiet month whilst we concentrate on the dressage and SJ.
BILLY BALL was a bit spooky at one end of the arena in his test, so scored a disappointing 34.6, and jumped a steady double clear which was a pleasing result after his mishap at Burnham Market. He has had a quite worries over skinnies in the past, which we hoped we had got over, but he felt back to his normal self at Withington which was great.
The following day, we were back with DIAMOND COVE in his first advanced. He felt a bit green in his test, and was certainly surprised with all the extra movements, but he coped really well to score 38.0. The SJ was a typically full up Withington track which seemed to causing lots of problems. DIAMOND COVE jumped really well, we did finish with 2 fences down but for his first attempt at this level I was really pleased with him.
The XC as with the OI was quite different, and was quite a bit tougher than I expected and planned for his first advanced. There were plenty of early combinations and then an extra loop in the far field. The water was in my opinion one of the toughest fences. A huge drop in, on a turn 4 or 5 strides to a double of skinnies on a long two. But DIAMOND COVE was brilliant the whole way round. There was only one long route I took early on, as I over checked to a owl hole to a double of corners and it made the first distance too long, DIAMOND COVE was very honest and chipped in a stride at the first corner, but then I opted for a circle before the 2nd corner.
I couldn't be more pleased with him, he will now have an easy run and then aim for some more advanced and a CIC*** later in the year!