Addington Premier League!!

Another burst of shows have been and gone, we used Hartpury as a warm up for Addington Premier League which was very useful-Woodlander Rockstar had more or less just returned from Stud so was a little bit ring rusty with attentions not quite with me the whole time but all things considered he tried quite hard. I also rode Worldwide in his first Advanced Medium which he coped with really well, it was the 85, so quite nice to leave the changes to the very end! Mike rode Half Moon Dynasty in her first Medium which was a little green but again, all things considered, she coped really well. She is a very big moving mare with a lot of range and power so trying to get all of it together under control is the biggest challenge, I'm sure Mike wouldn't mind if the arena could be extended to a slightly bigger size! Half Moon Delphi did a pretty stunning test, again, it was her first competitive outing with us so it was just a case of seeing how things went, she really took things in her stride and looked pretty established at the level. Marakov went as well to have a run through the Intermediare 2.

Addington Premier League was a busy show with taking 7 horses. I took Rockstar to compete in the small tour classes, the Intermediare 1 on the second day was definitely one of his better tests. All of his trot work and the majority of the canter work is becoming really established now, I just have to work on his self carriage in the tempis-he is very keen to go into extended canter the minute he sees the diagonal and as a result I easily have too much hand on which makes him to deep, more strength in my seat I think! I took Worldwide and Two Sox, who had only just had his stitches taken out, to ride, needless to say, Two Sox in particular was behaving like a 3 year old! Mike had success with Half Moon Delphi again, winning both the Prix St Georges and Intermediare 1, Torino came very close to an Intermediare 1 victory, but a slight error of course in the walk cost it which was unfortunate. Very pleased with Marakov who generally sees ghosts everywhere, it was quite windy for the Grand Prix and the Special which were held outside, he had a few small mistakes but generally his work is improving all the time with him becoming stonger and more powerful. He won the Grand Prix Special which was a nice one to finish on!

Once back home again it was a quick unpack and re pack to go to Vale View with Dynasty and Worldwide for some more qualifying points. We had entered a Medium and an Advanced Medium again but slightly more challenging with it being the M75 and AM98! Definitely quite a challenge for both horses with the movements coming up quite fast, also a challenge for us with the horses being a little green at the level.

Next up we have Somerford and Wellington Premier Leagues which aren't that far away . . . we also have some more day shows planned with the younger horses/horses who are working at the lower levels so busy busy busy!

The trouble with travelling

So I think I am just about getting myself sorted, it takes a moment to get on top of things again and it wasn't long after Vidauban that we were competing. It seems that travelling to all of the competitions of late has been a nightmare, traffic or accidents everywhere. I took Woodlander Wavavoom to Vale View for a National Shearwater Qualifier which he won :-) However getting there was tricky with a major accident on the M6. He went very well - he was definitely on his toes with his testosterone at a high but managed to grab enough concentration to do the test which gave him extra expression. He is now back at stud doing his duties which I am sure he is enjoying!

Next up we went to Addington to prep Worldwide and Torino for the Winter Champs and again, an accident on the motorway, the M40 was closed! The outing was very much needed as both of them hadn't been out for a while. Torino won the Intermediare 1 Freestyle with Mike at the Winters which was great as he had narrowly missed out the year before, it was a very entertaining evening with lots of displays in between and generally a really good atmosphere. The Winters is always a very big occasion for the horses with it being inside and spooky with banners/posters/judges tables etc and Worldwide was a little bit nervous. We didn't have an overly long warm up because of, you guessed it, an accident on the Motorway, this time it was the M50 that was closed! The trade stands and the Gallery are very close to the arena as well which is something the horses have to get used to. Worldwide competed in the Medium Open, and although he was nervous and had expensive mistakes I felt he was trying and he let me guide him through the test- he hasn't really been in a Championship arena like that before so it is just a question of him gaining more experience. Now the Winters are over the plan is for him to crack on with the flying changes and work towards Advanced Medium and PSG.


Mike is off to Addington CDI with Marakov and Monet for the International Grand Prix Classes so I have been busy getting him organised as I won't be going myself, I am definitely perfecting the art of list writing! I will stay at home (Two Sox is having a little break) and look after the other horses, I will be taking Woodlander Rochelle out to her first competition soon to do a Young Dressage Horse of the Future Qualifier. She is Rockstar's baby and very much like him, perhaps a little more head strong . . . I am quietly very excited about her. She, like her Dad, has lots of Potential and is a real worker, only at 5 years old she seems to have strength and fitness to spare.




The next big one will probably be Addington Premier League, looking to qualify the neddies for the Summer Regionals/National Champs. How scary to think it will be September soon!
 
Maria x