The countdown begins for the National Dressage Championships!

There is quite a lot to catch up on since my last update, Woodlander Farouche is the current 5yr old World Champion, and with the Senior Team having won Gold at this years Europeans Great Britain certainly seem to be taking the dressage world by storm!! 

It was a fairly long journey to get to Verden, roughly 16 hours door to door and ten days with all of us being away from home.  Farouche was impeccably behaved for the duration of the show.  It was a bit challenging when it came to the working in and to find the arena packed with young horses, mostly stallions, all being put through their paces but still all good experience and generally, she took it all in her stride. I took Two Sox for the Grand Prix which unfortunately clashed with Farouche and her Finale test! Nevertheless he did a good job to finish 10th out of a strong field.

Once home again we only had a few days to get things in place for the Regionals.The girls at home had done a great job with keeping things ticking, and with the horses having been well in work before we left, they felt nicely refreshed. Mike rode Half Moon Dynasty and I rode Worldwide in the Medium Open. They are both still fairly green in competition and Dynasty went really well to finish 3rd, where as Worldwide struggled a little bit with his nerves. I also rode Camilla Anderson's U Rockstar in the PSG who I was really pleased with as I had only had the few days to prepare.  He finished 4th with 67% which unfortunately just fell short for qualifying for the Championships.

We have the National Champs this week which we leave for in a couple of days, we have 9 horses competing in total so will be fairly busy, the only class we are not contesting is the Advanced Medium which is a first for a while, it is usually our favourite with Michael having won it twice, once with Woodlander Dornroeschen and once with Janeiro, I also won it back in 2004 with Topscore! The training has been going well, I will be taking Two Sox for the Grand Prix (Mike Marakov) and Woodlander Rockstar for the Small Tour Classes (Mike Woodlander Dornroeschen, Torino & Half Moon Delphi.) I also have Woodlander Wavavoom for the International Shearwater 5yr Final, Mike will be taking Woodlander Farouche. He also has Half Moon Dynasty in the Medium Open! Two Sox is feeling well, he will be 18 next year so think that this will be his Finale, he has done me so well and I want him to finish on a high and enjoy his retirement. It will be Rockstar who takes over, he is nicely established at Small Tour now and we will use this Winter to crack on with the Grand Prix work!

Things should be a little quieter after the Nationals, I have a Paragliding day lined up to follow the original day taster I did after the Regionals- I thoroughly enjoyed it so am going back for more! We also have my Gran's birthday in Germany which we will take a quick time out for. The main concentration after the Nationals will be to bring the horses on over the Winter ready for next year. 

Hartpury and Badminton Young Horse Final!

It has been a while since my last blog, quite a lot going on! Hartpury and the Badminton Young Horse Final have been the main events however we have also had other shows which we have gone to for qualifications etc so one way or another it has been rather none stop, Dad even got his competition riding gear back on!

We took 11 horses to Hartpury so as you can imagine it was quite an expedition and now feeling rather exhausted, however, it was a good trip with 9 wins so well worth it! We had horses for the Premier League, the CDI and the National Young Horse Shearwater Final. I have to say that the shows organisation was very good and the running of things couldn't have been much better. Mike rode Woodlander Dornroeschen in the Small Tour Premier League and Half Moon Delphi in the Int 2, both mares went very well and won their classes respectively to qualify directly for the Nationals. Monet was unfortunately a little too hot in the Int 2 struggling to relax and execute the all important halt and walk although the rest of his work was excellent.  We had a good start to the CDI with a one two in the Prix St Georges and continued good placings in the Int 1 and Freestyle with Torino and Woodlander Rockstar, Torino very nearly made it a hat trick, just missing out on Int 1 victory with having a few mistakes although the quality of his work was the best it's ever been! I was very pleased with Rockstar who was as level headed as ever and went in to do his job like a pro, there is still room for improvement but he has come on so much since the beginning of the year. Two Sox and Marakov were a little sharp in the Grand Prix having a few mistakes (Marakov more so who looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head!) Two Sox did a great Freestyle to win with over 72%, it was really nice as he had not done the music for a while and Marakov settled well to win the Special- Mike used slightly different tactics in the warm up compared to the Grand Prix and instead of trying to acclimatise him to the atmosphere he kept him well away from it until the last possible moment which seemed to work! On the Saturday we had the National Shearwater Championship, I rode Woodlander Wavavoom and Mike rode Woodlander Farouche in the 5yr Final, Farouche was on fire and won with a comfortable lead while Wavavoom did a good job and was well placed. Mike also had another ride in the 6yr Final with Dargento, an attractive liver chestnut stallion, a fairly new addition to the yard, who finished 3rd.

We were back home for one day and then had to go off for the Badminton Young Horse Final where Farouche strutted her stuff again, not at all affected by it being on grass and thoroughly enjoying herself. She was once again victorious and is now aiming for the Young Horse World Breeding Champs in Verden (3-7 Aug), fingers crossed she continues her good form! We have more or less 1 week until we leave for Verden and then 1 week at home again before the Regionals, it is all systems go!

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

VIDAUBAN CDI



WEEK 1


So, we have just returned from our road trip to France and survived! Well, almost, we arrived at the showground to be greeted with torrential rain and gale force winds- it reminded me of Spain last year!! The weather did not improve until we were well into the first week, just in time for the start of the competition and then, I have to say it was lovely, relatively cool in the mornings and evenings and pleasant for the day- we have managed to come back with a bit of a sun tan, farmers tan for myself!

The horses were as expected fairly fresh at the beginning so we had to be careful to pace ourselves so that all would have enough in the tank for the second week, especially the young horses as they don’t have as much stamina as the more advanced horses. We conditioned them in the indoor school to start with and then ventured outside - the indoor was amazing, very spacious and was insulated in a way so that it stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter being made of special wood. Because of the weather there were major puddles everywhere which the horses had to get used to, I have to say the surfaces coped really well with all the rainfall and was quite quickly absorbed. It was very difficult to keep clean however, with splatter even ending up on the back of my tailcoat!

Woodlander Rockstar got us off to a good start in the PSG, really trying and doing pretty much a clear round. Mike didn’t have such an easy time with Woodlander Dornroschen-she was first to go and there was still an unsettled atmosphere around the arena so she got a little spooked and had a few expensive mistakes. It was the same arena in which the Young Horses Woodlander Farouche and Woodlander Wavavoom had to do their first tests (opposite the main arena.) This time it was my turn to have the disturbances, I had loose dogs running around the arena before the bell went and then during my trot work I had a slightly frisky horse lunging in a pen opposite, needless to say Wavavoom got a little aeriated and although it did improve his expression he couldn’t quite manage to keep it under control. We had mixed results with the Grand Prix horses . . . Marakov really tried hard, he did the Grand Prix for the Freestyle and had to go over to the showjumping arena for the Freestyle itself which was held in the evening under floodlight, very spooky! He finished second to Beatriz Ferrer Salat and Faberge with 71% so very happy. We were very pleased that Monet was settled and halted and walked as he has been a little too excitable at past events, unfortunately a few too many mistakes meant that he didn’t make it into the Special but the show held a consolation class so that at least Mike got to take him into the ring again. Two Sox had a mistake in the one tempis and his right canter pirouette was a little bit too small on coming out- both things are usually one of his fortes so to lose marks on them and with them both counting double was very expensive! He qualified for the Special but unfortunately had mistakes in both sets of one tempi changes, again counting double! I think he was a little bit worried, thinking back to the Grand Prix, as I definitely felt him tense up.

He broke in his last trot extension as well so a below par performance. He has been so consistent for so long so any sort of mistake feels like a let down but I suppose it has to happen occasionally for you to analyse and improve, nothing stays the same for long! Unfortunately to stay on the Performance Squad I have to get 70% as an overall score in the Grand Prix/ Grand Prix Special at an away International Competition and this is my last chance . . .


WEEK 2


So, we thought we could give them a rest day on Monday but no such luck, they were all jumping about in their stables like loonies so shorts off and breeches on! It was actually a really good opportunity to work on things which had not been so good during the tests in the first week with it all being really fresh in our minds! On Tuesday we did manage to do a quick dash to St Tropez which was gorgeous. The boys had played golf Monday afternoon so it was the girls turn to go out! Unintentionally, we took the scenic route to get there and although it was very pretty I did feel a bit travel sick on arrival having been in the back of a very small car and hurled around very small lanes-yes Dad was driving! We had some lovely cake and did a bit of window shopping as well as visiting the harbour with all the amazing yachts, slightly surreal! The young horses definitely felt a little pooped going into the second week of competition so we kept their work schedule fairly light, their tests were also quite demanding with counter canter and simple changes, reinback and turn on the haunches in walk- seeing as neither of them have never really done much in the way of tests before, it was a big challenge for them! Rockstar and Dornroschen however felt full of go. Both horses had some mistakes in their tests but their way of going was really good. I took Rockstar in the Intermediare 1 and Mike decided to take Dornroschen in the Intermediare 1 Freestyle. Rockstar did a great warm up and there were moments where he felt in super power and balance, a few mistakes in the test were expensive, it is just a case of maintaining his way of going throughout the whole test where there is no chance of a breather in between the movements- a good cardiovascular work out for me in any case as I am having to get used to riding him with more power-he feels so powerful anyway and then Dad says it needs to be more! Dornroschen finished with a real beauty, just a little blip in one pirouette but Mike managed to repeat it- she won the class.

Marakov did the Grand Prix for Freestyle again and did a really good Grand Prix, just a couple of little things but a really good effort, the same in the Freestyle itself which was once again held under floodlight in the main showjumping area. Monet showed some promising work and Two Sox was on better form- no mistakes as such which is really what he has to do if he is going to stay up with the others . All in all the Brits had a very successful show with Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin winning their respective classes, Farouche (who looked amazing by the way) winning all but one of the Young Horse classes, Dornroschen the Intermediare 1 Freestyle and Amy Stovold the Consolation Grand Prix on the last weekend.

The weather had been really good until that evening, there had been mention of rain but we didn’t want to believe it with a nice clear sky overnight. Low and behold, rain followed the next day, the final day of competition. It started lightly but in my experience, like Spain, when it comes it comes proper and so it did, we got absolutely drenched for the Special and the puddles had returned!! I was really pleased with Two Sox, he really tried. I had a battle on my hands with trying to maintain a consistent contact with my reins constantly slipping and he isn’t particularly strong, I dread to think what it must have been like for some people . . . he finished with 69% so even though a good mark not quite enough for that special ‘70%’, perhaps next time!


Packing up in the rain was not particularly enjoyable with everything being wet and dirty, day we headed back home fairly early the next day so the horses had the night to rest. It had taken us 20 hours on the road plus 1.5 hours on the ferry on the way out- we had stopped in Dijon, which meant we had a longer day on the first leg from home, this time we decided to reverse it and stop in Reims so again, the longer would be the first day of travel-we try to plan it so that we have the shortest day of travel on the final day when we have to unpack at the other end. It is always great fun trying to find these stops when you don’t know them and with two lorries in tow sticking together can be tricky! We make sure that we are armed with directions, maps and Sat Nav if necessary. Walkie talkies between the two lorries is essential, especially when you are in Europe and phone calls prove very expensive!!


So now back at home I am having to get catch up with things, I managed to do a little internet while out in France for emails etc but still a lot to get through. The horses at home had been enjoying fitness work in the sunshine so are still in gear but will need prepping regarding the Winters- we will be taking Worldwide for the Medium Open and Torino for the Intermediare 1 Freestyle. Wavavoom will need to do a few Young Horse Qualifiers before he has to go back to stud. Internationally, we will have to see what is available. The horses who have been to Vidauban will have a short break until then. It was so sad to hear about Jane Gregory passing away, she was a lovely person and gave me so much support in Hong Kong when I was reserve rider for the team for the Olympics- she will be greatly missed.

Maria x

Final Preparations

It has been all go for I don't know how long - we are leaving for Vidauban very late tomorrow/early hours Thurs am and I am just trying to figure out how I am going to get everything done, only a couple of hours sleep tonight I think!



Worldwide went well at Hartpury on the 27th Feb, it was a good opportunity for him to go out again following the Winter Regionals. He won both Medium tests which qualified him for the Summer Regionals so I can start to crack on towards Advanced Medium between now and then which is great! He feels like he has really grown up and he's becoming a lot more consistent. He is still relatively green in the competition arena still but I feel he is growing in confidence with every outing and allowing me to ride him more and more. We took the two mares Woodlander Rochelle and Half Moon Delphi who were unexpectedly calm and well behaved, I had anticipated that they would be wild as they haven't been out for ages, perhaps they are saving it for their next outing!

So back to preparations for Vidauban. The horses seem to be fine touch wood - they will be wrapped in cotton wool tomorrow! All seem to be enjoying the Spring like weather and Two Sox in particular was full of beans today, almost as though he knows he is off to a party! As you can see in the photo he is in his element with final preparations, grinning from ear to ear! I still have a few deliveries to arrive tomorrow so fingers crossed there are no complications. We are taking our big lorry but are also needing a small one as well to cater for the small herd that we are taking. It is not here as yet, again hoping it will turn up tomorrow . . .


I will be back with a full update when I return at the beginning of April, assuming we are organised enough to leave tomorrow!
 
Maria x

Vidauban

So, Vidauban is in sight! It seems to be a never ending job trying to get everything organised and with us leaving the week after next time seems to be disappearing all too quickly. We are taking 7 horses, the big tour and small tour horses that went to Addington at the end of Jan, plus Woodlander Wavavoom and Woodlander Farouche. It will be quite an experience for Wavavoom and Farouche, incl all the travel etc, and for me who will have to drive one of the lorries (we are having to take two!) I am very content with being co driver and taking frequent naps but unfortunately will not be able to on this trip!

The big show at Addington at the end of Jan was great for preparation, it really helped us to see where the horses are at in their training so we have been working on fine tuning since then, we also have had the small tour freestyle to music to think about as Woodlander Rockstar and Woodlander Dornroeschen have not as yet done one. We have music from before which has been used for the likes of Two Sox, Marakov etc but each horse has different strengths and also takes a different amount of time to cover the ground so we have been having to think out different floor plans for them. I have the timings for the music so it is just a case of creating a suitable floor plan and timing each section so it matches with the timings of the music.


I took Worldwide for his Winter Regionals at Addington last weekend. He competed in the Medium Open and coped with things well. I had anticipated that the competition would be held outdoors, so had been riding him outside. It was in actual fact held inside so spooky judges tables and flower pots/banners were at the ready which was all quite a new experience for him as he hasn't done that much. The trot work was perhaps a little tentative and he got a little bit hot in the canter but I was pleased that he stayed focused and listened to me. He finished 9th with 67% so will have to wait and see if he gets through on a wild card . . .I feel that he still needs to gain confidence in the ring so it is all work in progress! I am taking him to Hartpury this weekend to complete his Summer Qualification at Medium level. We have decided to take a few of the others as well, not to compete but to give them an outing. We have Half Moon Delphi who is owned by Julie Deverill and Woodlander Rockstar's baby, Woodlander Rochelle so it could be an eventful day!

I am also having to get my head around Young Horse Qualifiers for when we return from Vidauban as Wavavoom will have to go back to stud Apr-Jul which I am sure he is looking forward to! There are so many different Young Horse Classes!


The horses are definitely feeling that Spring is in the air with the temperatures gradually rising, and I say gradually, so as not to speak too soon! I was riding in a t-shirt yesterday   :-)!! The Stallions are feeling very well so we are having to take a few extra precautions with handling etc. Speaking of which, I am delighted that Don Perry has now retired to stud. He was such a great little horse and gave me so much, he so deserves to have a happy retirement and I am sure he will thoroughly enjoy his work. Many thanks to those who helped to make it happen.