Arena UK Festival 2016

A little heads up, this is going to be a long one!

We headed down to Arena UK on Tuesday night with my trusty 5yo Gracie in tow, and my not so trusty little 4yo Rio too. For those who don't know, Rio was broken earlier in the year and has been not so easy to do ever since! He's always been very highly strung and spooky, so when I decided I was going to take him with me to Arena UK, despite him not having ever been to a show or off the yard, and only having jumped a few small courses at home, everyone thought I was being ridiculous( me included)

We arrived a bit late on the Tuesday after work, so didn't have any time to ride them, which I was a little gutted about as I was hoping Rio would get to go out and have a walk around the rings and familiarise himself with them, but instead I got them both put to bed in the dark and that was it for the night.

Wednesday morning came so I went to go walk the courses for the day. Rio was jumping the 95cm open, which just so happened to be in the main ring with all the scary fillers and wings ( just my luck). Gracie was jumping the Discovery qualifier so I headed back to get the first one ready.  Rio was the first up, except feeling like I was sat on a ticking time bomb ready to explode he managed to cope with the warm up really well. We trotted around for a few mins and he soon settled then we just popped a few warm up fences and went in. Except being to nosey to go into canter and his head and neck representing a giraffe we got around alive and in 1 piece, for just a fence and a run out at the water tray, which he came back round and jumped absolutely no problem. Success!

Gracie then jumped the Discovery qualifier. I have been working on speeding her up a little as going fast isn't really her thing. Despite a few communication errors where I wanted to go long and she chipped a stride in we finished DC & 24th out of 113, which qualified us for the final and also got us a rosette and some prize money!

Thursday was the turn of Rio jumping the British novice and Gracie the 1.05 qualifier. Rio felt much more confident in the warm up, and all was going well until fence 4 where I had a near miss! I just let him run on a bit and forgot to ride, so he gave me a sharp reminder to book my ideas up and he jumped the rest lovely for just a pole at the double.

Gracie jumped another DC in the 1.05. She felt really well and was very responsive and jumped from everywhere I asked. We wasn't fast enough to qualify on this day though!

Friday I had the 4yo and the 5yo qualifier on each horse. Rio was first up and he warmed up perfectly, he was totally relaxed and was jumping out of his skin for me. He felt amazing around this course. One baby error at the double where he jumped in too big gave us 4faults but he came back and jumped it perfectly! I can't believe he jumped so well around such a 'big' course at his first show with absolutely no experience, he has a really bright future ahead of him.

Gracie felt amazing in the 5yos, she just got a really unlucky pole at the first part of the double! She really didn't deserve it but thats showjumping. She's come on so much since Northcote a few months ago where she jumped the same class but kept going sky high and very un-economcial over everything! This horse is my absolute hero, they'll never be another one like her for me.

Saturday brought a day off for Rio! One more discovery for Gracie even though she had already qualified. She was in the main ring and gave me an amazing ride around. I really pushed her for the first time in her life really in the jump off (Some really awful riding from me in the video) All was going so well until we got the 2nd to last fence in the jump off! So gutted as she really was going well and without it would of been very high in the placings. This set us back to 22nd which still was enough to qualify and get a rossette and some more prize money which is always good!

I didn't jump the GP as I was pleased enough with them both through the week and they are both still very young so lots of time to jump GPs yet. I had an amazing and educational week which has really made me realise where I want to be in the crazy world of showjumping! I'm very lucky to own these amazing horses and have such brilliant people around me such as my dad for constantly driving us around and feeding us, a huge thank you to him!

Thanks for reading, they are on holiday for a bit now but hopefully the good rounds will continue! 

The videos to the horses rounds are on my youtube here for anyone who would like to watch them :)

My new 3YO.

Afternoon, so I realised A little guy came into my life some weeks ago and I actually never introduced him!

This is Never Royal van het eelshof, Better known as Nemo. He is a 2013 baby and is bread by Condor (Cassini I x Lys de derman). He is a sweet little man, and is part way through backing now. He is long reining and lunging and happy to do so, hopefully we will have a saddle on soon.

He is very eager to learn, and hasn't put a foot wrong so far *touch wood*. I'm really enjoying working with him and I'm looking forwards to seeing him under saddle.

Northcote Young horse show- Report.

So we was at NYHC 1-4th June. I took my lovely 5yo Gracie to jump the 5yr old classes. Until this show she had only jumped a handful of BN's and 2 discoveries so it was very much throwing her in at the deep end but she managed so well!

We arrived on the Wednesday evening to settle in ready to jump the Thursday. Gracie was her usual chilled out self, we had a little ride in the warm up ring and tucked her in bed then my boyfriend & I went to have a complimentary glass of champagne and a look at the buffet, which was a lovely touch! So we went to get tucked up into bed on the Wednesday night and I suddenly came over really sick, and had to scramble out of the luton and managed to make it to the washing up bowl! So it seems I activated some lurking bug as I was up being sick all night, sat in one of the portla-loos in my jammies throwing up my guts- Lovely.

 So I managed about an hours sleep on the lorry floor with the dogs Wednesday night, I managed to jump our qualifier on the Thursday and we just had a few wobbles and 1 stop as she jumped in to big to the double, but other then that it was a good first round in a big 1.10 and I wasn't riding at my best! The following day, the Friday we jumped a disco for a pole and the 5yo's we had a pole in the double again I believe! So a few baby mistakes and a few things to work on but so pleased with her and how she handled the show. She had so many lovely comments & quite a few people asking if I would sell, which is always nice. Quite a few 5yo's qualified on the first day so the top 20 scores from both days qualified for the final too, Gracie qualified for the final at her first 'proper' young horse show, I was over the moon! Unfortunately I didn't get to jump the final as me and my boyfriend had already booked our tickets for nitro circus and I couldn't expect him not to get home to watch it! I can't complain about this horse at all, she answers every question I ever ask and gives everything her all, she really is one in a million! A few bits to tweek with both of us but I am very excited for our future,lots more shows and hopefully finals for this horse!

Port royal 8-5-16 Report

Good morning!

So I should of posted this last week but y'no, I got busy doing a zillion other jobs but, better late than never!

So I did say I was going to go out and jump a newcomers, however I also really wanted to try get another BN and disco DC. As always, I thought I had loads of time before northcote in two weeks, and as always I was wrong!

Anyway, back to Sunday before last, we popped to Port royal again to jump a BN and disco. It was so busy and so warm I felt such a bad mum as trying to keep Gracie cool was an almost impossible task. We did minimal warm ups, jumped our class and she got untacked and sponged off inbetween to try keep her cool.

Walked the BN, nice enough class. Was 4th to go and it was two-phase. She jumped a lovely first round, then when we got to about the 2nd jump in the jump off I thought I would just open her up a little for the first time, and she once again took to it like a duck to water. Some times she got a little excited and lost control of her legs but she gave it a go. It wasn't super quick, as I didnt ask for to much I just wanted to test the water a bit and was most pleased with another DC. The class was big for a normal Sunday. I think maybe 40-45 people in it? Anyway placings went to 6th and she didn't place which I wasn't worried about. However, I checked my record the other day and she finished 7th! So that was a nice little bonus.

Brit nov video here-

So next up was the Disco. I got in nice and early here too, I was 2nd to go. Course walked nice and I opened her up quite a bit more in the jump off. Landed over the last looked at my time and was thoroughly impressed. Yes, cracking double clear I thought! Oh no, 2 time faults in the first phase! GRRRR! I have NEVER had time faults!! Couldn't work it out as obviously I wasn't pushing but we was not hanging around or overly slow. As the class went on though nearly everyone had time faults in the first round. 9-15 time faults in the first round was the general score of nearly every other combination, I actually think of all the time faults Gracie had the least. She once again jumped a cracking round though, just one of those things, had I of been later to go I would of noticed and pushed on but you know, live and learn.

Video from discovery here-

So I am once again over the moon with her. In hindsight I probably should of jumped the newcomers as She hasn't jumped one so her first 1.10 will be 5yos at northcote as the lorry is having some work done this weekend,then she has physio next Saturday then we go to northcote on the Wed night. Regardless, I am ultra excited and just so grateful this lovely mare has given me the opportunity to take my own self produced 5yo to such an amazing show. I love her to bits 

Thanks for reading, I promise we do go other places than port royal! Our next report will probably be after Northcote as we are rather busy up until then!

Gracie's back!

Good evening guys!

So on Sunday I finally got back out competing again,and took the lovely rising 5yo gracie who hasn't been out since Arena UK's festival last September out. I was hoping to go for the BN to ease her back into the swing of things (She has only jumped 2 BN's and 1 4YO class in her life so far!) But got there a bit late so entered the 95cm scope qual and the 1.00 tack locker scope qual.

She travelled like a saint and came off and warmed up so well, so relaxed and took the whole atmosphere in her stride. When it came to the 95cm she was a bit wobbly and babyish, and had an unfortunate 4 flts at the beginning of the 2nd to last double, but jumped the rest great so couldn't fault her.

We then had a little re-warm up ready for the 1.00 class and she jumped this beautifully. She flew round for a DC but just wasn't quick enough for the leaderboard but this was ok as I wasn't pushing her anyway. The DC has qualified her for scope and also doubled as a discovery double clear so I was absolutely over the moon with her!

Hoping to get her out and get some BN & Disco double clears, then aiming to take her to Northcoate young horse show in June to do the 5yos, also Rio may be tagging along to this show for the 4yos as he is going amazingly, but we will see closer to the day!

So, we had a great day! Big thank you to my dad for driving & my boyfriend for being chief horse holder & photographer :)

Love Lauren x

The video is linked here, my riding is so scruffy but it did the job!

What we've been upto recently

Hello, I haven't posted on here for so long so thought I should do a well overdue update. Although I haven't actually done any competing I have been real busy with the horses getting them ready!

So as some of you may or may not know I moved yards back in December, I didn't actually have any of my own jumps so the horses have been on flat work bootcamp for a month and a bit. This has actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise as they have improved massively and feel much stronger and ready to jump. Building the jumps was fun ( read: sometimes stressful) but they couldn't have turned out any better I am so pleased with them. My boyfriend and I went out to source wood,poles, paint etc and luckily for us his granddad built the wings and did an amazing job. We painted the wings and poles and they turned out so well. 

So 2 weekends ago was the first time I got to jump Gracie and Fae since November, and whilst rather excited and giddy they went well. Face was her usual crazy self, Gracie feels much better and consistent, albeit a bit wobbly and green due to not doing any jumping for a while. A lot to work on with Gracie but with a bit more work she'll become much more consistent.

I loosejumped rio the same day, for the first time since I went to see him to buy him. So pleased with how much he has improved and how much stronger he is in his frame, I can't wait to jump him under saddle.

So apart from during the week after work that brings me to today. I have sat on Rio a handful of times but since he is still quite unsure I've been taking my time and he feels so much better for it. Today he went in the school and had a trot on both reins all the way round the school and did a few walk/trot transitions and I am so pleased with how he's coming on. He is feeling much more confident and wiling to try things when asked now, so I feel its very much a step in the right direction and i'm very excited to continue working with him.

I then moved onto the girls and did a basic canter pole to jump work with them. I love doing excersizes like this along with grids because I feel they really have to use themselves and their brains to hit the floor in the right place all the time. I definitely find these help Gracie think for herself and about where her legs are, she improves all the time when doing these or grid work, despite her having a spring in her step and a bronc on her landing today! Fae was her usual self, but I still like to do these with her to make sure she is thinking and doesn't rush to much, to help with this I shorten the poles up so she really has to sit up and wait.

Thanks for reading, I am hoping to update this blog much more, with product reviews and favourites etc!

Love, Lauren x

Happy new year!!

Hello and a happy new year! I'm slightly late to this post, well nearly a month late! But I have just got back from a lovely, warm, relaxing week in Tenerife so there is that! So I came back to this cold icy country with a thud after being laid soaking up the sun all last week!

I haven't done any updates in a while, really because I haven't much to update on. The horses have been taking it easy since we moved yards. I don't currently have any jumps but me and my boyfriend are on with making some this weekend so see how that goes! So the horses have been on a flat-work boot camp really, which can only be a good thing. Gracie is (finally) starting to behave herself and be the lovely big baby horse she was until a few weeks ago. Fae is going well, she's big and strong and her transitions are much more fluent and her canter much less choppy. Rio is still being broken, but should be back in the next few weeks which I can't wait for as I miss him dearly!!

Soooo, since its the start of a new year I thought it would be a good time to post a little update and list on things I hope to achieve with the horses in 2016, so I can look back this time next year and see what I did or didn't manage!

- My first aim is to have Rio going confidently under saddle and to begin jumping him around March time, the same as I did with Gracie last year.

- I would like Gracie to get all her BN and Disc double clears ideally, but my main aim with her this year will be 5YO classes.

- Come August time I would like Rio to have a pop at some 4YO classes, and be jumping confidently around a BN.

- We are hoping to put Fae into foal this year, so I don't really have no 'aims' as such for Fae, I just really hope we can breed of her and she can get in foal and have a trouble free happy easy pregnancy and give us a little half-fae bunch of joy at the end. This will be my biggest journey this year, and the thing I am most excited about and I have dreamt of having ever since I first met Fae, 5 years ago! I'm still not sure what stallion to put her too, something with lots of talent and not necessarily proven, so if anyone has any suggestions or ideas of stallions please let me know!

- I hope that I can pass my HGV test this year, this will make my life so much easier and give me the opportunity to get to many more shows without hogging my dads weekends! As soon as I have enough money away to do my medical and theory I will be doing them, so fingers crossed I can crack on with it this year as being poorly last y
ear put a stop to it!

- I finally hope my horses have a happy, healthy 2016 and they stay as buzzy and lively and game for life as they are now, that would be wonderful and the best thing I could ever hope for!

Thanks for reading guys,

Lauren x