9th September 2011

Suddenly they decided they were madly in love!

We have been busy preparing for the Express Eventing Championship which is being held at the NEC Horse of the Year Show on October 4th. I am re-choreographing my dressage to music test as I felt I could improve on the one I rode at Gatcombe in the qualifying round.

I planned it out with help from a friend, Jane Clarke then had a few lessons with Nikki Barrett who added some final touches. In our lessons we have been working a lot on suppleness and getting Tambo to work over his back more. Nikki had me doing lots of small 10 m circles and leg yielding out to a 20 m circle and then back in. I was doing this in the trot and canter. We were also doing canter half passes, as this really helps him to relax the canter and engage his hind legs, as well as sharpening his response to my leg aids. We finished off with some four time tempi changes which he has been doing fantastically. He's still yet to do them without squealing though! The new Freestyle rides really well and I am amazed how quickly Tambourine has learnt to do the more advanced movements. I just hope he keeps his cool in the NEC arena and lets me ride him!

I have just about chosen the new music, and I love it! Another friend, Catherine Delavigne has become my ‘musical director’ and has found some fantastic tracks. I am very excited and really can’t wait!

We have been keeping up our show jumping practice and Tambo did a fabulous clear in a Foxhunter class at Felbridge recently. We took Rocco along too and it was his first outing for ages. He was really good and did clear clear rounds at 1m and 1m 10. He loved being out but taking the two of them anywhere is a real handful. They suddenly decide that they love each other madly and can’t be parted without calling to each other constantly! But it’s so brilliant to have them both sound and going well, fingers crossed and long may it last!

I took Tambo to Pachesham to do some more dressage as well, and we entered our first Advanced Medium. He really rose to the occasion and behaved unbelievably well getting placed third with 64%. Our next outing will be in a few weeks when we will do an Advanced and PSG. I will have to hold onto my hat!!

I had a super jumping lesson with Corrine Bracken at Parwood Equestrian Center. I think Corrine is a fabulous teacher but have not managed to have a lesson with her for a few years, so it was really good to have some help from her again. It was also good practice to jump indoors. When I was 10 years old I won a Pony Club competition on Midi and the prize was a day with Corrine at her yard. I will never forget how wonderful and kind she was as she spent the whole day with me, and not only gave me a lesson but bathed and groomed Midi with me as well. Corrine must have been incredibly busy then as she is now, so it really was brilliant of her to make so much time for me.

We also took Rocco to Parwood and Mum rode him around the cross country course while I had my lesson. Poor mum, he was so incredibly excited and hated to leave Tambo so he leaped, bucked and cavorted with her for ages! Then when we were trying to wash them off, he managed to kick the horse box on the wheel arch and not to be out done Tambo reared up onto the tack locker inside. Exhausting!