Kensa’s cheeky character is really coming to the fore, I guess I would expect nothing else with her mother being Sarnie.



With best buddy and half brother Tommy

This week has flown by although not much to report. Posy has finished her eventing season, she did quite a lot this year so just being allowed a easier time with some light work, hacking and the odd bit of show jumping. She will get a few weeks / month off at some point but trying to fit it in with the darker evening and more horrid weather. Ellie is still very pleased with herself after Bricky and is sure she can fly round Badminton next year (high aspirations, zero realism!!) Today we had a chance to take her cross country schooling at Porth Valley thanks to Cornwall Trec. Porth Valley is great for schooling with an excellent range of fences, plenty of ditches, water and steps. Ellie was ace and is so bold.

It was one of those days that doesn’t look the best on paper but I was enormously pleased with how we got on. Ellie has not got huge mileage under her belt and still only done the one event and a couple of cross country schools. Therefore to take her to Bricky which is felt to be one of the higher end 90’s as a first one was maybe asking a lot.

We travelled up the day before and walked the course, I did joke to Mum that until after XC it should be nil by mouth for me as I had forgotten how far it was (maximum length) with some good hills. The course was lovely but a variety of questions both technical and bold. We got to stabling only to find we had a flat tyre on the back outside of the lorry. Have to say NFU who provides breakdown were superb and sorted out a tyre fitter to us in an hour. We always carry a spare but even better the puncture was found and a repair could be made.

So back to Bricky for an eye wateringly early dressage of 8.06. She was a bit green in the test and lost balance a couple of times but I was pleased with the test and rather surprised with a score of 36.3. However at the end of the day we were 11th after dressage and I guess that is about where I would expect.



Quickly onto show jumping where the course caused some problems, I think the undulating ground does show up if they are not balanced. I was really pleased with how Ellie tried and her jumping is improving all the time. She just had a pole behind at 3 when we were a bit far off but otherwise jumped a very competent round.



So by 9.30 we were on cross country course. I started kindly with 3 simple small fences before a decent brush log at 4.



A decent solid fence under the trees followed and we had a good stride and popped that well before the fences in the ‘arena’. Bricky put the trade stands around some feature fences giving it an arena feel. For the 90 it was a simple log on a related to a hanging log, Ellie rather confidently took a stride out at the second part before popping through a double of logs, over a ditch, double of logs and through the water. We then had a brush log to a gate, jumped the first well but just ran through the bridle and clouted the gate hard. Made sure I had her back for the next which was a tricky brush sited on a mound, Ellie sat back and made a lovely jump. Through the angled rail and onto a huge hedge (well huge for 90 when you are on a pony!!)



As you can see she made it feel very easy! Unfortunately we then made a mistake, I had seen a forward stride to the hedge and kicked on, the next fence was a small log at the top of a very steep hill. She set her jaw again and if she carried on that pace down the hill I feared I would fly over her neck! I really had to sit her back but I failed to take into the account we suddenly went away from the lorries again and off on a different track than expected, I probably also failed to keep my leg on and shoulders up she suddenly saw the log when it was too late to jump it and we had a very frustrating 20 penalties. Represented popped down and finished the course in style.

An annoying mistake but it didn’t hide she actually made a tough 90 feel very easy. We have been sadly balloted from Calmsden so our last run will be another 90 at Bovington to finish the season.

Someone is growing up quickly and seems to have her mothers cheeky character. You can also see she has a love of the camera too. She was micro chipped today and drawn so will soon have her passport.

Sarnie has not gone back into foal this year but hopefully next year she may go back in again. She really is a fabulous mum.

This weekend we headed to Tall Trees for a British Show jumping competition. Posy had the majority of the week off whilst Ellie had been doing some grid work to help her development.

Tall Trees is one of our local venues (albeit nearly an hour and a half away) and has great courses and arena and some bright fillers and jumps.

Nice to get Ellie to a new location although a bit of a pain currently have horses in the first and last senior class of the day.

I thought the British Novice was a decent track with some interesting lines. We were not helped by a relatively short warm up as the traffic had delayed us and we were running late.

I think Ellie improves every time out, she still doesn’t always find it easy to shorten to a fence and hollows but more and more of the time we are getting better strides and shapes.



So a pole down over a decent track and I was very pleased.

Posy had a bit of a wait for the Newcomers which was useful time for stuffing her face with haylage! Classes at Tall Trees run A7 which means there is a separate jump off which is nice for a change but does mean more rounds. She jumped a good clear in the Newcomers and then in the jump off I saw a real misser meaning we sent a pole flying.

We then had brave pants on and jumped the 1.15 class. Warming up she was backing off slightly I think from hitting the pole so hard in the jump off. However we went into the ring and jumped a good clear over a very decent track.



Good job you don’t walk a jump off as I suspect I would have been rather green. She jumped a super round to complete double clear and 4th place.



I really do think Posy’s show jumping is looking particularly good at the moment and hoping we can find a nice Foxhunter to jump soon.

With Blenheim complete (see below) we headed to Bicton for the 3 day show jumping show where we met up with Ellie who had been kindly transported up by Zoe. Clearly with the travel involved in going to Blenheim it would for Posy mean a quieter show and we only entered a class each day.

Day 1 and we were up early as Ellie was entered to do the 80cm training round in the grass arena. It is a good job she is an easy pony as the previous 4 days with the build up and Blenheim I had not had a chance to ride her! As always she was a pleasure although clearly 80cm was beneath her as she went in the ring and proceeded to get cockier and cockier!



Actually the video didn’t look as bad as it felt. So it was decision time, did I put her in the British Novice? The British Novice was in the all weather arena and a decent track also as it was single phase it meant that the second part was 95-1m quite a step up from what she had been jumping. I had my usual indecisive pondering's before being brave convincing myself I could give up half way round if it all went belly up!!

She is so bold and went into the ring still thinking she could jump the moon with her eyes shut!! She had a little of a shock and 4 poles went flying in the first half of the round and I was wondering if we should continue as we started the bigger section. However the poles had caused her to think and she allowed me to put my leg on and ride her forward more and we jumped the bigger section clear.



I was over the moon and Ellie went back to her stable to reflect on the morning! Posy I entered in the 1m derby as a bit of an easy fun class that shouldn’t be too taxing. She generally loves these classes and is very bold over the Derby fences.

She jumped a super round unfortunately I missed her at one of the last fences and she did back off the devils dyke and have a pole going in.



Day 2 was one more to forget not due to the horses that both went well but rather the torrential rain that soaked me through!

Knowing how wet it was and that Ellie was jumping on grass we put our number down first in the British Novice. I have to say she coped brilliantly and ignored the lashing rain, and even better made just the one mistake for 4 faults which was great progress.



Posy was also in the first class of the day the 1.05 open. My objective was not to be competitive but to try and jump a nice established round. I have to admit I couldn’t resist some shorter turns but these were balanced and within the rhythm. We did a super double clear and were just one place outside the placings.



Day 3 thankfully reverted to the usual Bicton weather of sunshine! Ellie did another British Novice and again had 4 faults which like the previous day was going into a double. I think she just can’t quite focus yet and is almost trying to jump the second element before she has jumped the first.



Finally Posy finished the weekend with a Newcomers class. I thought it was one of the biggest Newcomers we have jumped to date and although we did have a mistake at the 3rd she just ate it up and made if feel very easy, Foxhunter soon I think.



So a great few days away and really pleased how well both girls went.