Runner up at the Festival
The success continued at Gatcombe with Red Kite and Mosstown Prince stepping up a level for the Intermediate Championships, which is run at Advanced. Red Kite has been going beautifully at home so it was lovely to show off his good work in public. He did a super test to jointly lead the dressage on a score of 27. It was his first Advanced dressage test with more difficult lateral work which he relished. The show jumping was always going to be a big test for him with lots to look at in the arena but he jumped a great round with one unlucky pole in the treble. He gave me a class ride cross country, and despite the step up in level made nothing of it. He was able to put his huge gallop to use and finished in 2nd place. The course caused plenty of problems and took some riding, and running around those hills at speed can sap the energy out of horses, but he really gave me the impression that he’s game for the higher levels. He’s only 8 so has plenty in front of him, and it’s very rewarding having bought him as a four-year-old and produced him through the grades.
Mosstown Prince is a year older but has only been with us since December, he’s still very much a work in progress so came here this time for the education, more than to be competitive. He’s improving all the time in the dressage and did some pleasing work, before jumping double clear so we couldn’t be happier with him. He has come such a long way this season and we’re looking forward to see how much he continues to improve.
It’s always a privilege to ride at Gatcombe and this year the going was the best I’ve ever known it to be there (and this was my sixteenth year competing at the Festival), and the courses were definitely more horse-friendly.
It was a busy weekend with a number of our sponsors also sponsoring Gatcombe. It was great to spend time with the teams from Land Rover and Dodson & Horrell. For the past eight years we’ve also worked with Hamptons at the Festival which is always a fun day.
To end the weekend, it was very special to present rosettes to the RDA after their display in the main arena, which they’d worked very hard at and taken huge pride in. It was a great reminder of how horses can have a profound effect on lives, and is all the more special when it helps to overcome difficulties or provide a freedom otherwise unobtained.
My weekend finished with a stint on Classic FM to discuss my favourite piece of classical music…. who would have thought!
