Rhiannon Ball rounds up the past few months

To start with as I missed the blog in February i will just recap over the events...

My school break - February half term - allowed me to train further for the up coming event season. Interval training, fittening/hill work as well as some much needed schooling all took place in preparation for for my first event at Poplar Park. Due to the wet weather and no facilities I had the only option of roadwork until the weather improved - fortunately my 'event' horse is very sane and is 100% in traffic.

The day of the event was, well, as most of them are for many people, hectic! I had a 10minute warm up for the dressage, which went surprisingly well, not our best but definitely better than expected - especially for our first one. I entered the show jumping on a score of 33.5 and the pressure of achieving a clear round show jumping was growing with much apprehension as I have yet to have a fault - my 3rd year of doing B.E and have yet to receive one, and this day was no different. We rattled a few, but had luck on our side! Due to the hectic time schedule I was not able to walk the course with my 'unpaid groom' - my mum! This panicked me, but as usual she gave me the sound advice 'KICK!'. This filled me with little faith but we crossed the finish in one piece! I was over the moon with Chissies performance but had some doubts about a possible 'mistake' that i might have made when i talked through the course with fellow competitors. I had jumped an alternative part 'A' but had stupidly on my part forgot about part 'B'!!! To say the least I was frustrated with my self as his score would have put us in the top 5! I know for certain I will not make that mistake again!

I went home and continued to practise...
Dressage was now my main aim - having miraculously managed to qualify for the BD Winter Nationals I am now beginning to take this discipline a bit more seriously, much to Chissies dismay!

We headed out to Affiliated BD with little hope of receiving a placing as I had only ridden the test once at my trainers the week before...This lack of belief later proved un-necessary as we somehow managed a win in the qualifier class and also a 5th in the other qualifying class even though I forgot the test twice! This has further boosted my confidence for the Nationals and although I'm going with little hope I am looking forward to the experience and it's a perfect consolation for not being able to attend the Open PC Championships and the BD Summer Nationals on my younger horse!

The youngster...
He is now fast approaching 4 and with this he seems to be ever-growing. Everyday I ride him he feels ever so slightly larger - in both height and width! He is now schooling superbly - flying changes are 'simple' and he seems to produce even more scope every time he jumps! He is so brave it's unreal and teamed with his carefulness I really enjoy working him; he just seems to improve daily!

That's about all for competition news at the moment...

I have started feeding a higher quantity of Horse Power to Chissie in preparation for the Nationals, this seems to bring out the most stunning shine on his coat and also improve his condition. Overall he just looks so much better since he has been fed this.