Sam Penn finishes the season...

To finish off the season we haded down to Somerset for what promised to be a pretty relaxing week at Aldon International with just one horse, Coevers Diamond Clover who was having his first attempt at a CCI*. After an incredibly cold first night, during which all the waters and taps froze as well as the door to our lorry things actually went rather well. I am begining to get acustomed to that dreaded feeling in the trot up when the ground jury send you to the holding box when I know there is nothing wrong with the horse, I am starting to think that the sadisic so-and-so's enjoy making me run repeatedly in my heels!! (I know I should probably wear 'sensible' shoes, but the last time I did the horse tripped me up so now I go with the heels....) Anyway, we got through the formalities in the end and by the time it came to the dressage I was feeling pretty confident. It has taken a very long time for Flynn to start working well in the dressage arens but (probably now that he is for sale) it is all starting to come together, so well in fact that I rode the test in a happy mouth snaffle. Flynn excelled himself and gave his best ever preformance to date, earning a mark of 48.8 to lie equal 15th.

With that bit out of the way we looked forwards to the fun bit, for all his youth and inexperience I always enjoy riding Flynn xc because he is so straightforward and easy and as yet he has never found any question too much. My only concern on this occassion was whether he would find the time a problem as the terrain was pretty tough with a long steep hill near the end. I need not have worried however, Flynn may not have the fastest gallop in the world but because he just keeps going to each fence without a great deal of 'setting up' he skipped round easily and galloped up the hill without any bother, finishing well inside the optimum time.

Fortunately after his exertions of the previous day Flynn trotted up well and giong into the final phase we had moved up to 12th place. Unfortunately we did not manage to finish on a clean sheet and 8 faults in the showjumping knocked us down to 20th place, although I believe he was still the highest placed 6yo.

Just to silence any criticism of his showjumping Flynn came out this weekend and won a 1.15 open class and was 2nd in the Foxhunter. It was also a chance for me to start getting to know the newest member of the squad, a 10yo chestnut mare named Kir Royale who has had some good form at BE100 level this year and will be hoping to move up to face some Novices in 2011. But for 2010 thats pretty much it, all the ponies will now have a bit of a holiday and the chance to go and get fat, hairy and dirty and generally take it easy for a while before we start to prepare for 2011....