Season round-up and conclusions

April
80cm unaff at Tweseldown - 39 dressage, clear SJ, 10.4 time pens but clear and a nice bold round to finish 6th.

May
- 90cm unaff at Mattingley - 34.5, double clear inside the time to finish 2nd - made the SJ feel so easy just jumping in a lovely rhythm.  Kept it up XC, stormed round no probs at all.  £55 prize money
- BE90 at Tweseldown -  35.5, 4 faults SJ and 7.2 time faults to finish 17th.  Thought we were going quite fast XC but the time there is tight and it's so twisty.  Nice, confident round though.
- BE90 at Borde Hill - 31.5, 4 faults SJ and finished bang on the optimum to end up 2nd - RF Q.  £33 prize money.

June
- BE90 at BCA - 34.5, 8 faults SJ and 14 TP XC.  It tipped it down with rain all morning, ground was slippery in the SJ and not great XC so took it nice and slow.  Finished 21st.
- BE90 at Rackham - 30.5, knocked the planks hard in the SJ, amazing clear round in the XC - 25secs inside the time.  7th place.

July
- RC Novice Q at Rackham - 1st after dressage and double clear.  Not sure on time but no time pens so must have been within 15secs of the optimum.  Qualified for the Nationals

August
- RC Nationals at Aston le Walls.  Lying 10th overnight after a half decent dressage test and clear SJ.  Within the time on phases A, B and C.  Recovered really well in the 10min box.  Came in at HR of 60, down to 42 after 5mins.  All going well until fence 7 when he napped back towards the 10min box and we had our 1st run out of the season :(  Carried on but took the long route at the nasty drop to corner.  Finished with a few time faults so likely would have finished on dressage score without runout and come 3rd.  Very disappointing.  Learning experience for us both.

- unaff 90cm at Borde Hill - 32 and a double clear to win!!!  £70 prize money and a free pro photo :)

September
Something went a bit wrong in Sep - failed to reproduce any of the dressage scores from the earlier half of the year despite jumping seeming to improve!
- unaff 90cm at Tweseldown - 37.5 and 4 faults SJ but finally clear XC within the time.  Finished 14th.
- 1st BE100 at Munstead - disappointing 39 but great double clear.  SJ was amazing - only one sticky getting in close moment when I held instead of kicking on out of a corner but they were big and wide and he made it feel easy.  Bit stickier XC but nice clear inside the time.  Only managed 14th though - v competitive section!
- BE90 RF's at BCA - horrendous dressage for 42 - totally lacking any impulsion - lying last after dressage which is a first I never wanted to see.  Fab double clear - made it feel easy yet again.  Only finished 29th though.

October
- 2nd BE100 at Pulborough - dressage still not our thing, more forwards but not connected.  39.5 disappointing.  Thought he deserved a bit better than that.  SJ was ok - bit sticky over the first few and very nearly stopped at the planks but then flew the rest for a clear.  XC never really got going, kept holding him, holding him and eventually held too much and he ran out at the scary corner which was big and solid and had a big scary pot of bright yellow flowers on top.  Jumped it fine 2nd time but then felt tired after and was backing off still.  I was still holding and although we got through the rest of the course ok it didn't feel pretty.
- final 90cm of the season - Tweseldown unaff champs.  Took him hunting a few days previously to try and brighten him up which worked far too well and he was mental in the dressage - like sitting on an unexploded bomb!  Just about contained things for 35 but I think that was generous.  Lovely clear SJ and then dragged me round the XC completely out of control - haring about, no real steering but showed how brave he can be as he just attacked everything I pointed him at and the only thing he even had a weeny 2nd thought at was going into the water which he's always a little suspicious of.  Finished well within the time.  Ended up 12th.  Shame not to get top 10 but v competitive and top 10 under 32, mostly under 30.

Winter dressage ahead of us - must sort it out as he has got so much potential - his jumping is fab and has come on so much.  Canter is so much stronger.  Flatwork has really progressed but still struggling with contact issues, acceptance and submission.