Badminton Grassroots BE100 Championships 2015

What an experience!  Definitely a more positive one than last year too.  I felt more prepared for what was in store this year but still when the photos of the course went up my self-doubts came to the top and I really wasn't sure this was actually something we could do.

Here we are before setting off:

And here is my lucky bear from super sponsors West Kent Saddles:

We arrived on Monday lunchtime, settled Monty in and headed off to the first organised course walk with Yogi Breisner.  This was very useful.  He gave us a lot of guidance on lines to take and how to tackle various types of fences.  My first thoughts were that some fences looked better than in the photos such as the skinny brushes at 9ab which had an obvious right hand route and the corner at 13b which had a lovely not too time-consuming alternative.  The coffin looked just as difficult as last year though - definitely the stuff of nightmares!  Had a little ride on Monty in the evening - he knew something was up and was pretty tense in the wind but did some nice work so off to bed to think over the XC course and visualise my dressage.

The one thing keeping me going was that surely the weather couldn't be as bad as last year.  Oh, how wrong I was.  It was worse!  Tuesday dawned with high winds and rain.  I worked Monty a bit in the morning.  He was wound up by the wind, napping back towards his stable and we had to be led over to the warmup.  Not a good start!  Tried to get him relaxed and listening but not easy in that weather.  Put him away while we went for another course walk, this time with Nick Gauntlett.  He was again very helpful, especially with the lines we could take for the skinny brushes at 9ab.

Course photos (taken before fully dressed)

alternative to 5a:

alternative to 13b:

Onwards to dressage - the weather was still bad - the rain had mostly gone but the winds were crazy.  Tried to do lots of lateral work in the warmup to get him soft and listening.  The test was hard work.  Going uphill into ridiculously high winds and I felt like I needed to get off and push him.  It was a safe test and he held it together doing every transition where I wanted, staying soft and round but he wasn't really taking me forwards and the judges hated that.  We ended up lying 40th overnight and not sure where we ended up overall but nowhere good!  Upsetting as I feel like his dressage is so reliable these days and that I should have ridden more forwards but I think I probably would have lost the obedience as the explosion was just simmering under the surface.

Time for dinner then off for a final course walk with just my one loyal friend who knows us both very well.  We made sure to walk all the lines, to make contingency plans for stridings but to aim for forwards.  I decided to definitely take the alternatives at the corner and the water as really just wanted my clear round and not so bothered about making the time so opted to play it safe.  Walked the SJ which was a full up 1.05-1.10m course - the biggest we'd jumped without a warmup class first but nothing I felt he couldn't do.

A very sleepless night ensued, just like last year really.  The rain beat down on the horsebox roof, I thought it must be bound to be abandoned in the morning and tried to hibernate and pretend it wasn't happening but sadly this failed and I was dragged out of bed to prep for the SJ.  I went to watch a few first and it was causing its problems but mostly when the lines weren't ridden forwards so the stridings didn't work.  It was dry when I walked over to the stables but as we tacked Monty up the heavens opened.  The rain was whipping across horizontally and it hurt when it made contact.  Monty was wired.  I had to be led out of the stables again, got him in the SJ warmup only for him to nap, spin, rear and refuse to do anything useful.  He stood there shaking and I really just wanted to go home.  I took him back to the dressage warmup to try and get him to settle a bit but had lost all hope of getting back to the SJ warmup and thought I was going to have to withdraw.  Had a bit of a meltdown and pep talks from friends really weren't helping much.  Thankfully then saw my boyfriend heading rapidly across the field accompanied by Chris Burton who had trekked over from the main site in the awful weather.  He made me get Monty's attention back on me, focus, got me over a few warmup jumps and then it was our turn.  Not the ideal warmup but we went in and bless him he jumped a great round, just getting a bit long and flat towards the end and being unlucky to rub the last two fences.

first fence:

fence 2

fence 3:

 fence 4:

fence 6a:

 6b:

fence 8a:

 8b:

fence 10:

Chris said to me he expected nothing less than a clear round XC and to crack on!  He text me 15mins later to say he hadn't trekked across in the pissing rain for me to withdraw so to get on with it!  Fortunately the sun had come out temporarily and I'm more scared of letting Chris down after all his efforts with us than anything else so I had a complete change of clothes and we got Monty ready for XC.  They reported over the tannoy that XC was running late so we tried to time it exactly to avoid the disaster of waiting around in the XC warmup for an hour that sent Monty off his rocker last year.  We got down there as the horse before me got sent to the start - perfect!  Quick warmup log, brush on a tight angle and we were ready to go.  Straight to start box and posted straight in and off we went.  Much better than standing around getting nervous!

He gave me an awesome round. I didn't try for the time.  The weather was horrid and we were out of a chance for a placing even finishing inside the time.  I just wanted my clear round.  We took the alternatives as planned at the water and the corner.  I'm sure he would have done the water, less so the corner, but wasn't worth the risk.  He popped 4 strides in the skinny brushes which walked on 3 but he got in close to the first so thought safer to wait for 4.  And best of all he aced the coffin, albeit with some verbal encouragement from me!  We came round the corner, I told him what was coming up, a slap down the shoulder for attention, sit back and shout!  It worked and after that it felt like a walk in the park!  That feeling of coming through the finish clear should be bottled and sold - I won't forget it in a long time!

Huge thank you to various friends who turned up in horrendous weather to support me and take wonderful photos and videos.  And big thank you to super sponsors West Kent Saddles for making sure everything fitted as it should in the run up to the big event and obviously the lucky bear worked his magic!

fence 2:

Galloping towards fence 4:

fence 4:

fence 5a alternative:

into the water:

5b:

5c:

fence 8:

fence 9b:

fence 18:

fence 19b:

post XC being interviewed by British Eventing - felt like a proper eventer!

with friends:

the skinny brushes:

the coffin:

start and finish:

another angle at the finish:

post XC love for the orange horse:

I am over the moon with Monts.  Difficult conditions, certainly not something he enjoys and in all 3 phases he tried really hard for me and did his best.  On the XC, he listened, focused and kept on jumping.  He really responds to positive riding and I learnt that more than ever.  I have to be confident for him and tell him there's no other option and then over we go.  I am so lucky to have such a horse - he really is one in a million!

So, after a couple of rest days I joined in with the others left still at the stables and we had a run through of the 4* dressage test enjoying practising our flying changes:

 and half-pass:

Then we had a go at some tempi changes - rider still learning to count!:

Then on Saturday evening after a fab day watching XC I joined in with a couple of the others for a hack round Badminton Estate testing out our Badminton purchases of a new Shockemohle breastplate and Le Mieux XC boots.

Before we left:

We did some posing in front of the house:

Through the ears shot:

And then went for a hack round the 4* course, sploshing in the Gatehouse New Pond, cantering through the hollow and galloping back up to the white garden gates then going off to the Savill's escalator and past our corner and coffin.  What an experience and in much better weather too!

It really was a most awesome week.  Monts is now enjoying a week in the field while I decide what to do with him next!  Booked a couple of dressage lessons for a start as really want to get out at Advanced Medium this summer - eek!

The video of our whole round:

Pre-Badminton lessons

In the run up to Badminton I squeezed in a dressage lesson with Sara Jane Lanning, a SJ lesson with Chris Burton and a final little XC session at Attington.  Determined to be as prepared as possible!

Dressage we focused on softness and straightness.  Must not let him overbend to the inside on the left rein.  Keep him up and in front of the leg.  Imagine the kind of canter you need coming to a big upright SJ, lots of power.

SJ we popped round a couple of courses out on grass and he was really flying.  No need to do too much really - he feels ace in this phase at the moment.

Final XC session at Attington - he spent most of it napping as there by himself but we did achieve a lot by getting him through the coffin the most similar to the Badminton one first time - he did hesitate slightly and I still need to keep shoulders back more but it was a great learning experience.  We also jumped lots of logs on top of mounds and he was very happy through the water.

Hambleden BE100 24-04-15

A little jump the night before and he was pinging.

So, off we went to Hambleden where we won the BE100 last year.  Late afternoon times.  Walked the course to find it was much the same as last year.  SJ actually looked quite small compared to SOE and what we've been jumping with Chris.

Onwards to dressage.  He warmed up nicely but some tension in the test again frustratingly kept our marks down again.  Finished with 32.  He got an 8 for the free walk and I managed to keep the canter energised for 7's but he popped up to canter in each serpentine dropping to 6's and losing a mark for impulsion as well, plus a stingy 6 for a very nice looking apparently not quite square final halt.  He is just convinced that the tests must be about to contain something more interesting and can't believe these days I am just asking for simple transitions and serpentines.  The disadvantages of taking a horse schooling Advanced Medium to do the equivalent of a basic prelim!

On to the SJ.  Got to the warmp with 5 horses to go before us.  Perfect.  Quick whizz over each fence.  People kept walking in front of the fence and putting me off my stride which wasn't a good start but once we got going we were fine.  He went in and jumped a super super round.  Really smooth, lovely forwards rhythm and met every single fence and related distance spot on.  So proud of him!

He just makes it look sooooo easy!  Not a small fence and he's miles above it.

Straight onto XC and managed to go 15mins early as they were at the end of the class.  Quick warmup, no hanging around - best way for Monts.  Set off like a rocket and never stopped.  He was awesome, taking everything in his stride.  We trotted down the steps, trotted through the water and the coffin and yet somehow managed to be the only people all day to go too fast and collect a whopping 5 too fast time penalities for being 5 seconds faster than Novice speed.  Somehow we had gone 30 odd seconds quicker than last year here.  Gutted as dropped us from 6th to 10th so missing out on another Regional Final qualification despite another double clear.  No-one else came close to that time all day and he really isn't a quick horse.  I felt like we whizzed round SOE 2weeks ago and we were 16seconds too slow so rather puzzled as to how we turned into speed demons overnight!  Awesome, confidence giving round before Badminton though.

Coming out of the coffin:

Fence 2:

Next stop Badminton!

Chris Burton XC clinic Parwood. 21-04-15

Started with a session on the gallops.  It was quite warm which always makes for a lazy Monty.  We managed a 6.5min gallop at a consistent 510mpm after some steadier warmup canters though so that was good as that's how long we're going to need to gallop at Badminton.

After a few hours rest we had a shared XC lesson with Philippa and the lovely Jack.  Chris was out to test what we were made of.  Started with a gentle warmup but then upped the anti with tackling a decent oxer on the left hand angle which he made easily.  Then taking the skinny brush on an angle.  Right was no problem but he ran out to the left.  It was a stupidly acute angle but he did it fine to the right so should have been fine to the left but he was never really straight or locked on so round we went.  He then reared vertical when told off for it.  Came round and jumped it again with Chris holding the flag out but not quite what we were aiming for.  Chris got on and jumped the big saw bench I had refused to jump (serious Novice fence that one!) and then did the brush on the angle.  He said as I long as I get straight, put left spur on and commit to going over then he is fine!  Easy for him to say.

Moved on to the water.  First we jumped the trakehner and then the massive house on an angle then back round, over the 2 houses 4 strides apart then one stride and log into water, 4 strides to step out and he just zoomed into the water without any hesitation - so proud!  Then we did the big skinny house and through the water, up the step and supposedly over the big house on 3 strides.  First time fell up the step as went on a long one.  Second time managed the step but no momentum.  Third time lucky, up the step but no way could he make 3 strides so just let him pop to it on 4 and he made it feel easy.

slow mo version:

Then we jumped the corner from left and right and a skinny on the left angle.  Not great at the corner - just find them so hard to see a flipping stride to.  Is driving me mad at the moment!  No hint of a run out though at least.

Finally we did ditch, 3 strides to skinny house and round to our makeshift coffin with a SJ either side of the ditch on one stride.  He popped through both ways no problems so finished there.  He is a frustrating horse - so much jump but that cheeky left run out keeps coming to get us.  Really need to remember to keep him together round the corners, get him straight and channel him forwards.

skinny brush:

oxer on the angle:

skinny house before water: