exCELLAnt - Individual Medals at the European Championships!

As I write this I am stunned by the riding of our GB show jumpers and the craziness style, of new european champion Bosty (Roger Yves Bost) - There really is no one that rides like him, the way he picks up the horse, throws it over the fence, lower leg swings horizontal and he still lands back in the saddle to jump another 1.60m fence!

It would have been insane for Ben Maher to have won double gold, but 3 showjumping medals out of a possible 4 - we can't complain! Scott Brash and Hello Sanctos were the only double clear today (Bosty had 1 time fault in the first round). While both Sanctos & Cella only had 1 fence down each all week!

Last but not least, how could I not forget Michael Whitaker's round on Viking, he moved up over 10 placings from that clear in the first round!

Finally, on behalf of all the Brits I'd just like to say,

well done boys - you've done us proud!

And to Roger Yves Bost - 

Well done Bosty!

But we'll see you for the 'rematch' at the world equestrian games in Normandy next year!

Team GBR

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European Team Gold!!

I can't have been the only person on the edge of their seat throughout the entire European Team Championship Final tonight?! I was convinced we were going to have an unlucky slip up, but our boys delivered again! 

How that was Ben Maher and Cella's 3rd clear, keeping them on a score of 0 is crazy! I was expecting Billy Congo to play around on the corners at least, after his performance the past two days; nevertheless he rose to the occasion and pulled out all the stops producing a foot perfect round - despite my desperate clicking at the tv... 

After the 4 jumping faults and 1 time for Michael Whitaker and Viking, William Funnell's round relieved the tension for a short moment, until I realised just how close the margin for error was and suddenly the moment was here!

How Scott Brash is so calm under pressure I will never know!

*The Voice in Scott Brash's Head* 

'You know, it's just the European Championships, last to go, & I'm just going to go, have one down, to keep them panicking then pull it out the bag. Gold. Standard.'

But honestly, we're all so proud of the boys; a repeat on Saturday in the individual and at the World Equestrian Games next year would be great thanks!

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Training & Keysoe Intro British Showjumping - 17/08/13

This week I had a jump lesson for the first time in ages! I have been researching technique for my riding and exercises to improve the horses performances; however the lesson helped us to improve further. I realised that sometimes something as simple as my line into a fence can help Maddy (Shauna's Mymwood Maddison) to have a disobedience, that would in the ring cost us 4 faults. Nevertheless, by the end of the lesson we were confidently 'popping' a 1 metre course - needless to say I was delighted!

That weekend we followed the lesson with a Intro British Showjumping competition at The College E.C, Keysoe. I jumped Maddy round both the 70cm and 80cm open classes. She felt so much more willing than previous times there (almost all have which have resulted in Maddy and I parting ways somewhere on the course!) However this time she was much more forward into the fences, partially from the relentless flatwork we've been doing this year. We ended up just outside the placings (again!) due to one fence down in the treble combination. If we hadn't had that down we would have been 2nd! 

We bounced back in the 80cm open, I felt more determined than ever! We completed our round with a 'flyer' to the last fence (a square oxer with solid looking checkerboard fillers), finishing with a double clear. We then watched the rest of the class, while hoping everyone had one down or was riding on a ticket. After an agonising we finished 3rd! - My first British Showjumping placing, and it was even more worthwhile because I had done it not the easiest pony'! 

Photos to follow....
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Patchetts Intro British Showjumping - 11/08/13

Two weekends ago I competed at my first British Showjumping competition (in what seemed like forever - really it was a month or so).

I took Sienna's Renkum Shauna in the 70cm clear round as a warm up for her later class with her owner. She jumped everything from whatever stride she was on (she doesn't like to be interfered with at all when jumping) resulting in a clear round for us!

I followed this up with a round on Laroue in the 80cm open, in which we jumped clear on the untimed section, in the second phase against the clock Laroue went so well, but we had an unlucky 4 faults on the second from last fence, that put us just outside the placings!

Overall I had a really good day, it was so nice to be back out jumping (almost) double clear! x Facebook | Youtube | Twitter | Bloglovin'