November/December 2013

Very hard couple of months as my best friend died. Cancer.

September / October 2013

 Unbelievably, my little pony came 5th at The Nationals. I still cant believe it. I remember leading him off the lorry the day i bought him 4 years ago at my dear friend Melissa Smiths yard and thinking oh my god what is she going to think of this tiny little squirt of a cheap driving horse i have bought!
But being the wonder that she is she gave me her full support and didn't make me feel like an idiot! The fabulous Isabella Hoare who imported him and backed him knew he was a good horse and i remember thinking when i first sat on him 'you look like a little weed but i could ride you all day' and i didn't wanna get off but had to cos he was so weedy!
Whilst Melissa was dancing around on her beautiful GP horse and i was cart horsing it around on 3 rising 4 year old Alf, who would have thought a National contender was at the start of his training.
Not me that's for sure! :-)

We had a fab couple of lessons with Charles de Kunffy at the TTT with my Alf giving me a wonderful ride too on the Sunday Evening Lecture Demo.

Alf won his first ever medium!! Two huge mistakes because of the scary red tractor parked next to the arena (if its moving its 'not a problem' but if its stationary 'AAAHHHHhhhhhhhh its gonna kill me') so i was therefore SO over the moon with 67.93 in M61 with a mark of 8 for first collected trot centre line and halt, 8 for a medium, another 8 for a collected trot and another 8 for our last collected trot centre line and halt. Happy!
And then the clever boy went and won his second medium, (M63 66.55%) this time it was me that made the mistake with a dreadfully ridden pair of walk pirouettes (5's!) whereas Alf was foot perfect and got an 8 for one of the half 10 m circles simple changes.

Eilean Appletona and Shakira

Eilean Appleton and Shakira continue their good form with another win in N38 at East Soley. This was followed by an 8th place in the Novice Wellington Area Festival. 

Sonya Saville and Jasper were 0.32% away from being in the Wellington Novice top ten!

Nicola Holehouse made her mark on the Area Festivals this year. At Wellington 3rd in the Novice and 10th in the prelim, and her 4th place at the Oldencraig Novice Area Festival. Qualified for the Area Festival Novice Finals! Having now Qualified for the grass roots BE championship at Badminton she is one happy lady!

Sara Malpass and Basil were awarded a fantastic 73.89% in the riding test at London and South East championships. Individual 2nd and team (ERC) came 4th! 

Her young chestnut mare 4 year old Nelly is doing super and together they won the Intro Championship at Frensham Manor with 72.61%.

Katherine Davies and Longdean Waterworld 3rd in the Wellington Area Festival Medium Championship. 0.3 % away from 2nd and qualifying for the Area Festival Finals.....please give them a wild card!

Oh my goodness me, is that Eilean on the front cover of the 2014 BD rule book? Do they not know this wonderful young lady does not do rules?!?!
Hee hee, fab photo taken on her final halt at the Novice Area Festival at Wellington.
Happy horse + happy rider = happy trainer.

July/August 2013

Im very pleased for Nicola Holehouse and Monty who did their personal best with a 24.5 at Tweseldown today in the BE 90. That's 75.5% and am over the moon that was from a List One judge.

I am busy preparing for the second In Hand Dressage Demo at Hall Place on July 30th. Come see how much fun you can have working/playing with dressage movements with your horse in hand and on the lunge. All proceeds to http://www.aacancer.org/index.html. Seats are £10 each and must be booked and paid for in advance as we have a maximum number that we can fit in. Cheques made payable to Action Against Cancer.

I MUST READ THE RULE BOOK MORE!...... after Alfie got the highest score in E44 of 72% at Fairoak Grange but then i was eliminated at the end for wearing a fly mask because it was in the indoor school. Lesson learnt as last time i read that section in the rule book it said OK for fly masks in summer but not not winter! Thank goodness he also got highest score of 70.31%  in E59 in the outdoor school or i wouldn't have had any money for ice cream, diet coke and diesel on the way home!

Amazingly good two day clinic with Alf and Stephen at the TTT to set us up for the Regional Warm Up at Addington the next day where Alf won both his Elementary classed! E43 with 71.03% and E59 with 72.81%. We are really getting there. YES!

Then another super two wins for the Alf  at Pachesham winning E45 71.37% and E59 with 68.53!

Followed by one of the best days of my life, Alf won the British Dressage Elementary Central Regional Championship at Addington with 71.56%! OMG we have qualified for The British Dressage National Championships!!!

May/June 2013

I am very very proud of Sara Malpass for coming 6th at the Hickstead Prelim Championships today! What a fantastic result!  And thankyou for my photo, i love the rugs you won.

Louise Wilkinson and Pogo first and third up at Patchetts in the BD novices. Brilliant!

Emails like these from Denise Roissetter about her daughter Claire Roissetter are what keeps me doing my job...... "Hi Tracey! We're at the Badminton Grassroots Championships and just wanted to let you know that Claire and Harvey have done the best dressage on 22.8!!!! They won the dressage at Badminton! So proud of them both and as you've played such a huge part in his dressage prowess, thought you'd like to have a proud Auntie moment too!! Thank you so much for everything you have taught them over the years. Unfortunately had a fence down sj, but still lying 5th. XC today, so fingers crossed they have a lovely round and get back in one piece, then I can stop feeling sick!! Dx" . Claire was third in the end at the Badminton championships. Still brings a tear to my eye thinking about this as we worked so hard and had so much fun for years heading towards this dream. Now its reality!

Thankyou so much to everyone who came to support the In Hand Dressage Action Against Cancer Demo at Cloud Stables. James, Alfie, Del and I had a fab evening and hope you all did too. Things i have learnt and will not do next time......try to run as fast as Dels extended trot with a microphone attached to my head.....let a pigeon poo on me....allow James have a slot on the demo as now he wants a longer 'lunging give paw carrot stretching part' on the next one.

I went to Oldencraig in Surrey and clever Alf won his first Elementary Dressage to Music with 70.57%! We also won Elementary 45 outright with Alfs best Ele score so far 72.06%! His first 8's for both medium trots and 10m circles, halts and rein back! 

Alf  is now out of Novice points and i was very happy that he won his last ever BD Novice test with 71.92% He was such a good boy in BCA indoor for first time. 

March/April 2013

                     


Claire Cowley and her chestnut welsh Max are getting a super partnership together now, this month winning Intro A at East Soley with 72% and and an 8 for the free walk.


Happy Happy Happy! Eilean Appleton and Shakira won their first Affiliated Novice Restricted at Merrist today WITH 70% WOOPETY WOOP WOOP WOOP. Yes that says 70%!!!

 

January/February 2013

In January clever Delboy went to his first show since his tooth root op last November and won both classes at East Soley!
70.38% in Novice 35 and 65.71% in Elementary 57. My fault that % is low for Del. I had been practising some sitting trot and had 'reduced' the trot so as to allow for my core to cope! I then hadn't ridden as big and forward as i normally would in the ring, so a comment of 'needs more ground cover' from judge Lindsay Jenkins, although a comment never normally applied to Mr Del, but quite right on this occasion.

It started snowing whilst at a show the next day with Alfie. Very apt as we were at Snowball Farm! Alf was determined not to be outdone by his brother so he won both his classes too! Four red rossers in two days!68.4% in Elementary 44 and Alfs first 70% in Elementary 49! Would have been more if i hadnt forgotten the 20m circle canter stretch at the end. To be honest I was just so grateful by that point that he hadn't fallen over with the amount of snow that had balled up in his feet that i was just looking forward to getting to the final halt safely.

AT LAST! Alf got his photo in Horse and Hound!

I also took my client Sara Malpass with me to ride Logan at his first Affiliated Dressage. He went HC so as to not yet gain any points but Sara would have won both of the Novices. What a day!
It looks beautiful in the picture and on the videos but oh boy were we cold!



I am so proud of Gillian Hammond and her event horse Cuddles for coming 2nd in their Prelim at Wellington.

Gill has been working so hard over the winter on her dressage and jumping to prepare herself for the rapidly approaching BE season.

This rosette in a dressage competition is just what she needed to give her the boost that all her hard work is paying off.

I love this picture because Gills position is good with her weight down into her inside leg and it shows how she is training Cuddles to be able to work in an uphill frame,but with his back up as well as his poll up.
Look at that amazingly white tail! How does she do that?!

Karen Grafton Brown and the lovely Friesian Spartacus have made wonderful improvements in their work and the dressage rosettes are about to really start flowing!

Lauren Holloway and Chance are improving their scores every time they go out and we are having great fun at home playing with some baby piaffe steps and half pass. 

In February the boys did it again! Four red rossers in two days!

Alfie went to East Soley and won Novice 38 with 72.9% and won Elementary 53 with 70.88%. Yes! Alfies second 70% at Elementary!

Del went to Snowball and won Elementary 45 with 67.24% (not bad as only had 5 minutes to warm up as I couldn't get him tacked him up because there was a loose horse galloping around the lorry park in the snow!) and won Elementary 59 with 70.63% (that's more like my Delboy, back in the 70%'s where he belongs!)

Another write up for Alf in Horse & Hound!

Del can NOT believe it. He says he has won his last four classes too, why does his brother get all the luck. Don't worry my big boy. Your time will come again.