Well there is no greater leveller than a horse or in my case eventing my horse!
Mrs B and I always look forward to our annual trip to the Barskimming Estate near to Mauchline, Ayrshire. Over the years we have been very lucky to get to know the Rt Hon Heather Galbraith and the late Rt Hon Jean Galbraith who have run Eglinton Horse Trials for 60 years.
Susan Colquhoun (Horse Trials secretary) and her family have also made us so welcome. It means that we have the delight of staying for a long weekend on the estate.
Poppy (K Too) and Rocky (Keltic Clouds Above) both made the trip although only Poppy was competing. We enjoyed hacks with the horses and walks with the dogs in fantastic weather either side of the event.
Poppy had been relaxed and settled in the run up to the event. Unfortunately, the relaxation was not transferred to the dressage warm up and test. How I got through the dressage warm up I do not know! Poppy reacted to something and the warm up took the form of cantering on the spot, bucking and trying to bolt. Not an ideal start to the dressage phase of eventing. A phase that requires your horse to be as settled and attentive as possible.
A score of 41 was achieved and to be honest I was pleasantly surprised given how she was. The last movement produced the following comment from the judge – “and now she relaxes”. That just about sums it up.
Thankfully, Poppy came out for the showjumping and the cross country in a far better frame of mind and went clear in both phases (save a couple of time penalties which were my fault not hers).
Given her reaction to the dressage phase, we have decided to take a break from eventing with her. For the time being she will be showjumping with a friend and we will review how things go in 12 months time. In the interim, I will concentrating my efforts on Mollie (Galdoralda D), my big grey girl. Here’s to getting some experience under her belt and enjoying a few outings on the eventing circuit.
