A Great British Summer

Although it has been a pretty disappointing summer in terms of sunshine,I have had a great time with the horses, and I have certainly managed to conquer my huge demon of jumping in the rain, I’ve always hated the slipperiness of it and will do my utmost to find an excuse to wimp out. This summer has definitely been either jump in the rain or don’t jump at all.

Having jumped really well at the Derby Show the horses had a quiet week before jumping at Felbridge a couple of times and once at Coombelands to get ready to go back to Hickstead for the Royal International Horse Show. I’ve been impressed with how easily Breakdance has stepped up to 1.30, he’s very brave and honest and seems to understand that he is doing well and how pleased I am with him. He is naturally a rather timid character, so it’s been very rewarding to see him really come out of his shell and feel very pleased with himself. He’s a very affectionate horse, and although he is hyper alert he’s actually very easy to ride, he’s a little bit difficult in the collecting ring as he’s very aware of any movement from people or horses near the practice fence, but once we are in the ring his focus seems to improve with every round. Arietta is almost the opposite character to Breakdance, she’s a real alpha mare, she is affectionate, but also very protective of her personal space, and she absolutely knows how she likes things done. In the ring she is super keen and competitive, and tries to be very careful. She has an exceptionally long stride and is quite strong whilst being very sensitive, so it’s taken a long while to finally figure out the best bit for her and the best way to ride her. I love riding mares, but you have to make a real partnership with them where they believe they are in charge, whilst you actually retain the final say in the matter! She’s quite a big mare for me with a short strong neck and a sensitive mouth. At home I only ride her in a hackamore, apart from one day a week when I work her on the flat in a snaffle, and she jumps in a combination bit, this is a very clever bit where you can alter the balance between the hackamore and the bit, for Arietta she has as much on the hackamore as possible (so the pressure is distributed between her nose, poll and the back of her jaw) and just has a bendy plastic bit in her mouth. I tried with just the hackamore, but she tended to get her head a little bit low, and the little plastic bit just seems to help her balance herself before the fence. We’re very lucky that we have great hacking in the Forestry Commission where we live, so our horses hack 3 to 4 days a week, and they go in the field for two hours every day. During the hot weeks I have been turning them out either very early in the morning, or after evening stables to avoid the worst of the flies.

The first two Hickstead shows seemed to bag some of the best weather this summer, and the Royal International was no exception. Holly and I managed to have only one 5am start this time, on the Wednesday with Breakdance jumping the 1.30 and Arietta jumping a great round in the 1.25. It was great to jump a little bigger on her without having to brave a 1.30 which we both find a bit too much. On Thursday we were set for a very long day with Arietta jumping the 1.25 in the morning and Breakdance set to jump the 1.35 as the last class of the day. Arietta took enormous exception to the show ponies on Thursday and was very upset and wild as she entered Ring 2, unfortunately she continued the wild mode, treating the 1.25 more like the Champion Hurdle for two down in significantly less strides than anybody else. Having had a long hot wait I then went to walk the 1.35, which looked very big in ring 4, however Holly rang to say Breakdance had cut his hip quite badly. We were very lucky that Ed Lyall got to the lorry before I could jog back and stitched up the huge hole he had managed to punch in his hip, but certainly no jumping for him for a little while. On Friday Arietta jumped a beautiful double clear in the 1.25 to finish her week, and I walked Breakdance quietly at home to keep him moving and help the swelling on his hip subside.

Breakdance’s hip continued to be a little bit sore for a couple of weeks, he was completely sound, but he did have a bit of swelling and so it was important to keep him gently moving, and he continued to have his time in the field to keep the swelling down and prevent him getting stiff.

Sophie, Alex, Lila and Jack moved to Kenya for three years in May, so we have been itching to visit them. We had a wonderful ten days with them in August. Starting in their new home in Nairobi and visiting the coast at Watamu for a few days in the middle. It was wonderful to have such a long, unhurried visit, and to be able to spend so much time with Lila and Jack, and to get some appreciation for how different life in Nairobi is from life in Brighton. Security is tight in Nairobi, you get used to it quickly, but it is a very different and essential mindset. It was much more relaxed at the beach where we could wander about at will, and the feeling of space in such a huge country is amazing. Luckily we will have plenty of chances to visit, as it’s impossible to even see a fraction of what this beautiful country and its lovely friendly people are about in just a few days. Some of the fascinating things we visited were the Giraffe Sanctuary in Nairobi, and also the National Park, which is part of a chain of interlocking national parks where the animals wander freely right up into the City of Nairobi. You can drive your own car round the park, which must make it unique - this made for some very testing adventures for Sophie & Alex’s new Toyota Landcruiser, but we saw rhino, giraffes, zebra, a crocodile, monkeys, antelopes of various kinds, ostriches and warthogs, all just happily wandering about in the enormous space. We didn’t see any big cats, but Sophie & Alex have seen them on other visits.

The beach at Watamu was breathtakingly beautiful, the pure white sands and crystal clear water of the Indian Ocean, and endless, endless space. Mark is the most brilliant sandcastle maker and so, so patient at playing with the children on the beach, and Lila is a real water baby so it was fantastic fun, and hopefully Alex and Sophie got the odd peaceful moment while we were there.

Holly housesat for us while we were away, and she and Steff looked after the horses beautifully and kept them ticking over. Ed Lyall checked them over as he hadn’t given them an MOT since March: it’s a big part of my management that they have regular vet checks, mainly to learn what is normal for each horse, and to discuss their fitness routine, and to head off any problems before they appear. Breakdance seemed to be a tiny bit stiff when he came out of the lorry, so we have added weekly treadmill sessions to their regime, and also regular walking over raised poles to encourage him to step through better. I think where he had been sore from his cut on his hip he had been a bit tentative with himself, resulting in a little bit of stiffness. Once he was back in regular work, and had had a physio session with Caitlin McCaffery this seemed to ease up very rapidly. Both horses seemed well rested after a quiet 10 days and I was keen to get going with Edenbridge & Oxted Show only 10 days away. I had a very good lesson with Gemma Stevens on the Thursday before Edenbridge and the show was on the Sunday. Edenbridge is a really lovely, old-fashioned agricultural show, there is so much for everyone to see and do. Anna, Tom, Rory & Immy joined us, and we had a great time watching the motorcycle acrobatic display by Bold Dog FMX which was both breathtaking and terrifying, I don’t think Rory even blinked whilst watching. I then jumped Arietta in the Foxhunter, she was very fresh from her holiday, and excited by the sights and sounds of the show, and we weren’t helped by the Scurry Carts who came by just as I went into the ring. She was rather strong for the first three fences, but then settled and jumped a lovely round. We then had a short wait to walk the course for the 1.30 in the main ring. Breakdance warmed up really well in the very busy collecting ring, before jumping a lovely round to finish 6th. Even at 5pm there was still a very good crowd round the main ring, it was a difficult enough course on absolutely perfect going. It’s fantastic to have the chance to give younger horses the experience of jumping in a big ring, with a really electric atmosphere, and to have a proper prize-giving with a lap of honour. I’m sure the horses really know they’ve done well when they get this extra adulation.

Next up was the two week All England Jumping Championships at Hickstead. The first week was glorious sunny weather. I didn’t jump until Thursday to give the horses a big enough break after Edenbridge. Breakdance jumped really well for one down in the double which was completely my fault the first day, and for the penultimate fence down on the second day, but this was good enough to qualify him for the 1.30 Championship in the main ring on Sunday. Arietta also jumped well the first day, just brushing the first fence, but put in a very competitive round on Friday to qualify for the 1.20 Championship. What a fantastic opportunity to jump both horses in the main ring. Arietta’s class was first and she jumped a brilliant clear in the first round. I’m the slowest rider ever, but I was last to go in the jump-off so I did get a wiggle on. We absolutely nailed the first three fences, but there was a long run to the double, and she just got a bit strong to have both parts down. The 1.30 final was after the Grand-Prix and Breakdance was early to go. Luckily I had Mark to help me and hold him while I walked the course. It was definitely our biggest and most technical test to date. Gemma walked the course with me and Shane Breen was watching my last practice jump, and made a few valuable suggestions, so I went into the ring as ready as I could be. I was a little bit tentative in the first half of the course, and he was very green to the combination, resulting in a few poles, but he jumped the last line absolutely brilliantly, and we both learnt so much to carry forward, and the penny finally dropped that I need to ride more forward. It was great to have Mark helping me on such a special day, he helps every day behind the scenes, loves the horses and is my biggest supporter, so it was great to share a very big day with him. Many, many thanks to Equisportif for wonderful photographs and reels of a very memorable day.

The second week at Hickstead was hit by what seemed to be a tropical storm with absolutely torrential rain. Having jumped on Sunday I didn’t jump until Thursday. The 1.30’s at this show necessitate extremely early starts, and Breakdance was a little bit naughty the first day, wondering if he might revisit the collecting ring after fence one, but then going on to jump a very good round. But he was definitely going to have to jump again on Friday. Arietta just touched the first fence in her class before jumping a super round, so I thought she could probably have a quiet day on Friday. Friday dawned even rainier than Thursday. Luckily we were able to park on the hard-standing that is used for winter schooling, but the rain was so hard we didn’t even want to get out to put the ramp down! Luckily the polo arena and the actual ring of Ring 3 stood up well, as the horse walks, and the practice arenas were flooded. Breakdance jumped a really cracking round for one down at the penultimate, but I was thrilled with him, and rode him so much more forward and trusted him to be careful. Even though we were home by 10.30 it seemed like a long wet day and I still had Arietta to hack out in the rain!

We had a lovely quiet Saturday with the Breen Equestrian Auction in the evening, which was another fantastic Breen Event - it was moved to the members at Hickstead due to the weather, and this turned out to be a brilliant venue. Excellent auctioneering from Simon Kerrins who is the CEO of Tattersalls Ireland, a good party atmosphere and a lovely selection of horses. All the horses made good prices, all were sold, and it looked like a very encouraging evening for the future of the industry in the UK.

We then spent Sunday in Twickenham with Anna, Tom, Rory, Immy & Twiglet (special invitee for the children) celebrating the birthdays of Anna and Immy and having a lovely lunch and riverside walk.

The big focus since I came back from Kenya has been preparing to go to Oliva in Spain for MET 1 in October. I’ve never done two tours in the same year before, but I have two lovely horses, and not many years left in a decent level of the sport. I think Breakdance has a lot of talent, and the tour format, where you jump three days a week for three weeks, with fantastic facilities, really helps with progressing the horses and taking stock of both where you are and helps set goals. Arietta is very well suited to big arenas and the European style courses, and a big show brings out the best in her. She seems to relish the atmosphere, but the longer format helps her settle and contain her excitement. My aim is to be competitive with her, and to jump more 1.30’s and with Breakdance to hopefully step up and begin to get established at 1.40. The courses, footing and schedule at Oliva all seem to suit these goals, I have somewhere to stay and Crista Lockhead Anderson to help me, so hopefully we will have a very good time.

In preparation the horses had a second check-up with Ed to make sure they had come out of a couple of busy weeks at Edenbridge and Hickstead well - which luckily they had, and I had a very good lesson with Gemma. It’s important to keep to your schedule and not feel tempted to change it radically or do something you’d never normally do. We have kept going with the weekly treadmill sessions at Toad Hall Farm which I feel really help both horses, and apart from that continued with hacking, schooling and turnout as normal. The turnout is particularly important as they won’t have this for four weeks once we set off for Oliva, so I want them to benefit as much as possible before we go. I find the packing and preparation quite stressful, but I am travelling with James Davidson from Fetlock & Co so he has handled most of the paperwork, I just have to pack, make sure the horses are clipped and fit, have my carnet, passports, somewhere to stay and someone to help.

As always many thanks to Mark, Holly and Steff, who make up a fantastic team at home and at shows, and to Ed Lyall, the Casserlys and Caitlin who keep the horses feeling their absolute best. A big special thanks to Gemma, who takes time out of her unbelievably busy schedule to coach me. This year has been a very good year, and Gemma’s patience, help and confidence boosting coaching has underpinned it all. Also to Emma Varley at Kempt Lifestyle, my personal trainer. Emma has worked really hard with me to make me physically the strongest that I have been for a very long time. This has been a huge factor in not only my strength when riding, but also in my self-confidence. Dynamic Performance Hub have also been a huge part of my fight back from injury and investment in the future. It is well worth accessing their services, either on a membership basis, or service by service, their whole set up is truly inspiring. I am lucky to have a long time sponsor, Saracen Horse Feeds who have been great supporters, and provide the best horse feed on the market, and also thank you to my other supporters, Just Equine, MacWet Gloves and NDS Equine, their generosity is invaluable. I’m grateful to the Billy Stud for selling me these lovely horses and continuing to take and interest an support me with them.