Commentating at Norton Disney Photo courtesy Baron Halpenny Photography
April started off with some disappointing news for everyone entered at or connected with Goring Heath. Sadly, due to circumstances beyond the organisers’ control, the ground had been treated by the farmer who owns it and it simply could not have run safely. This meant a cancellation and real frustration for all concerned. So that was my first April event put to bed - a real shame as Goring is one of my favourites to work at.
Fortunately Jenny Levett was on the ball and straight away rerouted Bill's horses (which included Dylan the Villain) to Somerley Park who reopened their entries. It was a steep learning curve for Dylan as the ground was quite wet and he coped well in the dressage and then tried very hard SJ but still had three down. This was a good round as it was his first BE100 and very educational for him. Three down never sounds very good, but every time he hit one, he tried harder at the next – he just needs to develop his memory so that he remembers for all of his round! He then had a run out at a corner, spooking at flower pot on the top, but all in all a very educational outing!
The only upside to Goring's cancellation was the fact that I could go to watch at Burnham Market. Alfie was running in the Advanced and he had a bit of an average day really - 5th or so after the dressage with some tension and a few mistakes, one really unfortunate rail down when he tripped and then a clear round xc. He finished 8th but there was definitely room for improvement.
Next stop for me was Norton Disney – a lovely event, which runs BE90, BE100 and Novice classes. The course is beautifully built and presented and it has a very friendly feel to it – some events just do – for competitors and for those working and volunteering at the event. Alfie meanwhile was at Weston Park…
At this juncture I should explain that dear Alfie (Shannondale Titan) is entered at a well known event in Gloucestershire, which kicks off next week - but only so long as nobody tells him! Alfie is a diagnosed self-harmer - if anyone needs help finding a needle in a haystack he can probably help you out! This large event has therefore come to be known as the Beaufort Gymkhana or BG - in the hope that he doesn't find out!
So back to Weston Park… Alfie had been entered at both Weston Advanced and Belton CIC*** and we had already decided that timing wise, Belton would probably be the better run for him. He therefore went and did the dressage and SJ at Weston and then withdrew. Always a difficult decision to make, when faced with a good course and ground, but we didn’t feel that he needed the run across country.
Yes, it's all fun in the commentary box! Henry and I larking around at Norton Disney Photo courtesy Baron Halpenny Photography
Henry Symington, a good commentator friend of mine went from Norton Disney onto Sapey – it started off a miniature tour actually, after Sapey, then Ascott under Wychwood, Hambleden and Whitfield. Sapey was also the next outing for Dylan. He jumped his first double clear at BE100 and finished 2nd! Dylan was there on the first day and at the end of the second day I was amazed to discover that Dylan had won the Fields of Dunley prize for finishing closest to the optimum time across the two days of competition! No doubt Bill will claim this was all down to his good judgment as at BE100 level riders are not allowed to wear watches…or it could be luck! Either way, Dylan came away from Sapey with £167 for coming second in a BE100. Anyone outside of eventing may not realize what a big deal this is, but for those of used to collecting a mane comb and some hoof oil as a prize, I was pretty pleased!
Next up in my calendar was Bill Allen’s Thanksgiving Service. Now for anyone who has evented in the south of the UK in the last twenty years, Bill Allen has been a legend. He featured in Mark Todd’s autobiography for example. He was a cross country starter, an event organiser and a friend to many. When I first started commentating and controlling at events, he was really encouraging and put me forwards for a lot of events, for which I will be eternally grateful. The service was lovely and it was great to see it so well supported, with familiar faces from all across eventing; riders, organisers, fence judges and trade stand holders. One great big eventing family – it was very touching and Bill will be sorely missed.
The funeral meant that I couldn’t go to Belton to watch Alfie’s dressage test in the CIC***. I think in future I will stay away, if he is going to tests like that in my absence. He scored 36.6 and was well out in the lead. This included an error as well! Encouragingly, there is still room for improvement, which is great ahead of the BG!
The view from the office, aka commentary box, at Ascott under Wychwood
Whilst Alfie was strutting his stuff at Belton, our tour bus headed to Ascott under Wychwood, a beautiful Cotswold event, where the view from cross country control is unbeatable. Again, this is a wonderful event, running lower level classes – BE80, BE90 and BE100. The attention to detail is second to none however and it always seems to ballot, such is the event’s popularity. I tend to stay over at this event, even though it’s relatively local to me – as I am good friends with Chris and Janet Badger who organise the event, so a lovely evening was had by all with a great meal and a couple of glasses of wine!
Over the weekend I was once again grateful to be able to watch Alfie’s progress on the live scoring provided at BEDE events and I was delighted to see that he retained his lead after the second day of dressage. Alfie is by Limmerick and it was a great leaderboard for him after the dressage with Limmerick offspring in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places after the dressage! Frustratingly, Alfie had the last pole down in the SJ, which just dropped him behind Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen. Both went clear XC, so Alfie finished second. However that said, we were never looking to go out and win the class, just have a good preparation run for the BG. Bill said that Alfie went the best he ever has across country, so all in all a great weekend for him, and a good send off for Bill who was hot footing it to Rolex to compete Improvise.
Next stop for me; Hambleden, running an action packed schedule of BE100, Novice, CIC* and Intermediates. Hambleden is in a stunning location in the Chiltern Hills. The course wends its way through beautiful bluebell woods, with huge Red Kites circling overhead. Sorry – I’m starting to sound a little poetic! We had the pleasure of the live scoring system, which I know I’ve been banging on about, but it was the first time that I got to experience it in the flesh if you like. Seriously impressive – this has to be the future! I just hope that the sport can find a way of incorporating it so that it becomes the norm rather than the exception. We had a great team at Hambleden, with Henry, myself, Nicole Brown and Cris Howard – so a lot of fun was had by all! I was also of course keeping a keen eye on Rolex and the results unfolding out there. Sounds as though Bill rode a blinder round the cross country with Womble, which was great to see.
The final event of the month was Whitfield, a new event on the calendar this year and what a great addition to the fixture list it is, with beautiful courses and a lot of work going into the ground, there were a lot of impressed competitors. We had another fun team of Henry, myself and none other than Spencer Sturmey – international commentator extraordinaire. Needless to say, there was a lot of laughter from cross country control and some rather entertaining commentary at times!
That is more than enough for now. I’ve been rambling on for way too long. My next blog will be on the other side of the BG. Alfie had his final gallop yesterday and has come through that well, so hopefully we’ll make it…. Fingers are firmly crossed and will remain so until we arrive!
