Floyd on great form at Sydney CCI3*
With Sydney CCI3* out of the way a month ago and with some really strong performances the Australian Eventing Team is wide open and could be filled from any angle. I made the trip up to Sydney with both Floyd (KP Allofasudden) in the 3* and Chooch (KPI Empress) in the CIC*. For poor Chooch this was her fourth event on the trot but Floyd needs a travel buddy and Chooch drew the short straw.
I had a great weekend with both horses. Chooch won the CIC* class from start to finish six points in the lead on her dressage score of 43 (I think that was the right score … I could go and google it but it’s midnight so I think I should just get this blog done then jump into bed!)
Floyd did another great test and scored a 44 to be right up with the top few. He is really starting to carry himself now. Poor guy, he really isn't built for it, being a failed sprinter but he is now putting in 100% nearly 100% of the time.
The cross country looked nice but tough in a sneaky way. However it actually jumped really well which showed just how strong the Aussie based horses and riders are. Floyd romped around with just a couple of time faults. The water jump was right at the end of the course at the bottom of the big hill so it took a lot of balancing to get the horses back on their hocks for the big jump and drop in three strides in a straight line, to two angled houses in the water. Floyd ate it up and made it feel easy.
On show jumping day he felt great and it was me who made a mistake into fence six, which then carried on and we ended up with a fence down at eight (the last part of the treble). I was very mad when I came out, as a clear round would have meant a win, but instead I had to settle for fifth. The score were so close that if I had gone just one second faster on cross county (so 0.4 less penalties) I would have been second … it was very tight at the top.
Jumping into the first water complex at Equestriad
Then we moved onto Camden last weekend where I decided to drag poor Floyd (and Chooch) back up to Sydney to do the CIC3* at the Eventing Equestriad. Very windy conditions saw the horses on edge in the dressage and the scores were not that amazing. Floyd held it together and kept his hair on but the judges were undecided and had him on a 64% and a 69%. It makes quite a big difference when the score are so far apart and I ended up fifth on a 50.1 .
The Wayne Copping cross country course was really good and asked a lot of questions with two water complexes and a main arena combination as the only fence between the two waters. The first was a pond with a big angled brush into and out of it with the second water being a bounce in and a tall skinny brush narrow out. There was also a super tough (really a 4* fence) as the fourth last. It was on top of the hill over looking Camden where there is a old open barn. We had to canter through the barn jump a roll top out of the barn and do three straight strides with no room to ride a curve and square up the huge, narrow and savage apex that followed.
I mentioned to Wayne that is was a good course and that this fence was very tough for a 3* (not that I was complaining) and he said “err yes it only got finished yesterday … and … um … in hindsight the apex really should have ben a few more strides away!" However it was a great test as it sorted the boys from the men and caused plenty of duck outs. Even horses who could have been in line for London had glance offs and that maybe helps the selectors a little in their decisions.
There was one fall in the first 3* water from Stuart Tinny on Orchid Hill. He jumped in quite normally but because the jump was so big in with no drop the horses seemed to all jump, land and stop for a second before cantering on again. This pause just shot Stuart straight over the handle bars you could say and a very wet Stuart scooted off to his truck to change for his second ride in the 3*.
I was second after cross country only 0.1 ahead of third placed John Twomey and Shane on his young stallion (Statford Neo) was in the lead. A clear round from John put the pressure on me but Floyd responded well jumping each fence like he was Pegasus. Shane had one down to slip into third and Floyd and I won.
Floyd stands proudly at the top of the line up at Equestriad
This win will have done our London hopes no harm but it’s now off to Melbourne 3DE for a special class for shadow team horses. It is a CNC with the 4* dressage test a 2* cross country and 3* show jumping. It’s getting to the pointy end now so Melbourne is going to be ELECTRIC
See you there
Megan
