Over the first and looking great!
Another day for us that was far from average in so many ways. We think there might have been 150,000 people here for the cross country day. The sun shone all day. The footing was just right.
I walked the course with Jade one last time just to make sure of the lines I wanted to ride. We finished the course walk and the first horse began.
I sat in the riders and owners tent in front of 25 TV's and watched to see how everything was going to ride for the early combinations. This is not normal. Mostly what it did for me was to get my body acting excited like when I do a big cross country course, but I was sitting down and couldn't do anything. Sam and Chris Burton had gone ahead of me and both had clear rounds.
I had been doubting our chances sometimes because we haven't been out for a while so I kept looking at options in striding that would get us home and keep us safe. Then I went back to my room in the peace and quiet where I could feel my heart racing, and went through the course in my head. By the end my heart was slow and I calmed down.
I walked out slow through the huge crowds and Ninja and I were both quite relaxed. We stayed like that for the rest of the round.
It was one of those days where almost everything felt good. The horse was incredibly fast to the point that I had to be aware that we were possibly getting too far up on the clock. I was seeing the sort of distances that save you time on a cross country course. Not too dangerous but not slowing a great deal either. The first hint of a problem was the jump into the water. As he jumped in we had to curve right and as I used my right rein it pulled through my hands. Quickly regathering on the approach we jumped well but it was not ideal. He jumped everything so well, but I had the same problem at some apexes. He jumped over a vertical white gate and did the correct 6 strides to an apex followed by a 4 stride right turn to another apex. I pulled the right rein and it went through my hand again. I decided it was unfair to ask him to jump it from where we were so I turned him toward the option apex only to realise that I couldn't get at it without crossing my tracks. So I did. He continued on brilliantly and came in 10 seconds under the time as well as recovering superbly.
The 20 penalties is there but I am sorry for the horse because he never ran out and he deserved a clear round. Even with the mishap I was totally on a high because we finished Badminton cross country, and because he cruised around like a horse of the future should.
Until next time,
Murray
