Eventing show jumping is going to be easy after this! Rocky jumping 1.35m
So once again, I have been terrible at the whole monthly blog thing!
What have I been up to for the past couple of months?
Since my last blog I have done 3 events – Tamworth, Friends of Werribee and the Victorian Eventing Fundraiser. These were all in August/September where I had horses entered from EvA80 right up to 2*.
A lot has happened since them…
Starting after the two weekends of eventing in Werribee, I decided to put my eventing career on pause to focus on my weakness – dressage! I also wanted to start facing up to some bigger show jumping tracks.
It was a tough decision to make but hopefully taking a step back will allow me to take multiple steps forward in 2016 when I’m back out eventing
I have been jumping in 135cm classes and competing in medium level dressage which are both well above the level that my horses are competing in eventing. The aim is to give them competition exposure without the pressure of making one test or jumping round count. If mistakes are made, they can go out and jump another round or do another test.
I want to get these two phases as good as they possibly can be so that when I am back eventing, I know that I’m not just making up numbers. I am a very competitive person so I want to go to come back out next year with horses that are healthy, fit and capable of positing PB performances in all three phases.
Of course horses are horses, there will always be the things you can’t control (like harness horses at shows!!) but I want my horses to have been exposed to many different situations. From all the Ag shows, my horses have learnt that the side shows aren’t so bad!
Luna - my 4year old doing dressage at her first event in the 45cm
Just recently I have competed in my first 45cm mini horse trials. The Albury Horse Trials Committee ran a training day that allowed riders to ride a judged dressage test, ride a show jumping course and also a cross country round.
Two of my 4 year olds had their first time out on cross-country and showed much promise. Riding a homebred baby in her first event was very rewarding and proved to me that my love of eventing is still very much there - I promise I am not a showjumper!
As for Boris (Rockingham No Reason – 3* horse), he has been sidelined since Melbourne 3 Day Event with an awful hoof abscess. Five months later and he is finally better. The abscess has fully been dug out, we now have to play the waiting game for his hoof to grow out so he can return to life as a competition horse. No Boris, you are not retired just yet!!
With the 4* at Adelaide about to get underway, I will have to wait another year to compete. My main goal for this year was to get Boris there in the CCI 4* but it was not to be. Oh horses!
This is obviously very disappointing for me but all you have to do is look at the start list and you will see that the future for eventing in Australia is very bright. I wish I was one of the many young rider first timers but I wish them all the best following their dreams. I will get my turn - hopefully next year!
We have one dressage event at Albury and two jumping shows in Sydney left to finish off our year so we are far from done
In September I ran another lot of very successful and fun kids camps and I also ran Learn to Ride days which catered for totally non-horsey beginners.... I’m sure all the LTR riders are still begging their parents for a pony!
I had 12 LTR kids, 10 Junior campers and 10 Young Rider campers! The camps and LTR days are something that I am very proud to be able to offer the local kids of my area and I am in the process of setting the January dates to do it all again
We have had a new and slightly smaller addition to the team. I have recently purchased a “project pony” that is now a “permanent pony” I’m sure.
Dudley is a 12.3hh, 5 year old, Palomino and white pony with three registrations (I know I said I am not a showjumper but maybe I might become a showie?)
The very handsome Dudley
That’s about all I have to report on this time
Thanks to my parents, sponsors, grooms and owners for their support in my crazy decision to stop eventing for the end of this year. I hope I can do you all proud in 2016
After my competitions wrap up, the next thing for me to do is plan my events for 2016 and set goals -that will be my next thing to blog about!
Until then,
Teegan xx
