With a second month of sponsorship now under their
belts, the Speedi-Beet Team have been enjoying the unexpected
spell of hot weather during May and are working hard as the
competition season is in full swing...
Kirsty Loveday &
Owen
May has been full of hard work for Owen and I. At home we
are really pushing his lateral movements, such as increasing the
displacements in his shoulder in and travers, and also working on
the simpler things such as his transitions. Fairly recently Owen
has started jumping 'up' in to them as opposed to going forwards. I
had quite a revelation on a rather 'explosive' ride when decided to
continue without spurs. Now I have gone back to riding without them
and it seems to be working...at the moment.
I have also been increasing my fitness by cycling and
running (around the yard as the case may be) but its definitely
helping.
So a month of hard work and the feeling of Owen
really starting to take that big step towards medium lead us to a
competition on the 20th. My trainer accompanied me as Owen is so
insecure at a show and I have been feeling a little lost as to how
to get him in front of my leg. What works once then doesn't work
another time so I figured we needed another pair of eyes on us. We
warmed up phenomenally, I was amazed at how his work at home had
improved his confidence out and then to be having a lesson put the
icing on the cake.
Well...unfortunately Owen became a little too
confident and the walk to canter transition led to bouncing around
instead of cantering forward, I have never had that in a test
before, it was rather bemusing! However, we finished the test with
me giggling and Owen clearly feeling like he had done a fantastic
job and laughter from the judge! Not entirely the judge response I
try to gain at a show!
From here we look ahead to the next month. Our next
competition hopefully will be June 20th at Arena UK. Again to do
both the elementary classes and keep legs on the floor! Continuing
work on Owens lateral movements and myself riding with no stirrups
(let's hope he's not full of it then...I will make sure there is a
camera to hand).
I am also now looking to get my youngster out and
about before he starts his path through the BD
levels.
Jennie Daniels & Lady
Jane
This month started slowly with more fitness work and
finding out my haylage supplier had run out. Luckily the grass has
now grown. The rain also put stop to play for several days and JJ
was coming in covered in mud every day.
For several days I was working at the Aston Le Walls
event, so made sure I wore my jacket every day. At 4 o'clock on the
Friday I was going to a WW1 training event, JJ had the farrier, so
was sporting a new set of shoes just in time for the
weekend.
The training weekend was a F.A.N.Y training camp
(First Aid Nursing Yeomanry) and is the second annual camp we have
now had.
The weekend started with us arriving on the Friday
evening and just relaxing and looking at all the new books and
information people had managed to research.
Saturday we had everybody riding in
normal kit (me sporting my Speedi-Beet jacket and JJ her
Speedi-Beet saddlecloth) and started with a shakedown ride around
the fields on the way to the school. JJ (aged 21) and another pony
(aged 22), spent the whole walk trying to go faster and wanting to
race each other. The younger horses walked along very happily
though. One day our horses will act their ages (or so we keep
telling ourselves).
Once in the school, the serious work started and we
ended up completely re-writing our musical drill ride for this
year. This year we have introduced some canter work and made the
ride a little bit longer so should be more dramatic for the people
watching.
After a short break for tea and snacks, we then put
the side saddles on the horses and everybody had a go side saddle.
I have now managed to get a nice new (second hand) side saddle for
JJ and we actually managed to have our first side saddle canter and
even managed our first side saddle jump. Ok, so it was only a pole
on the floor, but that counts, right?
After the side saddle work, we put normal saddles
back on the horses, harnessed up one of the Highland Ponies to the
carriage, and we all went out for a carriage and hack ride along
the tracks around the estate fields.
On Sunday we put all of our WW1 kit on the horses
and wore our F.A.N.Y kit and then had a lesson on tent pegging. JJ
thinks tent pegging is great fun and proved to be very good at
going fast in a straight line, shame I am not so good at lining up
my stick with the pegs.
Here is the link to my public album on Facebook of
photos from the training weekend:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150988238926934.490934.750911933&type=3&l=848552b1a4
Paige Staff & Magic
Moments
This month we only managed to
get out to two shows, as we ended up missing two other BSJA shows
due to the arena and/or ground being too wet, slippery and
waterlogged. On May 13th, we travelled to Lime Kiln Farm EC,
Thursford, for Trailblazers qualifiers. In the Open section of our
First Round class, Magic went very well and we managed to secure a
double clear and 3rd place. Then, in the Regional Final of the same
Open class, we performed even better and came home after achieving
a double clear and placing 1st, hence qualifying us for the
National Championships.
The next week (20th May), we went out and competed at
JumpCross at The Priory, Aldeby, Beccles. Once again, Magic tried
very hard and together we achieved 1st place in our class. Along
with our win from the previous JumpCross show, we're building up
our points for the end-of-season Annual Points League for our
class.
On a different note, Magic had a more
relaxing week the following week, filled with show jumping training
at home, as I took my other pony, Super Nova Starlight, to Houghton
International to compete in the show jumping, where we won the
AmTrust Chase Me Charlie at 1m20, placed 2nd in the Horse and
Hound, and 4th in the Accumulator (just for fun).
Next month, I'm hoping to get Magic out to a BSJA
show, as well as competing at another regular JumpCross competition
on the 24th June, before heading to the JumpCross Young Riders
Challenge Finals in Wittering, near Peterborough on the 26th.
Fingers crossed!
Sarah Barnes &
Costa
Well the glorious weather we've been enjoying is
such a contrast to the wet start to this month! Our first event of
the season was supposed to be on the
5th, but along with Badminton
and the scores of others affected by the bad weather it was
cancelled.
Cheshire Hunt South Pony Club's event at Kelsall
Hill the following weekend went ahead, and the ground was perfect.
We got a personal best in the dressage, and Costa jumped clear in
the show jumping leaving us in the lead with 23.6
penalties. However, it was not meant to be - for
the first time ever Costa had a run out cross country! We picked up
20 penalties early on in the course at a spooky fence decorated
with white plastic haylage bales, which was disappointing, but he
was fabulous over the rest of the course, and we made the time so
finished 8th on 43.6, and took
home the best dressage rosette.
I've not ridden much recently due to exams but Costa
has been enjoying hacks in the sunshine with Mum. We have noticed
since he's been on the Fibre-Beet that his digestive system has
been much more settled. He's always been a little sensitive to
haylage, but we've had no digestive upsets for weeks. The high
fibre nature of the feed is doing its job!
Next month I will be at home for summer and I can't
wait, we've got lots of competing planned, including eventing at
Rodbaston College. Fingers crossed the run out was a one
off!
Melanie Davison &
Khan
Wow how time flies! Having had such a long time off
last year I thought I had him fit enough for his first attempt at a
120km ride at Kings Forest but I obviously didn't and I retired him
after 80km. I was more determined this month to put a lot more work
in to him and had no doubt in my mind that he would be fit for the
FEI 120km ride at Euston Park on the
27th May.
There was a week of incidents during training when I
thought all the pigeons in the county had it in for us, but luckily
myself and Khan managed to stay in one piece!
We travelled up to Euston on the Saturday as it is a
good 3.5 hours away from us up near Thetford Forest but I would be
riding on the Sunday.
I was hoping the weather would cool down a bit but
no such luck, Khan travelled well but got quite warm so when we
arrived we offered him some sloppy Speedi-Beet which he
drank.
This was the biggest test of Khans career so far as
there were marquees, flags, loud speakers and helicopters flying
around and I was worried he would think he was back racing and
start to get stressed and fidgety.
Luckily enough my chief crew Malcolm is
a very relaxed person and took him off to graze and get used to
seeing the flags quietly before all the hustle and bustle started
at the vetting. We went in to vet and he was better behaved than I
thought he would be, still not perfect but he was controllable and
started with a heart rate of 62 which is high for him but I
expected that especially when they decided to start testing the
loud speakers!
My aim was to get around at a steady pace, I started
a couple of minutes behind the others as I didn't want Khan getting
upset and I wanted to set my own pace rather than being tempted to
follow at everyone else's pace. I caught up with a friend on the
first loop and as we had the same goal we decided to ride together,
our horses seemed to be well matched and they gave each other
company.
Sadly my friend got vetted out after the second loop
so I was on my own! We did have a few tense
moments with Khan when the leaders of the 160km race came flying
into the vet gate and were swamped with helpers cooling them down
as he had never seen such a commotion before!
I was so worried about Khan getting dehydrated it
was into the mid 20's by the middle of the day and there was no
shade in the vet gate, but my crew did an amazing job to keep him
cool and keep him drinking and eating throughout the
day.
I started out on the last remaining couple of loops
on my own but managed to get company out on course which helped
Khan a lot, on the last loop we caught up with a young rider and
rode in the last half of the loop with her, it was nice to have the
company.
We were all holding our breath at the final vetting
as I was the only person in the vet area I had about six vets
watching the trot up instead of the required three for the final
vetting! His pulse rate was well under the required 64 beats per
minute and apart from being slightly dehydrated all his other
metabolics were great.
We had done it we finished
5th out of 20+ starters in his
class! Khan had got around his second
120km 2*. I must admit there were a few tears in my eyes as it was
nearly a year ago when we almost lost him and I never thought
we would see him out competing again. I could not have done this
without the help of my crew and Linda who owns
Khan.
I was so impressed with Khan, he had his moments in
the vetting but he was far better behaved than I ever thought he
would be and even by the end of the day he was not taking any
notice of the loud speakers and didn't bat an eyelid when a
helicopter landed about 100m away! He is now going to have a couple
of weeks off and I can sit down and have a think where and which
distance he will do next.
Vicki Casey & Mr
Chips
Well this month has been very up and down! We all
knew that Chips has been under the weather, he didn't fancy jumping
and so we had some checks done...
In the meantime our fell pony qualified again for
Equifest and went to his first county show, sadly he just touched
one pole, baby mistake so we weren't placed but I was chuffed with
him behaving so well! My new ride, Pierre went to his first ODE and
finished 8th jumping a beautiful double clear, without his time
faults he'd have won!
Chips results came back with a saddle issue! After
having a new saddle and everything put back into place he started
jumping brilliantly again. He was entered for Shelford on the
Monday. In the meantime leading up to the event I had a feeling he
wasn't enjoying jumping anymore... I ran him anyway, 2nd after
dressage with a 27.5, sadly though as thought he wasn't going to
jump! Chips will now be aimed at a dressage career and have a break
from eventing.
He has qualified for the Trailblazers Championships
winning his second round novice with 77%! He will also be appearing
at Equifest having qualified for both the workers and riding horse
class! So what is a sad month is also a good one!
Lucy Barclay &
Golly
Well this has unfortunately been a very quiet month
for Team Golly. Our next competition isn't for another fortnight
yet, so we have been putting loads of fitness work in but sort of
feel like it's all for nothing at the moment! Those two weeks will
fly by though, and then it will be all systems go as it's a
selection event for the World Championships!
We've fitted in some extra lessons with our dressage
trainer, and have also had a bit change, so just trying to decide
whether she goes better in a Liverpool driving bit, or a Wilson
snaffle. Golly has started a new habit of poking her tongue out so
not sure why this has suddenly started?! Sharon Cooper, our
dentist, came out yesterday for Golly's annual visit so we hoped
maybe she might find an explanation. However, all was looking good
in her mouth - just a couple of sharp edges to take off and a
rebalance needed. So great news her teeth are all up to date, but
not so great that there was no obvious reason for the tongue
appearing. Think we will be losing marks if she's going down the
centre line sticking her tongue out at the
judges!
Tomorrow we are heading over to our driven trainer,
Angela Flanagan, for a team training day with the other drivers
hoping to be selected for the World Championships. These are really
useful training sessions as it gives me the chance to drive a full
cones course, practicing where best to position Golly in order that
we can make tighter turns whilst remaining accurate. Plus it's
always great to have a get together with the other team members for
a bit of a social!
After all the rain and event cancellations it's been
fantastic to have all this sunshine. Golly however suffers terribly
with fly bites, and so has to be kept wrapped up in a bug rug at
all times. She is fed vast quantities of garlic, and covered in fly
spray, so everywhere we go we leave behind a surprisingly pleasant
aroma of citronella and garlic! When we pass walkers and cyclists
out on the lanes we always have a giggle in case they wonder what
on earth the smell is!
We hope everyone else has a successful month with
their horses, and we will carry on training like mad for our
selection event… fingers crossed…!
Ellie Rowlands &
Silver
May has been a rather steady but very good month! We
started the month by coming 2nd and qualifying for the UK National
Championships in the 70cm-75cm, which is probably our best
achievement yet. Unfortunately we didn't compete in the Arena
Eventing but hopefully we will be next month! This month we have
jumped up to 1.10m and on Sunday we are going to be competing in
the 90cm - 1m class which will be the highest we've ever competed
in!
To help improve Silver's muscle we've been doing a lot of
hacking and hill work and its really coming along well, we have
also gone for a few gallops across the near fields which was fab
fun!
Silver is also really enjoying her Speedi-Beet, its
giving her energy without the fizz, I really recommend it to anyone
and everyone! It's really helping us and I'm very thankful to be
sponsored by such a fantastic company!
All in all we've had a very good steady month and we
hope June will be even better!
Charlotte Bird &
Woody
May has been an amazing month for Woody and I, some
of the things we got up to were…
On Monday 7th May, we went to the junior BSJA show
at Arena UK Equestrian Centre, Grantham, Lincolnshire. I was very
excited, as I had been waiting for the show for a long time and in
preparation, we had both been practising very
hard.
I arrived there and went to book into the 70cm/80cm
open, and then go and walk the course. Whilst walking the course, I
took every advantage of using some helpful tips that I had learnt
from the academy, in this case, I used counting strides and
distances accurately.
The course was up to height, and some of the back
poles of the oxers were rather wide, I knew I had to get Woody into
a forward, bouncy canter, to eliminate the risk of having a stop or
even a pole down, which I was determined would not happen, as I had
drunk a whole can of Red Bull before entering the ring! So, as you
can imagine, my nerves had completely vanished and we were both
raring to go!
I warmed Woody up, using light seat canter work, and
letting him stretch long and low, so he was nice and supple before
we went into the ring to jump. There were a few familiar faces at
this show, including Amy and Chester, from the academy, who jumped
a fabulous round in a very quick time!
Woody and I jumped a lovely round, clearing the
whole course without a stop or a pole down, I was so proud of him!
Unfortunately we weren't in the placings, as I was aiming for a
clear round, not a rosette. I feel at this early stage, it is the
best idea to get the experience for future shows. To say Woody is a
JD pony and we've only been in BSJA two months, to go round clear
is a very big achievement.
I am so proud of Woody, he is coming on in leaps and
bounds, we've grown so much together as a partnership,
and I can only hope that we carry on to better
our successes.
At home we are training doing a variety of things,
including jumping courses, lots of pole work, hacking and fitness
work, as well as intense schooling to help Woody's muscle! My mum
and I have been monitoring Woody's weight very carefully just
lately, as he is out on the spring grass and he is prone to weight
gain. We're doing a range of things to keep him as fit as
possible.
In June we have lots of Junior BSJA, and lots of
premier shows lined up, if Woody carries on to go as well as he is
doing, I have my hopes set high to perhaps try a Scope, Stepping
Stones qualifier! I will be sure to keep you updated, and if you
would like to see daily updates, please 'like' my Facebook page, by
searching, 'Charlotte Bird Show Jumping'.
Eleanor Rycroft &
Tyler
May has been a reasonably quiet month on the
competing side for Tyler and I - we have just been out a couple of
times so that Tyler doesn't forget what he's supposed to do when we
step inside the white boards! At the beginning of May it was off to
our Northern Region BYRDS camp which was absolutely
fantastic! We had two lessons with Hannah Moody
and I really feel like my position has improved a lot. We worked
really hard on deepening my seat and getting Tyler's head carriage
right and we felt very smart in our new Speedi-Beet Team saddle
cloth. At the end of the camp the Northern Region selection
competition took place, and Tyler and I acquitted ourselves well,
coming seventh in the squad test and equal third in the prelim
test.
I'm really looking forward to the selection
competition next year because I feel that Tyler and I will be ready
to shine. After that it was a few weeks of intense revision (why do
exams always have to happen when the weather is the best?) until
our inter-schools dressage competition on the
19th of May where I was team
captain. Tyler performed two good tests, although I felt that there
were definite areas to improve, we ended up coming third as a team
and I came sixth individually in both of my
tests.
Then I was into exams in earnest and competing has
taken the back seat. However I did get some good news in the last
week of May- I have been selected as a reserve rider for the BYRDS
Inter-Regional's at Keysoe in July! Obviously as a reserve it is
likely that I won't be going, but we'll just have to
see: it's still a great honour and I'm really
proud to have been selected. Next month I have a few lessons lined
up and I'm going to be at Bramham Horse Trials helping out on the
BHF stand, so I hope to see you there!
"Mel Davison & Khan"