March 2008
March has been a very busy month so far and I have been out competing on Indi and Taurus III.
Manor Grange Stud - 8th March
I took Indi and Taurus to Manor Grange for the BD competition on Saturday 8th. Taurus (Trevor) behaved well and he scored 65% and 61.3% for 2nd and 4th places in the two Novice tests.
In Indi's first outing this year he won the E44 with 65%.
I will be going to the Para Qualifier at Manor Grange on 12th April so it was good for Trevor to get an outing at this venue before then. It's all outdoor at Manor Grange but the surfaces are good and the people are friendly.
Patchetts Para Spring Qualifiers
Patchetts managed to go ahead with their Para Spring Qualifier on 10th March despite high winds and rain affecting many areas. Click here for results.
Willerby Hill - 13th March
I took Indi to the Para Spring Qualifier at Willerby Hill near Hull. It's a great venue with 3 indoor arenas and a nice cafe overlooking one arena, so despite some rain we managed to stay warm and dry. Only a select few attended and I was the only one in Grade III but I was very pleased with Indi who performed a good test to achieve 70.83%.
I then went in the E44 and Indi won the class with 68% - he is really on form following his holiday and has come back better than ever.
I was back at Willerby the next night to watch at the BD Northern Forum which was informative but also very entertaining.
Vale View Para Spring Qualifiers - 16 March
I took both horses down to Vale View for the Para Spring Qualifiers and BD tests. Trevor worked in really well, but was naughty and spooky in the Novice 28 test so I was glad to have Indi there as he can always be relied upon to try his best.
In the E44 Indi went well but I did not ride as accurately as I can so I was really pleased to come 2nd in the open section and 3rd overall with 65.6%. It was interesting to note that the top three places in this able-bodied class were taken by para riders - Grade IV rider Kathryn Gallagher was 1st with Grade II Lorna Lee 2nd.
In the Grade III Team Test I had to follow Simon Laurens on his top horse, Ocean Diamond. Simon produced a quality test to achieve over 76% so I was very happy to come 2nd to him with 69%. Trevor got his act together in the Grade III Team Test and he produced a nice, settled test for 66% and 3rd place. This really boosted my confidence and I went home feeling the day had been very worthwhile.
Para Winter Championships 22nd - 23rd March
I have qualified for the Para Winter Championships which take place over Easter. I will be taking both horses to do various classes including the Grade III Championship Test and the kur and I am looking forward to a demo by Lee Pearson on the Saturday night.