September 2009
BD National Championships - 17-20 Sept
This was my 11th consecutive year competing at the BD Championships at Stoneleigh – a bit of a record!
Indi went really well on the Thursday when we arrived, and next morning at 8am when I was working in for the class. However, when we went in to do our test, Indi was not thinking as forward as I would have liked. We halted at X at the beginning of the test and he reined back - not a good start! The test went quite well overall but obviously the poor start had set the scene for the test and I was disappointed in my score of 62% for 4th place.
I was even less impressed when I found out that only the top 3 in the class would be included in the mounted prize giving! Oh well - better luck next time.
At the KBIS drinks reception after the class the sponsors kindly gave each rider a rugby shirt with all our names on the back - a really nice touch. Thanks to KBIS for being such fantastic sponsors of the para class.
KBIS rugby shirt
As usual we stayed an extra night so we partied with Gerry and co. on Friday night, and watched the Novice restricted and most of the Grand Prix next morning, sitting in the sunshine.
Dressage Ireland Nationals, Cavan – 25-27 September
This was my first visit to the Dressage Ireland National Championships and the first time I’ve been to Cavan – WOW what a place! Large outdoor arena and amazing indoor facilities ideally suited for both riders and spectators.
The arena at Cavan
This was a much more laid-back affair than the BD Nationals, with just as much focus on socialising as there was on the dressage!
The Para class has been running for two years now and it was a really good opportunity to showcase para dressage amongst the best dressage riders in Ireland. The class runs over two days and riders compete in the Team Test and Championship Test for their relevant grade, all in one class – best percentage wins.
Eilish said Youri had been a bit full of himself lately and wasn’t expecting much but she pulled off two great tests to become Irish Para Champion. Breda was close behind and I had a 3rd and a 4th place, for 4th overall – Indi was going far better than at the BD nationals and I was really pleased with my tests but knew it was a tough call for a Grade III rider to beat Grade I and II riders.
Working in at Cavan
All in all it was a bit of a holiday for me, Mum and Sue going to Cavan and we knew it signalled the end of a very busy season so we made the most of the excellent hospitality and the chance to relax!