It’s definitely been another busy month over here! From attending the BD National Dressage Championships to competing in my first advanced test at Sheepgate, I have so much to fill you in on…
Attending the BD National Dressage Championships has to be my monthly highlight. I not only groomed for Judy Harvey and SP Bento but also managed to watch the competition classes and meet one of my idols!
The Under 21, young horse and the younger horses in the prelim/novice classes were amazing to watch. It definitely gave me an idea of what I can achieve with my youngster next year. Watching the higher classes with top riders like Charlotte Dujardin, Gareth Hughes and Kathleen Kroencke, who were competing for national titles, were truly inspirational. I definitely enjoyed the freestyles most… The tests and music choices were AMAZING! Also watching some of the interviews live in the BD fan zone was the cherry on top. My personal favourite had to be Lottie Fry’s who, after speaking of how inspirational she is to me in my last blog, I managed to get a photo with!
On the Sunday, Judy and Bento competed in the Advanced Medium Gold class. I loved getting Bento ready for Judy to compete. They did a beautiful test and their score of 71.105%, leading them to finish 5th in a strong class, was an incredible result to finish such a brilliant week on!
My other highlight has to be competing in the Sheepgate U25 championships! This was my first time riding Advanced 101 test, which meant… wearing a tailcoat!!! I had to practice the new movements while wearing my tailcoat just to get used to it.
I’ve never ridden the new movements in a test environment before, but Sheepgate was the perfect place to do this. Everyone there was giving something new a go, whether prelim, elementary or medium, so it was great the get the support from other riders in the same position.
I placed 10th out of 35 in the Advanced Medium class with the cleanest test I have ridden to date. I placed 2nd in the Advanced 101 test, which meant I earned my place on the podium, which felt amazing!! Rubini Royale (Beanie) felt great in the warm-up but got a bit too enthusiastic in the test, which lead to a few costly mistakes. Even so, we both enjoyed it SO much anyway, and both done our best, which is the main thing.
I came away from the show with confidence and so pleased knowing I’d reached such a milestone and completed such a huge goal of mine. It really was a dream come true!
The main challenge I’ve faced the last month was preparing for Sheepgate. I knew it was only my first time, but I still wanted to try my best. Riding the tempis and canter pirouettes was a bit scary, having never ridden them in a test environment before, but I just kept practicing the movements at home, which definitely paid off.
I had a remote session with my Trainer Coach, Jess, to review my written work from module 4. This went really well, and I received really positive feedback. We started looking at module 5, which is all about nutrition, feeding and fitness. I’m looking forward to this one as it’s such an important area.
I was lucky enough to have a training session with dressage trainer and FEI judge, Stephen Clarke. He gave me lots of tips and exercises on how to improve the walk rhythm, including collection and lateral work. It was also fun to watch the other lessons as I pick up so much just from watching!
Last but not least, I visited my 4-year-old, Dennis, who is currently turned away until next spring to allow him to grow. I needed to worm him (glamorous!), so it was great to see him and how well he is doing.
I can’t wait to see what the next month bring!
Emilia