What Mary Has to Say! – May 2021

Dear all,

Here is my monthly update:

Well some events just don’t go according to plan, and Bovington Horse Trials was one of those for me! Starting off picking up 3 extra horses on the way who were in a broken down lorry. In fact it was friends of ours who had bought my old lorry ‘Debs’…and naughty Debs was overheating. Then after doing a lovely low 20’s dressage test, dear Cyrus laid down by the lorry and was obviously uncomfortable, looking at his tummy showing signs of mild colic. So having got treatment from the onsite vet I withdrew him. Seamus show jumped much better than the previous week, but I made a bad mistake and went on a bit of ‘a long one’ going into the double….oops! Then poor Seamus tripped up a step out of the water which resulted in 20 pens at the following fence as he hadn’t time to regain his balance…so I put Bovington firmly behind me, and focused on my next event at Bicton!!

The sun shone at Bicton, and Helen West’s team had done a huge amount of work to produce a lovely cross country course with good going. Cyrus, who had recovered quickly from his tummy ache, put in another solid novice level performance..good dressage, show jumped well but did have the first fence down, and felt lovely and confident across country. But again it went a bit wrong for Seamus, due to no fault of his own. Before we left he got kicked above his knee and by the time I needed to prepare him for his dressage the swelling had increased making it uncomfortable for him… so annoyingly I had to withdraw him…gosh horses!! Never mind, onwards and upwards, luckily there are plenty more novice level events this spring to get Seamus back in the grove!

All Dobby’s training paid off as he was such a good boy at Bicton BE90 Open…his first event. He did a 29 dressage, and clear SJ and XC. I had a senior moment at the end of the course and jumped the novice penultimate fence, rather than the 90cm one…whoops, so got eliminated!! But Dobs, despite being rather babyish and green, was so willing – I was thrilled with him.

Broadway was meant to be my next event, but the heavens opened and the event was abandoned due to waterlogged ground (good old English weather…after weeks of dry hard ground!!). So disappointing for the organisers (and me! I had washed and plaited my 3, cleaned my tack, packed the lorry – then heard the news!)

I’ve been doing some midweek showjumping at Chard..dear Dobby won his first 1m class 👍. With lockdown easing a bit Emily and I did a 2 day clinic for Banfield Equestrian..everyone was loving being out and about again!

Thank goodness Emily’s boyfriend Sam, who had a bad eventing fall, is mending quickly – no permanent damage, just time out while the broken bones heal. With Emily having broken a bone in her hand as well I went and spent a lovely few days up with her until Sam came out of hospital.

So its Moreton Horse Trials this weekend, then Tweseldown and Houghton…fingers crossed for good going and weather!