KSEC 16/11

by | Nov 22, 2024 | Dressage Diaries | 0 comments

To quote Harvey Price...'What a day!'...

This was our first-ever trip with both Blake and Ernie! They loaded and travelled impeccably, and we managed to arrive with a whopping hour to spare (nothing short of a miracle by Jesse!). This meant that we could take our time getting ready and even had time to plait his tail! After a decent warmup guided by Jesse, I went into my first test potentially feeling the most prepared I ever have! In between tests, I had time to relax, grab a cup of tea and went into the second one feeling very good indeed! I am so pleased to say that we managed to get the two qualifying scores we needed for the PetPlan Winter Championships 2024! Beaming about this, even if we are just doing Preliminary this time around! I’d rather do a lower level well and then step up to the higher ones than do an elementary just for the sake of it! Also, for the first time in potentially forever, Blake is relaxing and working over his back during the test and I can actually work with him – we were both relaxed and happy throughout and he loaded without issue! Oh, and we got some frillies too which is always great!

For those of you who aren’t aware, Jesse has the dubious honour of being able to call me his partner! He is the polar opposite of me – very modest and calm – therefore I feel the need to write about him here too! I genuinely wouldn’t be where I am today without him (and yes, his wallet might’ve had a little say in it too). He’s spent the majority of the last 2 years trying to work with Ernie (his horse) to get back into BE where they have previously competed up to 2*! However, ultimately Ernie decided that eventing wasn’t for him anymore and Jesse listened to him. Since then they have gone from strength to strength in their relationship together. This was their first ever BD event and naturally, they went straight in at Elementary and Medium level – getting 1st and 2nd place respectively! I mean, I am totally not jealous or anything (if you look at my dressage scores lately you’ll see many in the 50s lol). I’ll tell you this though, no one deserves this success more than them – Jesse rides 6 days a week come rain or shine and to top it off does this all with no spurs and a rubber snaffle – I have nothing but love and respect for him and can’t wait to see where their journey goes next…

Basil gets festive...

Speaking about journeys, we had a very festive time in the lorry on the way back when Basil’s dashboard decided to light up like a Christmas tree! Cue a panicked trip to the services to add oil and engine coolant which did absolutely nothing! The engine temperature warning light stayed on and the oil level remained empty. On top of this we lost heating and then quickly after this we lost headlights – not ideal in winter when despite it being 5 pm, it was pitch black and 3 degrees outside. We were less than a mile away from the yard when the lorry went up in smoke! Luckily, Penny and Peter (owners of Mill Lane Livery) did a brilliant job of keeping me calm and launched a rescue mission, kindly aided by Freya’s lorry. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without such an amazing group of liveries – knowing that we all have each other’s backs at times like these is just absolutely priceless. So, with the horses rescued, I got into Jesse’s car and reversed straight into my car which was parked directly behind (adrenaline and shock took over) – thankfully there was no damage but this upset an already emotionally battered Paige. The recovery company told us 1.5 hours but this ended up being close to 3! So, Jesse and I made the most of a rubbish situation, and out came the camera for a spontaneous photoshoot! That’s the thing about having your partner who is also your best friend – no matter how hard or serious the situation, we always make the most of it! You can view my vlog from the day and the breakdown here!