News

Burghley 2009

30th September 2009

What a truly amazing week we had! Having arrived at the event and got Dan settled in, it gave us a chance to have a look around. The whole atmosphere is friendly at the stables, but it did strike me how few horses were there compared to a normal three day event. The American horses had set up camp already and had their stables all decorated in stars and stripes. I felt very guilty having only driven one and a half hours to be at such a world class event, as it is indeed on our doorstep. Dan immediately stopped eating on arriving at the event and started to concentrate. I think he knows that this is "the real deal"! I wish I stopped eating!!

The briefing certainly made us all realise that it was really happening (it wasn't a dream) and the first course walk certainly made us all wake up to the fact this was going to be a challenge. The course was amazing and the time and effort that had gone into the fences made them very imposing.

There is an all weather surface to work on at the stables and grass gallops as well as several practise arenas both at the stables and up nearer to the arena.

I worked Dan up next to the main arena on Wednesday and then went up there again past the Pony Club Showjumping. By this point, even the Pony Club Showjumping was beginning to look huge!

I was very pleased with his test on the Friday and although in our customary lowly position, some of his work seemed to be better and the ground jury actually smiled at me as I left the arena instead of frowning! A career highlight! Maybe they were relieved to see the back of us!!

The course was riding very much as expected on Saturday. It was tough as several of the difficult fences came very early on. Dan jumped very awkwardly down the Leaf Pit and I had to jump the alternative out as we were facing it. He was very genuine as it was wide. That seemed to take the wind out of his sales and so against my plan I took him the alternative route at the Discovery Valley. Very frustrating as it seemed to take a week to complete all 4 parts! After that he was awesome and took all the straight routes easily. What an amazing horse! The ride of my life!

After walking him every hour when I had finished, we put him on the Zamar machine (which keeps the legs down to zero degrees) and had the Physio to help ease those slightly less athletic parts of him. I was still floating on cloud nine.

Jumping a clear in the Showjumping just added to the great excitement and to win the Land Rover Trophy for being the best first time competitor was almost surreal.

Johno in the four year old final on the Friday did his best to keep my feet on the ground though. He managed to actually enter the ring and do a good test but the whole occasion got to this exceptional horse in the jumping and we ended up frozen at the entrance! Horses are such levellers! His day will undoubtedly come though as I have never ridden such a talented horse.

Dan seems to have recovered very well, he seems fine and actually kept some weight on thanks to his diet and the Natural Vitality Digestive Health supplement. It is one of the only supplements we use and cannot stress how much it has helped this stressy horse. Many thanks to all at Dengie for their feed advice and roll on 2010!

Ginnie

Back to news page