Product of the Month
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These chaps are made in Ireland, and are extremely stylish as well as being comfortable. They are made from beautiful soft, high quality leather, which incorporates a stretch leather panel so they move with your leg. The fitted style means they are really support the lower leg.
I absolutely love riding in them!
South Island Three Day Event
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April 2012
The Advanced horses were given a weekend off competing this week. I decided they had been very good up North, and didn't need to run again until Taupo in May.
So, it was the young horses turn this weekend, NRM Cotswold and NRM Mexico. Mexico was entered in the Young Event horse class on Thursday, where they judge the best potential event horse. He was a little fresh this day and kept trying to buck me off! Needless to say he didn't get a ribbon (but I think he has loads of potential anyway!) At least it was a chance to get the sting out of him before the proper competition... He was also entered in the Training 4, 5 and 6 year old Event, run over the next three days. NRM Cotswold was in the Pre Novice.
Friday dressage day - They were both good boys in the dressage. Mexico was much better behaved today which was a relief! I was thrilled with how Cotswold went, although I had a little blonde moment when I forgot my dressage test, which cost us a few places..
Saturday Cross Country day - NRM Cotswold absolutely flew around the Cross Country, although when I got off him at the finish there was blood on his boots. Unfortunately, he had over-reached somewhere on the course, and had taken a decent chunk out of his heal. Luckily my sister Sophie, who is a vet, was down from Taupo and she bandaged it up and looked after him. It's so good having a vet sister!! Mexico was a good boy too, but we had a little steering problem early on and we ended up missing our turn onto a fence giving us 20 faults. But I have forgiven him for that as he was great around the rest of the course.
Sunday showjumping day - I decided to pull Cotswold out of the competition as he was quite sore after his over-reach. Mexico was great though, and jumped a nice clear showjumping.
Luckily Cotswolds foot injury is not serious, and should heal up fairly soon.
Along with the Three Day Event this weekend, they had a Young Rider Trans Tasman competition between Australia and New Zealand young riders. The New Zealand team demolished the Aussies, which made up for our senior team losing at Kihikihi! They were awesome and deserved a good win.
The next Event we have is the National Three Day Event at Taupo in May, where NRM Enzo and NRM Frog Rock will do the Three Star. So the next couple of weeks will be filled up preparing for that!
Kihikihi International Horse Trials
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NRM Frog Rock - 7th CIC 3 star
NRM Enzo - 8th CIC 3 star
Results Taupo ODE
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NRM Cotswold - 3rd Pre Novice
NRM Tonga - 4th Pre Novice
North Island Trip April
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17th April 2012
It has been awhile since I last did my blog, and I blame that on lack of internet access while I was away on my big trip competing in the North Island.
It was a great trip, with the highlights being Horse of the Year in Hastings, and the Kihikihi Trans Tasman competition.
After the Horse of the Year show, I went back to Taupo where my horses were based with Karen and Wallie Neiderer, and I stayed with my sister Sophie which was great fun! Personal vet...!
After their great performance at the Horse of the Year, it was very exciting that both NRM Enzo and NRM Frog Rock were named on the final squad for the New Zealand team competiting at Kihikihi.
The weekend after Horse of the Year I took the two younger horses, NRM Tonga and NRM Cotswold, to a One Day Event at the Taupo Equestrian centre. They were both great and both flew around the Cross Country which was cool. Tonga finished 3rd overall in the Pre Novice and Cotswold was 4th.
The next weekend we had a training camp for the Trans Tasman squad, also at Taupo which was nice and handy for me! It was a great weekend, as we had training from awesome dressage coach Penny Castle as well as Jump training from Vaughn Jefferies. Having done dressage and jumping both days, the horses were thoroughly tuned up by the time we left. It was good fun having the whole team staying together for the first time. At this stage the final team of four hadn't been named, but we were all primed and ready to go to Kihikhi that week.
Kihikihi is an amazing Event. Course designer John Nicholson does an awesome job of decorating the jumps, and the grounds are stunning. The cross country is absolutely huge, and doesn't let up the whole way round. Having walked the course we were all set for a good competition against the Australian team.
Australia had sent over a pretty experienced team, most of who are in the running for an Olympic spot this year.
We had the trot up on Thursday, and straight afterwards the New Zealand team was named. I was named on NRM Enzo, which was great! We were joined by Kristen Hayde, Simon Gordon and Joe Waldron, with Brent Jury and Donna Smith running as individuals. I was also named Captain.
I was very happy with both my horses in the dressage, but unfortunately we didn't score as well as I had hoped, which was a bit disappointing. Afer dressage day our New Zealand team was behind the Aussies. Although, with such a difficult cross country course it was never going to be a dressage competition.
Cross Country day was very nerve wracking! The first two riders went out and both had a run off each. Then the next Australian rider had a nasty fall, so as we had suspected it was a very difficult course.
I went out on Enzo and he was going really well until a combination where we had to jump up a bank and over a skinny jump. Unfortunately he did a funny jump up the bank, meaning he wasn't on line for the next skinny. Annoyingly we had a silly run off. This was even more frustrating as he absolutely flew around the rest of the course!
Frog Rock was a wee star. He jumped out of his skin, and jumped all the jumps clear. But luck wasn't on our side. We came into the second water jump and I think he tripped in a hole in the middle of the water. His legs seemed to go out from underneath him and I thought we were going to get wet! Luckily he managed to stay on his feet, but by that time we were halfway out the other side and I had to turn a circle to get back onto the next jump, this gave us 20 faults that he didn't deserve!
After Cross Country day only one of the Australian team and one New Zealander (Joe Waldron) had gone clear on the Cross Country. Even though both teams had quite high scores, the Australians were still in the lead.
All the horses passed the trot up on Sunday morning. Then I was pleased with how my horses showjumped. Unfortunatley we couldn't catch the Aussies, and they won the Trans Tasman challenge... It's always gutting to lose to the Aussis's, but it just makes us want to get the trophey back off them next time!
It was a long drive back home to the South Island after Kihikihi, but it was a successful trip. I was extremely pleased with how my horses went up there, and they are all looking like very promising horses for the future!