HARTPURY WITH THE BIG PONIES!

12th -15th Aug

Well what a weekend! and What two super stars do i have?!

Bonne Amie was first to do her test on Thursday afternoon. In the international indoor arena for her with the chance of winning a car to keep! although the idea of driving a new Mitsubishi truck home would be amazing, i would be happy just to have them both round safely with a good clear!

She did a lovely test and is improving every single time she goes out. Still not fully established with her half pass i was pleased with how it all went - She stayed calm and performed every other movement well - very disappointingly the mark we were given was a little on the high, after much praise from other riders everyone was shocked with the score!

I was not the only one to be rather upset with their mark that day. Scoring 61 it was just outside the half way mark.

Friday morning and Friday the 13th! great! what was in store for Divilabit?!

The answer was nothing - he behaved well and came away with a respectable mark of 57, one that i was pleased with after he made just a couple of mistakes and like Bonne Amie not entirely established in his half pass either - plenty to work on over the winter!

After walking the cross country for the first time i think it might be right to say i was a shade of white! On two first timers that only had the one advanced run under their belt! It was big and wide and asked serious questions for the newly upgraded horses.

But first things first was the Show jumping to contend with.

In true Hartpury fashion it was of course up to height!

Bonne Amie show jumped just after 3pm, she had one down and added 4 time faults to he score - a time that was already tight but with her shear exuberance and style over a fence she ran over the time allowed. something that can easily be solved been my main aim was to leave the fences up! Especially on the first 3 star track!

The show jumping continued until late with Divilabit jumping a just after 7pm on Saturday evening.

He was on good form and a little to feisty at times. He had 3 fences down and added 8 time faults to that, i had to take my time to set him up on the corners before the big wide spreads to give him full chance at the combinations.

Sunday morning - Cross country day! after two very good course walks with William F-P and Lucinda Green on Saturday i was much happier with the track and new exactly which lines to be taking!

Bonne Amie and i had a class round! taking just the one long route where it was almost impossible to turn after a large role top on the side of the hill to a skinny brush.

We were copy book through the corners which proved to be the bogey fence of the day catching many people out! Although a steady round she was clear and had no freights and that was the main thing.

Divilabit had grown up all of a sudden - he took on the track as if he'd been at that level for years just like Bonne Amie. Again taking the long route to the narrow hedge after he took a stride out to the roll top. And i also chose to take the long route at the corners this time after much trouble through out the morning - at just the age of 8 i wanted to give him every chance. He too going clear but a rather steady one at that.

I felt it was important for them both to have a good first experience to set us up for the future and for Blenheim in September.