A Productive Autumn of Training
The girls had a productive couple of months through September and October learning more about the basics on the flat and learning where to put their feet in the jumping! They’ve both definitely developed a love for the jumping phases and I’m really enjoying seeing their improvements in dressage.
They had a very educational day out at Pontispool for their first Cross Country competition, competing in the pairs 70cm. They thought it was all great fun, but were definitely grateful for each other’s company in a competition environment they’ve not experienced before. They had a lovely educational round both proving to be very bold and brave! We managed to jump all the fences clear first time and in the correct order, however we did get eliminated for going too slow in the timed section! But we took them for the experience and they had a good one so that’s all that matters! They both enjoyed their Dengie dinner when they got home to re-fuel!
It was nearing the end of October and before the weather got even wetter I wanted to get Lupin to another Hunter Trial to have a go at going round solo, so we headed to Larkhill for a 75cm hunter trial. Lupin jumped a super confident clear round and was perfectly behaved all day and we were super impressed with her calm attitude in a busy warm up and learning about the start box for the first time!
The following day, while Lupin was snoozing in her bed, we took Lunar out to see a different course of show jumps. She was feeling super well and enjoyed showing off her scope as well as some of her acrobatics which made for some entertaining videos! However she finished by jumping a nice relaxed round and listening to me, which is something she struggles with at times, especially when jumps are involved as she loves it so much.
The girls then had a couple of weeks of just hacking to gradually prepare their bodies to go out on holiday. The girls have looked in fabulous condition all year thanks to their Dengie diets! I’m looking forward to bringing them back into work at the start of December ready to start preparing for 2024 where they hopefully make their eventing debuts!
