Wychwell Eventing Blog

 I write this post, even though it was over a week ago that Neddy let me down, quite literally. 
Last sunday Neddy went to Brix with Turnip. Brix never was my place for pot hunting and I really shouldn't go, but since it hardly ever has any competitiors being stuck way up the Cherbourg peninsula and they put in such a lot of effort to host the competition it seems a shame not to put in my bit of effort and go. I should have known better last week though, nothing was going to plan, I think my brain was running a bit slow or scrambling or something.
Any way Ned tried to bump that back into gear by dumping  me unceremoniously on the cross country course  by jinxing me as we came round the corner for the open ditch.Which is by explanantion a very scary ditch being stood slap bang in the middle of the field,about 8ft narrow as you approach and about 4ft wide to jump across. To ensure it is noticed they paint the sides white and this time filled it with carrots and cabbages. Ned has never seen the like his life and wasn't slow to show it. Unfortunately my fall meant instant elimination, thankfully I didn't know that. Such was my fury at being dumped that I swore at Ned, hauled myself back up, jumped the ditch, continued round the course to and through the water until an army of people attracted my attention by waving their arms at me and screaming at me to stop.
(I must be honest here and admit that I had noticed waving and shouting prior to the water, but since Brix has a particularly good or rather scary water it seemed a shame for Ned not to benefit from it. It's sunken into a quarry or big pit in the middle of another field and unless you know better looks distinctly boggy. The marsh and bog grass round the edges are misleading though and it eventuates to be neither boggy or deep.)
It was all rather a shame though as Ned had done a nice test, infact the judge got out of his car at the end, throwing me off my final halt, as he was opening the door before we'd finished, to offer his 'felicitations' on a 'tres beau' test. (A first for me in France or England and I shan't hold me breath for it to happen again.)
It was particulary valiant on Ned's part as we arrived only 20 mins prior to his test so his warm up was rather minimal. the reason for our late arrival was turnip deciding he wouldn't travel on the right hand side of the trailer and repeatedly tossing himself on the floor over it.We had to stop in Lidl car park and swap them over in the end but it had scared and upset the both of them so we had to crawl round all the corners on the rest of the trip to placate them turning it into another epic road trip.
You catch Ned's test on this link if you should fancy RUBIN'S PHOTO DIARY,
more pics of him on TURNIP'S PHOTO DIARY

Turnip  after causing all that chaos was rather good. I hadn't realised at the time of entering that there was an entrainement competition running alongside the official event so I decide that he could swap classes. I had never intended for him to do any more than the dressage in the cycle libre class as he just hasn't had enough experience to go jumping 1.05m round a big bold square show jumping course. The entrainement class was only about 85cm so it was perfect and he could do all three phases albeit hors concours so I could get to keep my martingale on for the dressage. The martingale with Turnip is the seat belt, you can see from the photo above how very narrow he is. I think my shoulders have more breadth, when he starts leaping around underneath you doing harrier jump jet manouvres there really is not a lot to sit on. As it happens he was a good boy, there were very few hops and lurches and his dressage test was very respectable, one wrong canter strike off. He had one down in the showjumping for looking out of the window and went clear xc,though we were spared the ditch.
   So Brix was not a disaster by any stretch or even a wasted day just a disappointment with ONE person. Brix itself had put on huge effort this time and dressed it's fences really well. We were lucky with the weather too, the rain held off until the afternoon and of course it was lovely to see Passepartout. He looked really well and happy, has grown loads; a big chunky fellow now. He had a Ned day too. Patrick who now owns him  would have won his class but Bambi (Passepartout) jinxed him infront of the third fence. Luckily noone noticed at the time so Patrick got to finish the course and Bambi went clear(over the ditch too) but the tumble eliminated them.I will be keen to watch Bambi's progress because apparently he has only done one other xc entrainement competition and for a horse that has seen such a little he shows a natural aptitude for it, water and ditches seem to pose no threat at all.( I would quite like him back please!)