Poplar Park Horse Trials - First 2025 event under our belts! 😮💨
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We did a Millstreet double!
Wow what an absolutely crazy time we are having 🤩
Firstly before anything else I want to say thank you to my incredible team. Without doubt, their unbelievable ability to leave no stone unturned together with their absolute dedication to our horses is the key to this run of success.
A super quick turnaround from Bicton at the beginning of last week to leave for Millstreet with a VERY full truck!
I knew I was going to Ireland with pretty good fire power and horses that were on form but never did I dream of doing a double!
Cooley Park Muze owned by the Rex Syndicate was unbelievable, finishing with a showjump in hand to take the win in the 3*L.
Chilli’s Jester owned by Chris and Lisa Stone and Chris and Clare Mathias was also brilliant, I just had to take a long route XC due to being a little green at the beginning of the course, but he grew in confidence and finished brilliantly, coming out on the last day and giving every showjump at least a foot to finish 9th.
Both Rex and Jester are seriously exciting horses for the future.
Flash Cooley owned by Pru Dawes lead the 4*L convincingly from start to finish to take the win, putting to bed the stupid fence we had down that cost us the win 2 years ago! What a horse he is, I absolutely adore him, he always gives his all and is just such a darling little boy.
Chilli Morning IV (the current 7yr old World Champ) owned by Chris and Lisa Stone was tackling his first 4* S. He was super if a little green in the dressage and showjumping but sadly just didn’t understand the new sunken road on the XC. I did eventually manage to persuade him to pop down it and made a huge fuss of him for doing so, but we got the big E. I’m not bothered he’s a baby and he will learn - he’s so intelligent that next time he will believe me that it’s ok!
Long drive home! Huge love for Gaz for driving! 😴
Got home at 7.00AM straight onto Chilli King for a flat work session and then onto Felbridge for second rounds and Grand Prix!
Both Brendon Stud boys jumped mega but no HOYs tickets that day!
BUT our amazing Dime Bar owned by the Dime Syndicate only went and WON the Grand Prix - jumping unbelievably and beating some VERY good combinations! Seriously chuffed with that!
We headed home for some sleep 😴and to re pack (again) and we’re now on our way to Bramham!
Back on a GB Nations Cup Team at Bicton
Really great weekend at Bicton.
Super fun to be back on a GB Nations Cup team! It’s been a while!
Chilli King owned by Chris and Lisa Stone and Chris and Clare Mathias, made his first appearance for GB, as a very green 10yr old. He’s still very much a work in progress, but he put in a really solid performance as pathfinder for the team.
His XC is unbelievable, so scopey, fast and careful. Very excited about his future. Well done to my super teammates, was fun to have a win!
Jalapeño re-routed to the 4*S after her rather cheeky run out early on the course at Badminton and proved she’s still up for it, with a super dressage and double clear, I could hardly hold one side of her xc which is a new one!! She by finished a great 7th even with a few time faults with me trying to slow down for the jumps!
Huge shout out to the team at Bicton, absolutely brilliant event and the ground was unbelievable. Thank you.
The beautiful Georgie hasn’t been out of my head at all all week, I can’t believe it’s a whole year since she left us.
We’ve had a super quick turn around and we’re already on our way to Ireland. We had less than 24 hours at home… washing done, everything re-packed, event horses jumped, jumpers jumped and back out on the road!
Big shout out to our amazing Charlotte Overton who has worked her absolute butt off in the last few days getting organised, grooming, re-packing, cleaning out the lorry etc etc etc. all on her birthday today too! Happy birthday you absolute legend
The first of the 2025 Big B's
Badminton Horse Trials is one of the most incredible events in the world and to get one, let alone two horses fit enough, sound and with the right level of experience and training to be competitive involves so many different people. I am incredibly lucky to be surrounded by the very best team of people and am eternally grateful to each and every one of them - without them, I absolutely would not be able to do what I do.
Having called in for a final Cross Country tune up at the amazing Rosamund Farm with Dickie Waygood (who thoroughly kicked me up the bum when my confidence started to wobble) we arrived at Badminton with Jalapeno (Jala) and Chilli Knight (Alfie).
Both horses gave the performance of their lives in the dressage with Jala sitting in 3rd and Alfie in 10th. Saturday came and it just wasn’t Jala’s day – we had a naughty glance off early in the course and given her age and experience I decided to call it a day. Alfie however was on actual fire to come home clear, and as the first inside the time. What a special, special horse he is! This made what happened on Sunday even tougher when he went into the show jumping in 3rd place. I was under no illusion that we would win it with both Oliver Townend and Ros Canter sitting above us, but I had thought we might nab a podium place given how incredible Alfie usually is on the last day of a big one. But, it just wasn’t to be. He had a seriously uncharacteristic number of poles down meaning we dropped out of the top 10. Knowing my horses inside out, and feeling how hard he was having to try in that show jumping ring, I knew something wasn’t right with him so we rushed home and got our amazing vet out to see him straight away. He’s very happily enjoying a little holiday as my suspicions that something wasn’t quite right were confirmed. He’ll be absolutely fine and ready and raring to go again super soon!