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Hi everyone, hope you’re all well and managing to get out and about on your ponios! It’s great to be able to go out to competitions and training again, Oscar and Sid certainly are pleased about it too. April has been a bit of a whirlwind with the event season finally starting up again and Oscar being allowed to get out training for the first time in over a year.
We began the season with Sidney at Munstead BE100 on the 4th of April; I was a bit of a nervous wreck! Luckily, we had been able to get out XC and SJ training before the event, so we got that practice in, but still, I felt very nervous and I must have checked that I had learnt the right test 25 times! I walked the course the night before, it was lovely and flowing, great to start the season with.
Sid warmed up really well which definitely eased the nerves and he produced a beautiful test, I just needed to attack it a little more to make him more active. Still, I was so pleased with him as I could feel the improvement from last season, resulting in a good fair mark of 29.5. Onto the show jumping. I could not have asked for a better round, Sid jumped amazingly (saved me a couple of times!) to produce a lovely clear round. We then went on to have the best Cross-Country round, he flew everything and thoroughly enjoyed himself resulting in me having to take a few wide turns to avoid being too fast! But we finished clear inside the time, and to top it all off we came 3RD in our section!! I could not have asked more from him he was absolutely amazing.
After a great weekend on Sid, we took Oscar XC training to Tweseldown for his first XC session since December 2019. To my surprise he was absolutely amazing, there was only one moment of ‘airs above the ground’ (we expected many more!) He flew around the 100 course very easily and actually focused on what he was doing which was very grown up of him. He felt very ready to start eventing again!
Onto South of England BE100OU18 with Sid. Once again, I was very nervous, luckily the dressage test was the same as Munstead, so I didn’t need to worry quite so much! He warmed up for dressage nicely and produced a really smart test with a couple of minor mishaps for a good mark of 32 against some very swanky horses!!
I was really pleased because Sid isn’t blessed with the best of paces but can be really upright and powerful if I ride him right, and it feels like we are starting to get that power. We warmed up well for the sj and Sid was jumping beautifully, then we went into the ring and had the first fence down!! This definitely made me really ride the rest of the round as I was so annoyed with myself for knocking the first fence, and he jumped the rest of the round beautifully. He absolutely flew the XC to go clear inside the time giving me an amazing ride round, he really is an incredible horse.
Then, on the 13th, Oscar went to his first competition in over a year!! Just a low key dressage but, my oh my, did he find it thrilling. He warmed up well but was a quite strong and pulling. The best part of the whole day was trotting him around the arena before I went in, there were limbs flailing everywhere, he was hilarious! He managed to contain himself in the arena, transitions were a little tricky and he really just wanted to canter everywhere at high speed but we stayed within the boards and completed the test with a very fair mark of 64.8% which somehow won the class!
Finally, Oscar was supposed to start eventing again on the 24th at Munstead UA100, however, with the ground so hard I decided to withdraw. He has come so far in all aspects of his training and strength after his injury, that I didn’t want to risk jarring his pelvis. I have also picked up an injury in an argument with a wheelbarrow, tearing an intercostal muscle so I haven’t been able to ride him properly. Better to wait for another day.
Well, I hope you all had a good month and have been able to get to some events on your unicorns! Don’t forget to check out the Instagram @dannifisher.eventing!!
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