It's been a busy summer for Imogen!

So, it has been a few months since I wrote my last blog and an awful lot has happened since then! I moved up to my Grandparents farm during lock down and I have spent so much time working with my ponies.

It has been a fantastic opportunity for me to bond with Hector, my new pony and my Mum says she can’t believe how far we have come! I have been working with Penny Hollings via video calls to have lessons each week during lock down and this has helped me so much. I am now confidently cantering Hector (sometimes a little too confidently according to my Mum!) around the school.

During July I have started to go out and about again. I have been hiring an arena regularly to ride with my friend Ellie and her fabulous traditional cob, Bilbo. This is great fun as we have been able to practise for competitions and we have even pony swapped! We were also able to join Penny Hollings at a showing clinic which was so much fun, and it was great to be able to show her in person how much we had improved.

The best thing though is I have been able to get out competing again! During lock down I have been competing in online shows with my ponies, both for showing and dressage. I have been very lucky to win so many rosettes and sashes, we even took champion at a couple of shows!

Through my online dressage competitions I have qualified for the Blue Chip Festival of Equestrianism in September, I can’t wait because Equifest is cancelled and that is our usual holiday away with the ponies. Because of this, we have decided to just do dressage until after that show as I need to get out practising. Hector had not competed in dressage before, but he is a natural! We have done 3 ‘real’ dressage competitions recently and he has placed in all 3! In his first competition he came 2nd out of 20, beating lots of adults. We also took him to his first British Dressage Quest competition recently and he took first place which was amazing, Mum said I rode my socks off!

But I have been able to get out showing on Julie Chadwicks Dartmoor pony, ‘Cayberry First Edition’ (Edward). As soon as I could, I got back riding for Julie and have now started to ride him off the lead at home which I so much fun and will help us get ready for first ridden classes.

Credit: MB Photography

It is such a shame that we are not able to try to qualify for HOYS and RI this year but we are very excited for next year. We went with Team Chadwick to a competition at Thompson House in July, Edward did so well! We won the lead rein class and he did a fantastic show, then we went on to take second reserve champion in the supreme championship and we were the highest placing amateurs in the championship. The day previously Edward also took supreme champion in hand which was such an achievement considering that he had not been out competing since October last year!

Julie has also got a new Dartmoor pony called Albert and I cannot wait to get him out under saddle, he really is special.

In August we have a number of showing and dressage competitions, clinics, arena hires and lessons planned! We also have our trip to Stanley Grange which we had to cancel due to Covid. I can’t wait to tell you all about it in my next blog!

Don’t forget, you can follow my progress on Facebook and Instagram – New Copy Equestrian.

Instagram: @newcopyequestrian

Facebook: @newcopyequestrian

Thank you for reading, bye!