As usual the horses had December off, and this year spent time exploring their new paddocks on our property. A month or so spelling over the summer works wonders in keeping horses fresh and sound after all the hard work leading up to the final events of the year, including the Adelaide competitions. Usually I enjoy a few weeks break from full time riding as well, and this summer was no exception & my break from riding was to work full-time on my property, setting up the working areas, digging up fences to make room for a new arena, moving furniture and setting up the working areas & some break!!
Niki and I did manage to relax enough to enjoy a house-warming party between Christmas and New Year. We were so proud to show our family, friends, clients and local sponsors through this lovely property. It seemed that everyone brought something -gee, I ve never seen so much food!
January came around quickly enough and so, it was time to saddle up and hit the South Coast showjumping circuit as a gentle warm up for the season ahead.
First show was at Albion Park. Charlie and Bob had their first starts in the maiden D grade and, although not clear, coped well with the hectic and noisy show environment & exactly the purpose of the outing for them. Bay Lucky had a win in the D grade this horse has so much potential and it was nice to have this confirmed so close to the beginning of the season. Kuro (Niki s horse) came third in the D grade. Again, an experienced and talented horse.
Mixing the month up a bit we popped in to Shoalhaven Dressage club & again, a chance to get the horses into the swing of things without the physical stress of an event. Extra and Willie competed and placed well but not quite on the podium. Niki rode black Lucky to a 2nd and 4th in the Preliminary classes on his first outing! This horse is really eye catching and shows great maturity on the flat. Bay Lucky was elementary champion again, a consistent horse with a good work attitude.
Niki s ride Statford Mantovani ended the day as reserve novice champion. Matt is an exciting, jet black stallion by Grimaldi - athletic and showing the beginnings of great ability this is a horse to watch for the future.
Our next outing took us to Dapto show. Extra had a lovely round and is showing more maturity in his jumping. An unlucky last rail ruled us out of the jump off but I am happy with his continued improvement over a fence. Bay Lucky wasn t Lucky at all (a rail) but I gained from the experience of riding him in a competition environment.
Macarthur always puts on a good event and this season opening, weekday event was no exception. Good crowds in the lower grades show that people are as keen to start the season as ever. I don t know how they managed it (again!) but the Courtney s put on perfect eventing weather slightly overcast with cooler temperatures than we had been having and a good dash of rain to soften the ground in the days preceding the event. Charlie and Bob had their first starts at Preliminary. Both performed well in the dressage, excellent cross-country and had an unlucky rail each. Bay Lucky and Extra finished on their dressage scores but while I thought their dressage tests were good the judges didn t seem to agree bugger!!
Onto Kiama show with Kuro and Willie. Kuro won the D grade & . I really like this horse!
And lastly, Berry show. Berry show is my old stomping ground and I ve been jumping there for about 10 years with all sorts of horses. It is a super show for the whole family with not only great showjumping but all sorts of agricultural events to keep everyone busy. Dane, Charlie and Bob contested the maiden D grade with Dane having a clear round. Charlie and Bob have improved enormously and now take the "show atmosphere" in their stride. Other notable performances were Bay Lucky 1st D grade, Kuro 4th D grade, and Willie 3rd one day and 2nd the next in the C grade. Charlie also had his 1st start in a D grade. He was very brave and I was pleased to have just 1 rail over such a big scopey course easily 1.15m what a great horse Charlie is promising to be!
Other January news:
Our arena construction has started. Measuring a massive 80m x 40m I am looking
forward to being able to school all disciplines in one area. The ground has
been levelled and graded, with good drainage system also being included at this
initial stage.
January was also a busy month for non-eventing horses. Eight young thoroughbreds were started and 6 horses went through their pre-training paces. Another dozen or so passed through on their way to various races and stud duties. The breakers have come along so nicely that they are all cantering around the tracks like old hands!
Also, some clients took advantage of summer spelling and we had several competition horses here for a brief holiday. With good pasture and 24 hour care it really is a good opportunity to give you and your pasture a short break from the horses. Some clients extended their visit to include having their horses started and schooled for the beginning of the season and to have a cross-country clinic at one of the local courses. A nice way to finish the school holidays!!
Looking forward:
February will see all the horses come into full work, some with a view to the
SIEC events.
We will also compete at Nowra Show and Bowral Dressage.