A nice change to the weather this week, with a lovely winter sunshine behind some of the riders.
We started the morning in Arena 2 with Ruby Moore riding Izzy. Caught on the hop she actually rode 3rd instead of 9th – this was due to many riders not turning up (due either to withdrawal or being late). A little nervous, Ruby cleared the first 2 jumps before almost falling from the horse due to a sticky landing. Thankfully, she managed to stay on and was able to complete the round, despite a few stirrup issues too. A good effort, giving her the required knowledge on how she can improve in the outdoor arena.
Next, we zoomed across to Arena 1 to catch the Novice team.Lucie-Anne and Bobby were again in first. The course has become much trickier, with about 3 tight turns to negotiate. A combination of this and just coming back from Covid, meant that there were two faults this week, but – still a good round. Tiana-Grace was next in, on Echo. Today, she had to fight to keep control of a very strong Echo – the pony eager to get round the course and again, Tiana-Grace just back for Covid. It was a good round nonetheless, with just the 4 faults this week. Tori and William danced in next to see how they would fare on this tighter course. The pair jumped very well, just incurring the 4 faults on this occasion. With no Annabellethis week, Lucie-Anne rode for a second time on her sister’s pony – Echo. She was just finding it a bit tougher than usual, as Echo was a little headstrong. This resulted in a refusal and 4 faults, not a bad effort at all.
This result means that the Novice team may have dropped a few points this week. However, the rules of the competition mean that we can drop the worst two weeks of the competition. So… all to play for next week 😊.
Back across to Arena 2 to catch the final rider for the day. Erin Wallace on Bess. Like last week, Erin and Bess were still having a few issues in the outdoor arena. When the duo jump, they do so very well. With more experience, I think these two will do very well 😊
Well done to all riders and ponies and thanks as usual to the supportive parents.
Our next event is the final of the Tri-League on the 4thDecember, after which we will have a competitive break.
