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.