Broadway 2019

Broadway Horse Trials…Our first Novice

After a couple of good 100 runs and a massive wake up call at Ascott-under-Wychwood, it was time to tackle our first novice.

Those that know me know that this is quite a big deal for me! If you had told me 3 yrs ago that I would be here doing the novice I would have laughed, but here we are!! We chose Broadway as our first because it is fairly straight forward, my aim was a sub 40 dressage (our weakest link) and just to have a fun and confidence boosting show jumping and cross country.

Dressage I was pleased with, she had been unsettled and tense in her tests running up to this, but was more settled this time and we got 39.5 woohoo!

Showjumping she turned in to a complete maniac was running and not listening to me at all and by fence 8 I’d had enough and gave her a short sharp ‘come on now listen’. In hind sight I should have just let her go forward as I held on too her reins too much into the fence, which where some planks and we had 4 faults. I was quite nervous about the cross country and it showed in the show jumping.

Michelle knows me well so she had got me to take my cross country stuff to the show jumping so a quick change and no time to think before we started! I managed to completely mess up the first fence and didn’t give her the best start, but think that was the shove I needed to pull myself together and RIDE!! After that she was amazing.

I made the decision before I went Novice this season that I’m not going to wear a watch, I want to ride in a good rhythm and not chase for the time, anyway she stormed round with 6 time faults, and we came 13th, not bad.

I am completely over the moon with her and can’t quite believe we have done our first novice!

aggghhhhhh on to the next one!