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Friday, 3 September 2010Emotional week allround!!! So on Friday I put an advert on Horsedeals. Mez had been naughty in the school that day aswell and I could not understand why so when Peter came home I went and got her back in and rode her again. She behaved beautifully and cantered round outside and jumped the water tray, which earlier she would not go near, and then hacked down the lane and back without putting a foot out of place! As soon as we got back inthe house the phone rang.......I made Peter answer it and sure enough it was a call about Mez so, bless him, he took a number and said I would ring back the day after. I did not know what to do, the thought of someone coming to see her made me feel sick, so Peter suggested that I ride her again in the morning to see what she was like before I rang the lady back. Saturday morning and Mez was very well behaved again....typical!!!! I rang the lady back and left her a message to say that I was sorry but I had changed my mind and was not going to sell her. Sunday morning I was just checking my haylage delivery when my phone rang and it was the Mez lady saying she had got my message but Mez sounded just what she was looking for and she had been searching forever and recently had her horse put to sleep and was finding life hard etc etc...so I found myself saying she could come and see her but I could not promise I would sell her. So they came on Monday morning and the lady rode Mez. Now I have not seen anyone ride her before and she went really well and I thought 'No Way'!!!! We went in for a coffee and they told me where Mez would be living and all the things they did with their other horses and they were really nice people and I found myself saying that I would sell her to them........ Peter came home on Monday and I had talked myself into the sale, telling myself that it made sense and she would have a fantastic home.....but I still cried all night and had to drag Peter to the field so see them in the dark.....in the end Peter said 'Just ring her and tell her you can't sell her'........so on Tuesday early I rang to explain....she was very nice about it and said she understood. I am so relieved that I did not sell her...I feel like I have another chance with her and really appreciate her again. As Peter pointed out, if I can't sell her now I will never be able to.... Tomorrow I am taking both Tilly and Mez to the British Dressage at Myerscough College so fingers crossed. This week I have been to the beach with Tilly to do my fast work and have schooled over jumps in the outdoor with both of them and then used that to work on my canter with them. Today I have just run through the test with them and now I need to set about cleaning all my tack, making tea and going to pick my BF Shonagh up in the Jack and Stan Taxi from work.....needless to say I will also be made to drink wine..!!!! A very happy ending to the week. :)
Thursday, 26 August 2010 Tilly and Mez entered for N37 and Tried and Tested! Since I have started competing Mez at BD I have adapted my schooling methods to incorporate movements from the tests I am doing and find that this has really made me concentrate on what I am doing rather than just going off to the school to do a little flatwork. So needless to say, Tilly has been getting the same treatment and I think that it is starting to pay off. I have been doing 10m circles in trot before asking for medium trot across the diagonal, rein back and counter canter this week. Tilly finds it harder than Mez to do lengthened strides as she is not really built for big extravagant movement but we had a session where I trotted around the arena until she realised that she could actually extend her stride a little bit! It will be interesting to see how they compare in the arena next week. It makes me very proud to have two such lovely horses to take out and compete. Alex and Shonagh are coming to help me and hopefully they will not laugh out loud if things don't go to plan!! Yesterday it was so hot so we put the babies round the back in the double stable as it was cooler.  Tilly has also been shortlisted in the Supreme Products competition and I now have to submit a short explanation to say why we would make a good ambassador for them. They are looking to sponsor someone for 2011 so fingers crossed everyone as that would be fantastic. I have also submitted my application for a £1000 sponsorship deal from Halmarq MRI so we are on tender hooks waiting for a response from them too. I recently featured in the tried and tested section of Horse Magazine with a stock shirt from Dublin. I tried it out at eventing, dressage and even took it for a trip to the beach for good measure....my shirt turned out to be the 'Best of the Test'.  We are still in desperate need of new premises so if anyone finds anything that may be suitable please please get in touch....we will consider anything at the moment. Roughly 20acres, school and some stables...if there is no where to live we will have to use a little lateral thinking but anything would be a start. My landlord has been pleading poverty this year and has told me he can not finish my outdoor (he started it 4 years ago + he has all the materials and machinery to finish it) and I have just found out that in the last 3 months he has managed to build himself a 5 bedroom mansion at his farm down the road!!! Speechless!!! But more determined than ever to move ASAP!!!!
Sunday, 22 August 2010
For Loan: 16hh Bay Gelding
 He is ideal for someone wanting to be involved with horses without the great expense. This lovely horse just needs someone to love him, groom him and gently exercise him. Rider needs to be lightweight, competent and reliable and must be able to help with mucking out and all general duties. MUST stay on present yard at Nateby. For more details please contact Jeni on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Interdressage - Live To Event's first entry  Danni asked if she could enter on Millie and chose the Intermediate 5 test which can be viewed at www.interdressage.com and I videoed her and we uploaded the video and waited.........her test was judged and her score was 68.54%....and she is lying fourth at the moment. Millie was so good that she got her own present from Danni who has very kindly replaced her hind brushing boots for some lovely new Mark Todd ones and some treats as well! Well done Danni and Top Totty!! :) Thursday, 19 August 2010Fantastic trip to Somerford Park - Pics + Video So Peter studded up and off we went down to the XC course. I went and had a trot round first to let her have a look round and then a canter to loosen up and warm her muscles up. We started by doing the little drops and steps and then Incorporated a jump into that as well before moving on to a few combinations which is what I wanted to practice. It's fine going eventing but I need to practice jumps and combinations that are going to be in BE100 and Novice classes before we get to the events! This was our first combination : I ride XC in a 3 ring gag and yesterday I moved it from the third ring to the second ring as she seems to be listening to me much more these days. She only got strong once and I checked her a relaxed and she softened and was lovely to ride. I really felt like she was between my leg and my hand and really listening to me. She only took long ones when I asked and jumped everything I asked her to. We then did the new steps  We jumped the ditch a few times and she got better and then included the jumps on either side too. We finished with a little walk through the water to cool off. I was soooo happy with her and it was lovely to go and just play without the riding having to been serious and in competing mode. It was the most fun Tilly and I have had for a long time. :) :) Wednesday, 18 August 2010SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUPREME PRODUCTS SPONSORSHIP
We have sent emails to all the people who made it through to the Supreme Products Amateur Sponsorship Competition shortlist so keep an eye on your in-box! We have also sent notifications to everybody that didn't make it to the next round. If you didn't get through this time, don't be too disappointed. We are planning to hold the competition next year as well so there will be another chance to enter! :) WE HAVE BEEN SHORTLISTED.....NOT SURE WHICH HORSE YET AS I ENTERED TILLY AND ME....WATCH THIS SPACE! Tuesday, 17 August 2010British Dressage Myerscough 1st BD point for Mez - video Even though we had not had a particularly productive week Mez and I ventured out to the British Dressage at Myerscough on Sunday to do the N35, our second attempt at Novice level. I enter for these tests before reading the contents and then have a week or so to practice everything! Not usually a problem but this week for some reason Mez did not want to play dressage! So Sunday Peter and I did our jobs and headed off up the road to Myerscough. I allowed myself plenty of time as I wanted to be on around half an hour before my test just in case I needed the working in time. She travelled well, stood on the wagon while we went for a mooch and was calm while I tacked up and got ready. The weather was amazing and the sun was beating down on us...you could have nearly thought it was summer!! Off we went to work in. The test and the warm up were in the big outdoor school and there were another 3 or 4 horses working in at the same time. Around the edge of the arena were the portable xc jumps which were very scary to begin with and just when I had got her settled a chap decided he was going to hide in the long grass and take pictures!!! Any way we worked in and she was good but a little strong in canter but that is where we are in her schooling at the moment so we were ready to go in when our time came. We trotted around the arena 3 times so she settled and got used to everything before we set off up the centre line. I always smile at the judge on the way down and try to keep smiling all the way round so at least I look like I am enjoying myself even when it goes wrong! She was a little unbalanced on a couple of the turns in trot and her canter transitions left a lot to be desired but I was pleased with her. I had not practiced the medium canter on the circles at home so I kicked on round and at one point did wonder if I would gain control again but the working canter was lovely after the medium! She needed to stretch down a little more in both her free walk and her last trot circle which was on a long rein but on the whole the test pretty much reflected our work at home the previous week. I hope she was in season as she is normally a lot softer and likes to play dressage but I find it hard to tell when she is so I will be making a note in the diary to see if a pattern occurs. Our score was 60% which was better than our other novice test and means that she gets ONE DRESSAGE POINT!!! Saturday, 17 July 2010HOW WET CAN YOU GET???? I could not get any wetter than I was yesterday morning! I did all my jobs in the pouring rain and gale force winds....most of the horses were really well behaved considering how bad the weather was. It was one of those days where you wish for an office job! I was meant to have been teaching at 9am but after waking and hearing the weather outside we re-scheduled for next week. After I finished my jobs I went in and completely changed my clothes for dry ones and a cup of coffee and a chocolate digestive. My horses did not want to come in, so I left them out until lunch time when Peter came home and it had stopped raining and got them in for the afternoon. Now Mo has very sadly gone I can fit all my horses on the top yard (5 stables) which has made life a lot easier for me. It means that Kirkby sees a lot more of life and I get to spend more time with them all. I weigh taped Tilly (599), Mez (519) and Maisey (421) yesterday. I thought I had put it on incorrectly when I put it round Tilly as it would not go all the way round.....I cannot believe how heavy she is. She will lose some in the next week as I need to go to the beach, have a jumping lesson and have Stafford BE100, all by next Friday. I have also done worm counts this week which have been interesting as it seems Kirkby and Maisey have very high counts where as the others are medium. They are all kept together and wormed the same so I am presuming that their age is a factor here. There were strongyles present in all and ascarids in Kirkby so I have ordered my wormers accordingly and I hope they may be here today. Well I better get to it. I am teaching this morning after I have done all my jobs and need to ride Tilly later. This evening we are having a yard party for Chris and my birthdays and are making home made pizzas so that will be fab.....hopefully I will not get too wet today.......
Sunday, 4 July 2010Do you need help or support on your livery yard?
DO YOU NEED SOME HELP OR SUPPORT WITH YOUR HORSE? ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A YARD WHERE NO QUESTION IS TOO SMALL OR SILLY? DO YOU WANT HELP WITH THE LITTLE THINGS BUT DO NOT WANT TO ASK? ARE SADDLE FITTING, STABLE MANAGEMENT, FEEDING, WORMING ETC A MINEFIELD? WELL WE CAN HELP YOU.
Friday, 2 July 2010 Dilemma - What should I do?? So what to do? Feel like poor Mez is once again getting left on the shelf as I had to cancel last weeks BD due to being on box rest with concussion! Did mention maybe going to dressage and then stopping on the way home for a lesson to Peter last night....probably not his idea of a fun day!! Probably quite hard time wise to organise too....however, I could give it go.
Nicola Baguley trounced the opposition in the Lycetts 5 Year Old qualifier, with a winning margin of 11.5 penalties. The home bred Pebble Mill, who is by Nicola’s Advanced eventer Mill Law, finished on his impressive dressage score of just 16.0. Nicola Baguley & Pebble Mill “He made one or two little mistakes in the dressage,” Nicola admitted, “so I’m not entirely sure he deserved a 16, but last time out at Catton the judge hated him so it made up for that! It’s funny, last year he was for sale and no one wanted him but I really think he’s in the same league as Run of the Mill and Cotton King so I won’t do much more with him over the summer. He’s a very big horse, finds the cross country easy and I don’t want him to lose his exuberant style of jumping before Burghley (Young Event Horse Finals). He’s a poppet, I love him to death! “Mill Law does produce very trainable offspring who love their job. They give you an amazing feel across country. Pebble Mill is so low maintenance, he lives out 24/7 and is just lovely to have around.” Wednesday, 30 June 2010Bath time !Mez and Mo both stood and enjoyed their baths but I think I was as wet as them by the time I had finished! I have just entered Stafford BE100 in July and this will be our next event now. My hat and air jacket have gone to the manufacturers, the hat for investigation and the jacket to be upgraded but I do not want to ride in the HS1 again unless the clip is altered. Back to the Charles Owen for now. Feeling slightly better today but very worried about over doing things and having another relapse!!
Friday, 25 June 2010Limited spaces for livery
For further details you can go to my website www.livetoevent.co.uk
Wednesday, 23 June 2010 FOR SALE STUNNING 7 YO 15.2hh MARE BY COUNTRY TOP GUN Mo was backed as a 4 year old and then bred a lovely foal and has just come back into work. She is talented but green with a trainable temperament and very low mileage. She is a real sweetie with a big jump and with an experienced rider will excel in any discipline. For further details please contact Jeni
Tuesday, 22 June 2010 Whiplash and Concussion!!! Another photo taken after our unintentional dismount on Friday. I had to sucumb and let Peter take me to A & E last night. We waited for 3 hours (well i was asleep for most of it) to be told I had whiplash and concussion and should take it easy, not go to work, not ride or drive and not drink wine!!! LOL Apparently the only thing that helps concussion to go is rest and the more you carry on as normal the worse it gets!! So that was me told. I am on box rest!! So this morning I got up early and did my jobs and then went back to bed until lunch time. I have spent the afternoon sitting on a deck chair watching Margot clean her stable mats, reading the H&H. It has actually been really hard but I have started to feel a little better. I have had to withdraw Mez from the dressage tomorrow and just hope that I will be ok to ride at Skipton on Sunday. I have had a lovely offer of help from someone off the H&H forum who is on holiday this week so she is coming over on Thursday and so is my friend Danielle as the farrier is here shoeing quite a few. The HS1 manufacturers rang today and have asked me to send my hat in for investigation as this is the first time they have known of a hat coming off in a fall. I have also had to order a new gas canister for my air jacket. Falling off is becoming expensive!! Saturday, 19 June 2010Air Jacket...Tried and Tested!!!!!!!!!!! The showjumping was very busy as it was an Internation event and there were a lot more trade stands and banners than normal so she had a very good look round when we entered the arena. Again she listened to me and jumped brilliantly and we got a clear round. We went back to the wagon and changed for the XC, I find everything takes so much longer when I go on my own so instead of rushing I just make sure I have plenty of time. We were ready early for the XC but went down to work in anyway as they are usually grateful for competitors and she jumped the log calmly and we were ready to go. She has begun to get a little excited now as we get near to the start box and so I walked her round until he counted me down on 10 seconds then we entered the box and were gone. The first fence was a log pile and she flew over that and on landing I kicked on as I normally do however Tilly was so exctied that she launched into a humping and bucking frenzy which sent me flying through the air and being able to try my air jacket out! Talk about gutted!! My hat also flew off which concerned me and I am going to email the manufactors later. I lay on the ground wondering why I could not move and then realised I had blown up!!!! The fence judges came over and unclipped me which allowed me to breathe again and they had caught Tilly, who was a little unsure as to what was happening! I asked them if I could get back on and they said yes so I flung my air jacket at them, got a leg up and kicked on! I was very careful to sit up on landing and keep her head up after that but she flew round the course and we had a great time. I did not get penalised for falling off as it was not at a fence but had 43 time faults so a placing was definately out of the question! I am a little stiff this morning but am just grateful to the air jacket as the ground was very hard and I could have really injured myself. I will have to order a new gas canister before Skipton next week!! Tuesday, 15 June 2010Mr and Mrs Ball!! However back to reality.....Tilly and I are eventing at Hutton on Friday and her tummy has increased slightly while we were away........we did some fast work on the beach yesterday and have schooled her today. She has been really good in the school and seems to remember all that I did with Hils.....until Friday that is if Rodbaston is anything to go by!!! I will be working her in for longer before the dressage this time! I will have to be organised as I am going on my own so everything just takes that little bit longer. Mez had a bit of a shock on Saturday when I let Alex ride her. I am the only one to have ever ridden her and she had a bit startled expression to begin with but behaved herself, Alex can now appreciate how bouncy she is! Mo has had about a month off and is in season...oh joy!!!! Lunged her yesterday in the outdoor which was very excititng and then Kirkby started to neigh and it was worse than when I weaned them!!! Anyway eventually she settled down. I lunged her again today and then got on and just walked round concentrating on the contact. She was swishing her tail at me but was not naughty and the more I did the better she got. Did not want to push it though as I was here on my own. I rang Peter before I got on to let him know that if I had not rung back in 1/2 hour I needed help! Kirkby and Maisey have both grown loads...pic from Sunday....  Friday, 28 May 2010 Weekly round upKirkby has had his first experience of Barry the farrier and also had his mane done so he is looking very dapper. Maisey launched a spectacular escape from the field the other night by trashing the electric fencing, pushing a gate open, going off down another field that the landlord has taken the gate off, before climbing back over another fence into the field with Millie and Tilly! The lovely farmer, Robert, from next door rang me at 10pm to tell me something was not quite right! Shelly is doing very well with Somala and today will get on and pretend I am not there at all so that she can carry on working her while I am away. So I am not going to be able to Blog for a couple of weeks due to going away to get married on a beach!! The yard is taken care of by my very good friends and Tilly will be lunged by Alex to keep her going until I return. I hate leaving the animals but I'm sure they have a great time bribing everyone to get the sausages out!!
Thursday, 20 May 2010Todays events... Overnight I managed to leave the sprinkler on and flood the indoor school!! Even after I had levelled it it was s till very soggy at the bottom end! I rode Tilly just in walk and concentrated on suppleness and then a little trot to make sure there was no humping before our saddle fitting tomorrow night..........yep I said saddle fitting woo woo. Balance have sent Hils two dressage saddles for me to try in my lesson tomorrow and I am so excited... I also rode Mo who has had a week off now as well and she was brilliant. I walked and trotted round in the indoor...soggy bits included....and she was not fussy in her mouth at all. Is this a fluke??? We'll find out soon enough. I then opened the school door and rode her around the yard back to her stable. I am so pleased with her. I had front shoes put on her last week as she was a little footy on the stones with me on board and I am hoping that Peter will be able to come down the lane and back with me before we go away. Kirkby has had a hair cut and his front feet rasped which was a bit of a trauma for him as he was seriously scared of Barry! Barry was so good with him and has said that he will come and play with him whenever he is at the yard as Kirkby was shaking bless him! I have also been helping my friend Shelly back her horse Somala (see pic) and, touch wood, it is going really well. She has ridden her four times now and is trotting round happily on the lunge but walking etc all alone. Well done Shell!!
Wednesday, 19 May 2010 BD at Arkenfield Today I took Mez to Arkenfield to do some British Dressage. It seems it is longer than I thought since we did our last dressage test there as it seems to have changed hands and is now run by new owners. Anyway Mez behaved brilliantly and worked in well after saying hello to herself in the mirrors along the short side of the indoor school! We have been working hard on our canter at home and this really paid off today and she produced her best canter so far. This is really satisfying when I know that I am the only one who has ever ridden her and have done all her training myself. I had swapped by whip into my left hand so I could place it on her shoulder in the canter to try to encourage her to carry herself and not to fall in but I made the huge mistake of saluting at the end and I used the hand that had the whip in........so the judge minused 2 marks from us. We finished with a score of 66.3 per cent but it would have been 67.2 per cent if I had not made that silly mistake which would have left us in third place. As it was we came 4th and I was so pleased with her as she had been perfect all day and as far as I was concerned she could not have gone any better today than she did. That is all I ask. Hilary has just emailed me to say that she will hopefully have two dressage saddles for me to try on Friday when she comes over to take some lessons here. How exciting.... 
Friday, 14 May 2010 Rodbaston Report Anyway we got Tilly ready and went to warm up for the dressage, now bearing in mind the rolling she had done on Tuesday night had resulted in soreness in the lumbar region on her right side and she had had my Equilibrium pad on 3 times and I had given her a short massage, she worked in well. Very full of herself and ready to get on with the job in hand. I was told by the steward to make my way to the dressage ring but not to rush as the judge was just having a break. So I mooched down and was just walking round the ring as I had seen their bacon butties arrive but as I neared A to my horror she pomped the horn. So I asked for trot but then Tilly had not settled and was tense as we headed on down the centre line. I have to say it was one of the worst tests of my life. I even considered just getting off half way through!!! She fought me the whole way round, would not relax, every time I put my inside leg on she wanted to canter, I couldn't get her to trot again after the canter, she would not go forward and it took me 3 attempts to halt! I took her back into the working in arena and worked her for a good 15 minutes and she calmed down and did some really good work. I have to say I am not one for blaming my horses for anything as mostly I am to blame but this time I was really cross with her. I have put so much work in recently and she has been going so well at home I was so disappointed and upset. I wanted to tie her to someone else's lorry and go home!!! So I then decided that I did not want to carry on but we would walk round the XC to give the dogs a walk. Peter said we should find out what my score was before I decided if I wanted to withdraw but it was not on the board...probably because they couldn't believe someone could be so bad! However after asking a scoring lady it was 37. I was very shocked and decided the judge must have been eating her bacon butty as I was doing my test! I still went to the tent to withdraw but then decided I would probably be most upset with myself for going home like this than having a go at the rest of it. We tacked up quickly for the Show Jumping and trotted on down to the working in. Her back had felt a lot more supple and relaxed after riding her but in the working in she was not very keen to turn to the left and kept tilting her head and getting hold of the bit. Her jumping in the ring was some of the best she had done and she listened to me and I tried to put everything from my lessons into practice which obviously worked as we got a clear round. Maybe a little speedy in the middle but no the less clear! So we got changed and I put on my air jacket and off we went to the xc where we just jumped one log in the working in, perfectly if I say so myself. She is getting keener and keener as we get near the start box now so I don't enter it until I am counted down from 5 seconds and I always make sure I shout 'thank you' at the starters as I set off. The course was relatively straight forward and we had a couple of roll tops and a lovely mushroom fence before a gallop, where I cut the corner off the field to save some seconds. She had jumped extravagantly over the first two jumps so I steadied for the third before allowing her to open up which did the trick as we were then in our stride and away. The fourth was a double of logs followed by a diamond shaped skinny which can produce strange jumps but she did brilliantly. Next the three waters with a log trailer in the middle before steps up to a skinny and away to the railway gate and the picnic table. The angled rails followed by Peters Log Pile!! Before the parallel of rails, an arrowhead and a small hedge. Second from home was the only fence I had been a little apprehensive about as it was a fairly decent hedge with a drop on the off side (Pic above) then a turn to the left for the last fence (see below). I really steadied her up for this and she just popped over it and then we were home and dry and I had to remember to UNPLUG before dismounting as I do not want to blow up in public! This was one her best xc runs ever and I was really pleased with her and I think she is ready to move up to pre novice this year. Unfortunately because of the dressage score we came 11th. So frustrating when I know she can go so much better.........well there's always next time....though I'm not sure if Peter will want to come!!!!  Mud Monster Well Tilly certainly pulled all the stops out on Tuesday night. I turned her out with the intention of bringing her and Millie in for the night ready for Rodbaston and then letting Tilly have a couple of hours in the field Wednesday morning before our journey began at 11am. However when we went to bring them in at bedtime on Tuesday they had both been rolling in the wet mud! They have NEVER done this before and it was caked on both sides, all up her face and her plaits were barely visable...I could not believe my eyes. So I then had to set to bathing her after 2 glasses of wine in the semi darkness....I think they had a little giggle to theirselves! SO there was NO WAY I was turning her out the morning of the event! Maybe she realises that something is happening to her now when I plait her up the night before....I bet Millie was egging her on!
Tuesday, 11 May 2010 Our biggest course yet......
Thursday, 6 May 2010 Biomechanical analysis of Tilly The results were amazing. I now can see where Tilly's problems lie and address them. Below are the measurements if Tilly's strides when being led and ridden. Stride Characteristics Speed and stride characteristics are detailed in the table below. Speed is more difficult to control when lead in hand, so not surprisingly there are differences in left and right trials. This makes comparison of these data difficult, as speed directly influences stride length. Ridden stride lengths suggest that at trot the right diagonal is shorter than the left diagonal. Joint angles may then provide us more information as to where the reduction in protraction is occurring.
I will post more information regarding this analysis later but for now riding and mucking out are calling!
Tuesday, 4 May 2010Badminton Horse Trials One of the worlds most prolific riders Mark Todd jumps into the The Countryside Complex which provides a variation of its successful use last year with a series of technical fences to jump on the way through requiring agility, accuracy & control of the highest order. The shape and position of these obstacles just invites horses to run out! Luckily Mark Todd got through clear although it was the end of the road for Clea Phillipps who we met at Solihull last week when I had to tell her she was not wearing her number for the XC! This week I nearly caught her horse for her.....is there a job opportunity in there somewhere? Badminton was fantastic despite the wind and the rain and the wellies and all the mud! It was like returning to winter. It really is inspiring to see all the top riders in action on horses that are so fit and ready to do their job. The fences mainly looked huge but some not quite so imtimdating and frightening these days as they might have seemed in the past.....still a bit above Tilly and I for now! Along side the International course some of the Grassroot jumps could still be seen and hopefully we will be jumping these one day! It was so exciting to think that at Grassroot level you can gallop on past the jumps and intertwine with the International course - such an experience. Anyway I'd better get practicing as after the end of June or my next top 4 placing I have to go up to Pre Novice...still a way to go until Badminton 4 star though!...We can all dream can't we! Monday, 3 May 2010Badminton's in the air... Well with the XC at Badminton so close Alex and I went and had some fun in the back field on Saturday. Pictured is Alex jumping her first XC jump EVER with Millie who was having a fab time! I rode Mez and we both did a bit of schooling on the flat first to make sure we were in control before jumping. I had a good flatwork lesson on Mez with Hils on Friday so I was practicing my canter and my position relating to her, especially on the right rein as she pushes my seat over to the left so she can run through that side. We are making such good progress and will hopefully (if I pull my finger out) get to some affiliated dressage before we go away. Mez was a star over the XC jumps but I had moved the tyres and this was VERY scary to begin with but she knocked down the cross poles we had put up! Millie needless to say cleared everything that Alex asked her to jump!
Thursday, 29 April 2010The Horse Refuge....Needs your help or many horses will be PTS.Please use the above link to read the full story and to donate anything you can afford. Update on Mo Mo was back in work yesterday after a week off due one thing or another. She bobbed round on the lunge for 10 minutes very quietly so I popped on with Peter there just to be on the safe side and off we went. I walked round a couple of times and did some change of rein and cricles to get her used to turning and started to ask her to move away from my leg and bend correctly which she picked up really quickly. I then trotted down the long side with Peter before carrying on and trotting for about 10 minutes. Again we did circles and changes of rein before having a walk and practicing our trot transititions. To end I let her walk round and just asked her to be soft in her mouth and accept the contact a little better. She can be a little fussy in her mouth so I am not going to make an issue of it, I am just going to quietly work away with her and it will come. All in all I was very pleased with her as she is such a sweet horse and it is going to be really hard to sell her!! Sorry Peter!! Off to fertilise and spread some seed on the fields before the rain comes.......
27thApril 2010 Midsomer Clover Start of XC Solihull ODE.wmv To see the video please go to www.livetoevent.blogspot.com Tilly and I started with the best dressage score on Sunday that we have ever had together. We finished on 32 and even managed to get an 8 from our centre line. We lay 3rd after the dressage but she coughed once in the canter which slightly unbalanced her transition to trot. On the way back to the lorry park she coughed three or four times which caused me a great deal of concern. We decided to walk the XC course and then go and warm up fot the show jumping and if she coughed again I would withdraw her. The show jumping was in side on a surface so was up to height, however we managed to have the smallest jump down leaving us with another 4 faults to add to our score. All kitted out in my Point 2 Air Jacket we went to warm up for the XC. Tilly was very excited when she saw the jumps and could not wait to get going! The course was fairly straight forward but the gound was very hard and I was now very concious of the coughing earlier so I did not push her as much as I may have done. There was a variety of fences and number 4 was a step down, 3 strides and then a step up, stride and an upright which I thought came fairly early on in the course. There were no more combinations after that but there was a big open ditch and a trakhener which I hate but I sat up and kicked on and everything was fine! We got a clear but clocked up 2.4 time pentalties. This left us with a score of 38.4 and I had been 8th to go so could not really work out if this was good enough for a placing. As it was after 5pm and we had a 3 hour journey home we decided to head off and get Tilly back. On returning home, via the chinese, we discovered the scores already up on the BE page and I had come 5th. I now have to send a SAE to them and they will send my rosette and prze money. Well done Tilly, who now does have a cough and is resting and on lots of drugs!
Friday, 23 April 2010The back field... I have also pulled Mo's mane....OMG it was so thick and out of control! Off to level the school before teaching later.
Wednesday, 21 April 2010 Happy Birthday Kirkby Mo is going well and this morning I was trotting her round the Indoor school while Peter kept a close eye on preceedings. Peter ran with me to begin with but after 3 laps he needed a little rest!
Sunday, 18 April 2010Kelsall Hill ODE The working in for the show jumping was full of people jumping huge spreads but I know Tilly and we were there to warm up not to practice our jumping, so we just popped the cross pole aand the upright a couple of times before going into the ring. She jumped brilliantly and listened to me all the way round. On the approach to the last fence she got a little strong so I checked her but without conviction so she was a little flat and we had a pole down. So with a score of 40 we went to the XC....the most exciting bit! Tilly's last XC event was in July last year. We set off with gusto out of the starting box and popped the first fence before kicking on up the hill to the next combination of fences. She was fantastic, she moved on when I asked her to and she steadied before each jump and never got strong once. I really kicked on in the places I could to ensure we got no time penalties and she flew over everything including the corner (in pic) and gave me a wonderful ride. I remembered to unclip my air jacket before dismounting (my dad had his camera at the ready just in case I forgot!) and lead her back to the lorry so she could get her breath and cool off. We finished on 40 and this put us in 9th place out of a section with 46 starters. Peter worked out this morning that my speed was 491 meters per min which is roughly 18 miles per hour! We completed in 4 mins 23 seconds. Good to know so I can gauge how fast I am going in my future events. Solihull here we come! We hacked out this morning and she felt as fresh as a daisy and we have a jumping lesson tomorrow so I think she can have Tuesday off....
Friday, 16 April 2010 Friday 16th April
After a brilliant flatwork lesson with Hils on Tuesday I feel we are much more prepared for our dressage test tomorrow. The canter is much improved with Tilly starting to carry herself on the right rein much better. So one last practice this afternoon before bath and plaits go in. I am lucky enough that one of my friends is a Dr in Biomechanics and has some very high tech equipment and cameras with her. She has offered to come down later today and carry out a gait analysis on Tilly so we can see exactly where her problems are. This will be very interesting and a chance to see what difference I make to her aswell. After a manic Mo yesterday, calm has been restored and she worked calmly this morning on the lunge and whilst I rode her. I was on my own so a quick call to Peter to let him know I was mounting and if I had not called back in 20 mins it was because I couldn't and he needed to come and get me!!! I just rode her in walk and did lots of change of rein and halt transitions. I will wait to trot her until I have someone on the ground...just to be on the safe side and not advisable the day before an event! Kirkby has been very well behaved lately and we have been taking his headcollar off whilst he is in during the day.....I have just mucked him out though and he neighed the whole time as I was obviously violating his private space! At last the fields are drying up enough to get someone to harrow and roll them so hopefully in the next week or so they will look much better. Ok off to practice dressage and get ready for Kelsall Hill tomorrow......So Excited!!!
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
 I would throroughly recommend a trip to Craven for everyone as you do not have to jump at all if you would rather not and could just have a lovely hack over the hills and through woodland. Enjoy...... :)
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Mo Jumping & Happy Birthday.......
 Yesterday I lunged Mo over a small cross pole, she loves jumping and soon got back into the swing of it. Peter then held her whilst I mounted her from the block and then he walked me round a couple of times before lunging me just in walk. I practised halt to work transitions as I need to know I have got some brakes and Mo halts like it's an emergancy stop at the moment! She was very good and went forward from my leg when I asked her and her bend improved a great deal. She has had today off and is flilthy as I turned them out without rugs on this morning! Tilly and I went to the beach to do some fast work today. We did 4 mins walk, 6 mins trot, 2 mins walk, 2 mins trot and then 7 mins strong canter before walking the 15 mins back to the lorry. For once she broke out into a sweat! She coped very well with the canter which I was pleased about as it has been hard to keep track of her fitness whilst riding with others on the beach. Hopefully we will be going to Craven Country Ride on Monday and I will use that as next weeks hard work before (fingers crossed) competing at Kelsall Hill on Saturday the 17th. I am also in two minds about whether to sell Mez at the moment as I just do not feel that I have got enough time to go round them all. It would have to be word of mouth and be a very special home! A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALEX today!
Monday, 5 April 2010
Mo is back!!
 This is Mo, Kirkby's dam, being ridden for the first time in over two years. I lunged her this morning in tack which she has not worn for over two years either and then Peter legged me up to lean over. She was so cool about it that I then just got on and Peter walked me round a few times, she was really good apart from a scary moment when someone dropped a bucket next to the school. I am really pleased with her and will lunge her tomorrow in side reins before riding her again on Wednesday when Peter is here to help again. Before she went to Mill Law, she had just learnt to canter in the school but that was as far as we had got with her so it will be interesting to see how she goes this time and how quickly she progresses......then I need to sell her.... :(......to a very nice home only..........
Sunday, 4 April 2010 Saddle Fitting Session
 Carol from Balance International came out to give me some help with my Dressage Saddle today. Straight away she identified that it was not wide enough but we tried riding with a variation of pads just to see what happened. It slipped forward with all the combinations so the next step was trying two other saddles that Carol had brought with her. The first one slipped forward as much as my dressage saddle and the second one was better but Tilly is a very sensitive soul and makes it quite clear when she does not like something and she did not like either of these saddles! I then put my Nexus Jump Saddle on her and that was fine so Carol got an idea of how she normally went. Carol has taken my saddle and is sending it off to Frank Baines to check that the tree was the correct width when it was made. Then she is going to send a few saddles up to Hils so that I can try them out and decide which fits the best. She is also going to try and track down the original saddle I tried Tilly in last July as that fit perfectly and Tilly went amazingly in it. SO.... after treating myself to some Devoucoux dressage leathers I now have no saddle to put them on! Typical.....This also means that at the first events I go to I will have to do the dressage in my jumping saddle. However...it does mean that my riding has nothing to do with the saddle moving around which made me feel better! Happy Easter and enjoy all your eggs.....
Friday, 2 April 2010
Cancelled
 Well it seems Eden Valley ODE is cancelled next Sunday so Tilly can have a lie in instead of setting off at the crack of dawn. I am disappointed but was expecting it as the weather has been so awful and the event is near Penrith which does not help. So it's fingers crossed for Kelsall Hill on the 17th of April and then the Pre Novice at Bradwall the week after. I entered for the pre novice as I thought we would have had three runs under our belt by then and be ready to move on up....however it seems at best I will now have one! Schooling at Somerford Park was cancelled as well on Wednesday due to the weather so we took the opportunity and went shopping for a wedding dress! We had a lovely day in Manchester shopping, it has been so long since we have been out for the day to something that is not horsey! This morning Alex and I are off to the beach with Tilly and Millie to do some canter work and then tomorrow I think I will take Tilly to Barton EC to do some BSJA. Off to feed as I can hear Billy neighing from here!
Sunday, 28 March 2010
Winners!
 Another red rosette for Mez at the Arena Eventing yesterday. Her dressage was 29 and we were in the lead from the start, then we had a clear round in the jumping to secure our first position. We also entered the next class up and I was very pleased with her dressage and I felt that she could not have done a better test and felt that my work over the last few weeks is starting to pay off.....a big thanks to Hils for the flatwork lessons! We were planning to go to Somerford Park on Wednesday to do some xc schooling with both girls but I have just looked at the weather forcast and it is awful....heavy rain all week with a bit of snow and high wind mixed in for fun! The horsebox was back on form yesterday so hopefully the problems have been sorted out...although it is having an MOT at the beginning of April! I had a call from Carol at Balance International and she is coming out to check my saddle on Easter Sunday so hopefully we can get it sorted. It is much better now and really only moves in canter but Tilly has been on the Kate Moss diet and is looking much trimmer now so I really hope she can make it more secure and hopefuly help me with my riding and position so I can help myself too. I have treated myself this week and ordered a pair of Devoucoux dressage stirrup leathers to go on my new saddle. This will mean less bulk at the stirrup bar so less stretching for my little legs! I have also entered for Bradwall Pre Novice on 25th April. I have no ballot sticker left so I thought I'd let fate dictate whether I go or not. Hopefully Eden Vally and Kelsall Hill will still run after all this awful weather. google_protectAndRun("ads_core.google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad); Friday, 26 March 2010
Congratulations Congratulations to the youngest member of the Live To Event team....ALEX.....who has just passed her BHS Stage One Exam.
Thursday, 25 March 2010
 I have entered Mez for the Arena Eventing on Saturday at Barton EC. We are going in the Intro and the Prelim Classes as I want to move her up but for her still to be confident around the slightly higher jumps, so this way she can do the normal class and then go into the bigger class. It does mean however that I have two dressage tests to learn. Needless to say both Mez and Tilly have been practicing this morning while one of my very nice liveries has done most of the mucking out whilst waiting for her vet! This means that inbetween waiting for wedding emails I can spend some time on my nutritional course this afternoon. I have received my haylage analysis back from Dodson and Horrell so am keen to get on with balancing my diets now.
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Rain rain go away........
 Please don't make us go out in the rain mum!! I have not ridden for a week as I have not been feeling too well so yesterday morning I put the Equilibrium pad on Tilly for 1/2 hour then schooled her outside. We practiced everything from our lesson last week and she is much improved on the right rein. She is a lot straighter in trot and does not curl and come back at me and her right canter is better but this is hard work for her so she tries to get a little faster and I have to slow her and not try to get tense or brace and keep her body over to the left. She tries so hard bless her and gets upset when she does not think it is right so I just keep tickling her with my fingers so she knows she is a good girl. Mez and Mo both had their teeth done on Monday. Mo (Kirkby's mum) can now come back into work ready to be sold unless we have a mad idea about breeding more foals........and Mez has got Arena Eventing on Saturday so we need to practice our dressage. I am going to ask them if I can enter two classes with her so she will be more confident around the showjumps in the second class. Not sure if they will let me but I'll let you know. On a more personal note we have booked our honeymoon. We had to fit it in around my eventing schedule and the longest slot we had is between Rodaston (12 May) and Hutton (19 June) so we fly to Mauritius on the 29th May. Not sure what we are doing for a wedding yet.....various suggestions but waiting on a few quotes for things. I am so excited!!! google_protectAndRun("ads_core.google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad); Tuesday, 16 March 2010Flatwork lessons Last Thursday in anticipation of Stafford, I had a flatwork lesson on both Tilly and Mez. Both horses worked really hard and improved greatly throughout their sessions. I felt that Mez needed to use her hindquarter and hind legs more so we did some halt and walk transitions and explained to her where we wanted her hind legs to be and she got the idea with some shuffling around to start with. Then we asked her to move off using her hind legs first and not rocking forward with her front end and this again improved things. I cantered on the right rein at the end and Hils told me to keep looking to the right and turning my body so she will follow me and to sit still and prevent her from rushing so we have the same rythym and tempo as much as possible. She was pooped at the end of it! Tilly is not straight on the right rein and I have been doing exercises including counter flexion and turn on the haunches to try and encourage her to move her shoulders over in an attempt to be straighter. Hils told me to concentrate more on pushing her hind quarters over to the outside and asking her to move her ribcage to the left so she can bring her hindleg under her and become more engaged. This made a huge difference to her and her frame became a lot longer and more relaxed and we had some of the best trot and canter work we have ever done. I have to try to remember NOT to do the things I am used to doing ...counter flexion and getting tighter and bracing myself against her when she is not straight as this makes her curl round and come back at me. I need to concentrate on the things Hils showed me and move her into the correct position with my leg and then again as with Mez keep the rythym and the tempo and not let her rush. Sunday, 14 March 2010Depressed Blogger!! Well this is where the horsebox is this morning!!! It should be just arriving at Stafford ODE but after spending 4 days last week in the garage it seems we still have a problem! I took it to the garage to fill it up yesterday and the pressure for the air brakes got a little high. On further inspection it turns out the release valve is not working which would mean the compressor overworks and could get very hot and melt the brake pipes which would cause the brakes to cease on and stop the wagon immediately. Not a very good senario with a horse in the back on the M6!!! So needless to say it will be going back to the garage later.........so here I am eating soggy shreddies in a very soggy mood!!! Tilly is all dressed up with no where to go! I will enter for two other events later in an attempt to cheer myself up! Good luck to all at Stafford.
Monday, 8 March 2010 Show Jumping Richard Barton
 Today I took Mez and Tilly to Richard Barton at Osbaldeston RC for a jumping lesson. Richard could not believe the difference in Mez as she is so much more confident about everything now. We just had one stop at the double which was spooky and a parallel, she did manage to take off this time though, just put down in the jump and poor Richard had to do a spot of fence building! Apart from that she jumped really well and is much more forward and taking me now. Richard says to keep her head up into the spooky fences and kick! Tilly jumped her socks off and it is fair to say jumped the best she ever has. We finished with the fences around BE100 height and she flew over them. Richard was teaching me to set her up and ride into the fences but down the related distances how to sit and hold or increase the pace so the strides are as even as possible. She had one fence down which was my fault as I let her run down the four strides and did not check her so she got a little flat and deep to the fence. I was really pleased with both of them and now can not wait for Stafford ODE on Sunday............ Sunday, 7 March 2010 Lucinda Green Training Unfortunately we did not attend the second day of training due to a slight problem with the horsebox and on the Thursday we just boxed up and came home. Today I have been doing some bounce work with Tilly. I have her in a French link 3 ring gag but I am not convinced this is the best bit for her. If anyone has any ideas as to what to try then please let me know. I have tried a gag and a waterford but she was strong in these and ran through them.
Thursday, 25 February 2010 Beach again Today Tilly and I went to do some canter work on the beach. I always start to get worried that the horses are not fit enough when eventing starts but usually I am worrying about nothing but better safe than sorry. There is nothing worse than being on a horse that tires 3/4 of the way round the XC and you have to ease to the end as this is when mistakes and injuries happen. However after my return trip up the beach this morning I think we will have plenty in the tank! I even did some schooling at the end practicing my canter transititions and she was strong and wanting to play! Over the last couple of days I have been riding them over arrowheads and skinny fences in the indoor trying to get a little practice in for next week and they have both been great. I need to ring for my times now for Mez's Arena Eventing on Saturday, hopefully it will not have been cancelled again. Thursday, 25 February 2010It's a good job Maisey came first!!!!!!! Kirkby and Maisey have been happily going out in the field each day and then at night he has his stable and Maisey goes on the top yard with the girls. He has a 20 second paddy and then eats his haylage and is fine. Last night though Maisey had an injury on her hind leg, after cleaning it I thought it was better that they just go in the indoor school during the day until it dries up and heals over as I do not want mud getting in it and infecton starting. Today they were playing indoors but one of my liveries had a new saddle coming so just after lunch we brought them in. On kirkbys block there are three stables, two normal size and then his huge one, so I thought that I would put them in the two smaller ones until bed time.......However, Kirkby is not happy with this situation and has been having a paddy and throwing his toys out this afternoon. I have decided to leave them like this now for the night, obviously I will check them but I felt if I put him back in his bedroom he was learning that having a paddy got him what he wanted. Maisey, bless her, is quite happy next door despite his tap dancing and neighing and is just munching her haylage. It is a good job that Maisey came first as I am not sure I would have wanted another after him!!! MEN!!!  Lucinda, Tilly and Jeni 2009 I have booked both Tilly and Mez in for a two day clinic with Lucinda Green next week. It is all systems go now trying to get organised and make sure everything is ready to leave for those lovey generous people who are going to help out at home in our absence....you know who you are!!! Tilly redeemed herself today after acting like she had never been in the indoor on Saturday.....Mares!!!!!! She had a little Mctimony treatment on Saturday as her atlas was slightly out to the left as was vertebrae C4 and her pelvis was to the right and forward. I have decided that I should put into practice a few things that Lucinda showed us last year so I have set a little course of skinnys and arrowheads up in the indoor for tomorrow. At least it may give Mez a head start when we get there. I have done a few schooling sessions like this with her in the past and she had responded very well but practice makes perfect. It will also be good training for her Arena Eventing on Saturday at Barton EC. I am sorry this is short but I am really tired so I am off for a bath and bed and to dream about lessons with Lucinda!!!
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26th & 27th June
