Our day at Full Gallop was a long one, starting early and not wrapping up until after five, but it was a great first event for the season. All the courses were surprisingly tough for an early season event, so I was so pleased to see all six horses jump around well!
Abigail Wilson rode her own Fernhill Flag in the Preliminary, and finished in a respectable 6th place. Abigail and Rory are looking to move up to the intermediate at the end of the month, so I was pleased to see them cruise through the course with ease. Andi Lawrence and Annelise Aurillo rode in the training on their respective mounts Armani and Your Lucky Day, and had a great last run at training. Both of these girls were looking forward to their first preliminarys in a few days coming, so they rode cautiously slow to save their horses legs. Despite their time faults Annelise and Andi finished their division 4th and 6th.
Our newest edition to the team, Wyn Maling, finished 5th on her horse Stellar in the novice. This pair was fresh off the truck from Massachusetts just a few days prior, so I was quite impressed with their performance! I rounded off the great day with my two youngsters, Peace Proposal and Paddy the Caddy. Parris was just a tad exuberant in the dressage but jumped very well to finish 8th, while Paddy shocked all of us to finish 2nd in just his second event of his career. Both horses jumped around with ease, and I am looking very forward to moving them up a level while they are down here.
We continued our early season success at Sporting Days Farm on Saturday as Andi Lawrence and Annelise Aurillo jumped clear around their first ever preliminary competitions. Both girls put in respectable dressage tests, jumped well in the show jumping, and rocked around the cross-country with ease. It was rewarding for me to see Andi cruise around the course with George, as I can remember Sporting Days was his first preliminary ever just a few years ago. He is not an easy ride, and she has developed a strong nature in her jump riding that is suiting him well.
It was equally as rewarding to see Annelise and Wex conquer their first preliminary together. Just a year ago, Wex was remarkably green as I schooled him around the novice course at Sporting Days. It is a real attribute to Annelise as a rider to see how well she has brought this young horse from novice to preliminary in a year's time. It was just a few years ago when Andi and Annelise were kicking around on their ponies Wilson and Willie, and its amazing to see how far they've come!
We are off to Pine Top Farm this coming weekend, so stay tuned for updates! Keep you eyes on the live scores as Bucky is having his first run of the season in the intermediate!
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