So it’s Friday at Badminton and Bozie (Cornacrew) is very excited. This is good for tomorrow for the cross-country but wasn’t so good for our dressage yesterday.
You might have noticed that I was wearing a ribbon on my tailcoat in my dressage test (pictured below). This is in memory of the young event rider Izzy Squire who was tragically killed while travelling in Vietnam earlier this year.
On Thursday afternoon I walked the cross-country course with Westonbirt Girls School which was fun.
The course here is big and bold! But I do like it and it’s the type of course that Boz will really relish. There are lots of huge fences and technical skinnies and corners so I think he’ll really love it.
We had an easy morning this morning and I gave Bozzie a jump in preparation for tomorrow. I’m going to walk the course this afternoon with somebody whose opinion I really value — I’ll take my time working out exactly what I’m doing. Then I’ll walk it again in the morning with Jeanette Brakewell and finalise what I’m doing because I really trust her and she has a wealth of experience.
Bozzie is stabled in the beautiful main courtyard at Badminton. Our neighbours are Ben Hobday’s ride Mulry’s Error and Dani Evans’ second ride Raphael II. We have some other big names in our block including Oliver Townend, Lucy Jackson and some more New Zealanders.
It’s great in the stables because when it’s really busy with people and noise within the actual event, it’s nice and peaceful and calm in the stables. Bozzie settles in very well wherever he goes.
I am due to go cross-country at 12.30pm tomorrow (Saturday).
Wish us luck!
Simon
