With a matter of days until the inaugural Horse & Hound Grassroots Eventing Championships we catch up with champs contender Laura Szuca for the last time before she heads off to Keysoe:
Well, it’s not long now! I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas… I’m counting down the days to the event, but as I write this I can now say that the Horse & Hound unaffiliated Grassroots Eventing Championship at Keysoe is happening this week!
Earlier this week Equo Events sent us all of the information we need for the event, and even just reading it I got super-excited. My niece was particularly excited to hear that there are prizes for the best turned out horse at the trot up on Monday morning, and plans to get up super early to get Mikey looking spick and span in an attempt to win. I’ve told her that if he does win she can keep the prizes – but I might live to regret that!
After a week of rain the weather for the week ahead is looking great, and I am sure I am not the only one who was thinking about how much the rain will have helped the ground. Looking at the forecast of warmth and sunshine I think a BBQ and a few chilled Kopparbergs will be in order for when we arrive on Friday evening. Let’s hope the sunshine stays with us for the whole event!
Over the weekend we headed out for some arena eventing, and after a tough cross-country schooling session last week I have to say that I was feeling the pressure a bit. Last week I purchased a new flappy whip and some sound proof ears to try and see if they would help Mikey be a bit more on his “A” game. I’m not holding my breath just yet but he seemed much more willing to listen to me and less worried about what was going on around him!
We did two rounds, an individual and a pairs, and it was a lovely long flowing course and perfect practise for the cross-country phase (which has always been my nemesis!). I didn’t place in the individual but we managed to bag a second place in the pairs class with my friend Candice and her horse Stu. The most important part for me was having Mikey feel forward and taking me to the fences – and he was!
This week is all about the final preparations, learning the dressage test (why do I always leave this things till the last minute?), writing a list of what we need to take with us, packing everything that is on the said list, and, Friday morning will see some final preening, poking, trimming and bathing to get Mikey looking great.
My next blog will come live from Keysoe – I can’t wait!
Until then, Laura and Mikey
