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First-timer's countdown to Badminton: nine days to go

Olivia Haddow, former Young Rider team gold medalist

22 April, 2008

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For once I got to have a vaguely normal social life this weekend, which made a nice change. Friday night I went out in Glasgow — my cousin is over from US; he has very cool job working as a design engineer for Oakley (sunglasses that is, not horseboxes!) and Saturday I spent all day and night in Edinburgh with my fiance.

After Ivesley was cancelled, I thought I better go show jumping, but I didn't want to take a lorry load of horses as this week is going to be quite busy for me and them. So I got Fortunesnight entered and I was getting him all ready to go on Sunday morning when I realised he had managed to bump his leg in the field on Saturday and it had come up slightly overnight so that was the end of that!

I thought that perhaps someone was trying to tell me something, and that I really shouldn't be going anywhere, so I had a nice day at home instead. But then one of the four-year-olds, who has just been broken and turned away until after Badminton, decided to jump out of his field, again! He's done this a couple of times, but not for a while. This time he was found wandering up the road — not so good! Luckily he is fine. I think he'll make a great event horse but my sister, Mailin, is trying to steal him as her dressage horse!

The really good news is that Filius seems to be much better. I've ridden him in the menage and for once he was actually pleased to be going in the school; often he can't really be bothered at home and drags me to the yard gate as if to say he'd much rather be going hacking!

Today (Tuesday) I have training with John Ledingham, funded by Sport Scotland, and I'm taking four horses. Filius is going so fingers crossed he goes well. This is the first time he will have jumped since the disaster at Tyrella. Then I'm taking the other two BSJA jumping tonight. It is going to be a busy day!

I've just had a scary, but very exciting thought — a week today I'll be at Badminton! Keep the good luck messages coming — I may need them.

Bye for now, Olivia

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Related articles:

• Badminton Young Dressage Horse of the Future results, 16 July
• First-timer's Badminton Horse Trials diary: day four
• Badminton 2008 cross-country coursewalk
• Badminton Horse Trials 2008 results, 1-4 May 08
• Badminton Horse Trials 2008: Olivia Haddow's diary
• Karen Dixon's disabled niece stars in Beyond Boundaries on BBC2
• Nicolas Touzaint and Hildago De L’Ile win Badminton Horse Trials
• Badminton Horse Trials blog: first-timers and France’s first winner?
• Four horses have been withdrawn from Badminton Horse Trials
• Nicolas Touzaint leads Badminton Horse Trials cross-country

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