Lauren Shannon’s eventing blog: close, but no cigar at Aston-le-Walls
Hello! After a couple weeks here on the Shannon Eventing yard without any British Eventing runs, I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms. Luckily last week took us to Aston-le-Walls to get all the horses out again and to prepare for Somerford CIC2* this weekend.
We all had a great weekend, with Crunchie (Kilcannon Watlings Crunch, pictured earlier this year) finishing fourth in the intermediate, and Purdey (Quality Purdey) doing a lovely test, but just going nice and steady on the cross-country.
Holly (Riffala Du Buisson) did an amazing test in the novice, and jumped a super clear to be in the lead before having a silly problem with fence 6, the corner. It was unlike her, but she then jumped round the rest of the course brilliantly. Horses do like to put a spanner in the works sometimes!
This eventing lark is a funny thing, sometimes it can take a while for everything to come together on the same day. Holly and I are a new partnership this year and I truly believe time in the saddle at events together will bring the results.
All my working pupils also had a good weekend, with only one person (who shall remain nameless) going the wrong way in the showjumping! We have decided that forgetting courses/dressage tests should now be punishable with the baking of a cake for everyone else on the yard and I think we will keep well fed.
After the weekend, I took a lorry load of horses to Somerford Park to cross-country school. Holly was amazing, so I think our “moment” at the corner can be attributed to one-of-those-things and we can just head onwards and upwards.
I also tried Purdey in a new bit — as it’s only her first season eventing, we are still playing about with what suits her. I still cannot believe when I look at her that she still hasn’t been eventing for a full year yet.
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So after dressage lessons on Tuesday, during which I was made fun of for my incorrect pronunciation of “serpentine” (luckily my riding of said movement was acceptable) and jumping all the horses at home today, it will be off to Somerford again tomorrow. I have Crunchie and Purdey in the CIC2*, which is Purdey’s first international. Holly will also compete in the novice tomorrow, and you never know, tomorrow may be her day.
Lauren
Full report of Aston-le-Walls in H&H out today, 15 August and full report of Somerford Park in H&H next week, out 22 August.
Check out our other eventing blogger, Rosie Fry
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Event rider Lauren Shannon blogged on Horseandhound.co.uk from June 2011 until September 2014. Born in Brighton, she lived in America from the age of three to 16, returning to the UK to go to university after she finished school. After university she worked for Mark and Tanya Kyle before setting up her own yard in Leicestershire. Her best result to date was finishing 9th at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials with her top horse, Zero Flight.