Lauren Shannon’s eventing blog: Zero Flight goes cross-country schooling [VIDEO]
Well, I am glad that I decided not to start eventing until April this year, as we are just far too busy to fit any eventing in!
It feels like the build of the new yard, plus keeping all the horses here at home working and teaching lots is taking about 25 hours each day. I’m no genius at maths, but I think we need a bit more time in the day.
In the past week, we have managed to finally get out cross-country schooling on grass which makes it feel like spring is actually on it’s way. We had a morning at Aylesford Cross Country Course this weekend, which is only 5min down the road from us. The ground was fantastic and the horses really enjoyed it.
Then early this week we headed to Somerford Park Farm for a spin round their course. Again, the ground was amazing, which meant that we took Louie (Zero Flight), my 4-star event horse who was injured last year at Badminton (pictured top).
We were unsure last year whether he’d be ridden again, let alone jump a cross-country fence, so watching my working student Jess Schiach ride him round was heart-warming (see video below). We will be led by him as to how much he does, but his face clearly showed how excited he was to be out doing his job again!
I also moved my mares to some new spring grazing last week. Delphi (Quixotic) looks fantastic this year — she is due to foal in July and doesn’t look half her 19 years. We have brought Lux (Gentel Lux) back in from the field though, as we’d like to put her in-foal next month and she is looking far too well from a winter on grass. We keep joking that she is an Irish sport horse turned Suffolk punch!
The build here at home of the new yard is going well, but after seeing exciting things pop out of the ground — like a school and concrete for the barn and walker — this week watching loads of drains being dug and electric cable being laid for the new gates seems slightly less exhilarating. It doesn’t mean I am any less giddy whenever I get to show someone around though!
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
We are planning a new website too, so I will have a great place to exhibit the new yard to the world soon. Watch this space!
Lauren
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
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.