The BSPS summer championships was amazing for my daughter Alice and her ponies.
She ended up winning the supreme mini working hunter pony title with Lemington Nougat (pictured above) and the supreme show hunter pony with Hightopps Jazz (known at home as Gingerboy). A fantastic achievement for the whole team and two flower sashes for our efforts in one night is beyond a dream!
My highlight however was not watching Alice claim these titles, but watching the individual display she gave on Gingerboy in the evening championship of the blue riband show hunter pony section. My only regret is that I didn’t video her performance to show my father (showman David Tatlow), as he would have been so proud.
Alice with her BSPS summer championship prize haul
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
Alice produced a show with maturity beyond her years and I still can’t quite believe what I witnessed. A producer and friend of mine said she could have gone on watching for hours. The content was second to none and the delivery exemplary. However I have to admit we returned to the lorry a little deflated as we didn’t claim the title.
The BSPS summer championships is always a fun few days and the children all had a wonderful time playing back at base camp by the lorries. I must thank all involved in putting on such a wonderful show.
We then had a successful few days with wins in hunter classes at Monmouth and the National Hunter Supreme Championship show at Bury Farm.
I am not a huge fan of Bury Farm as a venue personally, but the large outdoor surface was a super ring to show in and I thought the new show format worked very well. Numbers forward were a little disappointing and is a sign that the horse show world is still not quite back in its feet.
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My children have also started autumn hunting. My son Harry is mad keen on his hunting and is well-mounted (pictured left).
We also found a moment to pop along to some showjumping at a Pony Club show where I judged some rather soggy working hunter pony classes with enthusiastic young riders.
Harry and Alice managed to pull off a win in the pairs class after being heavily coached by my father about the change over of the whip after they dropped it last year — I would not have liked to be in their shoes if it had happened again!
School has started again and I am glad to report happy children going off.
The first weekend in September was its usual busy one for us with our local show at Moreton alongside my father’s birthday party.
We had a successful day at Moreton with Alice winning both her show hunter pony classes and taking the champion and reserve titles. My highlight was Harry in the 90cm open jumping class, where he jumped a fabulous double clear to be third and was only beaten by one and half seconds. I managed some good results too with young horses and qualified a novice heavyweight for the Horse of the Year Show, who is now for sale with the ride.
My father’s birthday lunch on Sunday was a great success with friends joining us from the showing world and close family too. The sun shone and we had a special day with plenty of fizz, good food and great company.
Loraine
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