Last week I went to Worcestershire with Skippy (Abakala Flagmount), Myrtle (In Vogue II) and Archie (Arise Cavalier, pictured top) to spend four days training with Carolyne Ryan Bell.
I often go to Carolyne and as I had not been there since January it was just what was needed for me as well as the horses.
It was a manic few days with lots to fit in, including dressage lessons with Jeremy Spring for Skippy and Myrtle and then a trip to Aston-le-Walls to have a showjumping and cross-country school with Nigel Taylor, as well as training at home with Carolyne.
All the horses went really well and I was especially pleased with five-year-old Archie who is turning out to be very exciting.
To top off a good week Carolyne had a fantastic result with her top horse Rathmoyle King in the British Open at the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe.
Sadly I didn’t have anything qualified for the Festival, but I did not have much time to dwell on that as we had a busy weekend at home with my parents hosting an engagement party for my brother Harry and his fiancée Ciara.
We were at Wilton a couple of weekends ago with Skippy (pictured by JP Event Photography) and Ruby (Rubabell Cruise), a new ride for me who has not evented before this season.
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It was one of those days which don’t quite go to plan, but both had an educational outing and gained in confidence as they went round the cross-country. They are both new to eventing this year so they can be excused for having a few green mistakes now and again, as long as they learn from it the next time out.
We were then out at Smiths Lawn on Tuesday (5 August) with Daffy (So Amazing) in the BE100 and Ruby, Skippy and Archie in the novice, so it was quite a hectic, but I’m glad to report a very successful day.
Daffy jumped a lovely double clear finishing just outside the top 10.
Ruby excelled herself in the novice and had clearly learnt from her previous outing at Wilton adding just a time fault cross-country to her 33 dressage, which was good enough for third place. Not bad for only her third ever event!
Archie was also fantastic, albeit rather exuberant in the jumping phases, doing a fantastic double clear, meaning he picked up his first BE point and ninth place.
He is a very exciting five-year-old and will hopefully have a bright future ahead of him.
Last but not least, Skippy was in the novice. He did a good test for 31.5, just rolled an unlucky pole showjumping, but did a great cross-country round and ended up in 10th place.
I have to thank my very hard working groom Bridget Fox and her daughter, Charley who made the day run to clockwork with not one horse late for any of their phases.
Our next outing is Bicton on Saturday (August 9).
Rosie
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Rosie Fry has been blogging for Horse & Hound since shortly after she left university to concentrate on eventing full time in July 2013. She is the sister of National Hunt trainer Harry Fry and helps school and exercise his horses when time allows.