All back safe and sound from Blair, we had a really good week with Rusty and Yorkie both putting their best hoof forward!   It was a bit more hectic than I thought as with just 3 horses up (Duck came for a few days) I was thinking I might have a bit of a holiday!  But both Yorkie and Rusty take a little bit of acclimatizing, so they got ridden quite a lot before their Dressage, so no quiet days for me!

Rusty did his test on Thursday morning and I was really pleased with him he stayed relaxed and baring a little break before the second medium he did a really nice test, bits to work on over the winter but there always is!.  Yorkie was on Friday and again I felt a big improvement with how he is going the down side was that both he and I tried to sabotage his test with me going wrong twice and him stressing into the canters, but otherwise a really good test that is being to show signs of getting very smart!

Cross Country was on Saturday afternoon and Rusty set the standard high by giving me a cracking ride round the 3 star, so nippy on his feet and really straight.  The course proved to be really tough and half the field was knocked out leaving him in 8th over night.   The 2 star was also proving to be a tough track, so I was really chuffed that Yorkie jumped a good clear.  He was quite strong which was expensive on the time but I definitely can’t knock him on his bravery!  As long as I can point him at it he seems to Jump it!  I think I might have been one of the few that was pleased there were hills and mud as it meant that he was a bit more settled from the top of the hill on.  So more minor tweaks to be made to the bitting and then hopefully he will be great.

They trotted up well on Sunday morning before Show Jumping in the afternoon.  Yorkie jumped one of only five double clears to finish 16th in the 2* and then Rusty jumped really well just knocking two poles, but staying 8th.  All being well and with a lot of cotton wool for them both, he will hopefully join Duck on the road for Badminton, in the spring.   

On my return from Blair I got an e-mail for British Eventing, to say that Elton had in fact won the Scottish Novice Championships, which was a lovely surprise and great that having won the Novice there last year he went back to win again. BE  had made a bit of a mess up, which meant that poor Olivia was put in the wrong class with Zebedee, being Grade 1 he was not eligible to be in the Novice Champs, so the results have been amended.

Stan was on top form again at Hendersyde finishing in 2nd on the same score as first in the Scottish BE100 Championships.  He did a good test and then whizzed round the cross country, show jumping was run in reverse order, to add to the tension.  He was a bit surprised to be heading out again but jumped a lovely clear.  We were just a bit faster than the winner on the XC, who where closer to optimum time which meant they finished ahead.  

We also had William and Spike down for the BE 100 and they both did good tests, Spike putting in his best performance so far for a 31.  William was a little spooky when it came to the SJ fillers, so there was a lot of kicking from me and I was quite pleased with 8 faults! Spike had a rub for 4 faults.  They both then went on to jump really nice XC rounds.

We returned to Hendersyde on the Sunday with Harry for his first Event with me, but the Scottish weather had other ideas and after making it to Kelso, we turned around and headed back through some very large floods.  Making a stop at Oatridge to their dry indoor where we jumped 2 rounds, so at least we made it to a competition!  A few poles down each time, but on the whole he jumped nicely and behaved really well.

The following weekend the lorry was loaded for Eglington, with some of the big boys.  Elton was in the Scottish Novice Championships, which is run as an Intermediate Novice and he put on his posh shoes for the Dressage, followed by his jumping shoes!!!!  One pole Show Jumping followed by a blast round the XC left him in 2nd.

Rusty was in the Scottish Intermediate Championships, so we had an Advanced Dressage and Show Jumping followed by an Intermediate Cross Country and he added to the rosette haul finishing in 3rd .  Jumping well, just getting a little unbalanced in the double for 8 faults in the Show Jumping.  Yorkie was also getting a run before Blair in the Intermediate and I was pleased with him, with a more relaxed dressage and Show jumping round.  XC we had a very leisurely canter round with was very nice!!!!

It was then on to Richmond with Stan (Novice) and Harry (Open Novice), the weather warnings were out, but luckily when we arrived they were aggravating! And the rain stayed away.  Stan got a little tense in the Dressage, when the score collectors arrived with thier Hi-Vis on, but then went on to jump a really good double clear, feeling fab.  Harry had a bit of a wait for his Dressage as the Dressage judge was very late to arrive but he did a good test, going on to jump a double clear as well which was a good start!  We were meant to be rushing home to turn around to go to Drumclog but the weather had caught up with us and it was cancelled so Spike and William have a weekend at home.

Next stop is Blair with Yorkie and Rusty, before Burghley with Duck