Bit late - BD Champs report

bugsysmum

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Ok, so I can join in with this one!
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Will try and keep it short (ish!)
We arrived Friday afternoon, and were immediately impressed by the organisation of the stable management team. Had a great stable - lovely and quiet as requested, and they delivered bedding within 10 mins of request!!
After the 4 hour journey, I gave the boy a bite of grass and walked him round a bit to stretch his legs. He grew to about 18hh and eyes were on stalks!! I should add it was our first time at anything like this - he's only 5!
Put him in his stable - he had a fab view over the whole campus which he loved - he's a real nosey neighbour!
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and then went to find out where things were. I was aiming to ride him early evening once the outdoor classes were finished, so walked him to the warm up (I walked, he passaged!) and found they were rolling it in preparation for the next day. So managed to get him to the indoor warm up, to see some very impressive horses warming up for their music tests (top hats and tails, which for the likes of us was "wow"!) and none other than Jennie Loriston-Clarke watching! As B was bouncing by this time I decided that getting dumped in front of JL-C was NOT the way to start our weekend, so hastily exited and found a quiet lunging area instead!!
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Then settled down for the night, and found myself asleep for the first time when the alarm went off at 5! The arena walk went well - he'd calmed down a bit by then and walked in like an old pro! Warm up was ok - red ribbon a great idea (he has issues with other horses coming towards him and has been known to spin and disappear in the other direction!
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and he coped ok. And the test - well, I'm sure I didn't help him at all as I was a gibbering wreck, so we were both pretty tense throughout, and of course all my bad habits came back, but we did it, I didn't fall off, I remembered my test, and we ended up 18th!! Was actually hugely relieved to not have to do it again - I'd had enough by then! I was thrilled to bits to have done it and survived, and so proud of my baby horse in his behaviour throughout our stay.
I was completely over-awed - I've never been to anything like it before, and walking round the corner to see Carl Hester chatting to John Lassetter nearly made me pass out - felt like I should have bowed and run away!!
Will try and post pics when I get to download them from camera!!
 
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Fantastic and well done. You must be so proud. I went as groom - up at 3.00 to drive there
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, into warm up at 7.00 with at least 30 other horses - red ribbon = good idea! Horse not on till 1.00 killed time and energy up and down the hill - passing all the people you mentioned!! Got horse ready and moulded rider into saddle - gibbering, floppy wreck! Horse grew to 19.00hh in warm up and rider complained of people riding at her from all directions with not much etiquette. Horse grew another couple of hands once in main arena - facilities are fab there! Horse then turned into lippizaner with rider staying v calm as they caprioled up the long side....no point in hanging around for prizegiving, so slung horse in lorry....lorry did not start - aarrgghhhh 2hrs later eventually garage came out (Hartpury v helpful in this) and we went home! Roll on next year, eh??
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bugsysmum

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Hi CWA
Wow - sounds like your day was a nightmare! I kept telling myself this is for fun!! I was really lucky in the warm up - was dreading that bit more than the test!
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They were really good there weren't they - I was super impressed with the running of the whole thing! I used to run riding club shows on a much much smaller scale, and they could be a nightmare, so I'm full of admiration!
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As you say, there's always next year, and everything in between will seem like a doddle now!!
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FREESTYLER

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I was parked next to John Lasseter... saw him getting de-robed as I was about to retire to bed and must admit my friend and I giggled as he dropped his "horse" in the mud!! LOL!!!

Well done and glad you enjoyed yourself
 
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