Trailblazer finals - Who is going ?

Equigem

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Hello Everyone,

I am new to the board so just wanted to say Hi. I am off to the Trailblazer Finals and competing in the Senior 75cms for the first time and I have to say I already have butterflies and I am very nervous. Has anyone been before and do you have any advice regarding the show at all. I really do not know what to expect. I am arriving early on the Friday morning and staying until Sunday. What are the stables like ? how many bales of shavings do you think I will need, have ordered 6 but I am thinking that's way too much so if anyone needs some more
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My best friend and I are camping and I am soooo not a camper. Where do you plug your hair straightners in when you stay in a tent ?
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Let's just hope it's not going to rain that week and the sun will shine for everyone competing.
 
I'll be going to support my sister who's cometing in the 95 and 1.05 finals. We've been for the last few years, it's really good fun and has a lovely relaxed atmosphere only trouble has been previous the late finishes, last year my sister actually got off the horse for the last time at quarter to 11 on the Saturday night and then on the Sunday the final prizegiving was about half 7 which is late if you've got along way to go home. That shouldn't be a worry for you in the 75 class however.
The stables are small and we don't normally need any shavings as there's normally a bed down left over from the dressage so 6 bales might by slightly to many!
Sorry can't help with the hair straighters although the shower block is OK, try not to camp too far away from the stavles as lugging your tack back and forward can get very tiring over 3 days.
Have fun though!
K
 
Hiya, I have been quite a few times and was reserve champion in 2003. I hope it stops raining for it or it will be a mud bath!!! Everytime I have been it has been swelteringly hot! The stables are temporary and are on grass, you may find that if you are lucky, the person who was in before you doing the dressage will have left a clean bed down, but often you will have just a grass base and you have to put your own bed down, they are not massive, and if I remember rightly I put four bales down and it was fine as the base is soft!

My advice would be to take a wheelbarrow and a big water container as it can be a long walk in deep mud carrying buckets of water for your horse!!! The first time I went was in a trailer and we slept in the car, it was really fun!!! Take lots of changes of clothes though and a few saddlecloths for your horse if possible!

It is a great idea to make friends with somebody who has a luxury horsebox at these places to cook you a nice breakfast and have a shower!!! If I was going this year you would be more than welcome to stay with me but unfortunately i'm giving it a miss this year as I missed the 2nd rounds as I broke my leg!!

Let me know if you need any other info!! Good luck, Don't worry it is really fun and everybody is really nice, 1st time we went we actually forgot to take any mucking out stuff and we borrowed all week from friendly neighbours!!! LOL
 
Hurumph - bloody showjumpers pushing the dressage forwards AND not having to buy shavings!!!
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I did the dressage last year and 6 bales was no where near enough for a stable from scratch on the stoney ground - we used 8 (of theirs) and I still wasn't totally happy (but I am fussy!) - personally I wasn't keen on the shavings either, last year they were like mini wood chips and not at all fluffy which was half the problem.

As for your straighteners you'll be pleased to know that I seem to remember there being a plug socket in the shower block but can't be totally certain so take a hat!
 
Yep, there is a plug socket in the showers, but we ended up using next doors lorry which was very nice of them, I am so glad to have a lorry now, make things much easier!!!

It sounds like last year they put it on the stony ground, i would imagine it stopped the muddiness but I preferred it when it was on the grass, it was abit better for your horse. I would check to see whether the stables are on grass or a hard surface as you may need more if you get a stable on a hard surface.
 
I went there last year for the SJ, and I really enjoyed it even they I hit the deck twice in the JO (stupid horse stopping for no reason). Anyway, the stables aren't the biggest in the world but there is plenty of space to graze your horse in hand. The SJ's are lucky as we get left over bedding from the dressage lot and so I used 4 bales i think.

The 75cm class is an early start but it means you can go off into Warwick for the day if you wanted. I was in the 85cm so we stayed on site all weekend. Everyone was given a badge saying TB finalist which is nice.
The courses are very well built and include all sorts of fences including gates, trebles, viaducts, water trays, flowers. The courses on the sunday are more techincal than the Saturday courses.

Hopefully this year the classes won't be running late into the night as last year as they are now have 3 days of SJ with the warm up classes on the Friday.

I am not going this year as we were going through a rough spell SJ and couldn't get round a course of SJ's but hopefully am going to try and qualify for next years.
 
I missed out by 0.5% in dressage tho was a little depressed to see at the 2nd rounds alot of good affiliated horses competing, this did seem a bit unfair but what can you do some people will always try their luck at things where the know they will win!
 
CentrestageSHS - which class were you reserve champ in? we were reserves too in 2003, in the senior 95cm!
 
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