The Final Countdown!

Hi Everyone,

I am hoping we have got through the worst of the winter, the evenings are most definitely getting lighter and spring is in the air. I have seen my first daffodils and crocus’ of 2019 and the team here at Georgie Wood Eventing are on countdown to our first event of the 2019 eventing season. We are kicking off our season at a local favourite, Tweseldown, with Coco in the Open Intermediate and Hudson in the BE100.

Since I last wrote an update we have been putting our dressage training into practice out competing and have picked up several +70% scores on both Hudson and Coco showing that we really are making progress. I am hoping we can carry this form in to the eventing season.

The show jumping has taken a bit of a back seat but we have still been playing around at home and they have been jumping well. We have been out show jumping this week and Joey pinged his way round the Newcomers at Felbridge midweek to take the win whilst Hudson took home 2nd place in the Newcomers on Saturday with Lily finishing 2 nd in the 1.05m. I have been using this winter to do lots
of footwork exercises over poles and fences. Nothing particularly big but lots of trot jumping and short turns so they have to think quickly. I feel this really helps keep them focussed and developing their jumping muscles but without over jumping them. I am a strong believer that horses have a finite amount of jumps to use in their lifetime and you don’t want to use them all up by jumping lots of big fences at home.

We have had our first couple of cross country schooling outings, firstly at Tweseldown with Hudson and then last weekend we made the trip to Attington with Hudson and Coco. Coco had his first gallop of 2019 and at 20yrs old is still feeling as good as ever, he pulled my arms out round the gallops and then flew round the cross country with a very big smile on his (and my) face. It is hard not to smile when the horse you are riding loves their job as much as Coco does. Hudson and I had a cross country lesson from Austin O’Connor and it was brilliant. I can seriously recommend him as a cross country trainer, it was really easy to achieve what he was asking as he kept the advice clear and simple whilst really engaging with both horse and rider. I have picked up some really valuable tips which will hopefully stand us in good stead for this season.

So with less than 3 weeks before our first event it is all systems go. Between now and then Hudson will have another XC school, we will get out to some more show jumping and we also have the South East Eventers League Arena Eventing Final at Coombelands with Joey, Hudson and Lily followed by Pyecombe’s own Arena Eventing Final with Joey, Lily and Coco the following weekend so lots to look forward to.

Our current plan after Tweseldown is for Hudson to go to Great Witchingham BE100 on the 22 nd March followed by South Of England Novice on the 6 th April. All being well, Coco will run at Belton OI on the 30th March. Lily and Joey will continue to get out show jumping as well as the other two in between runs so plenty to keep me busy!

My next blog will be after the start of the event season so fingers crossed!

Georgie x

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