You simply could not get further from the eventing A to Z than Jonelle in the 100 at Ascot Under Wychwood and Tim at Kentucky 5 star but that is the gamut that eventing follows, you have the 5 stars and then you have to have those horses going through from the start, the very beginning of their careers.
Although having said that, neither of Jonelle’s horses were actually starting off…they were both intermediates. Circumstances meant that she needed early times and the uber helpful team at Ascot moved her horses into the 100 (Hor Concors) to facilitate an early finish.
Indian Tonic (Indie) is a new ride for Jonelle, she is a feisty mare produced by Julia Krajewski through to 3 star short level so is graded intermediate in the UK. Faerie Usain ( Maude) has run 3*S and intermediate but is currently looking for a new downgraded home as her conformation is not going to support an advanced career with Jonelle so today was just a fun outing at a lower level to see if she was still happy in her job.
Maude certainly enjoyed her 100 test and posted a 42.3. That definitely says she wants nothing to do with flat work in the future! But she skipped around the showjumping clear and bombed around the cross country having a ball showing she still has a job to do for someone for sure. It has always been the most basic ethos of Team Price that every horse has a job to do in the world and it is the riders responsibility to find that job to make the horse happy. Maude is not gong to emulate her mother at International level but she is a beautiful 8 year old with another life to live for sure.
Indie is a mare that could have been born for Jonelle. Jonelle didn’t pick her to be fair but Indie is bouncy, cute, busy brain, buzzy…and kicks like a bitch! Rosie was quick to warn us not to go anywhere near the back end at the truck today but happily despite not liking humans she is uber horse friendly which is a bonus. Indie bounced her way through the test like Tigga for a 37.8 and then laid down a solid double clear and surely thinks the UK is much easier than Germany with her 100 run but might get a bit of a surprise back at intermediate next time.
Meanwhile at the end of the day in the USA Tim was laying down the gauntlet in Kentucky. Fellow Kiwi Monica Spencer had laid down a 22.3 with Artist (Max) in Kentucky….Tim nailed an amazing test for a score of 22.6 on Vitali. It was pretty much fault free as the score would suggest but Tim did comment afterwards that Vitali was a little bit more spicy than he anticipated as he entered the arena. Some job he did though and how amazingly Vitali rose to the occasion. As always Tim rises to the occasion…tomorrow is going to be a proper 5 star test as would be expected at Kentucky..
All eyes move to Kentucky XC tomorrow on Clip My Horse!