Rain might have been forecast for the late afternoon but it was sunshine all the way in the morning and the horses today really appreciated it. A trio of advanced horses with Faerie Good Golly, Senor Crocodillo (Diego) and Capitaine de Hus Z (Alvin) and new girl Indian Tonic (Indie) for the intermediate.
All the advanced horses were, much to Jonelle’s relief, more settled in the dressage and not the wild brumbies they have been so far this season. Golly was the star with a 26.4, Diego a respectable 30.7 and Alvin a 33. Indie, by contrast, was utterly wild on her second start in the UK for a 42.3 which was thoroughly deserved for sure!
Diego jumped a super confident clear round, Alvin was a delight to watch as always, Golly pinged from fence to fence with her ears tightly pricked and then it was Indie’s turn. Indie has oodles of talent but she would have strong opinions as well and having decided life in the UK is pretty damn easy with her Ascot Under Wychwood 100 run last weekend she decided to take over in the showjumping warm up. Jonelle said ‘absolutely not’ and some re-schooling and defining of boundaries was established and Indie realised that Jonelle is no muppet so she had better comply. She was full of herself in the arena and copped fence 2 behind as she ran through the distance expecting them to be 100 cms but then jumped very well. She’s a feisty one for sure.
it was top of the ground after our dry April but as Jonelle commentated, it was consistent and she let Golly run for fun to make time and take the win in the OI. She’s her mother’s daughter for sure, she simply thought it was the best fun and delighted in the joy of it. Diego had a steady one after Tetworth for 9.6 and 12th, Alvin the usual middle ground hack around for 11.2. The trick with Alvin is not to go too slow or too fast but just to get into a rhythm and flow with it which Jonelle has perfected. Indie, much to her surprise, found the track a whole lot more to deal with than Ascot and was firmly anchored for some 19 time.
So a good weekend for all of Jonelle’s team and another day of a great job by Rosie with sole charge of the team. That’s a wrap on the one days as we head into Badminton week which is, without doubt, one of the highlights of the year. The rain tipped down on the way home which we cant deny that we need but it was nice to have another day eventing in the sun.