Just one novice ride each for Tim and Jonelle at Farley which is fairly unusual but they are both lovely horses. LSF The Boss for Jonelle and Indy du Loir for Tim.
Boss made a single error in the dressage by striking off on the wrong leg in the walk to canter which would have been expensive but he still scored a 25 which is seriously impressive. He then jumped an absolutely super round show jumping, just tipping the last for 4 faults which was a shame. He is genuinely green cross country having only started eventing this year and this is just his second start at novice but Jonelle says he is so honest he busts a gut to work out each problem as he comes across it. He added just 1.6 time for second spot and some prize money which was a fair nod to the talent he is beginning to show.
Tim and Indy were flashy on the flat for another 25 but the sloping arena at Farley was always going to be Indy’s nemesis. He still struggles to find his balance at times and Tim said that 2 rails sounds pretty average but he actually jumped a much better round than he did at West Wilts last time out. He was super cross country and has no idea that he has a 20 on the board as Tim took full responsibility! The last water had three elements and Tim looked up from landing at B, saw the fence ahead and jumped it only to realise he had jumped the option out instead of the straight route he was meant to be on. He circled back and popped the correct fence but the judges gave him a 20 for that circle and Indy came home happily sure he had done no wrong.
He’s right, he didn’t!
Tim and Jonelle were heading back down south by early afternoon and looking forward to a well deserved Sunday off tomorrow to spend with Otis and Abel. Happy days!