Monthly diary — April
Lucinda Green
The change of bit (see March 2012 diary) has helped hugely, as have panel adjustments to his Devoucoux saddle. EquiFeast have been monitoring his blood calcium levels and supplementing him as required to help him become calmer. His ulcers, I trust, are at bay.
This has all backed up the light my daughter, Lissa, has thrown on how to ride him in a different way. She must be the most expensive trainer I've ever had by the time I add up twenty three years of support...
The results showed at the OI at Gatcombe and then Weston. At the latter we achieved a 30 dressage – I've never been near that score before. CF just put his head down and tried in response to my newly applied much stronger legs and rewarding hands. The showjumps were huge and on a hill so four or five down was a regular occurrence – we have that amount down on a good day, so I feared our chances were poor for even starting the cross-country. But we knocked just two and one of those was my fault. XC was fast and good and felt it needed to be bigger. So, just for fun, we're heading for the Chatsworth Advanced – it'll be a huge challenge but I'm looking forward to it.
Lissa and I have also been shopping in Ireland to fill the empty stables at her new yard. Having gone to find a five-year-old Irish gelding, we returned with a Warmblood (French/Irish bred) mare…
We also bought a six-year-old Galway hunter as a project. Meanwhile, Danny, her current event horse, has gone well on his first two Novice outings since his broken withers (see August 2011 diary).
