Monthly diary — May
Lucinda Green
Under a week later was Houghton. Lissa took Danny and her new young Frenchblood mare Vamos, while I had Cry Freedom (CF) entered in the one-day 3*. Then I discovered CF was no longer qualified – we finally had a run and couldn’t go… gutting. We could however enter the 2* three-day event, but I was in Austria on the vetting day. Very kindly Lissa and some of my friends came to my rescue and took CF all the way to Norfolk.
Lissa began well with Vamos, in the Young Event horse classes. The mare has done nothing yet revelled in the arena atmosphere and loved jumping. However, Danny, who was flat from the moment he arrived, just never picked up. He did a boring dressage and the cross-country went down hill. It was hugely disappointing.
Blood tests didn’t show any problem so we’ll have to see if this is just him, or whether we haven’t read him right. Maybe he doesn’t perform unless he’s really fresh – he’d also had a jumping lesson the day before competing. My old horse Be Fair was like that. I could never jump him in the last week (or three) before an event.
As for CF, he was fantastic. His dressage was the best I’ve had and he went like a bullet cross-country, although we lost time rebalancing. Unbelievably he was clear showjumping. Best of all though, for an old boy with bent legs, the next morning he came out sound and well…
