Monthly diary — May 2015
Lucinda Green
Read all about what legendary eventer Lucinda Green has been up to this month.
Lissa’s first Advanced with Ali at Withington Manor went well, especially considering she had landed on her head just a few hours before in the Novice. Raffa took off but landed sideways on a hedge, we think after she put her foot into a hidden ditch. It is so important that ditches are visible to the horse. I caught Raffa and they completed their round with the mare regaining her confidence. Thank heavens we’re one of only two countries (NZ is the other) that allow riders to continue after a fall - it can be crucial to how a combination recover their nerve. Unconfident horses and riders are the ones that make mistakes.
Badminton was wonderful with a big but - compared to last year - relatively straightforward course. The aim was definitely to cause less grief although the Gatehouse New Pond produced more problems than I expected (poor Andrew Hoy came off here and again at the Lake on his second horse). The three curved hedges at Mirage Pond looked unjumpable - not my favourite - but it worked. After the cross country, only two Brits were in the top 12 but this was boosted to a more respectable four by the final standings, with William Fox-Pitt taking the trophy - the first Brit to win since 2009. With 12 slots available this year for the Europeans in Scotland, I suspect many younger riders are aiming to produce impressive results at 3* level, rather than risk problems at 4*. However, the course restored overall confidences and I suspect next year’s will have bigger teeth.
Tip of the month:
When warming up for a three-day event cross country, put your horse into the right mind set - go for a hack and maybe pop a few jumps back in the warm up area. Don’t overdo it with dressage, tight turns, rein back etc - it's cross country not showjumping. Each horse is different and it's a balance between warming up the muscles (including the brain) and not expending valuable energy.
