Off to visit Kat and Luke

Click here for a few shots of our quick trip to Portugal

We have finally made it to foreign shores this year - a mini-break! We left the UK on Thursday to see Kat and Luke in Cascais, just outside Lisbon, where the now live.

Luke had taken Friday off work to be able to show us round... or so we thought... no, it was to recover from Thursday nights drinking session. Why is it that every time you catch up with mates that you havn't seen for ages, you have to drink enough for all the missed drinking opportunities! Oh, and if Luke ever offers you meat loaf... beware.

Friday involved nursing heads while looking round the palaces of Pena and Sintra, the last stands of the Portuguese monarchy. Siesta's and chicken rounded off a great day, with a bit more wine for good measure.

Mooching down the beach and more siestas leading up to watching two football matches... well it is Portugal and the world/europe/universe cup qualifiers for somthing were on and there was a bar and some friends so what was the harm. Some bonkers fish and a great BBQ followed by narrowly missing spending all night at the local night-club at the start of fashion week seemed like the best way to round off a great Saturday - oh and getting up just after going to bed to watch the F1 circus.

Back home to rescue the dogs and brush down ponies... what a weekend!

Boo can now see

Show Jumping in the rain!

Wet, wet, and more wet. Show jumping on a grass field in the pouring rain….. why?

Yesterday we took Bea and Hugo to the urban surroundings of Sunbury for the London and South East area riding club team championships. Luckily we had both qualified in different teams, but this did mean that we were competing against each other!

The first issue was that Hugo seems to have fallen for the beautiful chestnut mare known as Bea! He just threw all his toys out of the pram when he was separated from Bea. Add to this separation anxiety the pouring rain and mud bath, meant that his show jumping, usually as guaranteed clear, was a disaster.

Bea now seems to have got over her infatuations of Hugo and jumper her socks off producing a clear first round. The weather had taken it's toll on the ground by the time we jumped our second round and we are using this as our excuse for knocking two poles to come home with a overall score of 8 penalties, placing our team into 4th place. Big smiles for Bea and I! Boo and Hugo's team managed to plough home into 5th place so at least all of Team Buckley went home with rosettes!

Just to round the day off, Boo had agreed to make up the numbers for the team Dressage competition, their fondness for dressage is well known and after a disastrous morning of show jumping in the miserable rain their fondness had completely evaporated! The dressage arena was next door to the cross-country course and all Hugo seems to be concentrating on was the fact that he was not going cross country!

Home for warm Pimms cocktails and puppy frolicking with Bonnie and Hudson… smiles at last.

(No pictures due bad horse behavior and the appauling weather)

Wellie hunter trial

So after last weekends problems at Tweseldown, we needed to get a few x-country miles under our belt, where better to start but at Wellington.

Finally summer seemed to have come, or at least one a day of it. The past weeks of rain had left the ground wet but drying in the sun. Fence one came and went and Bea settled into her stride, all the worries of the soggy going evaporated. We took it easy through the woods, but as the wood opened up so could we. The fences up the back side of the course were only marred by a sticky moment at the water. Once negotiated, the water led to the Irish bank and the bank into the top woods, all tackeled without breaking stride. From the top woods, the ground opens up for a roling gallop to the banks and fences on the way to home, all taken with gusto!

Crossing the finish line, I'm not sure who was grinning more, Bea or me! She certainly seemed to have grown a few hands and had repaired her dented confidence.

Click here for the hirex action:
http://gallery.me.com/gavinb/100166

Tweseldown Video

Finally the video for our outing to Tweseldown:

http://gallery.mac.com/gavinb#100154

Family outing to Tweseldown

After some finger crossing with late entry forms, the organisers came up trumps with start times for both Hugo and Bea at Sundays Tweseldown one day event. Bea's times came through first, starting just after midday, all a bit civilized, then Hugo's 9.30 time came through. Another 6-something start on a Sunday for all except zipper who had to stay at home. Gavin, Hugo and Bea set off followed closely by Boo, Diane Dizzy, Nutty and the puppy Bonnie!

Sneaking into the dressage arena almost unnoticed, Hugo powered round to rack up a very respectable 35 penalties. All he had to do now was what he loves and jump a double clear! Alas it was not destined to be, he was more interested in looking good for the cameras than looking at he show jumping fences. He made it to the double at fence 7 before he ducked out, incurring 4 penalties. There were another 3 time penalties after Hugo failed to show his usual turn of speed over the country. By the end of the day Boo & Hugo had slipped to a still very respectable 12th in the overall standings, just those 7 points adrift from 5th place.....if frogs had wings....

Now for Gavin and Bea's first Intro event, aah! It looked as if Bea's eyes were going to pop out of he head trying to comprehend how many horses were warming up for the dressage! With some great help from super-groom Diane, Bea started going forward nicely rather than bouncing up and down. A 43 penalties dressage test followed, something about a lack of submission.... like riding a tightly coiled spring with a wobbly nose!
The partnership clicked for the show jumping producing a nice clear round to induce a very large grin from both of them.

After a delay at the start of the cross country, they finally got the go order. As captured on the video, there was an unscheduled dismount just prior to fence two, the clock was ticking but no penalties incurred as it was between fences. Bea settled into a slightly nervous, but forward going gallop across the country and was taking all the obstacles in her stride, perhaps even an incorrect Pre-Novice fence just for good measure! The bogey fence combination of a sturdy house followed by a ditch was jumped nicely but with hindsight knocked Bea's confidence. When an next identical house appeared on the horizon she was full of trepidation but she cleared it after a wee discussion, but now the ditch was replaced with a pond, and there was no way she was going in there!! A long, slow walk home, with only four jumping efforts untackled, big disappointment but a huge learning exercise.

So the day ended with no rosettes but plenty of plans for the future.

LSE Hunter Trial

Hugo and Boo had a fantastic day out on Sunday at the OBH RC one day event. The day started with a dressage score of 37.4% placing them 5th after their favorite phase! Following a double clear in the show jumping, they entered the cross country still lying 5th overall. With the opposition struggling with the time and a technical course, Boo guided Hugo round the course within the time and jumped up the leader board into second place. Big smiles all round.

Some of Hugo's fantastic speed was probably down to the fact that he was following right behind Bea as he was starting right behind her and shrieking as she left the start box. Bea's day was more of a learning exercise for the pair of us. A sticky dressage and an absent minded showjumping started the day off. The days goal of getting to the finish line came to a halt with a third refusal and and unscheduled dismount at the sunken road complex... more haste, less speed. Lots to learn from the experts in second place!

Once again the horses were expertly prepared and cared for by Diane, though her able assistant has now turned rider she has had to recruit a new assistant... after a promising start helping with the brushing, Bonnie had to spent the afternoon fast asleep in the sun! Fab work, many thanks!

DE Event Photos