ASTON & HARTPURY

With four early starts on the trot last week and plenty of driving it was pleasing for my team and pupils to achieve some great results.

I am delighted for Working Pupil Mimi Jones, whose hard work really paid off on Thursday at Hartpury, improving on her last 3* dressage score by 20 penalties. Pupil Helen Self-Dodd also did a brilliant test and a lovely clear SJ round.

Aston Le Walls EC on Friday saw Agent WW (Hector) and Ellie perform a really good test and jump a lovely double clear. He is really getting the hang of XC, but Ellie is still taking it steady with him so that he learns and sees all the things a young horse needs to see at this stage of his career. I am delighted for part-owner Liz and Nick Hills who came all the way from Kent to see him.

It was a tragic end to the day, with the devastating news of Sarah Yorke. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends.

Thoughts and thanks also to Nigel and the hard-working team at Aston. As always at Aston the courses are fair and they did an incredible job with the ground.

We were back at Hartpury on Saturday in time to do arena familiarisation with Upper Class Brit (Daisy) and pupil Bella Stevens with Shanagore Lusty. Bella and Lusty had an excellent run in the restricted Novice Championships.

I was very pleased with how Ellie rode Daisy in the dressage. She is showing huge potential and there is so much more to come from Daisy, so it’s fabulous to see such progress as she is growing up.

Daisy is becoming more powerful and exhuberant in her jumping, which is great, but the metal pelham was definitely needed on Saturday rather than a plastic bit! She took one pole late in the course, with her being rather too keen. Daisy then galloped round the XC like an old hand – full of confidence and full of running – to finish inside the top 20.

The team at Hartpury did a brilliant job – excellent XC courses and the Novice champs certainly caused a few problems, even for experienced combinations, with a good, technical track that encouraged bold riding. Any horse that went round would have come away having learned a lot. The ground conditions were phenomenal, even on the last day, and it felt safe to run the horses on it. We are so grateful to get a really good strong run at this time of year.

We are now looking forward to Wellington and Cornbury House as prep runs and to hopefully get a spot at Mondial du Lion Young Horse Championships.