CIC1* qualification for Herbie

July 2015

It’s been another busy month both on and off the horses!

I really love early summer as harvest hasn’t quite kicked in yet so I can enjoy the plethora of great agricultural shows with my husband before he gets too busy! This year we’ve managed the Yorkshire Show, Driffield Show and Bishop Wilton Show (although my Victoria Sponge wasn’t worthy of entry into the WI tent at Bishop Wilton – I think I need to channel my inner Mary Berry!).

On the horsey front, Herbie has had a few outings since my last blog, completing Skipton and Buckminster horse trials, both in the Novice, and has proven he is certainly up for the challenge. At both events he performed a lovely dressage test and fantastic clears cross country – we just need a bit more work on the showjumping! He’s quite rangey and expressive in his movement which is really helpful in both the dressage and cross country phases but this makes the showjumping poles slightly more difficult to leave up!. This said, he is coming on well in training and I am still confident he will make the improvements we need. We now have our CIC1* qualification so I’m aiming on two more novice runs before hopefully heading to Aske for the CIC1* in September….fingers crossed!

I have also recently finished my full time job in marketing and have decided to go ‘freelance’ for a while. This is currently working out really well and meaning I can fit my riding around my work a little more easily (and fit in visits to the Yorkshire Show!!). I have also been riding some lovely 4 year olds for a local eventing yard which is not only really enjoyable but also invaluable experience at the same time.

Our cheeky little foal, Ginny Rumber is entered in the futurity grading at Richmond in August which will no doubt be fun and games, if it doesn’t get a mention in my next blog then it probably means we encountered carnage and I’d rather not talk about it – mum and I are quite inexperienced on this front so it’s a case of ‘having a go’!! The broodmare, Umber, has also scanned in foal to Up With The Lark so it’s all systems go with our little breeding venture!!

Lots to work on and lots to look forward to so I’m now going to put my lap top down in exchange for a fork and wheelbarrow and get the horses mucked out….!

Lucie