What a year!

What a year!

What a year I have had competing for the ESPC! 

At the beginning of 2021 I set out with a goal to Event my little horse Paddy, and safe to say what a season it has been! At the start of June I had a go at my first ever Dressage test at Hickstead, coming away with a 7th and qualifying for Champs! Then going onto Area Eventing at Brightling we got double clears and a 32 Dressage placing 4th and also qualifying for Champs, which was my main goal of the season and I was over the moon knowing I was off 5 hours up the road not only for the Dressage but sleeping over for the Eventing the next day too! Then a week later me, Daisy, Bea and Lilli were off to Area Show Jumping at Felbridge. Legend Pads went clear and team placed 5th with another qualifier for Champs! 

The Champs was an absolute blast with parents getting drunk on the first night relived after getting us kids and ponies there safe and sound after a long day travelling. Saturday I had a pole in the first round of SJ and safe clear in the second but unfortunately the team didn’t make it through to the third round. Pads performed a nice test for our Individual Dressage in the afternoon, he is not your pony version of Valegro tho, so we came away without a place. Eventing day Pads managed to pull out his best test of the year, just a shame nerves got the best of me resulting in me forgetting a movement picking up 2 penalties.

Flying round of SJ just to tap a pole, and king of Cross Country flies round a course causing many problems all day, two seconds over the allowed time, pushing us into the placings winning a 10th rosette! I had an amazing weekend for my first stay away with my Pony Club mates, with some good laughs and I 100% recommend Grassroots for anyone who wants to give it a go! 

Thank you ESPC for helping me out throughout the summer, with improving my accuracy in the Dressage arena, my strides in the Show Jumping ring and my confidence on the Cross Country course. And of course Pads who is now off to teach my brother the ropes on his next adventure. So if you see an 11 year old boy being cantered off with round the ring trying to remember a course of 12 60cm jumps, don’t panic, its only Paddy. 🙂

Jess x