Harriet Upton Blog – Eventing has its ups and downs!

Eventing has its ups and downs!

Crickey what a busy month I have had.

I went to Upton House with Hector, Boo, Arabella to do the Novice and also took Rosie to do the Pre Novice, they were amazing. Boo, Arabella and Hector all did double clears and ALL got a top 10 placing, I couldn’t have been happier with the way they went, they have all got so confident, its so rewarding to feel them coming on.

Rosie is coming on really well but she is just having confidence issues in the cross country, she is amazingly careful and sometimes she over jumps the XC fences and slightly scares herself but this is all in the learning, she will start to understand that she doesn’t need to jump as big.

So many of you may know that I tried my first advanced on Danny at Aston Le walls… I was so excited to go up another level, he did a 37 dressage test which I was so happy with because it was the first time I had ridden a dressage test at this level, it had flying changes and everything! We then went onto the SJ phase and I have to say it was massive, but we rose to the challenge and he jumped a cracking round, next up the XC phase and I was feeling a little nervous! I thought come on Harriet you can do this, anyway we started out and it was going really well until… we got to this combination of two skinny brushes with very big ground lines almost like a concrete water tray with rocks and mini water fountains, anwayyyy we came round the corner and went to jump the first one, he spooked and jumped it enormously, I wasn’t expecting it, I sat back and slipped my reins, it was a long four strides to the next brush, we just couldn’t meet it. I felt I could have helped him more by putting my leg on a bit more but I think I was feeling the nerves. I was so annoyed with myself. So I have booked into Wellington to give it another go and this time I am going to nail it.

Boo was placed 4^th at Borde Hill in a very wet Novice class, there were 4 double clears in total, Boo being one of them but the hunting last season really paid off. She was so sure footed and actually seem to enjoy the mud and the rain!

The highlight of my year so far with the horses is when I took Hector to his first intermediate at Aston Le walls he was amazing, he gave me the most amazing ride cross country, I was just so proud of him, he had such a hard life before his owner Sarah brought him from Ireland, he is a sensitive soul and since being at Upper Barn has gone from strength to strength and really started to put his trust in me. The reward when I went through the finish of the cross country was just the most amazing feeling!!!!!!

Very happy jockey.

I also became a show jumper this month! Now registered with British Showjumping. Hector did really well in the Foxhunter and Rosie clocked up her first double clear in the newcomers, cant wait to do more.

Next outing is Wilton Intermediate with Danny, Smiths Lawn with Arabella and Rosie and then its Boo and Hectors first CCI*