DSE Tangolooma (Bones) made it back to an event YAHHHHHHHH 😉
Kelley Barrington, our amazing vet who has spent 20 months, scanning/flexing/stressing and probably has many more years ahead of this, I can’t thank her enough. Bones has also had Platinum Performance in his diet every day, and I’m sure that has helped with the healing process!
We had a few things happen over winter…. some young horses came and went, the saddest event was when we lost Guccio, who still leaves a massive hole in our hearts… we are still struggling… he is very much missed on the stock work side of things. I’m sure he is somewhere smiling in his “Smiling Assassin” way at some of our attempts to train other horses to do what he did so well, and not a day goes by mustering where I don’t think of him 😦 However Elise has found a new stock horse in DSE Loco Moco aka Albee which has started to understand his job… we think!!! 🙂 Never fear though… Roxie escapes captivity sometimes and comes and “helps/hinders” all mustering… she may have short legs, but she can get anywhere she shouldn’t be very fast!!
We started our season at Te Rapa, CHS Royal Commando started off confidently with a 2nd place, Henton First Counsel (for sale) did his first ever event for a 3rd, and Our Airfare of Renton and I did our first event together for a 3rd placing overall. One of the biggest achievements at Te Rapa though was I competed DSE Exurberence (aka 8 seconds) which was very exciting, and while we have a long way to go, we have come a long long way and it’s very very exciting to stay in the saddle and not flip forward with his hind legs vertical behind my ears! 🙂
Then I headed off to Gore, to the hospitality of Bernie & Murry Hewitson, to teach a clinic. The weather was stunning, the kids were smiling and everyone is making great progress down there. Then it was back up here for our Clinic at Waerenga, once again everyone was smiling… the weather sucked!.. Elise had great practice on our tractor towing everybody out of the mud.. and our fantastic wet weather gear got put to good use!!
We had Dave Cameron and Tallara Barwick come over and to give us all some Show Jumping expertise…. They are both very very cool and we enjoyed their coaching and their company very much… can’t wait to have them back again! (at the beginning of this blog is a video of the horses training).
Then onto Hastings horse trial, where DSE Mr Hokey Pokey was fantastic in the dressage and SJ, and cruised quietly round the XC, always strange to everyone why I give away a winning position though I believe very strongly in running my horses slowly unless it is a big event to teach them to not pull into a fence and to listen to me, so I’m really sorry Yogi that we didn’t come home with the red ribbon you so much deserved… DSE Tangolooma and I had a blast.. I said when I came out of the arena it was probably the quickest dressage test I’ve ever done! hahaha. We circled and halted our way round the XC as I do whilst in his mind he was attempting to floor it round Adelaide! I think one of the standout performers was DSE Lannister ridden by Elise who at his first ever event cruised round the training class… under the radar… as only a plain bay gelding can! In fact we have 5 plain bay geldings coming through… they are all very unassuming though we are very excited about them as they can all jump like freaks and have the nicest mouths!
Before we left for Taupo HT DSE Quantico left to join Jane Wilcox in Sydney, they will be based with Dave and Tallara, we couldn’t think of a better home for the infamous “Teddles.” He’s a true gentleman we are very proud to have produced such a lovely, genuine and consistent horse.
Then he headed off to Taupo, with a couple of changes, with Tangolooma now been re-routed to Equidays Isuzu D-Max Cross Country & Show Jumping Challenge, as he twisted a shoe and pricked his wee tootsie. DSE Mr Hokey Pokey lead the dressage in the CIC*** with an impressive PB of 68.65%, he had one rail down and some time show jumping, then was his usual superstar self around xc with time to finish 3rd. Our Airfare of Renton really stepped up this weekend at his first CIC* with a 66.2%, show jumped super with one rail and then clear with time. Our sponsors Spurs of Counties Tracey & Chris Sorrell’s beautiful horses CHS Ripleys Dream & CHS Royal Commando both competed confidently in the CNC95. DSE Sunset Pass had a great CNC105 run, hopefully winding down a bit before Beyond the Barriers competition at Equidays this weekend!!! Elise and DSE Mendoza had another great performance at CIC* with an ever improving dressage and stand out jumping 🙂
A particular mention to Andie Gibberd (our long lasting working student, helper, groom etc) and Destellar who both stepped up to CNC1* at Taupo. Andie has produced the diminutive but hugely talented “Sparkles” since a 3yo, they had a very respectable dressage score and jumped an impressive double clear (just cantering past one show jump fence)!!!
We said a sad goodbye to our Queenstown working student Sarah Bennetts on Sunday night 😦 Sarah has been a wonderful person to have around this winter (a particularly wet one), always helpful and happy! She has improved hugely with both her horses Max and Connor and we are looking forward to watching her progress this season 🙂
See you all out there.. Loving day light savings… hoping the rain and mud disappears soon so we can all complain about the heat and the dust 🙂
Donna
Donna Smith Eventing 