Burghley Horse Trials

Wishing Louise good luck this week as she competes at the prestigious four star event on her own Murphys Miracle.

Good Luck!

Badminton News!!

Sharon Ratcliffe has been in touch to let us know that Haddon House Contender and herself have qualified for the Grassroots Championships at Badminton next year. Fantastic, not many people can say they are going to Badminton next year! Well done Sharon and Coco.

Louise's Latest News

Alot has been happening this month! Burghley, horse sales at Goresbridge and moving base to Ireland.
 
Murphy s Miracle has a great run up and training preperation for Burghley. We spent a couple of days at Ferdi Eilbergs each week for the past month really working on him getting more engaged and connected and maintaining a better frame through out his test. This payed off with Murphy doing his best test to date scoring 58. He lost marks for his changes near the end of his test but overall I was made up.
 
I decided to give him a jump before the cross country phase. Whilst warming up on the Friday he pulled a front shoe off. He seemed fine and the farrier put the shoe back on that evening. I trotted him up that night and in the morning before cross country and he seemed perfect so I was happy.
 
The course was huge and testing as expected. Murphy just flew around making the jumps feel small. He has the most amazing scopey jump that the fences never seem big. I was held for an hour due to poor Nicola Malcom falling and being air lifted to hospital. I was not sure what to do as I have never been held on course that long. I kept calm and cooled Murphy down and chatted to spectators and friends came down to see me to make sure I was ok. The break probably did him good and Murphy got straight back into a rthymn again. He jumped a fantastic clear with 14 time penalties. My watch had stopped when I got held so I could not see a clear reading but I was still made up with our performance.
 
Unfortunately that evening when trotting him up to see if he was ok he was not level. The nails that had been put in his shoe after loosing it had made him unlevel and sore. I had the nails took out and iced his foot all evening and again in the morning but he was still not level in the morning. I was gutted as he really deserved to finish Burghley with a top 20 placing and earn his qualification for Badminton.
 
He is now fine and will be aimed for Pau 4 star in france to help us gain the qualification for Badminton. It is a new rule now that you have to be in the top 50% of a 4 star event to be accepted. Any other time Murphy would be easily qualified.
 
After Burghley I packed everything up and have moved over to by new base in Ireland. Belline Estate has fantastic facilities in the most lovely location. The gallops which belong th the famous trainer Aidon O'Brien are in the next village. I have a fantastic Indoor and out door school and I have developed a ride that goes around the woods and field for about 4 miles which is perfect for producing youngsters. I will continue to teach at Thornton Farm on a fortnightly basis.
 
Goresbridge sales took over my time last week. I ended up buying a lovely thoroughbred by Sunshine Street to aim for the Burghley young event horse classes, a smart connemara 15hds to produce to sell for working hunter pony classes and Judy Burdett who I ride Kismet V for bought a Cavalier mare to produce for eventing in the future. She is very smart and I am very excited about her.
 
Ballindenisk International event in Cork was next on the agenda. Dartans Proper Job (Mildred) and Kismet V competed in the CIC 2 star class and Ballinaslogue Cavalier (Aldo) in the 5 and 6 year old championship class. Aldo produced a double clear and a good test to finish 5th. He is now competing at intermediate level next week which is brilliant for a 6 year old. Mildred finished 7 th in th 2 star class which again was a fantastic result as she is only 7 years old. She will now have a break and be aimed at advanced level next year. Kizzy was a little wild in her dressage but finished 15th after jumping a good clear in her first event at this level. Ballindenisk was a beautiful event and I thoroughley enjoyed my first proper event in Ireland.
 
I am now busy planning events, competitons and training at Belline. It will be an exciting challenge to get everything up and running this winter. Livery horses are starting to fill the stables including 2 smart hunters from a new joint master of the Kilkenny hunt and a lovely young 3 year old from the sales to be broken in for Pauline Strawson.

BSPS Summer Championships 2010

The Summer Champs this year brought both good and bad. Fortunately the good was the ponies and the bad was THE MUD. Never have we seen such horrendous stable and lorry parking conditions - all brought on by the second days and nights rain!! It was bad!

Lucky for us the ponies were great and jumped really well all week.

Results 

Emily Ward and Noble Torreen Lass

First Open Nursery Stakes

First Open 133cm WHP and Open WHP Champion

Second Performance Nursery Stakes

Fifth Desert Orchid 133cm WHP

Supreme Summer WHP 2010!!!

Emily Ward and Stambrook Pavarotti

First Open 143cm WHP

Second Champion of Champion 143cm WHP

Second Red Devision WHP

Third 143cm Desert Orchid WHP

Sophie Schofield and Lilacs Pegatty

Second Open 153cm WHP

Third Champion of Champions WHP

Fourth Red DevisionWHP

Seventh 153cm Desert Orchid WHP

Mell, Stan and Peggy were fantastic all week and jumped their hearts out.

Welldone to Area 2A Cheshire, managed by Paula Seedhouse. Area 2a won the Team Area WHP competition, apparantly for the first time in 13 years.The team consisted of Emily in the 133cm and 143cm, Becky Ashmore 153cm, Callum Barnes Int, Georgia Price Cradle Stakes and .. Great result .

Noble Ponies

Well done to all the Noble ponies competing at the Champs, I kept seeing them winning and being placed including, Noble Rockstar, Noble Super Ted, Noble Cuzco, Noble Ceasar, Noble Bambi, Noble Diamond, Noble Sonic, Pied Piper..................

Very special welldone to Noble Super Ted and Jodie Simmonds who won the Novice Nursery Stakes and stood mini WHP Champion. They then went on to stand Overall Summer Mini Champion. This time last year Ted had just arrived from Ireland, a very green little pony and they have done great things together. Welldone Jodie!

Next task is to steam clean everything, particulary Jame's pram - it will never be the same again!! The ponies will have a chill out before HOYS,  Nick and Emily head straight to Scope for the week and at home some new Irish arrivals will get some attention. No rest for the wicked (or mad)!!

Very sadly Rubys very special pony Guinny had to be put to sleep after becoming very poorly. A short stay at Leahurst revealed he had a tumour pressing on his spinal cord. His deteriation was very rapid and we made the awful decision to put him to sleep.

Guiness belonged to the Cook family, he was a legend in the Cradle Stakes world winning everything possible for many children and liked nothing better than to follow hounds. For us he did an amazing job of teaching Ruby to ride, he was a star every day.

Thankyou Angela and all the staff at Leahurst for all your hard work and care.

RIP Guinny x