You are NOT going to believe this!

First of all we stopped for fuel on the way and noticed that we had water running out from underneath the lorry.It was a split radiator hose. On a baking hot day. Allan bunged it up as best he could with PTFE tape, and we stopped three times on the way to fill up with water from the tank we carry for us and the horses. So we were running well late.

Then shortly before we got there a hose came dislodged under the sink, and this promptly emptied our 50 gallon water tank into the living of the lorry, which was now sloshing about with water. And of course, we NEEDED that water for the radiator to get home. What are the odds of both those things going on one day!?!?!

We were so late arriving that Allan had to rush and get my number while I got Tia ready and went to the dressage. She was super, calm and quiet and really easy to ride. I couldn't get left canter at all and lost a lot of marks there, but I was happy with 50 penalties.

Then I went off to walk the showjumping an the cross country while Allan went back and forth with a 5 gallon carrier refilling our water tank from the only tap available which was miles away!

The showjumping looked fine, but it had enough flowers on it to open a bloomin' shop! :-) And some wierd and whacky fillers, and a wall. She warmed up with huge enthusiasm, went into the ring, approached fence one. And stopped. After they rebuilt it, she then did a lovely round, and tapped three because they were bigger than she was used to and because I was tentative about how she would react to those fences. I was really pleased with her at that stage.

The cross country was HUGE for an Intro course. I never thought she would get round it in a million years. Fence one was shared with pre-novice. Fence 2 was a big house, fence 3 bigger and even wider log pile and fence 4 was a &*%^&^^*& nightmare of a fence - at least the maximum metre wide and 90cm high. When I had walked the course I told Allan that I didn't expect to get past fence 4, but that if she had then I would stop at 13 and retire because the rest of the course was so difficult.


Well I didn't bargain on what happened then. After she had jumped the showjumping, she was so up for it that she actually stormed round. CLEAR! NO PENALTIES AT ALL! Unbelieveable for a first atttempt.

Fence 5 was a post and rail, 6 was a harmless looking pallisade until you got close enough to realise it had a back rail some distance away. 7 was a steeplechase, which was maximum height of 3 feet 6 inches (allowed to be 6 inches bigger because it's brush topped). 8 was a bench. 9 was a double of big logs. She hesitated but I got her in and then she got herself out. 10 was a rolltop and then into water. 11 was another crossing of a stream, separate from the water. 12 was a log wagon. 13 was another stream crossing with a log on the far side which you couldnt' see until the last moment. 13 was a (*&)(*& great deep staring ditch with a stream in the bottom, and one stride to a pallisade. 14 was the same ditch in the reverse direction to a really narrow chest of maximum height - she was a trouper. I put her at it to the right because I knew that she would hook left over the ditch and then be faced with a choice of jumping a higher PMN fence, or allowing me to swing her to her own. She did it with a wiggle and a lot of verve. 15 was a level crossing gate - white, upright, with a big red dot in the middle. 16 was a HUGE picnic table with cups and plates on the top. 17 was a post and rail in the fence line. 18 was a very big parallel of telegraph poles. 19 was big but straighforward and 20 had a lid on it.

Fancy getting round that lot without a single stop. Unbelievable? I should say so!The champagne is already open (OK, it's Cava). Isn't the little darling a total star?????

C.

ps Tetley boinging sound triangle and back.

pps I'm off for a couple of days to reward Superhubby for his efforts so see you Saturday.