We came, we saw, we conquered, we fell off.

We've had great time and really enjoyed ourselves. George has jumped some things he's never seen before in his life, and I fell off. More of that later.

The course was the complete PreNovice course that we didn't get to jump last time because we were eliminated in the showjumping for too many faults, if you remember. Bearing in mind that we have not jumped Pre-Novice since mid June, and then only the once, it was a big ask to come back from a broken arm. But the smaller course was only 2ft 4 to 2ft 8 and that was just too small to drive all that way for, though I took a friend who did it nicely.

So, fence one a nice inviting shaped and sized brush. Two was a large log, slightly suspended off the floor. Three a very up-to-size brush that George came in skew at and had to be pushed over but he did it OK. Four was a house, which he was quite wary about approaching. Lots of horses were backing off that whole part of the course - a strange smell, perhaps?? Anyway, he popped it, then through a water splash and over a big roll-top. Fence six was a double, pallisade followed by a lamb creep, both big fences. I'd been a bit wary when I walked it at the end of June. I was wary again today. So when George began swinging off line about thirty yards away I failed to get him straight and push him over it. So we had a refusal, but he was far from alone in spooking in that spot, other horses were doing it too.

Second attempt, through we went, and on to the trakhener at seven. It had a substantial drop on it, so in fact it just looked like a lowish suspended log until you got close. It was a rider-frightener and had an easy alternative, but George did it with no trouble at all - his first trakhener and his first proper drop fence. On and over fence eight, a pheasant feeder, to a big step down and two big steps up. George doesn't have a lot of experience at steps and I thought that the two were too much to ask, so I swung him off line and jumped just one out, which he did fantastically. That got us eliminated, but we weren't there to compete, we were there to get ourselves back in the swing, and being unaffiliated we could carry on the course.

We came out of that section of the showground through a gateway and George latched onto a Novice (3ft 7) fence and had to be dragged off it to his own, smaller brick "wall", solid bricks a metre high and wide. Down three steps and along to a boat at twelve. No problems.

Then his first "proper" PreNovice water. A sizeable step into it, and the same out again. He cantered across through the pond and jumped out really nicely.

Fence fourteen was next. When SH and I walked the course we agreed that it was too much for this time out. It was an unfinished bridge - a bridge built half way across a huge ditch, then stopped, with a pallisade blocking the end. The drop was pretty huge, and the fence a real frightener. George was running well and having fun, and I was cross that I'd let him down at the double, so I went for it. He was keen and latched on, and then just as he got close to the pallisade he realised there was a yawning great gap the other side with nowhere obvious to land. He said "are you SERIOUS!" but it was too late and too dangerous to hesitate then and risk falling off the end in a heap, so I said "too right" and gave him a slap down the shoulder. He did it really well.

Fifteen was a post and rails he did out of a rolling stride. Sixteen a step up with a ditch in front and a step down with a ditch behind, both ditches deep and quite substantial and nothing that George has ever seen before. He did them really well.

On to seventeen, a pallisade with yet another ditch in front. He's got no problem with ditches! Eighteen was a step up with a bounce over a log. George has never done a bounce before, but he nailed that one spot on, to enter a path in a wood. We swung around the corner to face a very big log pile on a downhill slope, to find our way blocked by the horse and rider in front. She got out of the way, but we were put right out of our stride, and although he gamely did the fence he hit it and unbalanced both of us.

We were running downhill quite steeply, back in the open, and I just didn't gather him up well enough to get the sharp left hand turn we had to make to the last fence. He slipped, fell over, and I fell off. I tucked in my arm and rolled unhurt onto my back. George ran to the end, where some people caught him and I got a leg up back on.

I went back to do the last fence. It was very big. Maxiumum height and width, made of two logs one way, two logs the next, you know the kind of thing. I really didn't want to jump it but I was determined not to finish on a fall. Another horse came through and popped it, and I took a lead off them. I have to say that George jumped it superbly.

So he's been brilliant, and far from "easing" us back into it we have had a really good learning experience together. I was very grateful for the pelham, because he's now so keen that I'm not sure I could hold him in a snaffle any more. The fall will also, in retrospect, become a bonus. Because you simply can't ride without falling off. And to have got one out of the way and be completely unhurt is probably just exactly what I needed.

C

ps we saw Casper. He has been doing brilliantly for two years until a farrier messed up his feet and this year he has been refusing. He has a new farrier how and one of his front feet was filled with acrylic filler to about half way up. He is jumping more happily again now. They are very happy with him and were very pleased to see me. My goodness, I'd forgotten just how long his back is!!!