Aston Le Walls

Yesterday was a very important day for the ‘teenagers’, all of them in need of a run prior to heading off to Tatts in a fortnight.

With the team still on a Badminton cloud, I was very relieved to have survived a day in which there could have been a very abrupt come-down.  All the horses went very nicely which was a big credit to the team at home who kept them on the boil in my absence.

Reinstated did a very good test in the Intermediate, and scored 25.2 to lie second.  He had a couple of poles down in the show jumping, was a bit ring rusty, and then I gave him a pop around the cross country very quietly.  He was more than happy to be out again and would have loved to have gone three gears quicker.

Dynasty had his first Intermediate run, which after quite a break was a big ask, but he more than came up with the answers.  I was delighted with him in all three phases, he led the dressage on 24.1, clipped a pole in the show jumping over a track which was decent and square and he made the cross country feel straightforward.

Ramdam de Mons also did a good test of 29.1, but was obviously a little asleep over the first two fences but then jumped the rest of the course well, and cross country he enjoyed himself over what was a nice confidence boosting course, having jumped a decent track last time out at Belton.

I decided not to run The Soapdodger cross country,  the ground was firmer than I had hoped and he has got plenty of competitions under his belt this season.  He was a bit distracted in the dressage to score 34.3, but I was particularly pleased with his lovely clear show jumping, where he gave every fence plenty of air.  I will take him for a quiet cross country school before Tatts now we have had some rain.