Bicton and end of season

Bicton was Team Fox-Pitt's last outing of 2019 and it promised to be a very busy day with five horses jumping 3 courses and it turned out to be more than just busy.  

The day started off with my gang of 5 year olds in the BE100, and with varying degrees of ups and downs they all will have learned and come on a huge amount.  They happily all showed me glimmers of what they could become and, with the awful autumn season they have had with balloting cancellations, they have not had a chance to learn much.  It will be very interesting to see how they come out next year after their holiday, but I am sure they will be different horses as 6 year olds.  

The highlight of the day came with Under Oath's first Novice victory.  After a rather disappointing Osberton Lindy and I decided to try to finish on a higher note, and Crunchie certainly did.  He did another very nice test of 27.  His dressage is just so consistent, I think the worst mark he had this season was 30 at Osberton in the 2*S, so his test has consistently been better than 70%.  The show jumping course is on all weather and is always quite decent, and he jumped a great clear round. He didn't touch a stick and was really beginning to feel more like a grown up.  We decided to push on a bit cross country, the ground was unbelievably good after all the rain, muddy in parts, but totally good ground to push on a bit with.  It is actually the first time I have ever given him a kick and said let's go, and he really did go.  He felt very confident and happy in that gear and came back with just a couple of seconds over the time, so I could not have been happier, and it was an added bonus that earned him the win.  Great job done as he is qualified for an NRF next season with a view to Novice Championships at Gatcombe, which would usually be a plan for my 7 year olds.  He is now going to have 8 weeks off and I am hoping next season to aim him for Spring 2*L maybe at Tattersalls, followed by Gatcombe, followed by a 3*S somewhere.  He has been a real baby this year as most homebreds are, quite immature and innocent, but he has really 'manned up' through the season, had a good few runs and now I really think knows his job.

Last to go was Emerald Spirit in the Intermediate, and he also did a nice test of 28.  It was the best test he has done for me and he did some really quite decent movements, being much more relaxed than Pontispool.  He came out trumps in the show jumping with a lovely clear, his first at Intermediate level, and really made it all feel quite easy.  However on the cross country we had a retched fall, I don’t really know what happened, he was jumping a triple bar out of the ditch rail complex and I think he didn’t quite make the distance and put down.  He and I both hit the deck and are very happily ok.  It is just so annoying to finish the season on such a note and very sad for him.  Annoyingly there are no more events to go to to set things right, but hopefully it wasn’t too bad an experience for him to linger on long.

All the horses are now having a bit of a break, a few are still in work; Atlantic Vital Spark is staying in because he has got to be sold.  Oratorio is back in work following his summer break, the hunters are keeping us busy, and it won’t be long before Little Fire and Georgisaurous are back on the walking trail.  

Home Team
Lexi Scovil is heading home to hopefully renew her visa for next season.  She had a great experience at Blenheim and will be really looking forward to build on that next year at Bramham or Tattersalls.  

Alex Munn is staying on, and will hopefully progress up to doing a 2*L with her nice horse The Spice Merchant.  

Adam Short is also 'hanging in there’, still with Secret Night, we will be very glad to have him as Team stalwart for 2020.

Obviously Jackie will be overseeing everything but her biggest focus in 2020 will be on Kazu and the Olympics, which is incredibly exciting.  

We are looking for three more members to add to the team next year.  As everyone here has got their own horse we are looking for working pupil/riders without a horse which is slightly trickier, but I am very hopeful that the right guys will turn up.

I am looking forward to doing some more teaching in the down time, and particularly excited about going to Perth Australia at the end of November to compete in the Eventing in the Park competition, and to do some teaching.  I am very kindly being lent a lovely horse (I am hoping it is the one Mark Todd borrowed last year), and I hope to catch up with some Australian buddies while I am there.

It is a scary thought, because it is so quick, that once I am home from Australia it will be back to the exciting road work trail.  Most of my grown up horses come in at the beginning of December and the youngsters come in at the beginning of January, it is a formula I find works and gives everyone a good enough break to recover from their exertions and come back in fresh and ready to go.

Big thanks for the fantastic photos from William Carey Photography

Crunchie, Echo, King, Marble and Fred