The diary of a Cornish Eventer – The countdown has begun!

Spring is in the air and the countdown has definitely begun…. 7 weeks to go!!

I feel a slight mixed bag of emotions when I think forward to Badminton Grassroots. One moment I am super super excited but then the next my stomach fills with a bag full of butterflies! I can’t believe how quick May actually comes around. At Christmas I felt I had loads of time but suddenly we’re over half way there.

I am so pleased with how Sprite has come out of this winter; she’s looking and feeling fantastic! Fast workbegan last week at one of our lovely beaches we have down here in Cornwall. When the tide’s out Perranporth gives you 3 miles of golden sand. The beach is one of Sprite’s favourite places and boy doesn’t she let me know it! She’s soooo strong and acts more like a 5 year old than 22!! Yet I feel completely and utterly safe on her and we both have a fab time.

Lola is taking a bit of a back seat at the moment so I can properly concentrate on Sprite. Unfortunately her abscess came back, not that it really seemed to worry her but seeing as she is still young I’m happy for her to take it easy and then go full steam ahead for the second half of the season.

So the BE season has officially kick started and our calendar is starting to look a bit healthier now! I love seeing everyone’s event reports at the end of the weekend. I hope for everyone that got out for the first time had good runs and the typical British weather didn’t ruin to many peoples plans!

We’re heading to the Riding Club Area Qualifier for Combined Training at the weekend and our first BE has been entered at Portman!! Can’t wait!! I want to make sure we are “match fit” for grassroots and not rough round the edges. Making sure we see the stride, feel the pressure of riding a test in front of a judge etc. so we’ve got lots coming up to make us ‘ready’… well try to be! You get a rosette for trying don’t you? 🙂

On Sunday Sprite and I headed out to Arena Eventing at a local venue to us, Resparveth. The course was made up of 20 fences; you started outside over XC fences and then headed inside to the first part of the Showjumping, then outside to more XC fences and then finishing inside again on the Showjumping… confusing huh?! I somehow managed to remember my way and Sprite jumped her little socks off to come away with a 2nd and 4th!

Written by Emily Dunstan at EMD Eventing