Lucy Jackson Eventing

Frustrating Times I feel that my season has been one of 'nearly good' results not 'really good' ones. Blenheim was one of those weeks. Sprouty put in a much improved dressage performance for a respectable 54. He was a total machine XC and was absolutely flying around, well up on his minute markers only to have a pesky run out at the second of a very influential double of corners coming out of the water jump. So close was he to jumping it that I really thought we'd gone the correct side of the flag and off we wizzed up the hill to continue, before being flagged down by the judge and sent back for that very expensive second attempt. He cruised home for just 6 time faults despite this time consuming blip. Frustratingly he'd landed on a nasty exposed stoney patch two from home and a bruised foot meant we decided not to show jump him on the last day. I'm sure he'd have been fine, but best not to risk him particularly lying so far down the leader board. He has now joined Luke and Willy on a very well deserved autumn rest in the field and will be back in late november to begin some serious dressage as a winter project. Sprout has had a sort of teenage phase of late with the odd blip both XC and dressage. I will be using 2013 to really consolidate him in all three phases at 3* level before beginning our 2014 world games campagin in earnest. He is an incredibly talented horse and I will take my time to iron out this seasons frustrations, which are realistically the result of my ambition to get to the Games meaning Sprouty's career was a little bit fast tracked, so I will make sure I dot the i's and cross the t's in order to lay all the foundations for a medal in two years time. Gatcombe the following weekend was another case of NEARLY. Gill Watson's lovely Wellshead Munnings did the best test of his career to score 36.9 and hold the lead from his early draw on Friday morning. He then went on to jump an immaculate double clear just one second over the optimum time leaving him on a final score of 37.3 Would you believe that one second left me 0.1 penalties adrift of the mega competitive Kitty King on Persimon and I had missed out on a Spa break for two days at the unbelievably indulgent Whatley Manor!!! How FRUSTRATING! I have since had a trip to Ireland horse shopping and found a really nice one who will hopefully join the team subject to the vetting this week. The girls and I have been out XC and SJ on a few of our resident younger or more wayward ponies. Tomorrow I'm off to Little Downham with Gail Lothian's Latest Chance and then Tuesday before dawn we'll set sail for the last event of 2012 with Wellshead Munnings, Fernhill Rockstar and GT Cruise for Ligniere. No rest for the wicked but it'll be strange with no events to report on for a month or two. I'm aiming to round off the season with a win...fingers crossed.