Blue Houdini... the horse that taught me to be the sympathetic, patient rider I am today
The reason to why I will never give up on this horse, I have believed in him since day one...
Small achievements like this, qualifying for the National 1.05m championship makes all the blood sweat and tears worth it.
The most difficult horse I have ridden and owned to date but days like these make all the blood sweat and tears all worth it.
I forget to post videos on here so thought I'd share a bit of Hummy's first ever stay away show at Arena UK a few weeks ago as this page was originally set up to show Hummy's journey from originally a dressage horse to now a showjumper.
Jess Kwong 's superstar Echo winning the Discovery yesterday at Prestige Equestrian
Hummy's DC round in the British Novice on Sunday.
He's had a little unintentional break from competing due to being busy at home but it's done him the world of good for him to come out and behave like this, anyone who's followed Hummy's journey since day one will see how much he has changed his way of going, so much more relaxed and listening to me better, this has to be one of his best rounds to date.
Can't thank Martin enough for his help with this one.
Hard work is starting to pay off 😊
It wasn't my day at the British Showjumping National Championships today with a pole in each class.
This was both mine and Echo's first time at Nationals and it was a dream come true to be there, I'm just a little disappointed in myself for letting her down from 4 to 5, I should have taken a stride out rather than adding 🙈 but that's a mistake I'll learn from.
It also happens to be Echo's first stay away show and on her own aswell! Which I'm delighted to say she loved every second of it! 😁
Jess Kwong we have one happy camper 🤣
This little mare just keeps making dreams come true! We WON the BN second rounds today at Prestige Equestrian! 😁🎉
I cannot thank Jess Kwong enough for letting me have the ride on this special little mare. She's not for the faint hearted as I still remember the day she sat on the concrete with me on her, back in 2021🤦🏻♀️ ever since that day our partnership has just grown and to think she only started her jumping career May last year and she's just gone and won the BN 2nd rounds today on our second attempt!
The thing with Echo is less is more... She's a mare that thinks she knows her job and is very buzy, keeping her calm can be quite tricky sometimes but if you keep her happy she gives you her all. Most people know she jumps in a hackamore with no martingale and is also barefoot, that is just how little this mare needs!
I can't thank everyone enough for all their help and support today, you all know who you are.
Jess Kwong 's Echo winning the Discovery today at Prestige.
It was good to let her have a bit of fun in a smaller class again, just made her a little too eager for the 1.05 after which cost us the win ow well it's good to have Echo back on form after a few unlucky 4 fault shows.
Words cannot describe how happy I am with Hummy today.
He warmed up lovely, got a little worried about a few of the horse's in the warm up with him but soon focused back on me, then we went in the arena to find everything a little bit scary but this time I was there to hold his hand and yes the round has improvements still to be made but considering how he was going a few months ago this is a huge improvement! Anyway we finally got round CLEAR! 😁
He's also found a new trait... That trait is to have a happy bounce after a jump when we've both got it right 🥰
Hummy went to Prestige this morning to pop round the BN and what can I say although we had 2 down I am so happy with how much more rideable the rounds are getting especially when he was like a coiled spring in the warm up, I don't actually know how I managed to jump him tbh it took doing lots of circles to keep his mind on what I was asking rather than wanting to bolt,buck and rear 🤦🏻♀️
Slowly but surely each show is getting better with him, I think Blue was looking down on us today and he told Hummy to be a physico in the warm up just so that everyone remembers him still as 3 years ago today I lost him ❤️
Hummy's round in the British Novice on Tuesday. One of the best rounds he's done to date, kicking myself for not pushing for the stride to the last fence!
After a few quiet weeks we got to go for a play at a show 😁
Sara Thomas Cola was very eager and excited to be back out jumping again just unlucky pole's but I must admit the course was quite twisty turny for a youngster and she coped really well.
Flynn had a pole in his favourite height the 85 which was completely my fault otherwise he'd have come 4th 🤦🏻♀️
Hummy I am so happy with, he warmed up lovely and calmly, then went in the ring and took a hold of the bit over the first half but we then regrouped and he remembered he had to listen to me and finished lovely just had the last fence down. So happy with him, it's all starting to come together ☺️
Hummy being super in our training session on Sunday.
Jess Kwong 's Echo continuing her form into the new year and winning the Discovery today at Allenshill
I took the horse's to CCR on Wednesday for their clear round just to get some practice over a course.
Flynn was feeling very well just a pity I got the striding wrong from fence 9 to 10, sack the jockey!
Hummy was very upset by something and after watching the videos back I have realised that his stud girth moves hell of a lot and could be the cause of our problems, so I've got a new girth on the way and fingers crossed this helps 🤞
Also took Sara's lovely 4 yr old to her first outing as you saw on the last post I shared. We are all super pleased with her as she took everything in her stride and acts like she's been doing it all her life 😊
Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Just a few snippets of the really good parts of Hummy's round's on Sunday.
As frustrating as it is that we don't get the clears I have to look back at the videos and take away so many positives a) for how far this horse has come cause in all honesty I think this horse was destined for tins before I bought him and b) I still don't have an arena so jump practice is very limited, I do what I can to keep their schooling and fitness up together. At the moment the only time he gets to jump is at shows, so to see improvements at each show is pretty impressive.
The plan for him now over the Christmas period is to have a bit of weekly practice down at the lovely Meephill Livery to get him set up for the new year and most importantly to keep enjoying him, he's not for the faint hearted but he is my little baby and always will be 🥰
What an absolute star this little mare is!
She only started her competing career in May and every show she's gone to she comes away with placings and yesterday she came away with a DC and 2nd in the bluechip qualifier, she saved my a** on fence 3 in the first round but this mare deserves everything, she is such a trier.
The plan with her now is to let her have a mini break for Christmas and start back up in the new yr where I am planning on stepping her up in height
Also so so proud of Hummy today.
Our last show was a complete disaster and I knew something had to change, one was a change in bits, I'm not a fan of over bitting a horse but I physically cannot hold Hummy when he goes so I luckily had a bit at home that's stronger but doesn't act on the poll as he's very sensitive with his ears and he seems to quite like it.
The other change was trying ears on him which I could never get on, only this last week I've been practicing putting them on and off and riding him in them so that it's not a shock to him when at a show.
These two changes combined resulted in a much happier and calmer Hummy in the warm up especially as this is where our problems lie! This round was in the Discovery and although we knocked, the round was way more smoother and flowing compared to how it normally is. Onwards and upwards.
