So today was the Festival of Hunting at Peterborough. I’ve been before for the interhunt relay and always had a ton of fun, so was excited to be on the team again this year. For those that don’t know you are in a team of 4 riders and have to jump a 1m working hunter type course against another team in the arena, with 32 teams battling for the win. The courses are built like a mirror and you get penalties for knockdowns, but it iss all about the time! Unfortunately the horse I was going to take went lame 2 days before and I had sold my backup! So Duchess stepped in to fill the gap! I had only ridden her twice before the show and only jumped her yesterday! She is a 16.3 6yo ID mare and a complete sweetheart but had never done anything like an interhunt so was going to be a big ask of her!
I was second to go in the team, had a good whip change over and 4 strides to the first fence a nice oxer. The second was another oxer and then a sharp turn to number 3 an oxer with a house sort of thing under it. She hesitated at 3 but cleared it and onto number 4 the water table! Here the chef d’equipe handed you a cup of water, you had to take a sip then trot on and drop the cup in the bucket on the floor, with 10 penalties to add if you missed! More gymkhana than interhunt! Anyway I got the cup into the bucket and pushed onto number 5 the gate which she jumped beautifully. A tight turn to number 6, another house type jump before onto number 7 a big oxer. She went beautifully over the oxer and had a good change over to the next rider. Over the moon with her, she was fab! We won our round and so was into the next round!
Unfortunately our next round didn’t go so well, with all the horses in our team a bit excited, poles were flying like skittles from all of us! So we didn’t make it into the next round but we didn’t mind, we were in it for the fun of it! I was chuffed with Duchess, she was such a star, it was a big ask but she stepped up and did her best. She is a lovely lovely mare, am so grateful to J for giving up his day to drive me 2 and a half hours each way to Peterborough and JJ for grooming for me! We got a lovely special rosette so makes you feel like it was worth it!
Pics are rather fuzzy as off a video but some are better than nothing! I love the picture of her over the oxer with me ready to change my whip!
Stood at a funny angle, so look a bit odd, but what a smart mare!
Fence 1
Fence 2
Fence 3
Over the last, love this!
I was second to go in the team, had a good whip change over and 4 strides to the first fence a nice oxer. The second was another oxer and then a sharp turn to number 3 an oxer with a house sort of thing under it. She hesitated at 3 but cleared it and onto number 4 the water table! Here the chef d’equipe handed you a cup of water, you had to take a sip then trot on and drop the cup in the bucket on the floor, with 10 penalties to add if you missed! More gymkhana than interhunt! Anyway I got the cup into the bucket and pushed onto number 5 the gate which she jumped beautifully. A tight turn to number 6, another house type jump before onto number 7 a big oxer. She went beautifully over the oxer and had a good change over to the next rider. Over the moon with her, she was fab! We won our round and so was into the next round!
Unfortunately our next round didn’t go so well, with all the horses in our team a bit excited, poles were flying like skittles from all of us! So we didn’t make it into the next round but we didn’t mind, we were in it for the fun of it! I was chuffed with Duchess, she was such a star, it was a big ask but she stepped up and did her best. She is a lovely lovely mare, am so grateful to J for giving up his day to drive me 2 and a half hours each way to Peterborough and JJ for grooming for me! We got a lovely special rosette so makes you feel like it was worth it!
Pics are rather fuzzy as off a video but some are better than nothing! I love the picture of her over the oxer with me ready to change my whip!
Stood at a funny angle, so look a bit odd, but what a smart mare!
Fence 1
Fence 2
Fence 3
Over the last, love this!
