World Class Development Squad...

I have been lucky enough to be part of the World Class development programme since 2005, it provides the most fantastic support and training with the very best in the world.
The selection process happens every 2 years. This year I had been put on GOLD level so I didn't have to go to selection trials, I am so grateful for everything the programme has done for me and it is a great honour to be part of the squad once again....
Training days kick off in January and all the horses will benefit from this....

Christmas Puissance...

HAPPY CHRISTMAS everybody!!
Yesterday we had a lovely christmas lunch at the Walkers.... Sarah is simply the best cook!!!
After lunch Philip and Sarah came up to watch some of their horses jump, I always have a puissance competition between the horses on christmas day!
This time we needed taller wings as they only went up to 1m65, FERNHILL CRISTAL, JITTERBUG and VANCOUVER all cleared the top of the wings, however the real treat came when Philip said I could jump NOBLE SPRINGBOK... He might only be a 14.2hh pony but he is a legend!!! He cleared 1m65 easily!! Next year santa will have to bring some taller wings so we can have a proper puissance!!!!!
Next week we are off to Hand EC... lets hope the horses all jump well......
HAPPY NEW YEAR.....

Spotted from the stands....

When i was at Olympia watching the showjumping, I saw a lovely stallion jumping called TRESOR, I knew I recognised the name and I now know why.... This is FERNHILL CRISTAL's Sire!!
I have now told Cristal he has no excuses for having any fences down in the showjumping as his Daddy is jumping Grand Prix classes!!!

Snow has fallen....

I am at here in the nice warm office, putting off going outside in the freezing cold! We have had our dumping of snow which makes everything so much more hard work.... we are seriously lucky to have the fantastic facilities here at Membury Estate which means all the horses are in full work and apart from missing hacking out, they have missed no work due to this awful weather.
Last Tuesday I went to Addington BSJA with JITTERBUG and RAYEF. They both did the 1m15 and the Foxhunter. In the first class we were all a little ring rusty and both horses had a rail down, in the foxhunter JITTERBUG jumped an immaculate double clear to finish 3rd and RAYEF had a rail but all in all, considering this was his firsg since Jne I was really pleased with him.
I have been to Olympia this week and got all enthusiastic about showjumping.... so I have entered JITTERBUG, RAYEF and FERNHILL CRISTAL into a 4 day jumping show at Hand EC over New Year!!
I have also been to meet the team at 'weighed in', this is a new website that produces video footage! I went to Warwick Racecourse to meet them and have a chat.... check out the link...

http://www.soccerx.co.uk/lauracollett.htm

This is probably my last post before Christmas so I would like to take this opportunity to wish everybody a very MERRY CHRISTMAS....

Updates....

DASSETT COURAGE (Teddy) has been sold to a syndiavte for Emily Baldwin to ride. He is a fantastic horse and we wish Emily the very best of luck with him.
MINIMEE is for sale and anyone interested in a fantastic juniors horse should email me.... he has been super consistent finishing 2nd and 3rd in his CCI*'s this year. A video of him can be seen at www.eventingspecialist.org.uk
Most of the horses are back in work now... RAYEF and JITTERBUG are gearing up for some showjumping and once the others are back to full work we will have lorry loads going BSJA!!
The cold weather is becoming a bore now... we even had the first lot of snow this morning.... Thank Goodness for the indoor school!!

THANKYOU!!

I would like to say a BIG Thank You to all my sponsors, owners and support team for making this year so successful.

OWNERS:

Philip and Sarah Walker - GINGER MAY KILLINGHURST, FERNHILL CRISTAL, GI MASTER CASTER, MINIMEE
Jason Houghton - RAYEF
Lucy Sangster - MERE OAK
Simon and Mags Hope - MILLFIELD CONDESCEND
Kelly Ward - NOBLE BESTMAN
Denis and Sheila Collett - UNO DI LANDRO
The Vancouver Partnership - VANCOUVER
Anna Windsor-Clive - QUERIDO E
Nicky Betteridge - MY MEXICO
Cindy White - ROYAL HILARITY
Heather Butler - HUNTERS LEGEND

SPONSORS:

ARIAT
www.ariat.com
BARSNBY
www.barnsby.co.uk
HOLLAND COOPER CLOTHING (Fantastic to win Best Trot up outfit at Burghley CCI****!!!!)
www.hollandcooper.com
MAXAVITA
www.maxavita.com
PENTLAND LAND ROVER
www.pentland.landrover.co.uk
THE PURE FEED COMPANY
www.thepurefeedcompany.com
SPORTING SPIRITS
www.sportingspirits.co.uk
WALKER LOGISTICS
www.walkerlogistics.com
WESTGATE EFI
www.wefi.co.uk



SUPPORT TEAM:

Alex Van Tuyll - This year wouldn't have happened without Alex, she has driven me everywhere, held my hand through my first CCI**** (which can't have been pleasurable!!!) done all my entries, kept everyone up to date with emails, as well as being in charge of the yard!!

Mum - This year Mum has kept the show on the road at home whilst we have been away competing, she gets the horses ready for the events and ensures they are turned out beautifully! Mum has also been in charge of helping Grace Walker and Noble Springbok through their Pony Trials and was there when she won Team Gold and Individual Silver at the Pony European Championships.

Felicity Organ - Flick was working for us full time and then sadly left half way through the year to work closer to home, she very kindly agreed to cover the weeks we were away and ensured the horses were worked and the yard was kept immaculate!!

Everyone else who has helped along the way.... there are too many to mention but I am truely Grateful to you all!!!

Review of the year...

2010 has been full of ups and downs, as every season normally is in eventing!!!
The highlight for me was going clear round my first CCI**** at Burghley on GINGER MAY KILLINGHURST. This has been a lifelong dream, so to achieve this on my first attempt and on my 21st birthday was amazing! I have to say a special Thank You to Philip and Sarah Walker for buying me such a fantastic horse to have my first go on!!
Tattersalls was most definitely a low point in the year, I went with two very exciting 8 year olds (MERE OAK and FERNHILL CRISTAL) who I believed had a very good chance of battling it out between them for a CCI** win. They were 1st and 2nd after dressage but then disaster occurred on XC day!!
Both horses flew around their first CCI** until two fences from home where they both misread the step into water and both ended up upside down and drenched in water.... A very disappointing day as neither horse deserved to fall.
After this it was onwards and upwards (literally!!) as we made the long journey to Burgie, chasing qualification for the Young Rider European Championships!! The two 'water boys' were in the CCI** again and we made the journey worth while by taking NOBLE BESTMAN for the CIC* and MINIMEE for the CCI*.
MERE OAK had another nasty fall, but the others were fab, NOBLE BESTMAN AND MINIMEE both finished 2nd and Cristal got his qualification when he completed in 4th.
Cristal put the whole experience behind him and went on to win the final trial at Barbury, win a team gold medal at the European Championships, finish 8th individually and then jump double clear at his first CIC*** at Blenheim!
All the young horses have been ticking along all year and MILLFIELD CONDESCEND will be aiming for Le Lion D'anger next year!!

The most consistent horse on the yard this year has undoubtedly been NOBLE BESTMAN, out of his 15 runs this year he amassed 76 BE points, had a top 10 placing at 14 of these events and his lowest placing was 11th at the Novice Championships, which is where he had his only rail down this year!!! He also started at Pre-Novice level and ended winning the Under 21 CCI** Championships!


I achieved a personal best this year... not during eventing but during a fun class at Blenheim, the Eventers Puissance. Fun was had by all and as Mark Todd stripped down to just his breeches to win another 'life' I went for the bareback option and took my saddle off!! Approaching a 1m85 fence is terrifying enough as it is, let alone coming at it without a saddle!!! JITTERBUG was awesome and I got a real buzz doing it!!