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!!