“Last week was my first foray into being a guinea pig at the British Dressage Albion National Convention, which is larger than the judge’s convention which I did last March as the National Convention is open to everyone. When I was first asked if I would be a guinea pig I was really excited and thought it was a really good idea... but when it got round to it I was absolutely terrified and sort of wished that I’d said no!

Convention tension

We arrived at Hartpury on Friday afternoon so that we could settle Del (Headmore Delegate) in and have a ride in the indoor arena where the convention was being held. Del was a bit nervous to start with as the trade stands were still going up but he settled and then went well. We also got to meet Klaus Balkenhol and Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer, who were taking the convention, for the first time, and they were both very approachable and helped to settle my nerves. Del was stabled opposite Laura Bechtolsheimer’s multi-medal winning Mistral Hojris, so I told Del to have a chat with him and listen and learn!

The real work begins

We awoke on Saturday morning to a dusting of snow, but thankfully it was only a dusting so the Convention could still go ahead. Del and I looked very smart as both Mum and I had spent a lot of time getting Del and my tack absolutely spotless as it was in front of such a large audience. However, it was quite tricky trying to polish my stirrups as it was so cold and the metal kept going dull no matter how much I polished! When we first got into the arena, Del was very nervous as there was quite an atmosphere and it was very spooky with the crowd. We spent the lesson trying to get him to settle and seek the contact and Klaus was very impressed with how expressive and athletic he is, he even asked if he was for sale at one point, to which the answer was very definitely no! 

Arctic temperatures

We then had to brave another night in the lorry and we were very pleased we had an electric heater. It was on full all night and we still had ice on the inside of our windows! We were told that it had got down to -11^oC, so no wonder everything froze! Del was fine as he had five rugs on, so at least he was snuggly and warm, even if Mum and I were frozen! Del was still very nervous in the arena so, once again, we spent the session trying to get him to settle. For some reason Del has a real phobia of the Hartpury indoor arena and we will not be taking him back there in a hurry as he is so terrified I don’t feel it’s fair.

Although Del and I were not able to perform to our best it was a real honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to meet and train with Klaus Balkenhol and it was an experience I certainly won’t forget in a hurry!”