“We’ve had a fairly busy week this week. It started on Monday 9 May as we took Bracks (Headmore Boadicia) to Wellington for her first advanced medium music test. It was a fairly big class and we had been a bit slow getting her test organised! We only sorted out the music (which was Wizard’s old music) on the Saturday before and we only practised the whole test the day before! Thankfully, the music suited her and the test went well when I practised it. She warmed up fairly well for the test and I was quite pleased with how she went, we just had a couple of little wobbles and the odd mistake where she is still very green at the level, but overall it wasn’t a bad test for her first attempt to music! We scored over 74% and finished third, not far behind the winner, which qualifies us for the winter regionals but we just missed out on qualifying for Wellington’s own championship, but hopefully we will get a wildcard with that score.

Wiz and Del go Premier League

Then, on Saturday 14, we took Wiz (Wurlizer) and Del (Headmore Delegate) to Addington Manor for the Premier League show. Del was on first in the PSG and I was hoping he would go well as he had been super at home this week. His test could only be described as mega, it was much more confident and expressive and he scored a massive 71.36% and won, qualifying him directly to the Nationals! He then did the Inter I and it was also more confident than at Sheepgate but he was tired so it was a bit lacklustre, although there were no major mistakes. We scored 66.71% and finished ninth, but it was a very close fought class as the winner was only ten marks ahead of us! It was then Wiz’s turn in the Grand Prix and he warmed up very well but he got a bit panicky in the piaffes in the test. The first one I did manage to get but he was very nervous in it and then in the second piaffe, where he had been naughty at Sheepgate, he got very nervous and had a bit of a Wiz moment, but I was able to ride him through it this time and the last piaffe on the centre line was the best I have ever had in a test so, although it was a bit disappointing, I think it was a good outing for him.

Help name my foal!

We have also had two new arrivals this week! Ruby, our Rubinstein – Donnerhall mare, had her foal by Dimaggio on Tuesday night, a lovely chestnut colt who has been christened Dumbo in the stable as when he was born his ears were a bit all over the place! He is the first foal to have ears like that when he was born was Del, so let’s hope it’s a good omen! The other new arrival this week is very exciting as it is one of Bracks’ embryo transfer foals, the chestnut filly, also by Dimaggio, was born on Saturday afternoon and she is yet to be named. Any suggestions for names for either foal will be gratefully received! We have had so many Dimaggio foals we are running out of D names!”