The last couple of months have seen lockdown restrictions eased and so we’ve been able to get the horses out and about. 
Camilla has been doing some training with Di Lampard over the hiatus period and it really seems to have paid off. Arena UK was a good show, we had some mixed results mostly as a result of the horses not having been in the ring for a while, which was why it was great to be able to back it up with Bolesworth Young Horse Show.
Bolesworth is a beautiful setting in a lovely part of the country. The showground itself has spacious stabling areas and our team was outside which, while a bit tes
ting with the weather, alleviated any corona worries. The weather made the whole show intense, it really went from downpour to bright sun every few minutes – but it didn’t affect the atmosphere which was friendly and fun with plenty of space and everything well placed, with social distancing measures in mind. There was even a COVID restricted foal auction which was fab entertainment. The two rings were fantastic with great surfaces and convenient warm-up areas. We were delighted with the horses, they all jumped really well but we did have what we’d call a ittle bit of a “four faulty weekend”, collecting the odd pole here and there. However, our aim for all 3 horses at this show was to prep them for Valkenswaard and that was achieved. Felix had a pretty ordinary few rounds at Arena UK but jumped two fab double clears at Bolesworth. Paris and Camilla jumped their first 1.30 together and we were really chuffed with how well he performed, given this really was the first big question they’ve faced together. It was an A10 1.30 final which meant it got bigger as the course went on – so in Camilla’s words it was “colossal” by the end! It was a lovely round and while it was disappointing to have the last fence down, it was an achievement overall. Not to be forgotten, Munch experienced his first 3 day away show and took it all in his stride, giving us more reason every day to excited about his future.
We are now settling the horses in at the beautiful Tops Arena in Valkenswaard for a two-week stay and really looking forward to seeing what this show brings.
