Hartpury was Team Keens mid season aim and it didn’t disappoint with our two lovely home-bred horses.
Total Belief (April) was contesting her first CIC***. In the dressage she was really super, staying relaxed and focused. As an 8 year old she is very new to this level and I couldn’t have asked for more from her to score 29.8 (April dressage).
Onto the jumping phases on Saturday and again she really stepped up. We had an unlucky pole in the show-jumping, but she went really well (April show-jumping). Then onto cross country where she took it all in her stride. We had a one green moment, where I perhaps was a touch quick to a hanging log combination and she didn’t quite have time to read it, but bar that she gave me an absolute class round. I am so excited about her, she truly gave me the feel of a potential 4* horse (which you just don’t get that often!) and we now raring to go for the CIC*** 8/9yr old class at Blenheim next month.
We also had Total Darkness (Ted) in the CCI*. He started off the competition really well in the dressage to score 30.3 (Ted Dressage). Onto the cross-country on Saturday and he was mega, coming home clear and 25 seconds inside the time. Even with continuous spooking at everything possible on the way round!
Sunday saw us take to the show-jumping ring and he pulled everything out the bag, jumping a clear round and finishing the week in 6th place out of 85 starters (Ted show-jumping). I was really proud of his performance, he has always been an exceptionally spooky horse, so to feel him grow in confidence and gain his first international placing, was a great feeling. He did of course still have one last spook in the lap of honour! Ted prize giving
All in all a very positive and exciting week. I can’t thank my team enough, Izzy Kirk and Leah Bentley where amazing at looking after the horses and keeping everything going! Also thanks to the whole Hartpury team for such a lovely event.
