We went to Oliva for three weeks in January. We don’t normally go as early as January but my trainer was going. It’s a good opportunity to get the horses fit after their Christmas break and to get out in some nicer weather. Bangle is unfortunately still off after fracturing her pedal bone last October. She has just started some trot work now and feels absolutely amazing. So it was a boys trip with Atlantis, Kojak, and Carl.
Carl has been based with the trainer for a bit, and he rode him for the first two weeks in Spain. It’s been amazing having to get him jumping some bigger classes. I took Carl back for the third week and can feel such a difference since my trainer has been riding him. He’s so much stronger in himself. We just jumped a few 1.30 classes to get back in the rhythm together again, but so pleased with how he’s feeling.
Kojak and Atlantis really hadn’t done much since their Christmas break, so we started smaller with the aim to get them fitter and then jumping bigger. They were great and coped with my rustiness very well. Atlantis feels fantastic, especially considering he’s now 17. We only jumped him twice a weekend since we were there for three weeks and it worked very well. He finished 7th in the Bronze 1.40 final on the last weekend; my mistake costing us the last fence in the jump off.
Kojak also finished well. The first weekend he was a bit fresh and cheeky, which I never mind when we’re getting going because it shows he feels well and is happy to be back out again. By the third weekend he’d settled more and jumped a solid round in the Silver 1.40 final. I am so lucky to have him as he makes the jumps feel tiny, and when I get nervous and lose my confidence he doesn’t hold it against me.
The boys and I then headed off again to Gorla Minore, which is just outside Milan, for two weeks jumping. Then we’re home until the second weekend in April where we go to Hubside in Girmaud in the South of France for two weeks before we go to our first Global in Madrid in May. It’s all very exciting and seems to be coming around so quickly!!
Fingers crossed we have another good show in Gorla and build on what we started in Oliva!
All my competition horses benefit so much from the digestive support of SUCCEED, especially during training and competition when they need that extra bit of help. SUCCEED has played a huge part in the management of their gut health, especially with Atlantis who, at 17, is an older horse with previous gastric issues and still has a busy competition schedule. It gives me confidence that the horses feel good on the inside, and that’s reflected in their happiness and performance.
