Well as you might have seen I have been a little bit slow on the blogging front — I’m not sure how the last few weeks have just sped by but I know I have been non stop!
Work has been crazily busy but I finally at last seem to be through the worst of it and am getting a little bit of a breather. I have been pretty busy with the ponies and have been really lucky to get some great results over the last few weeks.
We went up to the BSPS Winter Championships at Arena UK with Bam (Popsters Glamorise) and Windy (Shilstone Rocks North Westerly). I always love the winter champs as to me it marks the beginning of the proper season and is a great place to go with the novices.
A bad start
Bam had her restricted final and novice final on the first day and Windy also had his restricted final with the top tens going into the evening performance to be placed. It wasn’t the best of starts for me with my zip breaking on my long boot as I did it up!
After swapping into shorts boots and jods I thankfully found my friend who let me borrow her long boots managing to get them on just before I got into the ring. However, by this point I somehow had managed to pull my stomach muscles and I couldn’t get on! By the time I was back on board and anchored into my saddle it was time to go in.
Thankfully Bam behaved like the star she is and did a nice show taking us into the evening performance. Windy however had other ideas and didn’t quite help me out as much putting in a hump in his show however he also made the top ten.
Thankfully I had a break before Bam’s novice class which was held in the indoor arena. After the go round which was a huge class I was thrilled to get pulled second and was even more pleased when Bam pulled out a really good show — I couldn’t have asked her to do more.
Taking it in her stride
It’s always fun doing the evening performances but with the novices you never quite know what you have got but as usual Bam took it all in her stride. The results were called out in reverse order and I was thrilled to be left until last in the line — meaning I was the winner!
It was a fantastic class to win as i was not only against Welsh section C’s but also Welsh section D’s and some really lovely ponies. It is always a great moment to stand between the flower pots and do your own lap of honour and Bam enjoyed every second.
Windy was next in for his presentation and even after our blip in our show we got a very lucky second in our class. A quick swap over and back onto Bam for her restricted class. I really had no idea on my placing for this class as we weren’t originally pulled in and again this class had some fantastic ponies in it — ones that were open ponies who had previously been to HOYS and Olympia — but Bam unbelievably did the double, she was called out as the winner again.
It was a long wait until the championships and Bam had a good rest with her head on me. Although she was very tired in the championships she still gave me her all and we claimed the reserve spot in the restricted championship winning our first ever sash.
The next day it was Windy’s turn to redeem himself and thankfully he did. He managed to keep his feet in all the right places and do all the right things to win his first RIHS qualifier of the season. I think he realised if he behaved on the Saturday he wouldn’t have to do anything on the Sunday! So what a great winter champs.
Continued below…
Read more of Chloe’s blogs
Chloe Chubb’s showing blog: Getting out and about
Horse & Hound's showing blogger has managed to get one of her novices off to a winning start
Chloe Chubb’s showing blog: Questionable qualifier dates
It's back to work for Chloe as she focuses on the season ahead and questions the dates of some key
Strength to strength
Since then Bam has been out continuing to do novice classes and has gone from strength to strength — she went to NPS Area 20 where she won her Picton Novice class and then was champion, she also won her NPS intermediate class and then last week she won her five year old class and then took the Silver Medal championship — a rosette I always feel privileged to win.
I’m sure we will come down to earth will a real bump soon but I’m just so thrilled with how she is going. She continues to try her hardest for me and so far just seems to love her work.
Travelling breakthrough
Away from the younger ponies the OAP Jacob has been for an outing and fingers crossed we seem to have cracked the travelling. If anyone has a pony that travels badly I can only sympathise with you as Jacob has been making me feel sick each time we have gone out.
Until we got the new lorry we have never had a problem but I think unfortunately he struggles with the height of our new one and the fact he can’t get his head over it being a little 123cms. We have been trying all the tips but he just keeps throwing himself and his full weight backwards whenever we break or pull off.
The last time we went out he came off sweated and in a real state so we decided for one last attempt to take out the partition so he has the full space (we have a little two box). So with my heart in my mouth we went off and he barely moved.
We arrived at the show one happy pony and one very happy driver! Fingers crossed he carries on travelling happily like this as sadly otherwise I think the lorry will have to go. Although the lorry is far smarter and newer than Jacob so perhaps as mum says we should keep the lorry and change the pony!
Chloe
