Sophie's Blog

Monday 27th December 2010 - December has been fairly busy. We had Olympia Horse Show, where we went down for the Grand Prix Freestyle on the Tuesday night. There were some great horses there, Henriette Anderson again showed complete harmony and expression, Amy Stovold was fab' and I’ve always like Parcival as he’s by Jazz and I have two by Jazz, in fact, Tango looking very similar! I can only hope at some point in his career he came produce a little bit of what Parcival is capable of!

The next day I received a British Equestrian Federation medal of honour. It was quite a suprise and a massive honour. To stand on the podium with Laura B, Nicola Wilson and Joanne Eccles and get something like that along side such athletes as those, was amazing. They were all so incredible at WEG and it felt quite surrell to stand next to them!

My coach, Angela, and I then had the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. We went last year which was great, as we met lots of celebs at the after-show party, but at Birmingham NEC this year it was quite big so everyone was so spread out. However it was fabulous to see Catherine Jenkins perform live! And we voted for AP McCoy who, of course, won! How great to see a horse sport come out top!

We spent the rest of the evening talking to Jo Eccles and her dad, and it was lovely to get to know them some more. We also had a photo (not brilliant of me!) with Linford Christie! He wasn’t as big as he seems on television – I was a bit cautious as to what bugs might still be around from the jungle though!!

Then it was Christmas and I was put in charge of decorating. Dad gave me a bit of money and off I headed to B&Q. They had some pretty cool stuff there and, getting a bit carried away, I came back with decorations including a snowman, reindeer and Santa to go on our beam across the kitchen. They were very cute! Couldn’t resist! We had quite a busy Christmas. Usually its just family, but this year we had family and friends come for dinner, so with 11 it made the games afterwards quite exciting!

The horses have had a pretty 'fed up' Christmas! Not being out for a month now because of the snow and frozen ground, no field or riding for any of them!! While I was at Angela's, I did a bit of bare-back on Noki around the yard as my legs couldn’t stand up to hand walking them all every day, and Noki was really laid back, and bare-back on lots of rugs is really comfy! Time to take up vaulting?! They did seem to enjoy their stockings though! Rock on 2011!

Sunday 21st November 2010 - Well, its fair to say its been a big bump down to earth, and Noki and I are missing the adrenaline that we had out in Kentucky! It was pretty much back to normal straight away when we got back and it was clear that Noki had not suffered because of the journey or the event, as he was full of beans when he got home and it took a while to persuade him he was having two weeks off! Reece came back into work well after his break, lively but good! And Tango, has been coming on really well on the long reins – completely back to basics! Trotting around well though with some consistency now! Reece was aimed at the young professionals' award at Catherston Stud, but it was a bit of a disappointing day and we didn’t get through to the final!

Then there was fireworks night! Well, more like fireworks month! It seemed to start two weeks before November 5th, and carried on afterwares, I think all the noise has just about stopped now! Noki found the fireworks very upsetting and so we spent several nights staying up with him, Reece and Golly were angels! One night, I can appreciate people like to enjoy themselves, however, I do feel they should only be allowed at organised events and I am not the only one!

I had the Lincolnshire Sports awards last night and was nominated for the Sportswoman of the year category, which was my first able bodied nomination and, much to my suprise, I won! There were some incredible athletes in my category, so I really didn’t know which way it would go! It was nice to take my dad along to see me get the award, he’s so busy working on the farm he never even gets to see me compete!

Everything is quite focused on Young Riders at the moment. Squad training has already started which goes towards selection, as the tests are marked by top international judges. So the pressure is back on! My first one is tomorrow! Reece will be stepping up for this one as Noki is still only just coming back into work.

Next week I have been invited to do a Dressage to Music challenge, at the Brightwells sale. It was great to be invited to ride alongside Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin. Wow! Massive competition!

We are also just setting up our own dressage group to do a winter series for those who want to learn more when the winter weather is stopping them training - it's theory based and hopefully will be a good sociable event!

Thursday 21st October 2010 - I mentioned in a previous blog that I had been unwell and so hadn’t been able to do all the riding I would have liked before going. Well it turns out I had a virus that stopped the use of my legs for nearly a week. As my nervous system is quite weak, the virus attacked. I was in hospital for two days. It was quite a scary time for me as it was only 2 weeks before I flew to America, and I couldn’t walk let alone ride!

Angela was a star and kept Noki going until he left, I managed a 10 minute ride on him the day before....not the best preparation! But I was under strict instructions to rest completely, and I wasn’t even aloud to touch a horse, which was very difficult! However the rest worked, I got the all clear from the hospital to fly and things were on the up! Once I arrived in the US I could start working Noki slowly back up, and thankfully my legs held out and I felt good, despite a lack of physical practise! So instead I did a lot of watching and visualisation and I used videos to help me prepare.

After the inspiration of Laura winning silver in the Special, most of the team couldn’t wait to get on their horses, only slightly hindered by the fact that most of our luggage was still in Chicago, so we had no breeches! Luckily our hats and boots came with the horses, so my jeans stayed on....just about fitting into my boots, and I popped on Noki for a little stretch. The horses had been in America since Monday evening, as they had to go into post arrival quarantine for 48 hours, so they were not as tired as we were. In fact, Noki felt quite frisky. I was so relieved when he was there safe and happy and feeling good, after such a long journey! But as they hadn’t been ridden for a week, I couldn’t do much except stretch him to get him back into it slowly, which was probably just as well.

Over the next few days we picked the work up and tried to rest, as most of us were suffering from jet lag - except my coach Angela, who’s theory was: "I eat when I’m hungry, I sleep when I’m tired and I’m finished when I’m done!" That’s one way to look at it.

The team was announced the day before the trot-up because straight afterward the inspection, the non team members had the option of riding the team test for the individual competition. Needless to say I was disappointed not to be selected (Lee, Sophie C, Anne and Jo got it), as we were all aiming for the team competition. But our squad was so strong that any combination could have been chosen. So, as I was not on the team I competed on the Monday afternoon after the trot up in the first leg of the individual event. The only problem with that was that the grade IVs were first on starting at 1.00 and the draw wasn’t made (and times posted) until after 12.00!

It wasn’t the best situation to be in as I couldn’t prepare with my normal routine, as I didn’t know what time I was riding! But we managed. Noki warmed up well. The weather was fairly warm and I was quite pleased with his test. No scores were posted, they only came up on the screen after the tests. I came out with 72%, so I was pleased with a strong score like that on the first day. The rest of the team competed on the Tuesday, where GB went into the lead after the first day. However the Netherlands was very close, with the Germans were on their tails! The individual scores also went towards the team competition, so the average was taken and the lowest dropped.

I competed again on the Wednesday morning for an individual medal. It was so unbelievably cold! The sun was only just rising as we made our journey to the stables. Noki was a little difficult to warm up, I felt he knew there was something different about the competition, and he was holding him self quite a lot. So Angela and I decided to take a risk and stretch him long and low until the point I entered the arena. It was a risk but I was confident in my partnership with Noki and trusted Angela absolutely. That relaxed Noki and he felt much more with me, so when I entered the arena and trotted round the outside, I sat back and he came up into his competition frame and was perfect. The test went well, I was braver than I had previously been and felt I could push the boundaries. The extensions were bigger, transitions clearer and there was more expression but still with relaxation.

I was only 4th to go; the rest of the team members in the grade 4 class were going later on, especially the strong ones. It was an agonising wait, the quality of horses has improved so much and there are quite a few of us that are new to championships this big. It was the slowest 2 hours ever, and the tests went on forever, but patience paid off and we found out eventually that I had won! There was quite a lot of jumping about and screaming, even by the commentator who wanted to hug me!

It was then another long wait until the end of the next day before the medal ceremony, but Jackie (Noki’s owner) and mum went to buy a couple of bottles of champagne and we cracked one open for everyone in the afternoon! Jackie also said that because I had won she would buy me some cowboy boots, as earlier in the week Angela and I had got quite into the reining and bought ourselves a hat. So off we went to find some boots, and that evening we went out for a meal and there I was in my hat and boots talking all American! It was fantastic.

After the medal ceremony the next day, there was a photo shoot around the Rolex statue and then a press conference. Well it could have gone more smoothly! Emma Sheardown tripped over a spotlight in the floor around the statue and couldn’t put her arms out quick enough to save her fall, so her teeth met the concrete floor. There was blood everywhere, as Emma has smashed her 2 front teeth and cut her lips in the fall. Everyone was sick with worry for her and she was taken to hospital with our team doctor in a fire engine, with flashing lights and the full works! It was horrible not being able to do anything for her and we all got pushed into the press conference to do our job before we could go back to the hotel. Luckily because it was late at night, not many press were there and we got it done fairly quickly. We then signed a massive painted horse (very common around Lexington). All the medallists from the Games were signing it and it was destined for Lexington as a memento for many years to come. A great idea!

In theory, Emma had her freestyle the next day but she didn’t get home from hospital until 2am and then had to go back in the morning to be checked! But the fighter she is, nothing was going to get in the way of her doing her freestyle at the World Equestrian Games! Ange and I had run up and borrowed a cool jacked from the medics, which is a waistcoat you wear under your jacket that has special fibres that keep you cool for hours! The sun was out and it was very hot and poor Emma, having been on the medication for her teeth, was getting rather drowsy. I had seen her nearly wobble off her scooter, so it was all systems go to try and her alert and feeling well enough to get on the horse for her test!

Fizzy drinks, chocolate – the works! Emma went in and flew past the centre line, which got us all panicking that she really didn’t know where she was going! But she got back on track and did a fab’ test! Her score came out at 78%! Wow! After everything she’d been through too! Sophie C and Anne were the medallists from the previous day and were next to go, and Emma beat them as well! She had won gold completely against the odds!

I had a very long wait until my Freestlye as it wasn’t until Sunday. Everyone else had finished on Saturday so it was hard work to keep myself away from them and stay focused on what I had to do! Noki warmed up amazingly, just as he had been working the couple of days previously. It was slightly strange there as people sat and watched you train, which is very different for the paras - there are not normally people around and that interested! So anyway, he warmed up and felt fabulous; it always worries me a bit when there isn’t a problem! He felt so pinging that I didn’t want my whip, which is also very strange!

We went into the arena and the commentator announced to everyone that Frank Hosmar from NED had scored 77% and gone into 2nd place! 2nd place with 77%, OMG! I had my work cut out! The test started well, but when I picked him up after the walk, he came against me, and my floor plan changed making everything come up much quicker. My first movement was a simple change which was a compulsory. Noki stopped dead, for what seemed like ages before I got him going again! Oh no!! I’d just messed up a compulsory! To be anywhere in with a chance of medal I would have to fit it in again somewhere! But I had no spare lines! My next simple change again didn’t come off as well as it should have, and these are usually one of his strongest movements!

I wasn’t panicking but I was racking my brains as to where to put the 2 simple changes! So after the extended canter on one of the last lines, I collected to a simple change instead of a flying change. I usually end the test with 3 time tempi changes down the centre line but, instead, I popped in the second simple change at the top of the line and then the music finished! Who would have thought that simple changes would take up so much time? However, I finished on the music and just hoped that by changing my floor plan had done enough to include all the compulsory moves.

I came out of the test and was waiting for the scores.....one judge, had marked me 5% lower than the other judges and that was read out first – my heart dropped, then the other scores were read out, "and that takes Sophie into the lead!!" Well that was it - I burst into tears! So much tension waiting! The Danish rider was still left to go and he had won the bronze medal in the individual, so I knew he was a threat. I couldn’t cope with watching so I went and hid in the toilets for the rest of the class! Finally Ange came in and said I had done it!!! Wooooooo! I couldn’t believe it! All the work and effort of the past year had come to this and it had all paid off! The relief was enormous.

It was great that mum came out to see it all, as her support has been immense over the years! I wish dad had been able to come too and see what all his hard work had produced. The medal ceremony quickly followed and Noki came in with me and stood behind the podium while the national anthem was played and the flag went up. A very special moment! I was so proud of my boy and I am so grateful to Jackie and Neil Walker for allowing me to ride him! 5 gold medals to our name now! Wow!

We then had a quick scout around the shops, which were closing by this point....it’s always the same, we had been there nearly 2 weeks and we had been round the shops and always put off buying things because we could later in the week....so now all the shops were closing and we had little to take home for family and friends. Thankfully, the big merchandise tent was still full of people and when the very kind gentlemen who owned the shop producing the official Alltech symbol necklaces, found out I was a gold medallist, he gave me one of the necklaces! I had wanted one all week, but couldn’t afford it so it was such a treat and the perfect reminder of the Games!

I am also extremely grateful to Angela, who has been a massive support to me for the past 5 months since I have been based with her. She has completely changed Noki and me and the transformation has been amazing. She really deserves a gold medal! It hasn’t been easy, but this has really finished the year off well. Riding at the Young Rider Europeans (able bodied) and in the Para team at WEG have been highlights, not just this year but of my life so far, and I am so grateful for everyone’s support in every way possible. So many people have contributed to these gold medals, it’s impossible to name them all! But I just want to say a massive ‘Thank You’ to everyone!

The journey home was long....we flew 2 hours to Dallas...then had a 9 hour flight back over Lexington (don’t ask why we went west to come east?) and then from Heathrow a 3 hour drive back home. We worked out from leaving the hotel to arriving at the yard gate was 22 hours travelling and we had missed a night’s sleep as we travelled overnight with the time difference which was very confusing!

It was lovely to get home and be greeted by a massive banner that said, "Welcome home Sophie, Ange and Noki – WEG Champions" with red, white, blue and gold balloons! All done by one of the girls that works for Ange on the yard, Heather Roskell, she did a fab’ job! We were also greeted with a massive chocolate cake with 2 gold medals on and some champagne bottles! They had all obviously been very busy! It was great to see my boys that had been left behind....Reece came trotting over in the field neighing when he saw me, my baby boy remembered who I was!

Friday 1st October 2010 - Well what a day to arrive - the day after the dressage team won team silver! We arrived at our hotel half an hour before Laura B was due to go in.....it goes without saying that we were dying to get there and support, so we begged, pleaded, smiled sweetly and managed to get some rides to the WEG park just in time to see her! And it was so worth it!! Laura and Alf were absolutely amazing! They were such an inspiration with our competition less than a week away!

We felt so proud that a Brit could go out and see off such hot competition! Totilas was fabulous as expected! Such harmony and ease within his movements and transitions, it was beautiful! The Spanish also had a fabulous horse that scored very well, although perhaps too expressive in front, it was still so elegant.

Since then, I have been shopping and bought a cowboy hat, and I'm rather getting into this cowboy lifestyle. It's so cool! And I'd love a go at reining (dressage cowboy style), it was great to see Anky not just give it a go, but do so well!

Jet-lag hit me yesterday, after being up for 24 hours and being compared to a child on Christmas eve but in fact, for me, WEG is way more exciting than Christmas! Anyway, Noki arrived well and I've had my first ride on him today, just a little leg stretch, but he felt good! We can start to pick him up a bit more tomorrow!

Wednesday 29th September 2010 - I'm sat in the airport writing this now! It's been a hectic few weeks! I was so pleased with Reece at the Nationals, we had a good win, and he felt amazing, best yet! First time I've really got it with him at a competition! Then it was full steam ahead with WEG! Training, packing, more packing! Unfortunately, I missed a bit of the training part after getting a virus just after the Nationals. Not the best preparation! Noki has arrived in Kentucky now and is currently in quarantine! And I'm just about to board the plane Kentucky bound!! Wooo

Tuesday 7th September 2010 - August has been another busy month! Preparations for WEG are well under way now, ordering, organising, washing! List making....more list making! Fellow team member Ricky Balshaw came to stay at Angela's for 12 days at the beginning of August as she will be working with him out in Kentucky, so he came for an intensive couple of weeks training with his horse Oscar, lunge lessons and some work with Angela's sports therapist and biomechanist! Teresa is brilliant, and even though not really horsey, can tell the way you sit on a horse just by poking and proding you! I've also been doing some work with her, and she has done wonders with mine and Ricky's position already!

August did not end too good! Infact quite badly! I had an accident in my car, resulting in my car coming off worse and I had some nasty whiplash! Ouch! So without a car for a week, and not being able to move too well, Teresa was called out again! After nearly being sick during the treatment because of the pain, my headache from the accident got a lot easier and I was able to move more easily too! The next day we all packed into the lorry, Ricky and Oscar (as their lorry blew up!), myself, Noki and Reece with Jenny Ellis driving (Rickys groom for WEG), and off we went to Easton College, Norwich, for more squad training and an in-house competition infront of 400 guests to get us into the atmosphere we can expect in WEG!

The whole team was competing against each other, plus Natasha Baker (reserve) plus mine and Lee Pearson's reserve horses. We were performing our freestlye routines, warming up outdoors and competing indoors, just like WEG. I was first and last to go because of the arena change (I'm in a 20 x 60 and the other grades are 20x40). Noki was first and he wasn't as pinging as he has been recently - I'm not sure why, though the test wasn't bad! OK not being good enough for WEG is what I meant, but we don't want to peak too soon either! Reece was last to go, and everyone had run over their times, so well over an hour of warm up for Reece before we went in!

Bless him, being young he hasn't encountered much of an audience before, so as he went in he completely held his breath, not knowing if everyone was there to eat him or not! However, half way through, he suddenly got his condfience back and started showing off. Now he has just found his medium trot, so it's his party piece and he decided to show everyone, even on my two half 10m circles! So the trot work was rather expressive and not particularly controlled, but the judges loved him and his music with the floorplan! The results were, Lee 1st and 2nd place (of course!), Sophie Christianson 3rd, myself on Noki 4th, Anne Dunham 5th, me on Reece 6th, Jo Pitt 7th, Ricky Balshaw 8th, Emma Sheardown 9th and Natasha Baker 10th. The scores were all very high, something I'm sure we would all like to replicate at a major competition, Lee won on 83% and I was pleased with Noki on 79.6% and very pleased with Reece's 78%! Still more to work on though, but I think we are going in the right direction!

We are now getting ready for my last outing before we leave, and that's the Nationals on Reece. We are competing in the Para class having not done any able bodied qualifiers this summer due to a lack of time! Then we are completely focused on WEG with the horses hoping to leave on the 25th. It's come so quickly!!

Monday 16th August 2010 - It’s been a very busy time! I have to say the European championships was an amazing experience, the venue was outstanding – like riding in a picture! It is well on the top of my favourite venues!! The Linsenhoff family were incredible organisers and fabulous hosts. It was very inspirational to go to a family home that has produced three generations of championship riders.

Infact, the whole championships was inspirational, especially watching the Germans with the quality of training, riding, and horses – it was leagues above everyone else! And these horses were only 9 or 10, younger horses coming through, not just schoolmasters. I spent hours watching them training with my trainer Angela, and other riders from different nations, also to such a high standard. I have a long way to go!

I was very pleased with mine and Nokis performance over the week. I made mistakes – in the individual test, in both tempi changes, but I don’t regret it as I asked for more for the higher marks in order to have a go at qualifying for the freestlye. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be - I lost 2% from my mistakes and still got 67% - which is my personal best internationally! And at the European championships!!

The last evening was 'nations' evening, where every nation does a performance to represent their country. Our team decided to do the Beatles! So four wigs later and a make-do drum kit (made out of a feed bin and some saucepans) plus some badminton rackets for guitars, we were ready! The Young Riders Squad was transformed into the Beatles – and the Junior Squad were the backing singers! It was very funny!

Since we have been back, Noki had a bit of time off, and I've been catching up with everything. But five days after we returned, I had a KBIS qualifier as there are only four chances to qualify for the nationals for the Para class and, then, only the top four from each grade after all the qualifiers have run, go through! So this was the last qualifier and Reece had just had 10 days off! He was a tad argumentative, understandably, and threw a few tantrums in the test but we came out with 69% and have qualified for the Nationals. Yay!

Now we are on the build up to WEG, with a couple of squad training sessions to prepare for, and WEG itself is only 6 weeks away!

Wednesday 21st July 2010 - It’s been a mad couple of weeks as I ended up being promoted onto the GB Young Rider team for the European Championships in Kronberg, Germany! I am so happy as it was my ambition to make it onto an able bodied team as well as Para, and this is the first time it's been done. We arrived on Saturday after leaving the Para Dressage international competition at Hartpury late last Thursday night. We had to leave before the Freestyle day on Friday to travel out to Germany with the rest of the team. Between arriving and now we have been resting and preparing ourselves for the competition ahead later this week. I’m third to go in the team so I will compete on Thursday in the Team test, which means tomorrow will be sent brushing up on a few areas to squeeze out extra marks if Noki will allow me to!


The Opening Ceremony on Tuesday was amazing, including a horse and carriage ride to the town centre where hundreds of people turned out to see the teams! It was fantastic, and very exciting to be surrounded by the best young riders in Europe! Now I must remain focused on me, Noki and Angela. Wish me luck!!!


In the meantime I was thrilled to hear I have been selected for the Para team to go to WEG on Noki, and so glad that Reece has been made reserve. Reece hadn’t really been in the picture until his wins in Belgium earlier this year, so it’s great to see our hard work has paid off with him too. He felt fab’ on the second day of Hartpury last week, winning the Individual Grade IV test by nearly 10% with 73.4%. He felt so much more established and willing in his test, another step forward for him!


What with packing for two weeks away and then Noki travelling on to Germany (and trying to get Reece home safely), it has all been quite stressful, let alone having two major, but very different, competitions ahead of me, which is very scary! But I am halfway through and it’s getting clearer!

Thursday 1st July 2010 - I forgot to mention in my last blog that I was nominated for a performance award. The ceremony was held in London with lots of famous faces. I was up for the sport category (obviously!) and was short listed against the heptathlete Jessica Ennis and the swimmer Tom Daley. When I saw the opposition I just wanted to go home right then! So I was very shocked when Lord Sebastian Coe called my name out as the winner!

The last few weeks have been quite intense! We went to Hickstead for the Premier League and Para Summer Championships last week. I took both horses, Noki and Reece, and was quite nervous as it was an important part of WEG selection for Paras but also the final selection for the Young Rider European Championships. On the first day I only had the Para Team test and I was really pleased with how Noki went, in particular. Since I’ve been based at Angela’s his general way of going has changed massively! It’s amazing and I love riding him and having the feeling he gives me now of such power and lift in the trot. The question was though, whether I could keep that at a competition. I was really pleased with him because I felt that I could, and it was great to get even more out of him when it mattered. Everything was better in the test, especially his trot work.

Reece was last to go, but I only had 40 minutes to warm him up (when he usually needs an hour) due to the low number of Grade IV riders in the class. So he didn’t go as well as he has been going at home, and we didn’t get to show off his posh new medium trot - including flicky toes, that he has been practising. Anyway, I was pleased we had done it and that Noki won on 71%.

The next day was so much more hectic, without the complication of me falling out of the lorry at 8am that morning. My legs don’t work so well in the morning if they are tired, and don’t always go where I tell them. So down I fell, landing on the bottom of my back and scraping the skin off my arms. I was in shock from the fall, and Angela came back from the secretary to find me practically throwing up in the back of the lorry. Brilliant! So, salt water - ouch! I will think twice before salt watering the horses’ wounds again, swabs, vet wrap and some painkillers later. We were rushing about trying to get ready for the four tests in four hours that I had to do. I couldn’t walk properly let alone ride! I wasn’t sure if I would actually be able to ride at all when I had the fall, but Angela kicked me into shape and said mental toughness would push the pain out of my mind. And I have to say it worked pretty well!

I was very sore, and did struggle with riding as intensely as I would normally, but I did my best, and by the time I got through the Para tests first, I felt a bit better for the Young Rider Team test. It was very hot and riding in the middle of the day wasn’t brilliant, so I was a bit worried how Noki especially would cope having two very important tests to do. But he coped very well and he gave me a really nice feel in the Young Rider test. Angela and I both thought it was the best one we had done so far. I came out with a score of 67.8% and eventual 5th place in quite a strong class. By the time I had finished the class I was in quite a bit of pain, but had to get on and do the Para music class I had qualified for - the winner of each Para class went through to the music final. I substituted Reece for Noki, as Noki had already done two classes. Reece didn’t go brilliantly but it was completely my fault. It was just one class too many after my fall but I was pleased to get through the day. It was a great show and great weather, and we eventually got back at 2am on Friday morning, as it was a very long drive home.

A few days later I was notified that I was second reserve for the Young Rider team for the Europeans. I was a bit disappointed because obviously it’s not the nicest to be reserve after my Hong Kong experience (where I was non-travelling reserve for the Para Olympics), but it is a step closer and hopefully will put me in good stead for next year. And the training camp before the Europeans will no doubt be really great for me and Noki!

Wednesday 16th June 2010 - Apologies for the period away from my blog, I’ve been frantic and not had much internet access. I’m based at Angela Weiss, my trainer’s, at the moment, doing some intensive work with her while Mum recovers from her tennis and golfer's elbow in both arms. It’s been a really good opportunity to concentrate on all the horses, and it has been great to be able to focus on what I are doing now and what I should be doing every time I ride.

We went back to Moorsele in Belgium, but for a Young Rider international this time, instead of Para. I was really pleased how the boys went, especially Reece, Noki also on the second day. The judges were not so impressed and our scores were not that good, although Reece did get close to the prize giving by coming 7th in the CDI Team test.

We are now looking forward to the Hickstead Summer Championships for Para dressage, which is also the selection trials for WEG. In addition, the Young Rider trainers are using it as a final selection for the European Championships. I’m not hopeful for the Young Rider Europeans though because we have not been very consistent this season at this level, though since we have got back from Belgium, Noki has stepped up a level and is going well at the moment.

For people that have been wondering about Touchdown and how he is getting on, well he is currently out in the field with some rather smart wellies on both front feet. Where his tumour was, the hoof tissue has not knitted together, so when he split his hoof recently in the field, we found quite a large cavity behind the hoof wall. The farrier said he would be prone to abscesses and we need to stop dirt packing the cavity out, therefore he needs the boots for the field! He’s quite happy and I would like to have a sit on him soon. Maybe after Hickstead!

Tuesday 27th April 2010 - Wow – what a busy month! After the Para Winter Championships we headed off to Addington for the Young Rider International. I’ve not been to this one before, and it was my first international as a Young Rider. (I am campaigning for both the Para team and Young Rider able-bodied team this season.) The first day was rather disappointing. Noki got his tongue stuck in between the bits, and he didn’t know what to do with it so he did the whole test with his mouth wide open and his tongue nowhere to be seen! Typical that they wait until you go into the arena! Reece had a good test, just rather green but it was only his third Prix St Georges test, so he was thrown in at the deep end!

The second day was a bit more successful, we changed Noki's bits and fiddled about with them, and prayed it wouldn’t happen again! Thankfully it was much better, although a bit tentative. Noki improved to get 66% and Reece nearly 65%. Even though they were both in the top 15, each rider is only allowed one horse to go through to the Freestyle on the last day so Reece missed out, but Noki redeemed himself and got 69.7% and came 2nd to the dominant Belgian rider, although one judge did have us equal 1st with him! Angela Weiss my trainer, was an absolute star, running backwards and forwards to help me at Addington all weekend, while she was supposed to be at Development squad training at Moulton College. She juggled the times around and was amazing, I couldn’t thank her enough.

It was then back home for a couple of days, just enough time to get everything washed and turn around again and get to Hartpury for the Winter Championships. Noki was in the PSG Freestyle in the Gala evening on the Friday. Again, it was a first so quite exciting! I was early in the class and he felt great, once he hears the music he just lights up. I was thrilled with the test and I couldn’t have done much more. I came out with 69% lying in 2nd place until the last rider to go who went and won it. I was so pleased with how Noki had gone though and we had turned things around quickly since the first day at Addington. The next morning was Reece’s turn in the Advanced Medium Open. I heard there were hundreds of horses in the arena walk, so decided against it as Reece sometimes gets a tad excited in them. He was going quite well in the test when something caught his eye and that was it. He wouldn’t go in one corner or near that side. It ruined so many movements and he had no concentration on me! He isn’t normally spooky so it did catch me off guard. Despite this, one judge only had me three marks behind Maria Eilberg and Woodlander Rockstar, who went on to win the class, so he didn’t do himself justice! Never mind - on to the next one!

Then Belgium and a Para international team and individual competition! I didn’t really know what to expect... I was hoping for a top five finish with Reece but some of the medallists from the Europeans were going too. We had a smooth journey over, completely different to last year!! This was my first competition without Mum, so I groomed for myself with help from everyone. I’m really grateful to all the people that chipped in, especially Viv Lovell for plaiting up, Karen Robertson for carrying my tack to and from the lorry to try and save my legs (I didn’t have much choice here!) and Angela, who between working in five riders came and groomed Reece and did anything she could to help us get ready!

Anyway, we had a dream competition, minus one error in two left walk pirouettes in the individual test – don’t ask!! I decided to try and bluff it once I knew I had gone wrong, and see if the judges had noticed – no such luck but worth a try when I had already gone wrong! Reece won all three of his classes, beating some great competition. I was very proud of him and he was on the team as well, which we won, plus he came out with 78.47% in his Kur. He felt amazing to ride - my new floorplan is brilliant and the music (which Geoff Kroll put together for us and wasn't an easy job as Angela and I were very picky) really suits him! I had a chat with Angela before my last test as I was struggling to focus, being the last on in the day and having the stress of packing straight after, but she really got me into the zone and I have never felt so focused, ever! It’s a good job she knows me so well!

We were back home for just a day (during which I wasn't well – good timing) before having to shoot off again for performance squad training at the Unicorn. Noki had had a week off while I’d been in Belgium, so it was useful for him to see Angela again in preparation for The College Premier League at the weekend. Usually Noki doesn’t come back very well after time off, but this time was different and he felt fab! From squad training we went on to the College Premier League, just for one day, as it was a selection competition for Young Riders. Reece had to go along too, and although he felt a bit tired he produced a much more secure test, with still a lot more to come, scoring 67.9%. Noki came out quite sharp, which threw me a little as he’s usually very laid back! So I had to change my warm up plan a bit, but he went into the arena well and did a great test - one mistake in the four tempis brought the score down sadly, and I had to muddle my way through the canter half passes because I hadn’t got my reins right from the free walk before, but he came out with 68.03% nonetheless. I was annoyed with myself for messing up with my reins, because that wasn’t his fault and I let him down, which cost us the win. Active Walero won on 68.29% with Susie Coleridge Smith, and 2nd to 4th places were on 68.03% with different collectives, so Reece was 5th. Noki showed a much better outline and Reece is getting more confident!

We came home that night to drop Reece off as the next day we were back out again (yes again!), as I had put a late entry into Vale View to do a Para Summer Qualifier. This was because the one I was going to do in May clashed with a Young Rider international back in Belgium. (Are you managing to keep up?!) Noki was going fab' so I thought it was worth the effort as it is our local venue. It definitely was worth it for a personal best in the individual test, 77.10%. I think Reece and Noki have been talking!

So now they both have at least a week off, in the field with the sun on their backs, and they are happy as Larry. I’m back at home which has given me a chance to concentrate on my new young horse Tango a bit more. I’ve not said much about him since we got him as he was very, very naughty for the first month, and I had big problems with him. Thankfully Angela has helped to get him more under control and he’s getting better in his work. Now he’s stronger and has done a couple of months of boring circles, he’s calmed down and today I managed to make a start at improving his work, not just keeping him under control. When he’s going well he feels amazing and it’s hard not to get excited about him! Hopefully there will be more good progress to come in the next few months.

Tuesday 30th March 2010 - Sunday was the Para Winter National Championships. I took Reece and he won the Grade IV Championship class with 73.55% and then won the overall Freestyle champion on a massive 82.38%!! I still can’t believe it. I got the final copy of my music that morning, and spent all the time between classes with the music on repeat and watching the test to try and get it into my head! I couldn’t be more pleased with how Reece is coming on, we are still trying to find some good double bridle bits for him so I ride him in the snaffle between competitions.

During these next three weeks I’ve got two UK Championships and two Internationals, so it’s a busy time, although one of these can now be ticked off the list! We leave for the Addington CDIJY on Thursday where I am riding in the able-bodied Young Rider classes. Unfortunately Angela won’t be joining me as she is the coach for the Development squad, alongside Nina Venables and Erik McKechnie, and they have squad training that weekend. Obviously this is very disappointing, because she is such a great support and has been with me every step of the way up to this point, and given it's a compulsory competition for selection, I’m quite nervous!

Both Noki and Reece are going, which is great, although Reece is still very new to the level, but I’m relieved I’ve run through my Freestyle now, as it is the same for the Young Rider class so was good preparation. I really like the floor plan and the music really suits him.

Wednesday 17th March 2010 - I had another Para Winter qualifier, down at Patchetts. I just took Noki as it’s difficult to get two into a class that is usually quite small. I’d had an amazing lesson with Angela the day before, and he felt great as we warmed up. The warm up was outside and the test was up in the indoor arena, however the liason wasn’t great between the two locations so both times I ended up at the indoor five minutes early, and had to walk up and down trying to keep Noki awake enough! Thankfully it didn’t affect him, and he felt great in the tests. He won the Team test with 73% and the Individual with 72.5%. He felt fab!

Last week was busy. It began with a 3 am start and a lesson with Nicole Werner, trainer to Edward Gal and Totilas. After watching the lessons in the morning I was a little nervous, as Nicole was being quite hard on everyone, in a nice way. But I wanted to show what Reece could do and not let him down! It went really well. I thought I would get her to help on something we struggle with, his left canter, and the trot. We did a lot of counter flexion, and straightening him up. Then in trot she made him slow right down and collect a lot more, almost to just a jog, in order for him find his own balance.

We then went on to World Class squad training at the Unicorn Trust. The normal support staff were there - vet, osteopath, physio', farrier, saddle fitter, bitting experts, psychologist, performance lifestyle and strength and conditioning coaches. So it’s a lot to get through in two days, especially with two horses. The selectors also sit and watch the training sessions, so there are eyes everywhere! Some horses were down to have a gastroscopy. I decided Reece should probably be done, having not been seen before, plus he had gone off his feed, first the mix, then the chaff, then the supplements, then having it watered, so it only left him with dry nuts! He’s a stange one! Anyway, it showed he had one ulcer, so he will start a course of treatment for that. Anyway since being back he has gone off hunger strike, and is eating everything - maybe he was attention seeking as it did coincide with my new horse Tango being moved next to his stable! With any other horse it wouldn’t come into my mind as being a reason, but as Reece is such a mummy’s boy, and gets very jealous, to be honest I wouldn’t be surprised! I was really pleased with the way Reece and Noki went. They have both come on a lot in the month since the last squad training. Reece has really improved, and it’s showing in his work.

I got the results through from the last Junior and Young Rider squad Training a couple of weeks ago. Noki got the highest Young Rider score with Reece in third so I’m really pleased. I’m getting more quality in Noki’s work and Reece is coping better with stepping up a level. I have a slightly quieter time this week to catch up on everything, but it picks up again next week with possibly a Summer qualifier, then preparing for the Winter Championships.

In addition I’ll be taking Reece to Belgium in the middle of April, and because of leaving the other three horses at home, we have decided Mum should probably stay behind until we can find some permanent help at home. So I’ll be going to Belgium alone! Ahhh scary! Angela is coming, but as Development squad coach, so she will be very busy! So it might be a testing time without the normal support of Mum!

Tuesday 2nd March 2010 - I’ve just got back after a bit of a hectic week what with one thing and another! It started with a trip to the BETA show (British Equestrian Trade Association) for a look at all the products available, which was very interesting. Then we were at the Regionals, which went really well. I had a slightly disappointing first test on Reece, the Medium Open, he wasn’t really with me, and we ended up rushing the trot work. We still came equal 3rd but I know he could have done a lot better. That was at 9am and then I had Noki at 8.36pm in the Prix St Georges music. Despite a very long day (starting at before 4am) he came out really well and felt great. He was really with me and on the ball, although he got slightly excited when hearing the music for the other tests, it always gets him sparky. But it feels good! I was pleased with the test, but it was hard work, so you never know which way things will go! There were lots of more experienced riders in the class too, so I just stretched then walked Noki round while it finished, it didn’t seem worth it to put him away. The results took ages to come through and the prize giving didn’t finish until nearly 10pm. Anyway, it was worth it, because we won! My first able-bodied Regional title! And by 6%, so a great win, and definitely worth the long day.

We headed home that night to then head back in the morning. We hadn’t booked night stables and because the lorry was so new, we were not organised enough to stay over! We left again the next morning at 8am for the Advanced Medium Open on Reece. I was determined that it would go better and thankfully he came out well and we went in there fighting. It was a good test, the trot work could have been more expressive but overall I was pleased. After quite a long wait the scores came out and I was lying in equal first. But one of the last to go pipped us by 0.4%. But we still qualified and I was really pleased with the way he went. I can’t believe it was only a year ago he was competing at Novice and Elementary!

On Sunday we had Young Rider squad training at Vale View. It was test riding with Stephen Clarke - and quite intimidating coming down the centre line to see him sat at C surrounded by all the selectors!! It was the first time the selectors had seen Reece, so I was quite nervous to know what they thought of him. Obviously he is still quite green at PSG but give him a couple more months and I think he will be a lot more confident. He is starting to get more range in his trot and I can control that more now. Stephen liked him and loved his changes, even giving him an 8 for his three time tempi changes!

Noki was not the easiest warming up, and I had to go in before my time and do the best I could. It went better than I was expecting, until he chucked in some one time tempi changes when he was supposed to be doing three tempis! Very cheeky. It got a few laughs from the judging table though, and I got a 2 and ‘very nice but...’!

March is going to be busy. I’m at Patchetts on Friday for a Para Winter Qualifier, then we are down to Michel Assouline’s for a lesson with Edward Gal’s trainer, Nicole Werner, then we are off to squad training next week to Stow on the Wold!

Wednesday 24th February 2010 - We were at Bishop Burton on the 7th at the first Para Summer qualifier of the year, and I took both Reece and Noki. The warm up didn’t go quite to plan, but we ended on good scores, all over 70%. Reece won the Team test with Noki second, and then Noki went on to win the Championship test, with Reece second. All in all a good day, and we got enough points to qualify for the Summer Championships.

We have a new lorry! Since Mum passed her HGV we have been thinking about making the move to a bigger lorry. Now I will hopefully be going to bigger competitions and abroad a bit more. We figured we need more space; it’s only a 4 horse, but with plenty of storage areas. So if I was lucky enough to have 4 horses to take away, then it’s possible, but also it's surprising how much stuff you need when you go away for a week even with 2 on board.

I’ve got a busy week this week, Angela came yesterday to see the boys in preparation for the Regionals, which are on Thursday and Friday coming. Reece has qualified for the Medium and Advanced Medium, and Noki the PSG music. We are going to Willerby Hill, the only problem is Reece is on at 9am on Thursday and Noki 8.36pm the same day! Nearly 12 hours apart! We even thought about coming home, dropping Reece off and picking Noki up in between tests!

I’ve also got another Young Rider squad training on Sunday. Because it’s local (Vale View) I am taking both horses. It will be Reece’s first time in front of the selectors, so I hope he shows what he can do!

Friday 5th February 2010 - Over the past few days we have had squad training at the Unicorn Trust, Stow-on-the-Wold. I took both Noki and Reece because Reece needed his saddle looking at as I haven’t been happy with it for a while, but what with the snow... etc! Mark Fisher was there, he is an expert with the Pliance system, which basically is a pad that goes under the saddle and records the pressures of the rider, the saddle and the movement of the horse while you are riding. This meant that the trainers, vet and osteopath could watch while I was riding and we could change things at the time. So both saddles are sorted for now and I'm much happier.

Noki didn’t go at all well in training on the first day, he had four days off last weekend because we were all frozen up again. And he doesn’t do well with time off, he’s much better with regular work. Also I think I felt the pressure with it being the first time he had been to training since Norway, and his owners were there, his old rider, the new selectors and obviously the management - all watching, so I just wanted it to go well. The second day he was fab though. I had a talk with Angela the evening before so I came out feeling much more relaxed and focused on Noki instead of everyone else. It definitely made a difference. Touchy came down with Dad in the trailer on the Wednesday, to be looked at by the squad vet and farrier. He's been shod differently and maybe it will make a difference, but more likely we will have to go back to the Animal Health Trust and look at another option.

Today we had a quite exciting new arrival. I haven’t mentioned it before because I didn’t want to tempt fate and have anything go wrong, but I have bought a new horse! Zaventem G (Tango) is a 16.2hh (yes very small for me!), six year old chestnut gelding. He’s for me to bring on and to back up the others in the future. I fell for him the first time I sat on him before Christmas, but needless to say the snow delayed things! But it’s all worked out and I'm really looking forward to working with him and seeing him progress. I’ll get some better photos soon, but for now, the photo shows him in his new bedroom when he had just arrived!

Tuesday 26th January 2010 - On Sunday, I had entered Reece in his first Prix St Georges (though HC) and Noki was in our first Inter I (I had thought the snow would go and we would have a bit more time to prepare). Before Angela came last Tuesday, I hadn’t worked on Reece’s pirouettes further than large working pirouettes, nothing like you have to do in a test! I wasn’t planning on going on Sunday, because I didn’t feel prepared but after two lessons on each of them last week, Angela persuaded me it was the best chance I would get to have these first efforts under my belt, as the next few months are likely to be hectic. So I trusted her, and she came to help me warm up. She always gets the best out of me and the horses, I don't know how I would manage without her!

Reece has actually taken to the pirouettes really well, I thought it would take a lot more to get him to sit, but in the test he sat a bit too much and he couldn’t keep the activity - a better situation, I guess, than the other way around for his first time - I corrected him and he reacted immediately, so I was very pleased. We got all our tempi changes, and I have really taken confidence from that with him, and hopefully he has too. He scored 65% with lots of areas he will improve easily, just baby mistakes, so I was thrilled. It was less than three years ago that I got him and he could barely canter then, he’s so grown up now!

It was my first ever Inter I, so it was a new test to get my head around, and things come a lot quicker, like the zig zag, although it’s been made much easier by practising the Grand Prix work with Angela on her horse. I was pleased with the test, I had a mistake in the middle of the two tempis and one of the pirouettes lost activity, but overall I felt I coped with the level, and Noki went well. He also got 65%. There is plenty of room for improvement again, and I will go away and study the sheets and videos.

I have the BDSC Ball on the 30th January in London, which should be good to catch up with everyone after the winter away, and then we get back into the swing of it with squad training at the beginning of February.

Saturday 23rd January 2010 - Today was the first Para qualifier of the year, and it was a winter qualifier at Vale View. I decided to enter both my boys, in order to get a couple of scores under my belt early on in the season. There were not many entries in the Grade IV qualifier, so I had to split Reece’s warm up otherwise I would only have had 25 minutes between horses. You have to try something once, and we did, and it didn’t work - well not for Reece anyway. He felt great during the first warm up session, but then he thought he had finished, so came out again and felt stuffy and dropped me for the test. Considering they are all new tests for 2010, and the fact he dropped me caused a few abnormal errors, he still got just over 69%.

Noki went first and he was difficult in the warm up as he was wearing a snaffle for the first time since Norway. There hadn’t been time to put it on before, but he went better in the test. I felt it was a bit conservative but for the first test of 2010 I was pleased as it was a good start. He got 74.1%, which is my personal best in a championship test!

Saturday 16th January 2010 - We were supposed to have Young Rider squad training today, but because of the snow it’s been cancelled as most people won’t have been able to ride for the past couple of weeks anyway. Although I am slightly disappointed because it fitted in well with my competition schedule, it’s probably best because my horses hadn’t been ridden for a couple of weeks either. I have to say I have been bouncing off the walls as I really like to be busy. I don’t do too well when we go abroad and I only have one horse to ride a day, let alone nothing for two weeks!

Friday 1st January 2010 - Happy New Year everyone! Well with all this snow and the weather being so bad, there’s not much to report over the last couple of weeks! I’ve only been able to ride on six days out of twenty-one. And the horses are getting quite fed up, as am I! A couple of days of snow I can cope with, and sometimes it's good to have an enforced break, but this is stretching it too far! The horses are stuck in their stables because they can’t go out in the fields, except yesterday I let Touchy out for a wander around the paths, where there was a bit of grass, although it was covered in snow. He managed to get his nose through all the snow to find most of it, bless him!

Angela and I did my competition plan recently, and it’s looking very busy. I’m trying to campaign for both Para and Young Riders (the latter is able-bodied) this year, but a few things clash so I'll have to see how it goes. I’m supposed to have Young Rider squad training on 16th January, so if by next week I still can't ride at home, I’ve enquired about going on short term livery at Vale View, and staying down there so I can use the indoor school. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and this could be it!

Tuesday 22nd December 2009 - December has been a busy month, just when I was hoping things would calm down a bit! And the snow we currently have has now pretty much stopped everything! We haven’t had much, but even before we got the snow, the school and fields had been frozen for a few days! So the horses have been stuck in their stables!

At the beginning of the month we took Emma Sheardown to Development squad training because her trainer had to work. The weekend went well, and it was nice to go back to Development training - it had been strange leaving after five years! Angela and I did a small demo in the evening, just covering all the basics of training, and any requests, which included walk pirouettes, a new movement that has been introduced to all Grade tests except 1a for next year. Reece was fairly obliging which I was pleased about – we didn’t have too many problems!

On the 13th December Angela and I went to the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year. It was great to be invited, there were so many famous people there! At the after show party we went round collecting autographs, which was quite exciting! Then last week I had another test riding session with Chris Porterfield, who was doing a clinic at Laughton Manor. It was just as the snow started so we were a bit uncertain whether we should go, as it wouldn’t be nice driving home in the dark and blizzards. Anyway the snow calmed and we went, it was worthwhile – Chris is always good!

I’ve been trying to catch up on all my admin', Christmas shopping and present wrapping! At least the shopping is done but I'm still struggling with the admin – not my favourite job, partly because I find it hard to sit still! But unfortunately it has to be done. Although the thought of being able to ride as soon as the snow goes, and not having any admin' to do then, is pulling me through!

There are only two words to say about Olympia – absolutely amazing! Totilas was just out of this world! I’ve been very lucky to see him twice this year, and they were two stunning performances! He left the rest of the field miles behind. I thought Henriette Anderson pulled off a great test! She was the Brit that I came away thinking about, even though her horse doesn’t have the extravagant paces, everything looks harmonious and easy and it was a pleasure to watch. On another note – I was very pleased that Joe won the X Factor but annoyed that he didn’t make Christmas Number 1! Merry Christmas everyone!! Soph x

Tuesday 1st December 2009 - Well it's been a bit of a mixed week. Our little companion pony, Connie, has been struggling with laminitis. It suddenly really hit her, and she was unable to walk over the weekend, lying down all the time. The vet came out and we decided it was best for her to be put to sleep. She was in so much pain and nothing could control it. We had been so careful, but it's such a horrible condition, I hate it, it destroyed her. We all miss her greatly.

On a happier note, I got the results through from the Young Rider squad training. After being disappointed with my test, I came out with the highest mark - a massive shock! Although I wish I hadn't had the mistakes. I’ve got to nail them next time!

As for the weather, it has definitely turned!! It’s bad enough being cold, but when the wind up as well, it's horrible! All the horses are a bit fresh, but I’ve just about managed to keep on top of things despite all the rain. Reece has just had another clip, ready for his development squad training visit next weekend. Para rider Emma Sheardown has asked us to take her and groom and warm her horse up as well, as her trainer can't come. We're really happy to help and I’ve organised the weekend off. It will be nice to see everyone again.

Monday 23rd November 2009 - Well I don’t know where the time is going. December is just around the corner, which means hello 2010. It's scary. A new year and a new challenge. I’ve been on a bit of a mission to get qualified for the Winter Regionals, and as ever I left it until the last minute - November. So I booked in five competitions to give us a chance. The first was Manor Farm and I took Reece for the Medium and Advanced Medium and Noki for the Prix St Georges Freestyle. Thankfully we had a good day, Reece winning both of his classes with nearly 70%, despite being up against strong contender and fellow Horse Hero blogger, Claire Gallimore. We had a good chat afterwards! Noki was rather lively, but pulled off a great performance on his first outing since the Europeans in Norway, to get a very close 2nd by one mark, with 73.4%.

So onto my next competition with Reece at Sheepgate for the Medium and Advanced Medium again. I needed another win at each to qualify. They had Combined Training going on at the same time as the dressage, and only had one warm up area, which I was very disappointed with. It’s hard enough to practise lateral work in a busy warm up, let alone when horses are jumping all over the place! With five arenas I think they could have had two warm up areas, or at least split the day. Thankfully, even though Reece has never seen a jump before, he wasn’t bothered and went on to produce two good tests, winning both of them with 71 and 72%. So our big fight the day before in a lesson with Angela was worth the pain!

Yesterday I had my first Young Rider Squad Training for the 2010 year. We did test riding with David Trott and had a fitness talk with Jon Pitts (another Horse Hero blogger!). Noki warmed up ok, I didn’t quite have enough time due to writing for David beforehand (all the riders did this to see the test from a judge's perspective) and then we got to the test - the trot work went well but the canter was a disappointment. it's usually his strong part but he only got 5’s for his walk to canter transistions, and both lines of changes, none of which came off - very frustrating! I was kicking myself so much, I got out of the arena and went around doing my tempis again. One last thing and very important – X FACTOR....Joe to win all the way!!

Saturday 7th November 2009 - On Wednesday Angela and I went for our tour around Greenwich Park, along with other riders and key support staff from all the equestrian disciplines, to see the site of the Equestrian Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. Well I have to say, it was absolutely amazing. The grounds are beautiful, and the detail and planning that LOCOG (London 2012 Organising Committee) have already put into it is outstanding. It will be a truly fantastic event for all involved, from spectators to riders and grooms. To be so close to the main games, only 20 minutes away, and with the riders staying in the Athletes Village, will enable the Equestrian sports to be at the heart of the games which is rare. You can even see the stadium from Greenwich, and there is a great view of London too. With the Games being held in the capital, it opens up the sport to a whole new audience and can hopefully inspire people to take an interest in horses in some form.

There will be a 23,000 main arena, bigger than Hong Kong, in the middle of the park. Amazingly no trees will be cut down, and the park will only be closed for four weeks. Some areas of the park, including the children’s playground, will be open throughout (with the exception of the cross country day). This will keep disruption to a minimum for the locals considering what is happening! Greenwich is extremely accessible, and will hopefully allow for as many people as possible to get to the park to experience the Equestrian events. It was a very motivating visit, and a boost to ensure we keep striving for the best.

Monday 2nd November 2009 - Hopefully I will have a bit more time on my hands to catch up on things like my blog now, as I have made the hard decision to take an ‘interruption of studies’ from university, which basically means a year out. I felt there was not enough time to do the horses and uni' work properly, and I didn’t want to look back and feel I haven’t put everything into my horses while I have the opportunity. The interruption basically gives me some more thinking time!

I got back late last night from the BD Convention, taken by Jean Bemelmans. I went last year where Jean also took it, and due to its success he was invited back. I have to say it was the best convention I have been to in six years. Angela and I went down on Saturday morning and it was well worth the early start! His training really consolidated Angela’s training - she talked me through the horses, to find that Jean then said almost exactly the same thing just afterwards, as if he had been listening to her! It was weird, but very encouraging. We still came away with a few ideas like trying the piaffe in shoulder in with Noki and Angela's Grand Prix horse, although I don’t know if we will go as far as leaning back whilst trotting round and holding the tail down - my arms definitely are not long enough anyway! It was great to see Jean's passion for the sport and the horses, and the consistency of his training as all the basics and foundations were the same for every horse, and he spent time on the small details such as the walk, which is so commonly dismissed. I would definitely go to see him again!

Because I was so busy with training and riding my horses whilst I was at uni', I didn’t get any time to watch any training sessions, which you can learn so much from. So now I have left uni' I want to make a real effort to take the time just to sit and watch Angela train. In fact a couple of weeks ago I went with her to a competition where she was helping one of her pupils warm up, which was a really good learning experience. Horses don’t have to be Grand Prix for you to learn from them.

I also went to a Para test riding seminar at Hartpury last weekend. We have all new tests starting in 2010, so they got an international judge over and our team coach to talk through the theory and practical of the tests. It was a long day, but good to see some of the new movements ridden. Not that I particularly agree with these in the lower grades, especially the turn on the haunches in the Grades 1b to III. Walk pirouettes are rarely ridden correctly in able bodied competitions, not my favourite movement! I also feel this could put some countries that are still early in development of Para dressage at more of a disadvantage and maybe stop some people from trying, which is a shame. The Grade IV tests haven’t really changed in the movements - our Championship test is very similar to Medium 75.

I’ve got a busy week this week, I’ll be at Angela’s today and tomorrow, and then we have a tour of Greenwich (the site for the 2012 equestrian events) on Wednesday, after which I will be back in London on Thursday for the Animal Health Trust UK Equestrian Awards evening, which recognises people who have made an outstanding contribution to all areas of equestrianism. I’m then competing for the first time since the Europeans on Sunday, taking Noki and Reece to try and qualify for the Winter Regionals.

Saturday 17th October 2009 - What a rollercoaster of a year! Touchy has been on and off recently. He had come back really well into training and it was all looking so hopeful. Anyway, to cut a long story short, we went to Rossdales in Newmarket again, and he had all the tests including X-Rays and MRI scans. And the conclusion.... the tumour has grown back... Well I don't think there are words to describe what we are feeling at the moment. I'm just gutted that he is such a talented lovely horse, who loved his work, yet will not get the opportunity to prove this. There are a few options we have to explore, but he won't be able to compete again. We have been through so much together, with everything that happened last year with his operation. He got me noticed, in both the Para and able-bodied dressage worlds. And he is such a lovely person, he's like a little dog and will follow me around, and he's so sensitive that if you look at him in the wrong way he's hurt! His little ears are so expressive, you can't help but love him! At the moment he is chilling out in the field, with no shoes, no boots and only a rug on when he wants one! He's very particular and will let me know if he doesn't want it on. Bless him!

As for university - well that's another matter! I'm struggling a bit at the moment. I feel like I'm wasting a lot of time as I'm spending as much time driving to and from uni' as I am in lectures. And the lectures I do get to seem pointless! We had a seminar the other day where we had to create a poster of 'what we want to be when we are older'... I've never known what I wanted to do when I left school, which is why I went on to uni' to give me more time and to study something I was interested in. At the moment I can't think of anything I want to do with my degree once I leave, I only want to be a dressage rider and trainer. So I'm having to decide whether it's worth carrying on! Things are really a bit all over the place at the moment.

On a positive note Noki and I had our first lesson with Angela this morning since the Euros in Norway. He has had a little break and come back slowly with schooling, hacking and lungeing, keeping things varied and he's thrived on it! He was amazing in the lesson. I've not felt him so good and Grand Prix really seems possible! Reece is also going well - much better since he has been clipped! I think they were all getting a bit hot and bothered under their winter coats and it affected their attitude towards their work.

We have a few things to look forward to (we need it with the miserable winter nights drawing in!!) - the Para seminar (riding of the new 2012 tests at Hartpury College next weekend with international judge Anne Prain) and also the BD National Convention, which last year was excellent!

Wednesday 30th September 2009 - It’s been so hectic the past couple of weeks, what with the Nationals, starting back at uni', and trying to get all the horses ridden too! It's 23.04pm and I've only just got in! It’s my first week of the second year of uni' and it’s already getting in the way!!

Two weeks ago I was at the National Championships doing the Para class on Reece. Noki was still on a bit of a holiday/chill out time, and Touchy was not ready, so Reece took on the responsibility. I wasn’t too worried about how he would cope with being at Stoneleigh as he coped well at the Winter Champs', and special occasions really seem to lift him! He went fab' in training on the Thursday and Angela came down to help me too, because I wanted to be as prepared as possible!

I thought the test went well on the Friday, he wasn't bothered with any of the flowers/banners/big screen, and even his medium trots gained a lowest mark of 7, even getting two 8s! That’s a first! I came out with 71% and won the class by 8%, I was thrilled when I found out, because I hadn’t done any Para tests with him since Hartpury. Also after concentrating so much on Noki, I didn’t know what the judges would think of Reece, but it was a good reaction, which is positive for next year. He seems to be establishing himself now. I went back to the Nationals on the Sunday to watch the Grand Prix, and also take part in the parade of medallists. It was interesting to see the music and different floorplans, and gave Angela and I a few ideas.

On Monday I started uni' again. I really don’t know how I fitted it all in last year. And already the nights are drawing in – nooo! On Tuesday this week, I was invited to represent Para Equestrian at the Team 2012 launch at the Olympic Stadium to be. This is the largest national team ever sponsored, comprising approximately 1200 athletes from 47 sports and disciplines, Olympic and Paralympic alike. It was a good experience to meet so many amazing athletes, and to be involved in such a campaign.


Well I'd better get to bed now as I have a 9am lecture in the morning. Who invented 9am lectures - it's like the middle of the day?!

Tuesday 8th September 2009 - I took Noki for a hack yesterday - the last time I rode him we won a gold medal so it was a bit strange thinking that! He was loving it though! His plans for having a month off have gone to pot because he's so bored and keeps cantering round the field. Why can't he just relax?? I'd love a month off! Having said that I know I would be bored after a day and itching to ride again! I got so fidgety and restless in Norway, only riding one a day!

Noki, bless him, had a real spring in his step today, and it only took him a few minutes to power walk around a huge field. It was our first hack since I’ve been riding him as I’m not a great fan of hacking - I seem to get a bit bored but it was really nice to take him out and let him have a look round and relax. It’s hard to find the time when everything is so focused on a big championship.

Touchy’s not a great one to hack. The one and only time I tried hacking him, to give him a bit of 'time out' he completely freaked that his legs were getting wet from plants, flipped out and I was on the floor! Never again! He didn’t like it, I didn’t like it, so there is no point! He’s a bit of a wimp when it comes to going outside, he likes his boundaries, and likes to feel safe! So his little field makes him happy! But they are all different. Reece is completely the opposite. He’s too brave and likes to investigate! It’s just about finding what is right for each individual horse!

Angela is coming over later to help me with Reece and Touchy again. So we are getting ready for Touchy's second lesson of the year! I can’t wait to take him out competing again, although if we do take Noki and Touchy, it will be like little and large.... real extremes. But I love them all!!

Monday 7th September 2009 - Well it’s been a long week of still trying to recover from Norway, and I think I’ve just about kicked off the chest infection. Last Thursday Angela came over to help me with Reece and to see Touchy for the first time in a year. The last time she saw him was at the Nationals '08. Sitting here now and looking back, this past year of Touchy developing his keratoma, followed by his operation and then his recovery (which seemed like forever at the time) has gone so quickly. It just proves that when something goes wrong, if you keep working hard enough you can turn it around.

Anyway, Touchy was fab' in his lesson and he’s practically back to full fitness. We worked a lot on getting him to let go, and let me in so that the movements were mine and not his. Because he finds things so easy, he tends to hold himself so everything looks and feels quite nice. But digging that bit deeper, and getting him to allow me to help him, everything is a lot more correct and he is more on my aids. So we are looking at some local competitions that he can go to before we think about internationals and selection for next year.

Now we are looking forward to the Nationals where Reece will be doing the Para class on the 18th September. Then unfortunately it will be back to uni', and this year it starts to count towards my degree, so I’ll have to prepare for a lot of hard work!

Sunday 30th August 2009 - AMAZING is all I can say about being at Windsor for the Kur last night. I was a score sheet collector so I saw all 15 horses and riders up close! Laura even halted right in front of me while I was waiting for my judge’s sheet from the previous rider. It was slightly exciting – I was in touching distance! The atmosphere really was electric, with the support for the British riders in particular. To have three Brits in the Kur was such an achievement, and I’m sure topped off a fantastic week for British Dressage. Team Silver and Laura’s Individual Bronze with the marks they all achieved is phenomenal. And to be given the chance to experience it all so close up, I just couldn’t say no!!

Totilas really was the highlight of the night for me. He was well and truly magical, the power and expression but all with such harmony just left us speechless. And to be there when he achieved the record breaking score!! It was a fab' evening and all the Brits did us proud. There was such a huge amount of support! The Dutch even had a line of people spelling T-O-T-I-L-A-S which was such a good idea. The other two runners (Jessica Dunn and Emily Cousins) and I decided next time we will be there with t-shirts spelling A-L-F!! Quite fitting as there were three of us. Congratulations to all involved!! It was well worth driving home through the night and not getting back until 3am, then only having two hours sleep before getting up to ride this morning!

Thursday 27th August 2009 - Well I've spent the past couple of days trying to fight off a chest infection. It’s not nice, Angela had it while we were in Norway and still has it, so it’s not easy to shift. I went to her yard yesterday to ride her boys, and just missed the rain thankfully. But I had to do something, I’m not good at sitting still!

Reece seems to have benefited from his two weeks off and has come back well, as has Touchy. I think he has heard that Noki did well in Norway and has raised his game. We have to sit down and look at his training and competition plan now. Reece will go to the Nationals in September, but we have nothing else booked in so far. I go back to Uni' in a month, the summer certainly has gone quickly! Now we focus on getting better and planning for next year... How can we focus on next year when it's only August!?

Sunday 23rd August 2009 - Sunday was the last day of competition... Freestyle day! We did our sound check last night, and asked if the speakers could be moved back because they were quite imposing on the arena, thankfully they realised it and oblilged. I was on early again, and we decided that I should use the double bridle today. The judges have seemed to prefer him in the snaffle, but by day three Noki tends to get a bit strong and excited in the music and I need a bit of help, though because of the work we have done, his neck doesn’t look tense and I can control the length so much better now.

He was a bit of a challenge to warm up, but I just had to trust what we had done at home, and not panic that it was 10 minutes before the test and I didn’t feel ready! I was called in and there was nothing more I could do, except hope that I had enough there to work with and our preparation would sufficient. The music started and Noki’s ears pricked forward. He knew what to do. I felt I let him down a bit, as I didn’t ride him as much as normal because he had been awkward. I just tried to nurse him through the test and not take any risks. The surface had been rolled and rode quite fast, so I was ahead of my music. In the canter I put in another 10m circle, one of compulsories anyway, and finished with my line of three-time tempi changes down the centre line - praying that the music would soon stop! Just one small mistake, but I halted to the end of the music and was so pleased I had got through it, and did the best I felt I could although I knew it wouldn’t be enough today. I was disappointed in myself for not riding him more and I felt he didn’t have his usual ping and expression.

I headed back to the stables after cooling him off, kicking myself. Angela knew I was disappointed without me saying anything, and she knew why. That’s when someone really knows you! I got off and Mum started washing Noki. Angela told me to smile and we went to find out the damage. 75.8%!! No way... I couldn’t believe it. Not only the score, but what could we have got if we had done our best?! We watched the last rider, Michelle from Belgium, who has been second every day. Her test had quite a few mistakes but it was still the worst wait ever. Was I going to make it three golds? Yes!! I had won by 3% over Ann Kathrin from Norway. I think I was shaking by this point. Something like this doesn’t sink in easily!

We had the prize giving and I went to do my final lap of honour. All week people had been saying, can you do something fancy, please?? I had resisted the temptation but seeing as it was my last one, we pulled off a line off one tempis, he felt so good and to do it to the cheering of all the supporters was an amazing feeling – again!

Back to the stables and we put Noki to bed for a well deserved rest. Emma Sheardown wanted me to be there when she got on her horse, Ed, so she could touch all the gold medals to bring her luck. She then went on to win a gold medal ahead of the ever-so-successful Sophie Christiansen! Emma really rode the test of her life. She has also been on the Development Squad for five years, so for us both to come out and win golds, the 'newbies' on the team, was amazing - and to do it together. Everyone has been so supportive, a real team atmosphere. When we found out Emma's score, all of the British camp leapt up and screamed really loud. We shot round the corner to tell Emma and she burst into tears. It was such a lovely moment, they really hadn’t expected to be able to beat Sophie at all, and it's really given them the motivation that it's possible.

After all the riders had done their tests and Emma was getting ready for her prize giving, I got a frantic phone call to say I had won the best U21 rider and I needed to be in the arena on Noki in 10 minutes. I was changed, Noki was unplaited and in bed!!! Not possible! But we like a challenge - Mum plaited, Angela bandaged and I helped her tack up once I was changed. 15 minutes later and I was on, and we got another phone call to say not to rush, we still have another 15 minutes... we just had to laugh and get out to the arena. Typical! I won the IF Youth Challenge (it’s the Year of Youth) presented to the best placed under 21 rider of the competition. Wow! I was walking back to the stables and I heard on the loudspeakers, "If Sophie Wells would like to make her way back into the arena, she has won another award." I thought they were joking. I had won Leading Young Rider of the Competition too. Another chance for a lap of honour, and Noki decided that the moment I waved to almost stop, so I kicked him and he shot into, lets say, a very forward canter... it made people laugh though!

I wouldn’t have been able to do get this far without my family’s support. And also the support from David Hamer and Vikki Underwood who were in charge of World Class Development when I first started. David kick started my career by talent spotting me in the first place. The support of UK Sport, lottery funding, TASS 2012, and World Class have pushed and helped me every step of the way, and made my dream possible. Together with sponsorhip, my preparation was everything I needed in the run up to the Championships. Also, thanks to my owners, Jackie and Neil Walker for allowing me to ride Noki, and being so supportive and fitting so well into Team GB throughout. And finally, but by no means least, Angela. She is the best trainer and coach I could ever ask for, I wouldn’t be here without her, and my medals are as much hers as they are mine. Taking on a new ride so close to selection and the Championships really is a big ask. But Angela made the process smooth. We have worked very closely in the past year, especially as I have been riding her horses (while she was out of action with a broken leg) and it’s made us even stronger. I knew I could cope with anything that was thrown at me if I had Angela, and we did it... together, three gold medals. European triple gold medallists!

Saturday 22nd August 2009 - It's Saturday - the Individual Championship day, and although it’s individual it still counts towards the team result, so two medals were at stake today. Although I didn’t think about that.

I was on early, second of the Brits and it's good to get it out of the way to avoid distractions and getting tired later in the day. Angela and I did our usual preparation before I got on, and kept everything that same as yesterday. Noki felt better today, still as happy, but more supple from the start. We pushed for more collection, more suppleness, more of everything that I need in my test so that the test is easier than the work we were doing in the warm up. This works well for him. I went in to the arena, Angela stood in the same place, so I can see her, not for anything else except she gives me confidence. When I’m riding my test it is only Angela I can see. None of the spectators and rarely the judges, I don’t hear the music, or see any of the distractions going on around. Just Noki, Angela and myself.

I pushed for more in this test, we had a better idea of the competition and we knew a medal was possible. It was just keeping focused and doing what we do every day at home. I halted and saluted at the end of my test and just heard all the British supporters cheering and waving their flags. I was so glad it was over, and I had done it. I didn’t know anything about a score, but there was an electronic board that the supporters could see throughout my test. 72%!! I came out and did the usual cool down. I was just in a bit of shock. There were the top four from yesterday still to go, so I stood watching them with Angela and a few others. There was a very nerve wracking bit where the Danish rider, Henrik, was in the lead in the trot work... but quite a few mistakes in the canter brought his score down and he finished in 3rd place. Watching the scores go up was more nerve wracking than the actual test! At least when my bum is in the saddle in that arena, I know I have some control over my performance, hoping the judges and horse are on your side, but with everyone else, there is no control. It’s just about sitting tight.

When they announced I had won, I jumped off Noki and Angela gave me the biggest hug. We had done it! The first gold medal for Great Britain at Grade IV since the introduction of own horses. (Previously international Para Dressage was on loaned horses.) It’s a bit surreal. You see it happen to other people, and you dream it will one day happen for you, but it actually has. All the hard work, hours of training in the pouring rain, blood, sweat and tears have paid off and everything seems worthwhile now. It’s what everyone works towards. It’s an incredible feeling, made all the more special as I could share it with Angela, my Mum and my friends that have been with me through the good and bad times over the years.

The rest of the day went on, and the medals came in. Lee won gold in the 1b (of course!), Sophie gold in the 1a, Emma Sheardown silver in the 1a, Simon Bronze in the Grade III and Jo came 5th in the Grade II. Jo’s achievement was so good considering she was eliminated yesterday when her horse got scared by the trotters (who were training in the massive stadium arena nearby) and bolted out of the arena, clearing the boards easily. Jo did so well to stay on and manage to turn him before he went straight through someone else’s test next door. Her horse is only 7, and was genuinely scared, but it took a lot to get both of them back in the arena and confident to pull off a good test. A medal will definitely be achievable as he matures and gets more life experience to cope with the things that happen at big competitions. Noki was taken off to be dope tested, and had to stand in a stable for an hour waiting for him to wee, but he refused, stage fright maybe? So they had to take more blood.

It was a tense wait and a lot of self calculating by British management, to see if we had got the team gold, but thankfully, although pushed all the way by an ever improving German team, GB were going to take team gold home once again. Gold number two of the day!!

There was a Riders' Dinner at the Trotting track in the evening where there were many presentations including the team medals. We didn’t have to be in kit, but I decided to wear my Union Jack t-shirt, quite fitting for the occasion! Getting my second medal of the day was a bit like a dream. I thought someone would pinch me and I would wake up and look at someone else getting it. To be stood in the team of Lee, Sophie Christienson and Simon, all so successful and inspirational in their own right, was amazing.

Friday 21st August 2009 - It's the first day of competition and it feels like it has taken quite a while to get to this stage! I was on last, but I didn’t necessarily feel the pressure that everyone was talking about, because I put quite a lot of pressure on myself anyway, in that I want to do the best test I can, whether I am on the team or not.

Lee, Simon and Sophie had all got solid 70%+ scores so I just had to do the best I could. Noki warmed up really well, and I felt I could push for the higher marks more and more. I came out and felt OK about the test. There were a few mistakes like in the left shoulder in, which I was kicking myself about but no major mistakes. I knew the current World Champion, Ann Kathrin Lubbe and Zanko, had been earlier in the day. Some of the horsepower is so good so I really had no expectations, and I didn’t think my test with a few mistakes could win. I came out of the arena and cooled Noki off then stood talking to Angela and some of the guys. The others came to tell me that I had got 71.7%, quite a good score, but I could imagine four or five others getting higher. I asked what Zanko had got and everyone looked at me... 67%, you have won!!! No way! It was crazy. A quick brush off and bandages on before the prize giving. It’s an amazing feeling when you stand to your country's national anthem and see your flag going up!

Thursday 20th August 2009 - Trot up day. I had to train in the morning with the rest of the Brits, but I had Angela there helping, which was fantastic as she really knows me inside out now, and we have a great relationship. She knows how to get the best out of Noki and me. Noki was still lively today, so we knew he was on happy pills, loving life and all the attention he was getting. Will Connell, the boss of all British Equestrian team, arrived this morning and watched us all train before the trot up. Noki was feisty, but that gave us something to work with, I trust Angela and we worked through it well.

He felt fab' at the end and managed to produce some great one time tempi changes and passage - if we can get that then we know we have done everything right. A quick wash down and we tried to blow him dry as the trot up was running early. Thankfully the British horses passed with no problems, and everyone could get back to organising the stables. The Princess of Norway was visiting in the afternoon, so the stables had to be spotless, and the British flags were flying high from the ceiling and on any available space!

We all went back to the hotel to get ready for the Opening Ceremony. When we got back at the venue, Noki’s owners, Jackie and Neil Walker, had arrived just in time, but as everyone gathered to meet the Princess, the heavens opened and there was a massive downpour. I’ve not seen anything like it since the World Champs' in '07! For about half an hour the rain poured from the sky and didn’t look like it would stop. The poor Princess stood on stage with people trying to shelter her with umbrellas from the unstoppable wind and rain! All the nations squeezed into the food tent where it was almost dry. A big thunder storm followed, which was a bit scary as it was so close! But it’s strange how it passed so quickly and the sun came out. That’s one thing about Norway, the weather seemed to change so quickly, one minute we would need our big rain coats and the next t-shirts and sunglasses!

In the evening we had a team meeting where the team was announced. There were three riders that were certain to be on it, but the fourth place was open to the other three of us. Lee Pearson, Sophie Christiansen and Simon Laurens were on the team, and then me! I couldn’t believe it really, not only was it my first major championship, but I had been put on the team.

Wednesday 19th August 2009 - Britain had only been given an hour and a half in the competition arena, which meant all six horses had to be in there at once. Usually not a problem, but we have the most disabled, 1a riders and the least disabled Grade III and IVs, I need to do a lot of forward canter work in the beginning and it's not fair on the 1a riders who only walk, to have me spinning around them getting in their way! So I worked Noki in there for enough time that he was familiarised but then took him into the warm up arena to really get stuck in with the work. I did a lot of suppling work today because he needed it, and I wanted to leave the more advanced work for tomorrow, because although he felt very energetic, it's a fine line with horses between whether it’s just their head that wants to do the work, and whether their body is up to it after such a long journey.

After our training we went back to the hotel to amuse ourselves for the afternoon. We had no transport, so had to find something to do in the hotel. It wasn’t long before we found the children's play area, where we found the best toys ever!!! Toy zebras!! There were a range of sizes and you sat on them and did rising trot which made them move. Simon and I soon turned it into a race... We had brilliant fun, and even Angela joined in. There was a good mix of riders and support staff bonding! That soon turned into strip catch... thankfully the girls had plenty of layers and jewellery that we decided counted! Simon was not so lucky and ended up with not much more than a aligator costume on. I have pictures, but I'm sure he wouldn’t thank me!

A few more silly games later, and we had had a cracking day. We were all laughed out and went back to the stables to sort the horses out again and have some dinner. The food was a little strange, for our first meal we couldn’t quite identify what it was, and I was wary anyway because I had been told before going that they eat foal and reindeer. And on the side was something that looked a bit like a popodom, but tasted like cork... we weren't sure whether we were supposed to eat it or put our plates on it... we had to go in with an open mind.

Tuesday 18th August 2009 - Today we left for the Europeans in Norway!! It was a 5.30am to meet Angela on the way so we could go to the airport together. Most of our kit had already gone with the horses, and it was just the usual rush around the house and stables to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything. Noki arrived in Norway last night about midnight, and is now settled in his new Norwegian home for the next week. I couldn’t wait to see him – it’s strange leaving your horse in the hands of others for four days! I had to keep myself busy with riding the other horses and teaching to keep my mind off it!

We arrived at Stansted in plenty of time and met up with the rest of the team. We checked in and had time for breakfast before we had to board. It was a strange excited feeling to be actually going. It’s been such a long build up, and it’s hard to believe it will actually happen, but once we were sat on the plane...we were going...to the Europeans!! My first major international as a potential medallist. I hadn’t thought about medals yet, or the competition out there, as Angela had worked hard on getting me to focus on just me and Noki and doing the best we could. A short one hour and 40 minute flight, on a small plane to Torpe-Oslo, found us on a coach on our way to Kristiansand, a not so short four hours away! 'I Spy' had got quite boring on the flight, I think my socks one was the best to get everyone stumped. However we had a massive coach for just 13 of us, so there was plenty of space! We were the ‘naughty’ ones that sat at the back. Simon Laurens, Grade III, kept us thoroughly entertained when I gave him my ipod and he produced a beautiful rendition of 'Never gonna give you up', by Rik Astley. Along with a bit of dancing.


The scenery really is beautiful out there, all we saw was trees, water and quite a few tunnels as we went through the mountains. We finally got to the hotel at 7pm and found all our bags outside our rooms. We had a quick unpack and shot down to see the horses. The hotel was just down a small gradient from the venue, a bit too long to walk if you had mobility problems, but it was a nice walk if you had plenty of time. I kept getting told off when I attempted to walk to the venue, and was instructed to use the shuttle buses. Our physio' can be quite strict! Although she did have a point, and didn’t want any extra work trying to fix me every day!

We got to the stables and Noki was one of the first on the row of the Brits, perky as ever, looking sooo happy, and not at all tired, I wondered why?! Four days of travelling and he looked brighter than ever! I could tell I would have a job of sorting him out tomorrow as he had also had four days off! Once the horses were put to bed we headed back to the hotel for a team meeting led by squad manager and Chef d’Equipe David Hunter. We were given meal tickets, accreditation, and all the information about the next few days, and also training times for the following day. A quick drink and we headed to bed as we had a reasonably early morning.

Saturday 15th August 2009 - Well the horses will get to Germany today. We took Noki down to the Arrow centre in Kent yesterday to start his trip to Norway. I can’t believe the Euros' are here. It took a lot of planning, list making, double checking, triple checking, and not a lot of sleep the past couple of nights and days to get everything sorted. He had to have enough feed and haylage for two weeks away, which is a hell of a lot for a 17.2hh horse!! Everything had to be labelled and organised and accessible for the guys that are travelling with the horses. As we left home yesterday I had a little bit of an "eeek" of excitement as it's actually happening now. But it was weird when I had to come home and leave Noki! Our trip doesn’t start until Tuesday, although we had to pack our cases to go with the horses, so I have no clothes for the next few days... and I had to keep bits of my riding gear here so I can ride the others over the weekend. So I’m not sure how the airport will react to my training hat being in my hand luggage... it’s either that or I wear it through the airport??

It’s amazing how much stuff everybody had - I didn’t think Noki and his trunks, feed, haylage and so on would even fit in our lorry! All six horses will go in the lorry and all the kit in the trailer behind. And I was amazed how it all went in – it was like Mary Poppins' hand bag! But then again, Mark is an expert! I’m going to keep busy over the weekend, and I know that 5am on Tuesday will come around quickly.

Wednesday 12th August 2009 - Reece had his Regionals today at Fry's. He was in the Medium and Advanced Medium classes, although it's only his fourth and second tests respectively at those levels, so I just wanted to go out and get him some ring experience. Thankfully the rain stopped as we left home and stayed away all day, although it left very muggy weather behind. It wasn’t nice.

Reece warmed up quite well but we walked down the long track to the arena and had to wait for the person before to finish. It’s not ideal for any horse, especially one like Reece who can easily drop me. He went in, and dropped me a little, but the test started and the first movement of canter – halt was good, but it went downhill from there. He kept trying to stop after every movement, I don’t know if he needed a wee because it’s not like Reece to do that, even when he drops me. Then when we had to do the walk to canter he went sideways in walk like a crab, and half way down the longside when we were supposed to be doing medium canter. This obviously dropped me a huge amount of marks from the three judges. I tried to cover up the rest of the test as well as I could, but came out disappointed that it wasn’t in his nature to do this. We took him back to the lorry and tried to get him to have a wee, but he wouldn’t.

An hour later I got on him for the second time to warm up for the Advanced Medium. I pushed him a bit more for this one to try and get any problems out of the way, but he accepted me quite well considering. He usually puts up a hell of a fight and can buck rather well! I felt the Advanced Medium went better, he coped well with the 8m circles and his lateral work was good. There are four medium trots in the test we were doing and that is his weakness, so I know they would have dropped me a couple of marks from each judge, four times, which ends up losing us about 20 marks even before he does anything wrong! Bless him, the medium trot is coming on but he needs more strength behind still.

The walk pirouettes were good, we have been working a lot on them with Angela because he tends to be quite lazy with the left hind and step sideways with it instead of up and forward. He anticipated a lot in the changes, and the serpentine is quite hard to fit in because he has a big canter and big changes and is still green in a test situation. But we covered it up well, and he came out with 63% in the Medium and 65% in the Advanced Medium. It’s reassuring that in the Medium, the third rider who qualified to the Nationals went through on 67%, which is definitely achievable without the mistakes. So we put it down to experience, and Reece will have a couple of weeks off now, with a bit of hacking before I go away to the Europeans. I’ll then pick him up for the Nationals where he will be competing in the Para class. I got home in plenty of time to ride Noki and he went really well. Angela has been a couple of times this week which has been great.

Wednesday 5th August 2009 - Yesterday Angela came over to have a look at how Reece and Noki were going. We are preparing Reece for the Regionals next week, and Noki obviously for the Europeans. Reece went well and we went through the Medium test he has to do at the Regionals. It’s not the nicest of tests as it is very busy, but he copes well with the lateral work, so hopefully he will be OK. He is still very green at these levels, but it’s good for his experience.

In the Advanced Medium there is a 5 loop serpentine in canter with a flying change each time across the centre line. Angela made us do a 10 loop serpentine with simple changes at first - it sounded ridiculously hard but I took the challenge, and the small loops really made him sit which is very good preparation for the canter pirouettes. Then Angela said we could do the 5 loops with flying changes, I sarcastically said, "oh not a 10 loop serpentine then??!" and Angela replied with "oh yes actually 10 loops" – talk about making life harder for myself! I should know by now not to put ideas into her head! Anyway it turns out it was a great exercise for him, although by doing a 5 loop afterwards, the loops felt huge!

Anyway today I got absolutely soaked whilst riding this morning, and now I have the dreaded paper work to do and lots of phone calls to make. I always try and put it all off!

Thursday 30th July 2009 - Because of the comments yesterday, my trainer Angela and I decided to tone things down a bit, and present the test more in a riding situation. Hanneka was pleased we took her comments on board, but she would have liked a bit more power and expression today... we have to find the line in between. I got 8’s where I got 6 and 7’s yesterday and 6 and 7’s where I got 8’s yesterday! She said if I could get the balance of the two I could get 8’s most of the way down. So she was still very positive. We had different meetings the rest of the day and the kit was handed out. Soon after lunch we packed up and left as everything had finished.

Wednesday 29th July 2009 - Well we have all just about recovered from last week. It's back to everyday life now, and I have already been over to Angela’s yesterday to ride her horses. I also had the young horse I’ve been riding, Zanti, come to stay for some intensive training. I rode him last night and I have to say he really surprises me as he finds everything so easy. He still has issues with his contact as he’s not secure into it yet, but his general movement and way of going really is lovely. He would have been an exciting prospect if I could have kept the ride on him. But I’m looking forward to seeing him progress even in the next couple of weeks. We have a week of training at home, and then we have European squad training on the 29th and 30th of July at Stow on the Wold, where I will take Noki. Other than that, Angela will be over each week hopefully to keep up with Noki’s training for Norway, and Reece’s training for the Regionals just a couple of days before we leave. Touchy is also doing well in his training and will hopefully be raring to go for next year. I can already tell he’s quite jealous of the others going out to parties and leaving him behind.

Apart from riding and competing, I haven’t had time for much else, except I did go to see Harry Potter at the cinema on Sunday for a friend's birthday (we are getting quite outrageous in our old age), although I didn’t think it was as good as the others, but was definitely worth seeing on a rare afternoon off.

Tuesday 21st July 2009 - Wow this year has gone so fast. The summer is nearly over... but have we even had a summer?? I don’t think one week counts! We came to Stow for squad training last night as Noki and some of the other team horses were having a gastroscopy this morning, therefore had to be starved overnight. Again I have been rubbish at getting a photo, a perfect opportunity missed!! Noki's gastroscopy went well and he has no stomach ulcers, which is good news.

Later in the day Hanneka Gerristen, a judge from Holland, and also one of the judges that will be in Norway for the Europeans, arrived to do some test riding and give feedback on our tests as well as the new 2010 tests that will come out soon. I got to write for Hanneka for some of the other riders, which was really good to see where she was coming from. She was being quite hard, but it will give us a kick up the bum in the weeks running up to Norway.

By the time I was supposed to warm up, it was chucking it down with rain outside where the warm up was. Simon Laurens, Grade III, kindly said I could warm up inside at the end of the arena while he did his test. At least we were dry, but it was not ideal. Noki needs quite a lot of space to warm up, which we didn’t have, and he put up quite a fight. To make matter worse, my legs were having a bit of a bad day and I had lost quite a lot of power. So I had to use two whips and put my whole hand through each loop to be able to manage the reins and whips. A pain in the bum really!!

Anyway we got through it, but it was not the best first impression for the judge or for Horse Hero who were there to film the squad training! Noki still hadn’t given in by the time we had to do our test, and there was a lot of power to control, so I rode it more like a training test. Hanneka wanted it toned down a bit, and me to take more care in the circles especially. It was good to get her opinion.

Friday 17th July 2009 - A bit of 'deja vu' today - the Grade IV test was last again and Reece was In first again, but after a long wait all day my legs had got worse and were quite painful after four days of walking around Hartpury. However our team physio', Helen, had been great all week, and kept on top of them as much as possible. I don’t particularly like Reece’s new music, it’s very comical, and although in his personality he’s a comical sort of horse, it’s not really something we want to portray in his music! But because of time we tried it out to see what the judges thought. It was a mixed bag on comments, and I think we will change it for his next one. However the test went quite well and we pulled off our line of four tempi changes, his first time in a test! He was a little bit worried and tense in the test about where the music was coming from, because there were speakers in the roof and it wasn’t a consistent volume as we went up and down the arena. But all in all he coped very well. We came out of the arena and were met by a lady who was there to take Reece to be drug tested. Brilliant, not! So a quick swap of horses with Mum, and I got on Noki while Reece was taken to a stable to try to get him to wee. I tried to keep my concentration on Noki as much as possible but it was quite hard! We went for the same power we had yesterday, pushing the boundaries a bit. He was ready to go so we went in - he does feel amazing when he’s really working behind, and he’s so big and impressive with a little person on top!

The music started and he knows what to do as it really does give him the edge, so my job was just trying to control the power and energy and channel it in the right direction. I have quite a difficult floor plan as it’s the same as my Young Rider/PSG music. It all came off except the tempi changes. I had a mistake at the end, so my spare centre line at the end, I filled with the three tempi changes - hard going straight towards the judge at C and when the music is about to finish, but I wanted to show we can do them. Thankfully they came off, but it was such hard work, riding every single stride to make sure there was no chance of a mistake. We finished and it was great to hear the applause at the end, because everyone seemed to enjoy what we did!

I was a bit disappointed because there were a few errorrs, and even though the movements are not compulsory in the Para test, sometimes I treat it as if they are, like in the Young Rider Kur. I heard that Reece was in the lead with 72.192%, a big score to beat. I was thrilled he had got it, but knew Noki had to beat it. The score was announced... 77.268%!! A massive score! I couldn’t believe it really. We had put everything into it, but it still took a while for it to sink in. I had to stay on Noki as the prize giving was straight after. GB had won the team competition by a massive 554 points ahead of the Irish. Noki was part of the team and got the highest scores, which I was really pleased with as Grade IVs don’t usually achieve that. I won the overall Grade IV champion on Noki, as well as best Under 21 in the Grade IV. We won a TV and a sat nav! Amazing prizes and thanks go to all the sponsors of the para classes at Hartpury!!

I must also say thanks to my trainer Angela Weiss, who was also there as Development Squad coach, so she had seven riders to help every day, and even with her broken leg and having to hop up and down the big hill, she was amazing. I really couldn’t do it without her.

We got home from Hartpury at 1am, put the ponies to bed and headed off to bed ourselves. It’s amazing how much five days at this sort of competition takes it out of you. It was all worth it in the end though with fantastic results from both boys. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Thursday 16th July 2009 - The Grade IVs were last on today. Reece was first in the class, and I went for a bit more power than yesterday, although with the power we lost a bit of balance. It’s trying to find the compromise, which is hard when he is developing all the time. But he came out with 70.108%, a fantastic score for a Medium test. Noki was last in the class, but there was no break between getting off Reece and onto him. I really went for the power with Noki today and pushed him further than I have before and he produced some amazing extended trots in the warm up. But then I had to keep it for the test!

I was determined I was going to push him the same in the test and I did, most of the time. Although I must admit I didn’t always feel in control. In tests like that, you don’t know which way the judges will go. But they loved it, he got a massive 73.333% and one judge had him on 75%! So Noki won again with Reece second, and not that far away from Noki! Let's see what happens in the Freestyle to Music tomorrow!

Wednesday 15th July 2009 - Today was a nice early start as the Grade IVs were the first class of the day. I was warming up soon after 8am and finished by 10. I like going first because it gets everything out of the way and you can enjoy watching and supporting the others. Noki was first on and he warmed up pretty well. I was quite pleased with his test - there are always areas for improvement but the test was safe which is a good start. I had to get straight off Noki and onto Reece, which is a good swap as my legs have time to recover because Reece is a bit skinnier. It was another safe test with Reece - it’s hard to know on the first day how the judges are marking, so I just went for what I know in order to give the horses a good experience in the arena. Tomorrow I will go for more!

Noki came out with 71.310% and Reece got 69.405%. We were placed first and second in the Grade IVs with third place scoring 60.119%. I was really chuffed with Reece as he’s changed so much since Belgium, and is now in a double bridle which he goes better in and the judges like him in it too.

The rest of the day I went to sit with Chris Porterfield who was taking a judges' course, and invited some of the riders to listen in and contribute from a rider's point of view. I learnt so much from it last year that I had no hesitation when I was asked again. What it does show too, is what a hard job judges really have, to give a mark in a split second, and it determines so much, especially at this level.

Tuesday 14th July 2009 - After quite a slow start to the morning more people arrived and it got a bit busier. Rod Fisher, the team vet, came at 10am to check all the European horses and any others from the squad that people wanted seeing to. He saw both Noki and Reece, they were both fine, and a little lazy, but it’s good for Reece to get into the routine of having to trot in a straight line, without biting me, or running on top of me, or leaping in the air. All of which were very common only six months ago.

Angela arrived and we started training. We did Reece first and took him down to the big Hartpury International Arena. He had seen it before at the Winters, but I still wanted him to work in there as you can never be too sure. We really put him through his paces today, and pushed for the higher level work even though he would only be competing at Advanced. He produced a lovely line of two tempis down the long side, something he finds really easy, but he gets so excited in them, as the changes get bigger and bigger, that I just have to try and contain him, whereas most horses you have to push to get the changes bigger. He’s a funny bean!

We started Noki's training in the international arena and then we moved to the warm up arenas to continue his work. He’s been fighting me quite a bit at home, so we pushed him through those barriers and he really started swinging and working. He finds suppleness and being gymnastic quite difficult, so it takes a lot of effort to get to that point, but when we have it he becomes so much more expressive in his work that's it’s definitely worth it.

We got back to the stables and Mum had already plaited Reece up for me. Noki doesn’t take long to plait and he cooled and dried off whilst Mum got him sorted and then I took him to walk around ready for the trot up. He’s a bit lazy so I had to carry a whip just for a bit of encouragement, and even though we can’t use it in the actual trot up, he knows what it’s for when I carry it. The trouble is that I then have to try and keep up with him, and my legs are a lot shorter than his! Both Noki and Reece passed the trot up, although by the time it was Reece’s turn, Mark, our transporter, had to trot him up, as I was a bit lame because my legs can’t always cope with the walking and running at the moment.

Monday 13th July 2009 - I had a busy day yesterday. I had to get my horses ridden, teach a couple of lessons and then get the lorry packed ready for us to set off to Hartpury. I think I’ll have to get a list together for what each horse needs so we don’t forget anything, otherwise we go through what we have packed about four times to make sure we have everything.

We set off for Hartpury at lunch time. I had Noki and Reece on board, as the selectors wanted to see them both competing. It’s nice to have them both at the same competition, although it’s hard work, especially as they are in the same class, and usually very close together. We got to Hartpury for 5pm, to miss the rush hour, and the vet was there to meet us to check the horses as they came off the lorry. Because it’s an international competition, the stables are all fenced off and security is quite tight. The horses soon settled, they are getting used to moving around and settling in to new surroundings, which is a massive step for Reece, but Noki has taught him a lot and given him confidence.

As I had ridden them this morning at home, I just had to sort out riding times for the Tuesday before the trot up. But that was a big enough task in itself! Trying to combine having a practice ride on two horses in both the warm up arenas and the competition arena, in the afternoon when Angela could get there, but before the arenas closed for the trot up was a nightmare. Anyway, it all got sorted so we headed to the bar for a couple of drinks, it was nice to have one night before the competition started to just socialise, because once the competition has started there isn’t much time for it.

Wednesday 1st July 2009 - The British team for the Para Equestrian European Championships was announced today. And I am thrilled to say I am part of it, alongside Lee Pearson, Sophie Christianson, Simon Laurens, Jo Pitt and Emma Sheardown. I'm excited, yet I know I must just take one day at a time. But it's great news, especially after last year's events. Our next competition is Hartpury International, we will be there two weeks today, and both Noki and Reece are going.

Touchy has new shoes after a visit from the farrier today, and you can't tell there was a hole in his foot now. I'm just waiting for his heel to spread a bit, but hopefully that will come with work and weight bearing. However, he does look a bit like ET after a punch up, as he seems to have had an insect bite near his eye and it's so swollen he can barely open it. But we have cleaned it and we're getting a potion from the vet to put in it to hopefully clear it up.

Thursday 25th June 2009 - Grade IVs were once again the last of the Para selection trials at Hickstead today. But it was not such a long wait as yesterday as 11.45am was my first time. Again Noki went well. I was so determined to prove what I could do, and that Grade IVs are still able to get the scores that the lower grades can get.

A quick change and a drink, having a jacket on for a couple of hours in the middle of the day when it's warm isn’t the most fun. Reece again went OK but is still not proving what he can really produce. He can get near the 70% mark in a Medium test, he’s shown that. So it’s a bit gutting that we couldn’t show it here. The results came out and we had again achieved a 1-2 in the Grade IV class, and the second highest rider of the day! The averages over both days showed that Noki got the second highest, which is great and I couldn’t be more pleased with him.

Later in the day Noki and I were on for the Young Rider Final Selection Trial. It was the Team test - we can’t be selected this year, but we still need the experience at this level and to see where we are in the scheme of things. He felt a bit tired by the time we went in and then he dropped me, but it didn’t go too badly until we came to the changes where we messed up the 4s so I gave him a bit of a reminder to listen to me on the short side. We came round the corner and he probably over reacted to my reminder, and did three one tempi changes where we were supposed to do three tempis! So that was a lot of marks lost from two judges! Still one judge had me only five marks behind the leader, which almost makes it even more frustrating - to still come second having had such big mistakes.

We decided not to stay for tomorrow’s test. Noki had done three tests in the heat, and I didn’t want to ask any more of him. We got home at 1am and put the horses to bed. Three really long days, so I’m glad to be back! We just have to wait for THE phone call from the selectors now!

Wednesday 24th June 2009 - We were not on until late today, 6.10 and 6.45pm - which gave me 25 minutes to warm up the second horse! I decided to put Noki first because he needs longer to warm up, and I rode them both early in the day as well to break things up a bit. (And to have any battles with Reece that he was possibly going to throw at me.)

The Grade IV tests were the last in the day. I watched the Grade IIs as they were first, but it probably wasn’t the best thing I could have done with hindsight. Combinations that usually get 70%+ nationally were getting 60% so it did panic me a bit as to what the judges were looking for. Both were foreign, one from Germany and one from Belgium and both will be judging at the Europeans in August.

It had been really hot all day. By the time it was my turn to ride, I was quite tired. But the adrenaline was there and I tried to make the nerves work for me. I knew I had a great support team and with Angela being there, it gave me a boost. Noki warmed up well, we had had a few fights last week so I was relieved we had worked through it. I went in to do the test and tried to put the judges out of my mind. I just had to do what we have been doing throughout the year. So that’s what we did. I was pleased with it, but there were still areas such as his medium trot (which usually get 8s or 9s) which didn't go so well in the team test. We'd have to nail it tomorrow!

I had to trot down the path leading to the arena to get back to the warm up and jump off Noki and onto Reece, who had been walked around by our transporter Mark Perry, who goes everywhere with the British Paralympic team. Mark is a massive help and support to everyone, and I really appreciated his help today. He took Noki off me and went to walk him around while he cooled off. Now for the quickest warm up in history!! If I’d have known I would only get 25 minutes between the tests, I would not have entered Reece. He was there for experience, and thankfully, even though he didn’t get the best warm up, which meant we couldn’t produce our best work in the arena, he still came 2nd behind Noki. A good 1-2 on the first day of the Para Final Selection for the Europeans. It was late by the time they were put to bed and we had eaten, so I had to get as much sleep as I could.

Tuesday 23rd June 2009 - The time has arrived for us to pack up and travel down to Hickstead. Two horses for four days to do six tests and two final selection trials! I forgot how long it takes to get everything organised and into the lorry, whilst trying to write everything down to keep it all running at home as we have a new girl starting today, to help with the horses while we are away.

We were supposed to leave at 9am, but Reece had other ideas. Noki was all ready to go, but when I went into Reece’s stable he decided he didn’t want to be caught, and had a right tantrum. This included backing me into a corner and threatening to kick, until I screamed at him, causing him to shoot to the other corner of the stable. He’s such a bugger sometimes, you can’t always read him. It took 45 minutes to catch him in the end. He gets so jealous when others come first!

By the time we got there and the horses were settled, most of the other Para riders had arrived. The arenas were not ready until 7pm, so we were riding pretty late! But both boys went really well and also Angela came down tonight to help me, so it was really good preparation and a confidence boost for tomorrow.

Monday 15th June 2009 - Chris Porterfield is came over this afternoon for test riding. But for this morning, it was all paper work! This afternoon I had a lesson on both Noki and Reece to get as much advice for both running up to final selection. Now – only a week away!!! Chris loved Reece, and gave us some really useful tips on the tests we have to do. She was very pleased with how his carriage has improved. Noki didn’t go so well, we didn’t get to warm up as much as normal as we were in the middle of a thunderstorm, but Chris also helped on Noki, and using every bit of the arena to our advantage really helps. Knowing what the judges are really looking for is a great insight,
It has come around so quickly! Angela is coming at the end of the week too, so we can have a session before we go on the 23rd. Angela is also coming down on the 23rd so we can train at Hickstead on the Tuesday before we compete Wednesday and Thursday for the paras and Thursday, Friday for the young riders.

Saturday 13th June 2009 - We left a 6.30am, as it took 4 and a half hours to get there, and we wanted to give him a couple of hours to rest before our lesson. I watched a few lessons, and was a little scared as Jennie was shouting quite a lot at the other riders.
My lesson went really well. I went through my music, and it went well, just a small mistake in the 3s, so I did them again at the end going down the centre line, risky, but it came off because I got an 8 for them! Jennie was really helpful and helped with our half passes, and she also asked if I could lengthen the loops on my reins, initially for the collected walk because he was a bit too tight, but then we kept them there and the rest of the work was loads better. It’s hard when my rein length is fixed throughout the test, but at least I can hold the loops and I don’t keep dropping them so much.
It was a really productive session and I really enjoyed it.

Friday 12th June 2009 - I was at Bramham Horse Trials today. I had a client in the CIC, so I went up to help him warm up. It was nice to have a look round as I’ve never been before, and the weather was lovely, and a lot of top riders were there. I didn’t get much chance to watch alot by the time we got there, and before we were down in the working in arena. His horse is quite a tense type, but he coped really well with the atmosphere, even with his rider having a memory lapse and forgetting the test!
I got home just in time to get the lorry ready, as tomorrow we are going down the Catherston Stud in Hampshire, for a Young Rider freestyle to music training with Jennie Loriston-Clarke.

Thursday 11th June 2009 - Well, today I rode 9 horses, and had 3 hours driving, and watched a dvd with some friends, quite an achievement in one day I thought!
All the horses went well, but the one I was particularly pleased with was Touchy. I have been lunging him a little bit every now and again to make sure he is still sane, but we also don’t want to do too much before his foot is ready. But this evening, he went well on the lunge so I decided I would have a sit on him today. He’s still good to get on and I think the more I do, the more confident he becomes. His neck feels so short though! Like half the length of the other horses, but then he only just reaches 16hh and some of the others nearly reach 18hh, so it’s not surprising he feels tiny! Although when I look in the mirror he doesn’t look small! And my leg (the little I have of it!) is taken up quite a lot by his fat tummy. I popped him into trot for the first time in 9 months, and it felt so strange!! It took me about 3 months to learn how to sit to his trot when I first got him, and it felt similar this time! He has so much expression, and it’s amazing how all the horses are so different. Anyway, it was nice to be back on his back and trotting again, although he didn’t try to get a bit carried away, flicking his toes down the long side, but because he is so sensitive especially to the voice at the moment, I only had to say wooahh, and he nearly stopped dead and there’s not much in front of you when he does that!

Tuesday 9th June 2009 - Angela came over this morning to help me with Noki and Reece. It’s only 2 weeks until the Final Selection Trials for the Europeans, so every little detail counts.
Noki is becoming more and more supple all the time, which is helping his lateral work a lot. With Reece we have stepped up again, we are asking for more collection and he is learning to really take the weight behind. We could then go onto canter pirouette work, and I am hoping by what he has shown already, he will find them quite easy.
In the afternoon I went to Angelas to ride her boys, they are all going well at the moment, and it’s great to get the experience riding other horses and the feel for the grand prix movements.
When I got back I had the young event horse to ride, and then the rain came. I don’t think he has been ridden in the rain yet, because he really didn’t like it, so I kept going, and he learnt that he had to keep working despite it. A good education for him.

Sunday 7th June 2009 - Today I only had one lesson to teach before we had to leave for a competition at Laughton Manor. It was absolutely peeing it down, so much that the bottom of the drive was completely flooded. We discussed not going, but it was one of our last chances to get qualification for the summer regionals, after the disaster of last week, and I was going to attempt a first advanced medium on Reece.
Anyway, we left, and the whole journey it was horizontal rain, but as soon as I got on, it stopped, then as I got off it started again. Great timing! And very unusual!
Reece is getting more and more excited in his work, which is great, because it means he is really enjoying it. Now I have to calm him down especially when it comes to changes!
The medium went well, it was in a short arena, which doesn’t suit Reece the best because he is so big, but as he is maturing he is coping so much better. We got 71.6%. and won the class so he has half qualified for medium now. Next was the advanced medium, and only 7 minutes after the medium, but he coped really well, all the changes came off except one, but we got a couple of 8’s for them, so its promising! He won again with 70.6%, another great result.

Friday 5th June 2009 - Well it served me right for last week saying you should use mother nature to your advantage, as this morning I was riding in awful rain! Reece just kept grunting in disgust! He is really good in the rain, but he still would rather be inside!

Thursday 4th June 2009 - Yesterday was Reece’s first outing (to Newark Dressage) since Belgium. I felt he went really well, and he is really developing in his work. The judge didn’t quite see it the same way, and unfortunately we didn’t get the marks we would have liked. But it was a good outing for him and his second attempt at Medium. Hopefully we will get a better score next time on Sunday.

Our vet came today to have a look at Touchy. He said everything is looking really good with his foot, and that I can start doing a bit more on him in the arena, which is really good news. I also went to Angela’s to ride her horses as she’s on holiday at the moment, and they are all looking good.

Saturday 30th May 2009 - This week I had my last exam and the last day of my first year of Uni’. I’m quite relieved it’s over now, and that I don’t have to think about it until results at the beginning of July. Today I got an invitation to Hickstead Premier League, where the final selection trials will be held for the European Championships at the end of June.

After Addington, I was tempted into going to the Somerford Premier League. I wasn’t on until 6pm, so I had chance to ride a few horses before leaving. Again it was a very hot weekend, good for the tan, but not so good for the riding. Last week it was quite chilly and the horses don’t get a chance to get used to the heat. During the hot weather I’ve been working the horses when it’s hottest, so they get used to the different environments. I was always told to use mother nature to your advantage, eg. when training you should ride when it’s hot, in rain, in snow (obviously where safe) because you cannot control the weather when competing.

Again I took it easy on Noki for the first part of my warm up, just stretching him, and only picked him up in the last 15/20 minutes before the test. After all it’s too late for training in the warm up. I just do what’s needed to get him supple enough to cope with the movements in the test. I was last to go, after quite a big class, and we managed to get 68% - a 4% increase from Addington! He was fab’, and yet there are still so many more marks to get.

The second day was the Individual test. I hadn’t done this test in competition yet, and haven’t had much chance to look at it in training. Noki warmed up OK, but I think I gave him too much time stretching and suppling and not enough time to sharpen him up. It’s a fine balance between doing too much in the warm up and losing the power in the test. I’m still learning a lot about him, and next time I will be more aware he needs to be a bit sharper. I had three big mistakes in the changes and because there were two judges I lost about 20 marks in all, which was about 3%. This dropped me to 5th, but his general way of going was good and a lot was learnt. So we can go home happy.

Saturday 23rd May 2009 - Today I was at Vale View in Leicester to compete in the first KBIS qualifier. Earlier in the morning I rode a client’s young horse, who coped very well with his first dressage competition. It was running really late, so he was very over cooked, and because he had only been in proper work for a month he couldn’t cope with it very well. Some bits of the test were worth 8s, and some were rightly worth 4s. But he definitely has the potential to get 70% plus, and the important thing we learned was that he has the temperament for it, as once reassured about his surroundings he relaxed into the work. Personally I can’t see the point having a horse that has the talent but not the head to cope. It was quite hot later on in the day, so I didn’t put Noki under too much pressure in the warm up. It seemed to work because we got 73.39% and won the class. I was really pleased with how he went because he was quite relaxed, and that’s something we have been working on at home.

Wednesday 20th May 2009 - I’ve had a bit of a virus the past couple of days, which strangely feels like a really bad hangover but no alcohol was involved! However preparation is still underway for competing at the weekend. We have the KBIS Disabled Rider National Championship qualifier (the Championships are held at Stoneleigh alongside the rest of the able bodied National Champs'). To qualify, the top four riders in each grade to get the highest score over four qualifiers go forward. This weekend is the first qualifier, and I have decided to take Reece, as Noki will be away the weekend after to Somerford Premier League, so he will have this weekend off from competing.

I am also competing a client’s young horse - a very talented, yet stubborn, 5 year old eventer. However I’m sure he could make a career in dressage. He’s been left alone to mature since he was broken, and has really grown up and filled out, which for this horse seems the best thing to do, but his education is limited in dressage until three to four weeks ago when he came to me for lessons. It will be his first dressage test, and it’s a Novice as I can’t do Prelim because I am in too high a rider category, so it could be interesting! But good experience for him - after all he has to be leading after the dressage phase when he starts eventing! On the uni’ front...I have one exam left – yay! Then four months off... there are some perks of being at university!!

Sunday 17th May 2009 - Again I was not on until 5pm today, a long wait, but I’m getting better at waiting until the end of the day, when before it used to affect me. Today I did the FEI Young Rider/PSG Freestyle to music. There were quite a few big names in it, so I just wanted to do it for the experience, especially as it was the same freestyle as my Para one, so it was good to practise it.

I had to warm up indoors today and Noki felt confined and straight away felt more stressed. But he still went well, and competing three days in a row is good for him, as that is what we have to do at Internationals. We came 4th again today with 67%. Still a really good score and the best I have achieved so far for a PSG Freestyle. Home now and Noki will have a couple of days well deserved rest. As for me I have six horses to ride tomorrow, the downside of only taking one horse to a competition!

Saturday 16th May 2009 - Saturday arrived, along with the rain, brilliant! I was on late in the afternoon so it was great to be able to have a relaxing morning and watch a lot of the action. I learn so much from watching, especially as I am going up the levels now, and I pay a lot more attention to the individual movements in the Inter I and Grand Prix.

Noki warmed up fab’, he loved the huge outdoor warm up arena, it was almost as if he felt free and could express himself. Whereas in the Para tests I ride in a snaffle and can carry a whip, in the FEI Young Riders I have to ride in a double bridle, which in the past he has objected to, and also I’m not allowed a whip. This has previously been an issue due to him being a 17.2hh monster and me being 5ft 2 and having stumpy legs. So I really wasn’t looking forward to it, I have to be honest! But he was a star - he went better than yesterday, and really tried hard. It was our first able-bodied test together and after three months I didn’t think we would be ready, but we really were. We got just under 66% and only 8 marks (4 from each judge) behind GB’s leading able-bodied young rider. One judge even had us to win the class, which is great for our first test.

Friday 15th May 2009 - It’s the Para National Spring Championships today so last night was filled with frantic packing as we will be away for three days with Noki (Pinocchio). The Para Spring Champs’ are held annually at Weston Lawns and the top 20 Para combinations in the country qualify.

I came 4th overall, with 71.29% and won the Grade IV. I wasn’t particularly pleased with the test, he’s been going so well at home in training with Angela, so I just expected more.

We then went on to Addington Premier League, where I am going to attempt the Young Riders. The new indoor stables are fab’, and Noki settled right in.

Saturday 9th May 2009 - OK...I have never ached so much – ever, I don’t think. The gym session the other day definitely taught me where my muscles are, because I can definitely feel every single one of them now! And stairs are not good! It’s a good pain though, that the muscle have worked hard, and shown that they haven’t done much off a horse in a while!

Angela is coming this morning to help me with Reece and Noki. I have the Para Spring Championships next week, followed by Addington Premier League on the 16th and 17th where I will be doing the Young Riders team test and Kur on Noki. This will be the first able bodied competition I will have done on Noki, and me being me, I've chucked myself in at the deep end at a Premier League at PSG level. But we have to start somewhere. Before then I have two exams (Introduction to Psychomotor in Sport & Exercise and Physiological Foundations of Sport & Exercise). I think a bit of crash revision is in order!

Thursday 7th May 2009 - Went we to watch Hannah Montana the movie yesterday and yes, it was really good! I was quite surprised to be fair, and we were probably the oldest people in there apart from the parents who had taken the small children, but it’s all good fun.

Today I was at Loughborough. It was going to be my first gym session in about three months since my legs went bad, so I wasn’t looking forward to it, although there was a little part of me that was quite excited because I could actually get down to doing some good work at last. The session went really well and I have a new programme that focuses on my lower body, we change about every six weeks to focus on a new area. Mat Bramhall, my strength and conditioning coach, was pleased too I think as we are being proactive rather than waiting for my legs to decide to fix. I’m still having physio’, although my physiotherapist today decided to tell me he is leaving to work with women's football...after 2 years I have been his longest standing patient.

Tuesday 5th May 2009 - 9 hours in the library is not good! - It was my 19th birthday today, the first one I’ve had at home since I was 15, which seems a bit crazy! We are usually competing in Mannheim, Germany at this time of the year, but because we went to Belgium recently to get qualification for WEG 2010, it would have been too much to set off again to Germany. I had quite a nice day actually, I rode my boys but then had to go into uni’ to hand in my physiology assignment, which was supposed to be done over Easter, but as I wasn’t home during, or around Easter, I had to do a quick last minute attempt which included 9 hours in the library, yes 9 hours! Not good!! I then went out for a really nice meal with my family. I’m going out with my friends later in the week as I have a 5am start tomorrow and eight horses to ride.

Saturday 2nd May 2009 - The boys have had a week off since getting back from squad training, they have both coped really well with being away for three weeks and what they have had to deal with during those three weeks, especially in Belgium. I couldn’t be happier with how they have both stepped up to the mark and shown what they can do.

As I had a bit more time, I’ve had a little ride on Touchy. I gave him a little lunge first to make sure he had got all the cheekiness out of his system in the field - but he was a very good boy. The first time his ears were spread out to the side as if to say "what are you doing up there?" but the time after he was used to it again and had his little ears pricked forwards! He feels super small after riding my other boys over the winter. Six out of the ten horses I’ve been riding are over 17hh and Touchy barely hits 16hh. Bless him, I call him my little power house, because he makes up for his lack of size in his expression and power.

Wednesday 29th April 2009 - I can start doing some walk work on Touchy this week...yay!! He has had nearly 6 months off, so Angela and I feel that I need some very strong glue! But I’m very excited.

I’m not away over night now until the 15th May, so I have a couple of weeks to concentrate on training, getting my last uni’ assignment in and revising for my exams! Not so good news, I hate exams! But they have to be done, so I’d better get revising!

Sunday 26th April 2009 - On Saturday I was at Belton International Horse Trials to give a 15 minute talk for my sponsors on my career so far and my plans for the future. I was not too nervous until I turned up to see the massive tent with all the people inside and realised that was the audience! Anyway it went really well in the end, and I think my sponsors were pleased.

It’s also been my last Start and Potential squad training. The horses had equine analysis, where they stick white balls at different joints on the body and film them trotting so they can analyse their movement. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone, but I got a lovely congratulations card which everyone signed. But I will still go and visit...they will have to start locking the doors to get rid of me!

Thursday 23rd April 2009 - I've been at my first Performance squad training - it’s very different from Start and Potential training, but I’m hoping to get used to it, as on 1st May 2009 I will be moving up to the Performance squad from Potential. From the start of my riding career it’s something I have dreamt of, and it’s finally here! I will miss everyone from the other squads, but hopefully they will join me soon!! Because the squads are becoming more integrated, I hope I can keep the same support staff when we are away, such as Jennie Killilea as sports psychologist and Helen Mathie as physio’. They have worked so well to get me this far, it would be a shame to change things.

Sunday 19th April 2009 - Freestyle to music today. I know I said I didn’t like being on at the end of the day, but 8am isn’t my favourite time to be competing either! A 4.30am start - I think I have been awake at every hour of the day at some point in this trip! Reece was first, and he was quite excited and definitely not tired, which I expected him to be by the third day! He was very expressive in his work, and gained 69%. He is so close to breaking the 70% barrier in his first International, it’s so promising.

The last time I did Noki’s music was Vale View, when I judged the timings wrong, so I listened to my music all night and morning to try and get it in my head! When I got on him he was so strong, and whatever I did I felt over horsed. If Angela hadn’t been there I probably wouldn’t have gone into the test, but she got me through it and the test went ok. I was disappointed because he gave me such an amazing feeling yesterday, so I didn’t know what the judges would think. I came out with 74.8%, an amazing score, and we won the class. I don’t know how I got through it let alone come out with that score, and it was all down to Angela for helping me! In situations like that the rider has to really trust their trainer to do the right thing, and I did, and it really paid off, she was fantastic. I was finished by 9.30 and Angela had to help coach the other riders, so I didn’t get to thank her as much as I would have liked.

It was a fantastic competition for the Brits, and a lot of people worked really hard to make it happen. For me it was Mum, Angela, Rod, Helen (physio), Mark and Vic the transporters, David Hamer for pulling everyone together, and then my friends and fellow riders out there - all in all there was a huge sense of team support. They all helped me achieve my results, along with my team at home, for which I will be always grateful.


Thankfully it only took nine hours to get back to Stow on the Wold. And then three hours home from there. We arrived home on Monday night, turned the horses out for a few hours while we cleaned the lorry and Mum put on several loads of washing, as we are leaving home tomorrow afternoon back to the Unicorn Trust for Performance Squad training!

Saturday 18th April 2009 - Championship day! The Team competition is decided after combining the team and championship scores, and then each country dropping the lowest score. Britain had to up their game to keep up with expectations! Grade IV’s were last on today, and it’s difficult to stay focused for so long, especially when your friends are competing throughout the day.

This time, Reece was first on with Noki over an hour later, which gave me time to get off without throwing myself from one to the other. Reece’s test went well, he was quite sharp, which I’m not used to, so some of the collected work wasn’t quite so controlled, but they were only green mistakes. Noki felt amazing in the warm up and I was determined as ever to prove that British Grade IV’s can make an impression on the International circuit. Juliet Seal, one of the selectors, said I looked like I was going to take on the world as I trotted around the arena. The test felt fab’, I enjoyed every minute of it, even though I was completely knackered afterwards! I waited outside Noki’s stable whilst everyone else went to see the scores. The next thing I knew was Toby Pawson, a rider who came out to support this time, and Anthony, one of the grooms, came running in and they picked me up with the biggest grins on their faces. 72.7%!!! I had won! The first British Grade IV rider to win an International abroad since they brought in 'own horses' after the Sydney Paralympics in 2000. Angela Weiss (my trainer) was in tears as I went to hug her and check the scoreboard myself!

And to top it all the team had won by a massive 11% in front of the Dutch in 2nd and Belgians in 3rd. No time to celebrate as we had both the Grade IV prize giving and the Team prize giving straight away. There is nothing like standing at the front of everyone listening to your national anthem, it makes everything worthwhile. There is no feeling that comes close, especially when you’re stood next to your team mates.

We didn’t get back to the hotel until 8pm and I wasn’t allowed to go to the amicable dinner that is traditional at Moorsele, because I was on at 8.09 in the morning for the Freestyle. I did need sleep! So with my support team and a few of the other riders we went for a nice meal in Kortrij where we were staying.

Saturday 18th April 2009 - We left for Belgium on Tuesday 14th April. The plan was for the whole team to meet at the Unicorn Trust, Stow on the Wold. The seven horses and kit would be split into a convoy - six horses in the big lorry, a separate kit lorry, and Erin Orford’s horse on her lorry, with the vet, Rod Fisher, following. I dropped into Loughborough on the way to Stow to have physio’ to ensure my legs were in the best possible shape for the competition, considering they have been difficult lately. We unloaded the horses and kit when we got to Stow and the kit started to be loaded onto its lorry.

But at 4pm, we got a phone call to say that the French fishermen had blockaded Calais, so no ferries would be leaving from Dover any time soon. The decision from management was that the horses should leave the Unicorn that night, drive to the Arrow Riding Centre, Dartford, Kent and be stabled there for the night, so we were closer to Dover should the strike be lifted. After the vet check, the horses were loaded and we set off. I was with Vic, our driver in the kit lorry, and Mum, Pat Kent and Mark (our other driver) were in the horse lorry. The other riders and support staff were leaving for Belgium in the mini-buses in the morning.

Many roads were closed on the way down to Kent, but nothing was going to stop us! We finally arrived at 11.30pm and we had to put the seven horses to bed. By the time we had finished it was after midnight, and before we made our way to invade fellow rider Emma Kent’s house, Mark called Dover and they said the strike had been lifted - great! We would leave at 4.30am to get to Dover for an early crossing. We got back to the house at 1am, and three of us had to share a bed, as about ten of us were squeezed into a three bedroom house. So by 2am we were in bed and attempting to sleep, but with all the drama that had happened in the day it was very hard! The alarm went off at 3am, which after about half an hour of sleep didn’t feel great, but we were going to Belgium! Back to the yard and we left by 4.30am. We got to Dover at 6.30 - all the lorries were flowing through check in and it looked positive! We lined up and got to the check in desk, handed the horses' passports through the window and they announced the strike was back on...brilliant!

We waited hopefully at the docks for a few hours but no luck. After several hundred phone calls (well it felt like that!) the decision was made to go to Ramsgate and get a crossing from there. We stopped off at a pig farm on the way to walk the horses - slightly strange, but these things have to be done. We got to Ramsgate just before lunch, to then be told they don’t have a licence for live stock so to get off the premises quickly. So we stopped by the sea to decide what to do. By this point everyone had pretty much come to terms with the fact that we probably wouldn’t be going. It was so frustrating that we were so close – yet so far. It should have only taken nine hours from door to door, yet it had taken that long to have a tour round Kent and go to two docks. Back to the Arrow to put the horses into some stables again, maybe the strike would lift soon?! Reece got slightly impatient standing around with the same scenery, so we put up a bucket and Mark tied an old pair of trousers to his hay net. Reece likes to keep himself amused and both those helped a lot! So by 1pm the horses were in bed and it felt like night time because we had been up for so long!

Then at 3pm we got a phone call to say we could travel from Harwich to the Hook of Holland - an eight hour overnight crossing! This caused some concern from the other riders. I turned to Rod, our vet, and asked if he had any concerns for the horses going on this trip after having done so much already. He was happy with how all of them had coped, and therefore I was happy for mine to go. They both looked happy and alert, although a little confused at being back in the same stable and having to get out of bed again. At 6.30pm we left for Harwich. We arrived at 9pm, booked in, and waited to start boarding. 11pm and they started loading. We followed a racehorse lorry on to the ferry, and found out that the horse on board was going to race with Frankie Dettori as jockey!! Finally we were on the water!!! We had a cabin, four of us sharing - Mum, myself, Emma and Pat Kent. We all slept solidly for five hours, having gone two days without sleep. I’d never been so happy to see a bed! I got my hot water bottle for my legs, which had started to play up. Great timing again, but I sorted them before they got bad.

At 6am the alarm went off so that all four of us could get a shower before breakfast, and we got off the ferry at 9am local time (one hour ahead). We were finally out of England and only 3 hours away from Moorsele in Belgium!! Hoorrrray!! The next three hours went quickly and we arrived at the venue at midday on Thursday - 49 hours after leaving home on Tuesday!

The trot up was moved from 3 to 4pm, so our horses could have an extra hour’s rest. The trot up went well and all the British horses passed, so we went on to do a bit of a leg stretch. GB only had an hour in the main arena, and because I had two horses I split that time up to ride Reece first as he is generally more unpredictable and I could give him longer if needed. But he was a little angel and didn’t even look at anything. So Noki came out and was equally as angelic. Neither felt particularly tired, and it’s great to know that they can cope with so much, especially Reece being so young. Back to the hotel, a good 20 minute drive away from the venue, and I had been locked out of my room by Mum who had gone back before dinner because she was so tired. The only problem being her phone decided not to work abroad this time, so I ended up waiting 45 minutes for the receptionist to tell me my room number! I only wanted sleep!

Friday 10th April 2009 - Wow it’s been a long time and a lot has happened since I last wrote! Where to start?

On the 7th April I left to go to the Winter Championships at Hartpury. I’d qualified for the Novice Open and Elementary Open Championships, which happened to be on the Wednesday and Friday. This meant travelling down the day before to let Reece recover from the three hour journey. Because we would be away for four days, I asked if I could take Noki too, so I could keep his training up, instead of having four days off before we leave for Belgium.

The Novice was Reece’s first major championship, and being in such a big arena with the atmosphere, I really didn’t know how he would react. I planned to do the arena walk in the morning, however it was cancelled, but the walk down the long path to the arena was enough for his eyes to be out of stalks - bless him. Fortunately I felt no pressure at this competition, especially with him being young. He first went into the arena and was completely stunned at his surroundings. However after a couple of circuits he settled to listen to me. We came 8th with 67%. I was a bit disappointed with the score, but when the winner got 69% I was quite happy.

Angela came down today to help me warm up for the Elementary Championship, and it was great to have her there for support. I felt Reece's warm up didn’t go very well, but when we got to the arena he listened to me. I felt he could have done a better test as there were a few silly mistakes but we got a surprisingly good score, 70.95% and 6th. So he excelled himself in really good company.

Thursday 5th March 2009 - Busy day today, I had an assignment to finish and hand in, a lecture, Noki to ride, Touchy to walk out, and 4 of Angelas horses to ride, and 3 hours driving!
Touchy had the farrier on Tuesday and we have taken off the hospital plate and he is walking much better now, his hoof is growing so much and the hole is getting smaller. He is even starting to behave when I walk him, its only 10minutes twice a day but he’s really striding out and sometimes I struggle to keep up with him!
I finished my assignment thankfully, and I think managed to get my head around the handing in process, it’s like putting a stamp on it and posting it, they even have a red post box!
Angela is doing well, she is weight bearing much more now and is coping with being outside much better, so it’s great to get some tips whilst riding her horses.

Thursday 26th February 2009 - Uni asked me to go to their Riseholme campus today, the Minister of Sport was coming to visit the facilities as a possible training camp for 2012.
BBC Look North and local newspapers and magazines were there, which was good publicity. Noki behaved well and did us proud, and was only tv several times tonight!

Wednesday 25th February 2009 - We came home last night because the regionals were only an hour away, and i like the horses to sleep in their own stables if possible, they always seem to relax more.
I was earlier in the class today, and as it was the Elementary Open class there was some hot competition. I did the same class last year for the Summer Regionals and it didn’t go very well, only getting 64%. Today Reece went well, a few places could have been tidier but he felt a lot more engaged and balanced than yesterday. 70.31%!! 2nd so far, and only by 0.2%! I really need to get my act together. But there was still a long way to go. A long wait, but it was worth it, the top 5 were really close but we made it and stayed in 2nd place, so another qualification! For Reece it will be his first time at the Nationals and for me only the 2nd time in an able bodied class.

Tuesday 24th February 2009 - Today I had the Winter Regionals at Willerby Hill. Reece had qualified for the novice open class. I was apprehensive as to how it would go because I was still struggling with my legs, and because it was a championship class I was not allowed a whip. Thankfully my legs were not as bad as the weekend. I was pleased with the test, although it did feel like he wasn’t very balanced through the test.
69.52% and 2nd!! By only 0.6%. A great result and qualification for the Winter Championships. Same again tomorrow?!! Please!

Sunday 22nd February 2009 - Today the vet, farrier and physio had a good look at both horses. A few niggles but over all (touch wood) things are ok. We had a training session today, but legs went drastically downhill. My old problems have been threatening to come back over the past week but it all come out today. I lost all power in my lower legs and was in a lot of pain. I had to ride with 2 whips and poor noki coped really well with the change. The physio even had to come in the middle of the training session to help a bit. It feels like we are back at stage one again with my legs, the painkillers were not really touching it, but at least I could still walk (in a fashion!) unlike at the worlds.

Saturday 21st February 2009 - Squad Training day 1.
We didn’t get any transport until 8pm last night. Our lorry is not ready yet so we have had to hire one.
I had a busy morning, seeing a lot of the support staff early on. I rode Reece in the lunch break but he was really tired from the journey, good to know so that we can go to any important competitions over 3 hours away the night before.
I was the last rider to do the test riding infront of the judge. We had to warm up as if a real competition and then go up to the main arena at our allotted time. Everyone had gathered round to watch because it was the end of the day and I was on my new horse, who already had a reputation! No pressure! Noki warmed up amazingly and gave me a great feel. Unfortunatly he dropped me when i got into the arena, but we still managed to produce a good test to get 68%. Still loads of room for improvement though. The test was then played back on a big screen where the judge commented as we were still sat on our horses! The instant feedback is great as the feeling I had in my test was still very clear.
It was great to get a run through, as this was my first test on Noki, ready for the spring qualifiers that start in March.

Wednesday 18th February 2009 - Tonight was a friend’s birthday and I was begged to go out for it. I don’t tend to go out a lot because drinking and getting home late, and then getting up early to ride, just don’t work! But I caved in, as long as I got picked up at 12, early for most people, but not for me when I had to be up at 5.30 to feed the horses! Before that though I had 4 horses to ride, light work after yesterday! And then the plan was for me to stay at home so I could make a start on my 5 assignments that are due in for uni’ soon!

The party is ‘football’ themed, so we all have to wear football kit. Four of us got together to get matching and customised kit organised. On the back of mine was....’WELLS number 2’ and ‘Little Miss Whooops’ as our team was also apparently Mr Men themed, and one of my creative friends decided I could be the Miss equivalent of Mr Bump, I don’t know where they got that idea from!

I started World Class Start & Potential Squad training this weekend at the Unicorn Centre, Stow-on-the-Wold. It’s the first one since the squads were shuffled after selection, so we have some new faces. It will be good to see everyone again though as there has been a massive gap over winter following Hong Kong - it’s always great to see all the horse’s improvements. We have a test riding day on the Saturday, which I have to do on Noki and which will be interesting, as it will be my first test on him. I am taking Reece to ride too as I have the Regionals on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, so he can’t really have 2 days off just before!

Angela is going to coach me and we are picking her up on the way because she can’t drive still following her leg injury. The vet, farrier, physio, sports psychologist, dietician, strength and conditioning coach and an advisor from Spillers who has helped in the past with feeding, will all be there too. A busy weekend! I hope it goes well!

Tuesday 17th February 2009 - Today was a very busy day. I rode both my boys, Reece went well – he takes ages to warm up so I have to do a lot of stretching work with him, he’s a bit stubborn and if I push him before he is ready, he will tell me to get lost! Noki is going well too, we are getting so much more of a partnership now, and it’s getting exciting – I just have to produce the work in a test!

Later, I headed over to ride a couple of horses for some clients, and then I went to Angela’s. Because of the stupid weather we have had over the past couple of weeks, her horses have only been turned out a few times and haven’t been ridden, but they were all good thankfully! I went on to Loughborough after that because Matt and Mat were getting a bit impatient that I hadn’t been for a while and we need to get back on top of my strength and conditioning work. After Matt (the physio) prodded me, we did discover my legs were not in the best condition - I’ve had big problems in the past with my legs because of the bands that constrict my calves therefore changing the structure and how everything should work around there, and due to the volume of riding I am doing now (7 horses today) and lack of strength and conditioning work I’ve been able to keep up with, my legs have deteriorated slightly. But hopefully a couple of weeks of physio’ and gym work I will get back to where I was were before. Bouncing!!

Saturday 14th February 2009 - I took Touchy for his first walk out of the stables today. It’s been nearly 2 months since his operation, so I knew he might be a bit frisky. I put a bridle on so I had a bit more control and boy did I need it! He first had a massive issue with the bench that has made it’s way to the side of the arena for Angela to teach from, then seeing Connie (companion pony) galloping around, who got rather excited because she has never seen him out his stable since she’s been here. He decided to show me his tummy several times, which did shock me a little, as he’s generally not been a rearer. Very elegant and balanced though, even right at the top. Little monkey, he proceeded to snort and go into a rather posh passage (bearing in mind he still has a metal plate on his foot and it is all bandaged). I think he is feeling rather well!

Tuesday 10th February 2009 - Because of the snow we have had all week, yesterday’s Vale View Para Winter Qualifier was postponed. A bit frustrating because Reece needs the experience, but he has qualified anyway so not a big problem. Noki is coming on really well. He’s getting used to the fact I’m about a foot shorter (well nearly!) than everyone else who has ridden him, and he’s getting more consistent at being softer in the contact.

Today, I taught 3 lessons and rode all my boys before heading off to uni’ for a lecture called Introduction to Psychomotor Behaviour in Sport and Exercise (basically, this is Psychology so I’m not sure what the name is all about??!!). This is going to be my fifth assignment of the semester and I can’t see the end of it!

Thursday 5th February 2009 - Yesterday I managed to get part of the arena workable so that I could do some stretching in walk and trot. I then head off as I had a couple of lessons to teach before going to uni’ for a netball match! Because I have had tonsillitis for 10 days now, I haven’t been able to do any training in the gym, so I knew it would be a bit of a shock to the system. It was a brilliant game though and really brought out the competitive nature of the whole team.

I’m feeling the affects of today! I couldn’t sleep last night, so when I looked out of the window at 2am to see if it had snowed I was pleasantly surprised to see it was still dry. However, when my alarm went off at 5.45am, we were snowed in!! So I went back to bed for an hour and then got up to sort the horses out, for yet another day in the stable and a day off work! I’m beginning to think the competition on Sunday is looking doubtful.

Even uni’ is closed today! So my day of 6 horses to ride and a lecture to do to has been totally cancelled! I’ll I have to catch up on paper work and tack-cleaning!

Tuesday 3rd February 2009 - The vet cancelled yesterday to come and give Noki and Reece their flu jabs, so she came today. Noki needed his 6 monthly jab and Reece is going on to having his every 6 months, so they are both able to compete internationally now. Next thing for Reece...an FEI passport!

Monday 2nd February 2009 - I woke up to the ground covered in snow....not that I was surprised as our journey home down the A1 yesterday caused us to go 30mph because the snow was so bad there was no lines on the road!
Oh what I would give for an indoor school! The fields and arena were completely covered, so no turn out or riding today, but I still had to go into uni to carry out an experiment for a group assignment, but only 2 out of 5 of us turned up! So that was a slight waste of time. I headed off to
Nottingham to Holme Pierrepont for a physio catch up, as I haven’t seen Matt since before Christmas, but because my legs haven’t had any nasty flare ups for 6 weeks I haven’t needed it, and he has increased my strength programme.

Sunday 1st February 2009 - It was my first Para competition of 2009 today. It was a qualifier for the Winter Championships in March. It was Reece’s first proper para competition, so I was a bit anxious of how he would be and the mark we would get. I did a warm up test, Elementary 49...its a 2009 test, and I have to say I hated it – I will not be doing it again in a hurry. We still got 70.66% but I wasn’t too happy with it.
Next my warm up for the para test. He warmed up well and is getting better at concentrating at competitions and being braver, even in the arena. I felt the test went well, and the help from Chris on Thursday really benefitted us. Because I was pleased with the test and how he behaved, but we came out with 71.78%, winning by 7%! I couldn’t have asked for any more. His medium trots and walk pirouettes need working on, but im confident that will come with time. Typical that there was a short blizzard during my test – being outside, but thankfully Reece wasn’t fazed.

Thursday 29th January 2009 - A clinic with Chris Porterfield was held at Laughton Manor today. I took Reece because he hasn’t been out on the para scene yet, and wanted to know what one of our best judges thought of my up and coming horse. Reece was on his best behaviour and did everything Chris asked us too, she even gave him a 9 for his walk, and said if we could get it more consistent, it could get a 10!!

Saturday 24th January 2009 - It was the BDSC Ball today, I rode my boys in the morning and did a couple of lessons before shooting off to the train station to get to London. I met a friend, Fiona, on the train, and some more at Kings Cross. Emma Kent and I went to find the hairdressers because we wanted to make an effort this year. We had a really good night, and even had a professional photo with John Terry!!! A few of us stayed at Fiona’s dads flat in London to say on spending a fortune at the hotel!

Thursday 22nd January 2009 - We were back at Newmarket today for Touchy’s one month since his operation check up. Now the pictures are still far too gory to subject you too...but I like experimenting with his bandage colours!
Marcus Head, Touchy’s vet there, has been great, and is pleased with how the wound is healing. The farrier re-shod his front feet with the hospital plate. It did make him really sore and they had to let him have lots of breaks because he was struggling only standing on 2 good legs and one poorly one. When we got home, he had to even wee on 3 legs...poorly boy.

Wednesday 21st January 2009 - Reece steps up to Medium - I took Reece to Elms farm today to try and do the first part of his qualification for the summer regionals. I also decided to enter the medium qualifier, but H/C , just to test the water as it was his first one.
He has had 3 days off in the run up to today because he took off a shoe on Saturday, very helpful! But I thought it was still worth it to go and see how he did.
I was fairly pleased with the way he went, few problems with ignoring my left leg, but he didn’t drop me as much as he can do. We came out with 68%, which is lower than is usual, but he didn’t go his best, so just have to make up for it in the medium!
I was so pleased with his lateral work in the medium test, his half passes are really establishing, and the test was generally more flowing than the elementary before. I came out and was really pleased with the way he coped with the harder work, and fitting them all in a test. His score came out and I did have to triple check before calling mum and Angela, 69.6%!!! WOW. This is an excellent start, and apart from completing his regional qualification at elementary, he will be doing more mediums and advanced mediums! He really is growing up.

Monday 19th January 2009 - New Horse!! - Exciting news! We have a new addition to the stables! His name is Noki (Pinocchio) and he is HUGE!! But gentle with it! He’s a small tour horse that has been trained and ridden by Pippa Fisher, I have him on lease for a year. I am very privileged to be able to ride such a quality horse thanks to his owner Dr Jackie Walker. Pictures to come soon!

Friday 16th January 2009 - Everyday is rolling into one now so im not sure where I am!
Uni has started again...but it¡¦s getting in the way more than ever! I ride before uni, go in for a lecture, come back and ride a couple more, go back to uni for another lecture and then ride some more ƒºbusy times, but im getting to ride such a variety of horses, that its such good experience and even though one day I thought the rest of my fingers on my left hand had fallen off it was about -4!! So cold! Im quite ready for the cold to go away, unless its going to be replaced by rain because that ¡s not fun! So, t-shirt weather please!
Ive had a practical assessment in physiology and an exam in research methods at uni today, the first went really well but the 2nd not so ¡V but to be fair, i did struggle with motivation to revise as im not a great fan of the subject, I even started a freestyle floor plan for Reece last night to avoid it! Oops. And to top it all, i¡¦ve had to tell one lecturer ill be missing the next three of her lectures because of competitions and training clinics, so im probably not in the good books!
I have my first competition of the year on Sunday, a nice local outing for Reece to start the year. The para winter qualifiers start soon and I want to be prepared for it, so have sorted out my competition plan for 3 months, looks busy, but Reece is having to grow up!
Touchy is going back to the vets on Thursday, one month from his operation, so I hope his recovery is going well in the vets eyes.
My social life is looking up this month, I am going to a party of a friend from school, so will be good to see everyone who comes back to uni, a bit of a reunion! There is also the BDSC Ball on the 24th, which was really good last year, and I already have my dress for this year, a bit girly for me, but then dresses are! It just means squeezing in my usual work from a Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning into the week, but im sure it will be worth it!

Sunday 4th January 2009 - I hope everyone had a good Christmas and new year. Christmas was pretty uneventful in the wells household this year. Usually my grandma and uncles from my mums side come up, but it was just the 4 of us this year so was very quiet! And ofcourse the horses don’t stop for anything, so the day was pretty normal.
Training the horses continued as normal in the week between Christmas and new year, and my teaching has really started to pick up, so i’ve been nice and busy, just how I like it.
We also have another companion pony, this time to keep! Surprise has gone back to Lydia, and has been replaced at what I first thought was a 13 hand carthorse. Her name is Connie, white (a terrible colour for a pony that is going to spend most of her time in the field!), and only 7 years old! She is actually really sweet, and once I get a saddle for her, we are going to do a bit of jumping and hacking! It’s been a long time since I’ve jumped – so i’m quote looking forward to it! Actually, watching her in the field she has really good paces for a really fat pony, so might have to make use of that!
I think I have sorted out my competition plan for the next few months for Reece, getting him out as much as possible before the paras start in February, but hopefully when he realises competition is the same as training and its nothing too scary!
Welcome 2009!

Wednesday 24th December 2008 - Reecey had a go being a reindeer today...
I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Pictures to come of the horses enjoying christmas!!

Tuesday 23rd December 2008 - Today, I have to admit, I was very excited!! Today I was going to surprise Lydia with her little pony Surprise by dressing him up as a reindeer! I even got a santa hat for me to wear. I walked him over the fields to see her, and her little smile was the cutest. The didn’t stop grinning and chatting away for the half an hour she was on him as we walked around the school and back to my house. It made my day.
Having finished Uni on the 12th, I have been going to Angela’s every other day to get hers ridden, good for the fitness riding 5 or 6 horses a day!

Saturday 20th December 2008 - Touchy came home today from the vets. They are happy with his progress and how he has coped with it all. The dressing changes are pretty gruesome though! The vet did send us a picture, but I wont subject you to that! He is eating more than ever, well trying to anyway!
Reece started canter pirouettes today, it was almost as if he had done them before!!

Wednesday 17th December 2008 - Olympia!! - Olympia! WOW!! I was so impressed...firstly by the amount of shopping, which no one had warned me about! My first time, and I will be going again! It was Kur night, and I was very impressed. I was really looking forward to seeing Laura B ride as I’ve never seen Mistral Horjis in the flesh. He looked very excited, but he lived up to his reputation and I really enjoyed it. I think the best music was Kyra Kyrklund, and Max looked so attentive, and impeccably behaved in the prize giving! The other horse I like was Nadine, everything just looked so easy, a pleasure to watch.

Saturday 13th December 2008 - Not very good news...Touchy has been having some on and off lamesness issues over the past couple of months, since quarantine really. After several hundred (well that’s what its felt like!) vets having seen him, some noticing and others not noticing the lameness, my vet decided it had gone on for long enough, so Touchy went to Rossdales a couple of weeks ago to have some xrays, tests and mri scan to try and determine the problem. The images came back and were sent for a 2nd opinion. Touchy went down again on Thursday, 11th, to have some more tests and another set of mri scans to ensure it was what they thought. He has a growth near the hoof wall of his near fore. He is going to have an operation on Monday to remove this, so fingers crossed it goes well everyone!!

Because Touchy will be off for a while, recovering from the operation, we are looking for an advanced horse to lease, to take the pressure off him to come back before he is really ready. So if anyone can help, please email sophie@sophiewells.com

Because Touchy won’t be back in training by January, when the Young Rider training starts, I have had to pull out of the Progress Squad. Hopefully Reece will be able to fill Touchy’s shoes for the paras for the first part of the year, until I can find something else.

It’s obviously very disappointing as I have had a great year when he has been right, and was looking forward to campaigning for the Europeans next year, but this has put a big obstacle in the way!

We are also looking for a companion pony to keep Reece company, as he loves his little friends! He is currently best friends with ‘Surprise’ Lydia’s little pony from over the road. Although, it is depriving her from her daily rides and pats and kisses, so I don’t want to keep him for too much longer!

Lets hope 2009 brings some luck!!!

Saturday 29th November 2008 - Reece gets nearly 75%! - Well this month I have really been focussed on Reece. As I have mentioned before, I am starting to push him a bit more, he’s maturing now and really filling out, and coping with the more collected work well. He has qualified for the Winter Semi’s in just 2 outings for the Novice, with 70 and 72.5% and then for the Elementary with 68 and 74.7%. I was so pleased with the near 75% score, as he has only done a handful of elementary’s and although he can do it at home, he usually struggles with doing it in the arena in front of people, he gets nervous, but on that day he really listened to me and felt confident in himself, and huge step forward. Now I want to keep that, so I want to try and get him out to more competitions over the winter, so he is comfortable for when we come to the bigger competitions in the Spring/Summer.
As for Uni...it’s still a bit slow, but we are getting more work to get stuck into, it just seems to be getting in the way of riding at the moment! But I’m still managing to go over to Angela’s, and the horses are going well there too.
The Para’s had their World Class Development selection trials last weekend, and it looks like there are a few changes...I’m sure they will be announced on the BEF website shortly. I didn’t actually have to go because of my results from this year I got a by through to next years squads.
It was announced this month about the Junior and Young rider squads for 2009. I was very pleased to see that I have been put on the Young Rider Progression Squad. As a Para, to be noticed in the able bodied world is fantastic, especially for potential teams. It will be my first year in Young Riders next year, so will be good to get some experience as we go up a level

Tuesday 4th November 2008 - The weekend didn’t start well. I decided to lunge Reece to give him a bit of change in routine. He has never been the best to lunge and has just not really taken to it, but he needs to be able to do it. It started ok, the circle was round (ish) but suddenly he decided he was bored, swung his quarters in and kicked both legs out at me. Thankfully my reactions were quick enough to lean back because he was so close to my face! I have to say we seriously fell out after that!

It took a couple of days of hard willing work from Reece, for me to forgive him. I’ve booked him in to go to Sheepgate to do the Novice and Elementary qualifiers. It will be his first time out since the regionals, so it’s been a few months! If he goes as well at a show as he does at home, we will be sorted!

I had my World Class Development review last week with our co-ordinator David Hamer and the performance squad Sports Psychologist, Joce Brooks. I think it went well but I was quite nervous for some reason, even though I was confident about my progress this year. We discussed what we could improve, and what to aim for next year. Of course the BIG thing will be the Europeans in Norway. My achievements this year have moved me onto Gold Level and I automatically go through to next years' programme. This gives me until February to focus on my own training. It will be strange because I am used to seeing the squad nearly every month, but it will be good to have a bit of time without so much pressure.

I seem to have been juggling travelling to Nottingham to ride Angela’s horses (always in the rain I might add!), uni,' my horses and Loughborough quite well. I realised today though that I have quite a bit of work to catch up on and assignments to hand in at the beginning of the week. Head down now I think!

Thursday 23rd October 2008 - ... - ....Well it’s continued to be hectic, i’m not sure what date or day it is at the moment, one day just rolls into the next, with the day starting between 5 and 6am and finishing at some point hopefully in the same day!
Uni is going well, not too much hard work at the moment as we are going over A level work, I never thought I would be glad I did Physics at A level. Although our lab work so far, has been based around the fact you need all 10 fingers...which for me is sometimes an issue, lacking in that area! 4 weeks, basing 5 hours on dexterity...rubbing it in slightly!!!
Angela is a bit better, I went over to ride today and she was out of bed which is a massive step physically and psychologically! I know she will back on track soon, she’s a tough cookie, although riding 6 different horses in a week is good variety for me and good experience...chucked in at the deep end maybe...but learning a lot. I seem to be doing more training than ever, even though my trainer is broken!
Being on the Uni netball team is having a great affect on my fitness...about 6 hours a week extra fitness, and its not like running on a tredmill in the gym which gets a bit tedious! However last week we got made to run around town as a squad at 7pm on a Friday night in our netball skirts as a warm up, cough cough!! My competitiveness is transferring from the dressage arena to the netball court – not surprising for anyone who knows me!
Yesterday we had an important meeting with a potential sponsor, in the view of 2012. Because of this, I decided that is was time for Reece to step up to the plate and take a bit of responsibility, so I rode him to demonstrate my aim for 2012. He did look beautiful, and felt very proud of himself until he actually had to do anything! He does get a bit nervous when people watch, which is why I need to get him out to more competitions, because he does change. Once he gets more confident in himself he will be ready to take on the world, well....almost.

Saturday 11th October 2008 - It’s been a hectic couple of weeks, and not all for the good! Uni' has started well, I am enjoying the course and have been selected to be on the university netball team. I’m hoping this will keep on top of my fitness in a more dynamic way than just the gym. It’s also nice to be competing in a team in a different way to dressage, it’s given me a buzz so far anyway.

I was due for a lesson on the 1st, we cancelled because the weather was really bad and we were going to be outside. We rebooked for the 4th, however, Angela had a terrible accident on Friday the 3rd. She was breaking her young horse in when she was kicked, breaking her leg in 3 places. She has been in hospital since and has had 2 operations, something that all riders fear, especially as she has 7 horses at home that need to be ridden. I went over to help with some riding yesterday, and will be going a couple of times a week to try and help her sister keep on top of things.

Both of my boys are going well at the moment. Reece had physio' last week to make sure he was hunky dory. We even managed a fairly straight, fairly controlled trot up practise down the drive. I am off to look at a couple of young horses next week, as Reece will be 7 next year and we need another one to bring on for the future.

Friday 19th September 2008 - National Champion - The grade 4’s were the last of the paras, so my time was 10.13, although there was no lay in, I had to be on him for 7am for the arena walk as I wanted his experience to be as good as possible. I don’t particularly like being on later in the day because it gives the nerves chance to turn negative! So I kept busy, my ipod on – which helps to keep the distractions out. Angela arrived late last night so she would be there to help me warm up which I really appreciated. The warm up was a bit hectic, with a lot of horses, but Touchy settled ok, and is getting better with other horses. I was half way through the class so I had to make a good impression, with my biggest competition going just before me. I was feeling more nervous than usual, i’m not sure why, but I had to deal with them. I had walk through my test several times before I got on with Sports Psych Jennie, so I was confident with that. I just had to pull off a clean solid test. I entered the arena and he was feeling good. The test went well, only a small mistake in the second simple change with a couple of jog steps down. I walked out, and it was just a case of waiting to hear the scores and for the rest of the riders to go. The scores had been low for the other grades, so I didn’t know what to expect. 71.40% and 1st, I was very pleased, and relieved for the waiting to be over. I got the highest score of the all the paras which was an achievement as the lower grades generally get higher scores. A good days work! Now we have to get a competition and training plan for the winter and 2009! Exciting stuff!

Thursday 18th September 2008 - I had to go to Loughborough to get my ribs and shoulder strapped up ready for tomorrow. During the more intense sessions this week my shoulder has really started to ache and I’ve been struggling to breathe deeply because of the bruising to my ribs after falling off last week. I then met mum and Touchy at Stoneleigh and got Touchy settled in his stable. We had a look round and watched some of the Inter II that was on in the afternoon. My plan was to ride later, hoping it would be quieter. I was just about to get ready to ride Touchy when mum called me over and asked me if I would ride Gentle, Emma Kent’s horse. Emma is a Grade 3, and grade 3’s are not usually allowed their horses to be ridden by another rider at a competition, however a change of rules allowed this and Emma didn’t believe in her own ability (I knew she would have been fine!) so asked me to ride gentle around the warm up and get him going forward as that is his weakness, and it makes it difficult with her disability. So I got on Gentle, having never ridden him before I was a bit nervous that it was the day before the National Championships, which is probably the biggest competition of this year for Emma, but I got on with it, and he went very well. I got him really pushing forwards so that when I put my leg on he really responded. Emma got on Gentle and I got on Touchy. Emma seemed pleased with how Gentle went for her, although Touchy felt twice as wide as Gentle - like I was riding a hippo! Touchy went well though, bring on tomorrow!

Wednesday 17th September 2008 - Angela got back from Hong Kong on Saturday, so this is the first chance for a lesson. Because of Touchy’s problems I haven’t had a lesson on him for about 6 weeks now so I’m sure Ange will crack the whip and get us back in shape ready for the Friday.

Monday 15th September 2008 - First Day at Uni - I started my first day at University today, well the beginning of freshers week anyway! But no late nights for me this week, as the National Championships are on Friday. It’s very different from school, but i’m sure I will get used to it. I’m only going to be at uni for the first half of the week because we then go down to Stoneleigh.

Monday 8th September 2008 - Well...an eventful morning. Reece is having a day off today as he worked hard over the weekend, and it looks like he needed it as he was laid down in the field earlier. I rode Touchy this morning, I did a lot of stretching in walk and trot as he had been in the stable all weekend as we were away at squad training. When I asked for canter, he found it far too exciting, and lept in the air and bucked, something I definitely wasn’t expecting, so off I came, hitting the floor and quite a rate! Ouch! Touchy let out a little squeal and another buck and then stood behind me waiting and wondering why I was on the floor and not on his back! He did give me a strange look. Mum walked out and gave me a strange look too...anyway I got back on and got him cantering fine, I think he was just expressing how well he felt to be back in work. Although, I feel very sore now, as I landed on my left side, where last year I broke 3 ribs and damaged my shoulder quite badly. It doesn’t feel as bad as last time, just bad timing! Nationals count down is on, 11 days to go, and this will not stop me!
The results of the Grade IV individual medals have just come through...a little frustrating as they look to be very beatable. Philippa Johnson from South Africa won gold with 69.290%, with Ann Cathrin Lubbe from Norway in second with 68.516% and Georgia Bruce from Australia in third with 68.258%. When I saw the team test results from the Grade IV I thought the medals would be very open, Ann Cathrin Lubbe has dominated the Grade IVs for the past 4 years, but they haven’t been on form this year, so it would have been perfect opportunity for the Brits to take advantage. But there is nothing we can do about it now, the British team are doing very well in the other grades and are in a very strong position at the top of the team competition at the half way stage!

Sunday 7th September 2008 - World Class Development Squad Training - At 9am we had a talk on doping and FEI rules, by our squad vet. A very important part that every rider should be very aware of. It has become particularly significant after the positive tests in the Olympic show jumping this year. We then had a presentation on the structure of the mouth and bitting, debating whether bitting is a science or an art.
I rode again with David. Reece came out very well this morning. He was much more accepting and I found the tactic of keeping quiet worked well. Previously, because he is very laid back, I would tend to work very hard, but David wanted me to allow Reece to do the work, so I used light leg aids and used my seat more. Reece was going very well, his trot has grown as he has matured, and is in a more advanced outline. He even showed some of his best flying changes, and at 6 years old, I am very proud of him. David seems very impress with the progress we have made which is great.
The Vet and Farrier saw Reece later in the day, I had to ask Mark Perry, our transporter and a good friend, to trot Reece up, as he is very big and found it all very exciting, leaping in the air as he trotted away. They were pleased with how has matured physically, and couldn’t find any problems which is great, especially with the trauma recently with Touchy. I had a quick chat with Jennie as we were running late, but I’m feeling good in the run up to the Nationals, fingers crossed Touchy is ok. All in all, a good squad session, and the last one this year as we have the Selection Trials in November. Thankfully, because I am on Potential Gold, I get a by through to the squad next year, so I’m looking forward to a good winters training, ready to contend for the teams next year!!

Saturday 6th September 2008 - World Class Development Squad Training - It was a quiet first day as quite a few of our support staff are at the Paralympics in Hong Kong. 2 of our coaches, Nina and Angela, physio Helen and Doctor Sally. So David, our coordinator, came out of retirement to do some coaching with the squad this time with Eric. I got on Reece and he was feeling a bit argumentative, and his new resistance trick of throwing his head up in the air was used. David got me to just sit quietly and work through it. In the end Reece was going quite well, but not as well as I would have liked. Something to build on tomorrow though.
We had a trip to Tescos in the afternoon with the squad dietician, Liz. We had a couple of tasks to complete, including finding food that would be good to take on a long trip, for competitions or for in the lorry. All helpful to make sure our energy levels are high to help us perform to our best.
JennieKillilea, our sports psychologist, gave a talk in the evening about confidence and protecting confidence. Jennie also used a couple of athletes from this years Olympics as examples, successes and cases where people were not so successful. By the end of the talk, confidence was seen as a vital factor in the my quest to become the best in the world.

Wednesday 27th August 2008 - Post PEQ - reflection - Today seems like a new start. A new chapter of the year. Beijing has taken such a big part of my concentration and focus throughout this year, it almost feels like it has left a big empty hole in my life. But i’m sure that will be filled before long! I’m already looking back at my long week in PEQ more positively and hopefully will recover before too long. I’m looking forward to riding Reece later, although he is being a bit frisky as he has ruled the stables since we have been away, so he got a shock when I got home last night and told him off for eating me!
I’d like to say thanks to everyone who have supported me over the past couple of months and have sent me wishes of good luck running up to Hong Kong in the hope that I would go. I promise I will get there and do everyone proud soon!
*I apologise for the length of the last few instalments – as Erin has just said, words truly can’t explain the last couple of weeks – but I have tried to give you all a bit of an insight*

Tuesday 26th August 2008 - PEQ Day 9 - Final Day! I’m up early, naturally quite nervous, as saying goodbye is always a horrible thing to do. The farrier came at 8 to pack the horses feet for the flight, to take the pressure off a bit, and we all worked together mucking out all 7 stables. After breakfast the horses were ready to be loaded. Marks lorry looked fab and ready to go. We watched the horses being loaded and everything was fine. To see Touchy being left behind and the only one in the stables was sad, but we knew it was likely to happen, so even though we had to say bye to the 2 grooms travelling with the horses and the vet, to was good to see everything run smoothly because if something had happened, I would be worried in future when my horses travelled! After waving the horses good bye and wishing them a safe trip the rest of us got to work on finishing clearing out the stables and brushing up. Only 3 more grooms needed to be sent on their way now. One of them being Nina, our S&P squad coach, and someone I was sad to say goodbye too as she has been a fantastic support over the past year. It was all a bit emotional, but I managed to hold back the tears until they had driven off. I’m not sure why I was upset, although it had been one of the most stressful 9 days in a row that I have experience. I am glad that I was included in PEQ, and it was definitely as great learning experience. I was obviously disappointed that I hadn’t gone, as it’s only natural when I was so close, and yet we have to wait another 4 years for a chance at our Olympic debut.
We had to wait in PEQ until 2.30. The horses we due to take off at 4.30 from East Midlands airport, so we had to be passing around that area at that time incase anything happened that caused us to be called up to go. I got home at 5pm and accepted that this was the end of my Olympic journey. I could get back into my home routine and see Reece!

The support team have been amazing, and Team GB are very lucky to have them. I wish them every luck in Hong Kong over the next couple of weeks, it will be tough, very tough, but I know we can bring back the medals! I have every confidence everyone will do their best and have the best support and opportunity to do so.
Seeing all the organisation & preparation that goes into an Olympic games first hand, inspires me more to be part of it next time, but next time, I don’t want to be a reserve! It’s a very hard place to be, but this time it was meant to be. It has made me a stronger person in the process and I am grateful for the opportunity.
We now have to looked forward. I have got the national championships in September, and I also start University on the 15th. But the next big thing is the Europeans next year in Norway. Qualifiers and selection will start soon after Christmas, which doesn’t give us long really, as I want to be as prepared as possible! I am also going to try for the Young Rider able bodied European team. At the moment it looks as though I could, but the reality by next year might be different. We will just have to see if competitions clash and deal with it then!

Monday 25th August 2008 - PEQ Day 8 - The rest of the team had to ride early today because their trunks were getting picked up at 11am, which would include their saddles etc. Mark Perry, our transporter arrived to help pack and load all the kit and everything went smoothly.
All the riders left this afternoon. Very quiet and very weird! I rode in the afternoon and Touchy went well. We watched a dvd in the afternoon and had a roast for dinner. Mmmm. Very nice, the cooks have done a fantastic job the whole week providing 3 meals a day.
With only 5 grooms, Rod, myself and my mum, left in PEQ it was a quiet night. I think everyone just wanted to get on with it now and get out there. Understandable as it has been a very long week. Early to bed as the horses are leaving at 10 in the morning. I went to bed happy that Touchy was a bit better, a bit disappointed as it’s come to the point where there is very little chance I will be going now, but happy that all the other horses are fit and healthy. A few butterflies were still around as anything can happen and we have to prepared for that.

Sunday 24th August 2008 - PEQ Day 7 - A thought today would be a good opportunity to work in outside, with the flags, flowers and pretend TV cameras. (The management really do think of everything!) I then went into the indoor arena to do my music. There was even a big screen! The test went well, and I really know my music, so even thought the arena was slightly the wrong size, I knew where I had to be. He shut down on me a bit in one of the canter pirouettes, but because it was only in training, I could give him a bit of a kick and reminder listen.
In thee afternoon, Helen the physio, and Sally the doctor arrived. They did their thing, and the rest of the afternoon was spent playing sherades! The things PEQ turns you to! Sally was the actual genious of sherades, and she was on my team – yes! Although the other team gave me “The Simpsons” to act out. How do you explain the Simpsons without saying anything!! We got as far as yellow skin, and my team kept saying bananas. Hmmm! It turned out to be quite a fun afternoon of entertainment.
2 of the grooms, Karen and David Hunter flew out to Hong Kong today to get everything ready for the horses to arrive in a couple of days.

Saturday 23rd August 2008 - PEQ Day 6 - A quiet day today, and I rode in the morning. Touchy is getting used to his new trainers now, so I could push him a bit more today.
After we rode, we headed off to the heat chamber again. Our request yesterday of putting the heat and humidity up to the maximum it would be in hong kong, maybe was a mistake, as we put one foot into the chamber and everyone groaned! It was horrible! And far worse than we remembered from yesterday. The humidity stayed the same, but the temperature was nearly 35 degrees. 35 degrees is bad enough in dry heat, but when it’s like a sauna - no! So for the first 10 minutes everyone literally just sat down, and we were already red in the face and sweating. Everyone seemed a bit demotivated, so I decided to get up and get on the tredmill and get running. This pushed everyone else to get going on the bikes and see how far we could go. My tredmill experience ranged between a brisk walk, jogging and sprinting. I wanted to see (for the future) how far I could really push myself in these challenging conditions. Well half an hour isn’t bad! By the end it looked like I had literally got out of a swimming pool. Everything was so wet, even my trackies! I wasn’t the only one though. Something that wasn’t very pleasant to say the least, was when the sweat ran into my eyes! That stings! And because everything else is so sweaty, you can’t even wipe your eyes!
A quick shower, and we were back in the car. I wasn’t feeling great, probably dehydrated, and I havn’t been eating much because of all the stress. So as soon as we could we stopped to get some drinks and chocolate to pick us back up. It helped a little, but next time I know I need to drink more. Although being in the heat and humidity burns more calories because your body has to work harder – great!

Friday 22nd August 2008 - PEQ Day 5 - Another night without much sleep, and I guess it is the moment of truth as Rod asked to see Touchy trot up. Deep breath and I took him out of the stable and walked him outside. I now have an official fear of trot ups!!
Well....It all looks much better. He was a bit cautious of where to put his feet, which is understandable, a bit like us trying to run with trainers on that are a size too big. But the news I had been waiting for, I could ride later! I had been having some serious withdrawal symptoms! The worse thing was watching the rest of the team ride all day! The only thing I wanted to do was dash home and ride Reece. But I couldn’t realistically do that, so I stuck it out, and as Jennie – sport psych, would say, ‘it’s character building!’ It’s very testing anyway!
There have been many descriptions of what PEQ is like, and at the moment we feel it is a cross between Big Brother and I’m a rider – get me out of here!! Jennie called me earlier to have a chat and see if I was ok. My response was, ‘Well I’m still here!’ The only thing we could do, is sit tight and ride the rollercoaster. (a bit cheesey but that’s what it was like!)
I rode Touchy, he felt strange, but a good strange. Just cautious but the longer we worked the better he felt. PHEW! And I can breath again. Not too much though, we have to see how he recovers from the work today and how the bruising is tomorrow.
Later in the day we went to the Heat Chamber at Gloucester University. My first experience, so I didn’t know how my asthma inparticular would hold up. I walked in and it hit me! 95% humidity but only 26 degrees, and I couldn’t breath! My brain went into overdrive thinking the selectors would never take me anywhere now! But after 5 minutes my body learnt to cope and adapt and it got easier. I hopped on the bike and got pedalling. Afterall it wasn’t too bad. Debbie and I even stayed in longer to push ourselves a bit more. For the last 15 minutes I used the mechanical horse, an experience in itself! After 45 minutes we decided that was enough and we exited the, what felt like an oven, as after everyone else left, it was turned up to 33 degrees. A bit warm, and rather sweaty!
The trick was to drink as much as we could, as we were constantly sweating, so getting dehydrated. The only problem was if you took in an ice cold bottle of water, after 5 minutes of being in there with you, it was rather horrible!

Thursday 21st August 2008 - PEQ Day 4 - test day - Another sleepless night, and a relatively early morning to check touchy and give him a little walk around the arena as he has been stuck in his stable for quite a while!
I asked Jane Goldsmith, who had organised for the test riding, if I would be able to write for Sarah. She thought it would be a good idea which I was really pleased with, as it’s a great opportunity to learn a lot from the judges point of view. There was a few disappointments, but also some really promising scores. The video feedback after was a good idea as Sarah was able to show the riders what she meant, which made it much clearer.
Ben, the farrier, came to put Touchy some posh “Nike trainers” on. Heart bar shoes to give his heel so more support and some plastercine type stuff covered in plastic to protect his foot. All looked very impressive, but I just wanted it to work! Time will tell...

Wednesday 20th August 2008 - PEQ Day 3 - Well the farrier arrived after about 4 hours of waiting! I decided to skip the heat chamber today because Touchy is much more important and I needed to be there for him. The farrier took the shoe off and had a dig around, we found a small puncture hole...so the decision was made to poltis the foot overnight, and the farrier would be back tomorrow evening to put some new shoes on his pront feet as he felt the shoes he had on were too short and too narrow, so would causing bruising around the heel as it was not being supported. This means I can’t take part in the test riding with Sarah Rodger tomorrow, but like before, Touchy is more important.

Tuesday 19th August 2008 - PEQ day 2 - It’s starting to feel a bit weird now. All the rules came into play at 18.00 which was lockdown last night. We were allowed to go in and out, but because it became such a big hassle to get changed etc every time, we usually ended up staying inside. Ken, the music man, came today to sort out a couple of the riders music, breaking up the day a bit.
We had the horses first vet inspection today, a worrying time for all. Ricky’s horse had been having a few problems, so they wanted to see Touchy. Eeek, it’s the weirdest feeling, I felt disappointed for Ricky, excited at the prospect I could be going, but still nervous because I knew Touchy had been having a few issues himself.
The worst thing happened...he was lame. It was the worst feeling, my stomach dropped so fast I thought it was going to fall out. Karen, the osteopath, was with Rod and I felt so sick watching them discuss it. I took him back into the stables and Karen had a look over him, everything was fine. Hmm, so what was the problem!?! I went upstairs and took mum to one side to tell her the news. There was only one word to describe how I was feeling that day, GUTTED! But that’s horses. We have done everything we could do, and in the future I know I will definitely call Rod and Karen if we have the slightest issue. The farrier is coming tomorrow to take his shoe off and have a look. Fingers crossed we can find the problem!
Off for, I’m sure, a sleepless night, but one thing I am pleased about is that all this hasn’t affected mine and Ricky’s friendship. Angela also arrived tonight, initially to help with training, but as I couldn’t ride, she was a great support to me to get through today.

Monday 18th August 2008 - PEQ day 1 - We didn’t have to leave until 8.00 today as our time of arrival was 11.30. Because we needed to have transport while we are there, mum and I have decided I should take my car too, so we can both be independent.
When we arrived at the Unicorn, our team vet, Rod, met us to take blood and nose swobs. We could then take him inside the fencing, no return now!! And take him into his new home for the next 9 days. The lorries and trailers that were staying inside the boundry then had to be disinfected and parked up. We unloaded all his kit and put it into the store room. We then got briefed on the procedure we needed to go through to get in and out of PEQ, which included getting changed, signing in and out, putting on a wrist band and going over a disinfectant mat.
It was nice to see everyone again, and i’m sure we will soon all get into the routine.

Sunday 17th August 2008 - The eve of PEQ - The day before we leave to go into PEQ (Quarentine). The day has been full of packing, cleaning, repacking, making lists, checking, and packing some more. How much can one horse need for 9 days?!!
I rode both of them today and they both went well, I think Reece knew something was happening as his stable is opposite the tack room, so watched me packing. He was a very good boy when ridden and seems to be maturing (I hope!)
Back in the house and time to do my packing. Quarentine is a bit strange because know-one has done it before so it’s a bit of a guessing game as to what we need to pack. Clothes and shoes for within quarantine and then outside.

Thursday 7th August 2008 - Another session at Loughborough today in the gym with Mat, and my physio Matt Ashman. More needles in my legs, and even though I hate him for it at the time, it helps afterwards! More shopping to make sure we have things ready for when we go into quarantine. Both horses worked well today, and Touchy even worked in the snaffle for the second time this week, which has been a problem before. Angela is coming in the morning, it’s been a couple of weeks since we had a lesson, so i’m sure she wont let me get away with anything! Only 11 days to go until Quarentine but the Olympics starts tomorrow – exciting! Good luck to Team GB especially the dressage team and Laura B.

Tuesday 5th August 2008 - We didn’t get home until after 10pm last night, and I had to leave at 7 this morning to go for another strength and conditioning session at Loughborough with my EIS coach Mat Bramhall. I ached so much after that session! I then had to have my last 2 injections at the doctors, so 2 more dead arms. But all is good and the horses are recovering well, although Reece was laying down in the field today because he was rather tired from his adrenaline filled adventure.

Monday 4th August 2008 - I was on early in the elementary open on Reece. It was a massive class! 44 I think, so I wasn’t expecting much. Just wanted to give him a good experience and get through it, after all he’s not had much arena experience and E58 is a horrible test! He didn’t get a very good score, 64%, although I was pleased with his simple changes on the half 10m circles, and he got 7s for those too. I was pleased that he concentrating in the arena, but he did shut me out a bit. Touchy worked in really well, which I was pleased with, and he was much more confident with the other horses. He went in and did a safe test, it could have been more powered, but I was pleased as it was solid. We came out with 66%, which I was a little disappointed with, but we came 8th in a strong class. Reece ended up in 18th. Bring on Frys!
A call from the team manager this afternoon, to inform me that I am now first reserve for the Paralympics, and will be the only reserve going into quarantine. I’m very happy that i’m first reserve, but a bit disappointed for Jo and Nic, as it was nice to share the reserve experience with them as they were in the same boat.

Sunday 3rd August 2008 - Off to Somerford Regionals - We couldn’t get into the stables until 6pm, so I got home from the ball at 10.30 and gave both horses a bath and get them ready. I then packed my kit and we got on the road about 3pm. The traffic was bad and we didn’t get to Somerford until 6.30, where there was a horse in touchy’s stable! It was all a bit hectic getting them in the stables after being squeezed into the trailer together. Reece came off the trailer and into the stable yard and grew an extra hand, he was 17.2 anyway! He was so excited because he hasn’t been to a big competition. He was very agitated in the stable but calmed down a little when I rode him in the big warm up arena. A feel squeals and squeaks later and he worked well, although very off my leg with little spurs and without a whip! Touchy came out as chilled out as ever and worked ok, just a bit argumentative!

Saturday 2nd August 2008 - PDTT Ball - It was the annual para ball tonight, for the para dressage training trust. It was an opportunity to say good bye and good luck to our Paralympic riders. It was a good night and was good to see a lot of outside support.

Saturday 26th July 2008 - Last day and another win!! - Angela couldn’t be here today, so I had to take everything I had learnt from the past couple of days and put it into practise on my own today. I seemed to have too long in the warm up, it was very hot again, and Touchy was working well so I didn’t want him to peak to soon, so I gave him lots of little walk breaks. I was 2nd to last in the class today, which can be a good place to be. I was confident in my music, not so confident in my canter floor plan though! But I had prepared myself that I might have to improvise. As long as I included my compulsories, I knew it would be ok. There was a lot of people watching, which is great to see! And I think that lifted Touchy in his performance. I was quite pleased with the test, all the movement fitted with the music, and even with an extra two 10m circles down the centre line at the end, I ended with the music. I didn’t think it had the power that we had yesterday, but still a solid test. They had the electronic score board going, but I didn’t notice it once! 72.350%!! and 1st!! My nearest rival was a beautiful dutch horse, and they scored 69%. A great win! And Touchy was even slightly better behaved in the prize giving, although he wouldn’t wear the rug again!

Friday 25th July 2008 - First International able bodied win - A better time today of 12.30, although the hottest part of the day! And it was very hot! In the warm up Angela and I decided we could go for more today and put more power in and go for the higher marks.
Touchy felt great as we trotted in to the arena, I was just hoping he wouldn’t drop me because being an international competition, I wasn’t allowed my whip. I put everything into preparing for each movement and getting every mark I could. His extended trots were massive!!! We were all very pleased with the test, and went back to the stables to sort Touchy out. We couldn’t believe it when some people came up to us and told me I had won!! I was thrilled, and so was Angela! Although I had to check it with my own eyes first before we got too excited. Fantastic, my first able bodied international win!!!!! And first mounted prize giving on Touchy, I knew he would be sharp, but he was leaping about everywhere, entertaining for the people watching though I’m sure. We had to take the rug off before we even got in there! I’ve never heard a para rider win an international able bodied competition!

Thursday 24th July 2008 - Hickstead International - The trot up was fine yesterday, and today was the team test. My time was 9.00am, so Angela had to leave about 4am to come to help me! Oops. Anyway, we went for a safe test again, as it was the first day, Touchy felt ok, but was a bit nervous of the writing on the white boards. We held it together though and to everyone’s surprise we came 2nd! All 3 judges were international which is great. Fingers crossed we can keep it up!

Tuesday 22nd July 2008 - Getting ready for another international - We have to leave to go to Hickstead tomorrow morning. I rode Touchy through my music, slightly different from my para music, and seemed to go OK, although I didn’t have as much time at the end as I thought! A bit of thinking on the spot might be needed on Saturday.
I also got an email on behalf of the Junior and young rider selectors, inviting me to another 2 internationals, Belgium and Germany. It is great that I have been recognised, but unfortunately the one in Belgium is when I will be in Quarentine. Never mind – hopefully there will be more opportunities.
All I seem to be doing is packing and unpacking at the moment, so it’s getting easier to know what to take, especially as we are still in a trailer! It was so much easier in the lorry – and the lorry we had built there are major problems with, so it looks like we will be travelling in the trusty trailer for the rest of the year.
I also had to go to Loughborough for some physio on my legs. I had forgotten how much it hurt!! My physio said from the other end of the table “are you crying yet?” and I squeaked a ‘No!’ so he did it harder! I swear they get pleasure out of causing pain!

Monday 21st July 2008 - A visit from UK Sport! - I popped to the doctors again this afternoon to have a 3rd out of four jabs we have to have before Hong Kong, not something I particularly enjoy – but it has to be done! A dead arm after but that’s all. After training, I decided to go to the cinema in the evening, as it was a friends birthday while I was away, we got to the cinema, bought our tickets (£7.20!!) and went to the toilet, as you do, all in preparation for the film. Then the phone goes – it’s mum. I wonder what she wants?! “Soph, you have to come home now” I was thinking oh no what has happened “UK sport are here to do a drug test”. Oh No! Off home I rush with a poor friend in tow. I can’t believe I went for a wee just before the phone call too. Typical! So I got home, 2 glasses of water and an hour later and I think I can go....again! (And it’s not a time to get stage fright I tell you) After dispensing it into bottles and doing the procedure, I find out it’s too dilute (not surprising really with amount I had to drink!) So another hour later, and another drink and coffee, we try again, by this point it is 10pm and the poor testers were still at my house, not to mention my friend who I had to ditch for weeing in a pot. Anyway, something that has to be done and can’t be helped, so the cinema will have to wait.

Saturday 19th July 2008 - A day off (kind of!) - We got home early hours this morning, so was rather tired when I got up this morning to feed and muck out! I still had to ride as my young boy has had 4 days off and has the regionals coming up quite soon. About lunch time, I got a knock on the window and mum said there was someone outside for me. I went out to see and looked around, a little girl had hacked over with her dad to show me her new pony, she’s only 2 and looked sooo cute! And is pony mad! Her dad is an eventer and lives in our old house across the road, i’ll do my best to get her into dressage!

Friday 18th July 2008 - KUR! - I love my new music, although I haven’t ridden to it in competition before, I am confident we can pull off a good performance. I always get more nervous on the music day – and I don’t know why! I love performing to music, the floorplans can be up to PSG level, and we can really push the boundaries. With the help of Angela we designed a floorplan that is PSG level, although we can still increase the level of difficulty in the future when our partnership establishes. The warm up went ok, fortunately Nina Venables was there to overlook it for the first half, while Angela was otherwise engaged. Touchy was feeling good, I could of taken more care over the canter pirouettes, but that’s just a learning curve. I felt good trotting into the main arena, although the applause of the pervious competitor did startle Touchy and he was cautious going in. But he settled once I reassured him, which is great progress! Denise was in the lead with 75%, a very high standard – which i had expected as she is so good at her music! It was very tense waiting for the score with some of the other competitors, Angela and our Sport Psychologist, Jennie Killilea, (who had done a great job throughout the competition!!). I felt really sick, and it wasn’t the usual nerves that was causing it. The score came through that I got 74%. Which I was very pleased with, and pleased for Denise! A great result for our first one. We had the prize giving again, although I had to make a quick exit after the first 5 minutes to be sick – eww! We think there was a bug going around because several of the support team had been poorly in the week too.
We have to go through this all again with the Hickstead International next week!

Thursday 17th July 2008 - Championship day - Grade IVs were last to go today, a long day to wait! Spirits were high as a lot of the World Class Development Programme riders had done well, which is great.
Today we were competing outside, which I was pleased to hear! Hopefully Touchy will feel he can be more expressive, without the walls restricting him mentally. Warm up went very well, he was feeling great, very relaxed and submissive. I could really push him in the warm up and knew I could push for more in the test. We were ready when we were called into the arena, I was up for it! His extensions were a lot better today, and the general quality was of a higher standard, although there is more to come! I won today with 70.2%, winning by 3%. I think it was the best test I have ever done so far! So a good win, and a massive contribution to the team competition, we now have the highest average, and with the help from my other 3 team members, we won the team competition. My first two national anthems and first senior international win! I couldn’t be more pleased with Touchy and the progress we have made, now heads down to concentrate on tomorrows freestyle performance! As the times go in reverse of the results from today I will be going last. Another long day of waiting!

Wednesday 16th July 2008 - Team test day - The grade IVs were on early today, I like getting it over with early. Warm up went ok, and he didn’t seem phased going into the big arena. The test was safe, I was happy with his first days performance, although a little tight in the neck (maybe to do with the injection??). The results came out that I came 2nd with 67%. I was quite pleased with the score and definitely with the place because I came 2nd to a very experience competitor and established horse. I was also selected to be in the team, which is my first, and definitely a great experience! The scores will be taken from team test and individual test.

Tuesday 15th July 2008 - Trot up day! - An early start to get the other horses sorted before leaving for Hartpury with Touchy. I can feel the butterflies, but good ones I think! I rode Touchy before the trot up in the Hartpury Arena, all to myself! Which was good for him, because tomorrow he will be all by himself too! Training went well, Angela (Weiss), my trainer, helped me, I just felt he needed to let go of himself more, but hopefully that will happen tomorrow as he relaxes.
In the evening the team vet travelled over to give Touchy and the other reserve horse their second injection for Hong Kong. Fingers Crossed he doesn’t feel sore like I did after mine!

Sunday 13th July 2008 - Hartpury International - We leave to go to Hartpury international on Tuesday, Im excited now, we had a great lesson with Angela on Friday, even though it started chucking it down with rain and Angela ran inside while I was left practising my medium trot! Good practise for Hartpury though, but I\'m hoping the weather will not be as bad as last year!
I love my music, so Im looking forward to performing it on Friday!
The trot up is on Tuesday, and I will hopefully also get the opportunity to ride Touchy around the arena that we will be competing in, which will help him relax.
I am also looking forward to watching the CDI, as on the start list, Laura Bechtolsheimer has entered on Mistral Horjis, which will be fantastic to watch!!

Saturday 12th July 2008 - RDA Nationals - I had been invited along to the RDA Nationals as a special guest. A great compliment for me, and as I had to turn down the invitation last year, being so close to the World Championships, I decided to make the journey down to Gloucester this morning.
As it was the first RDA competition I had attented, I was shocked (in a good way) at how many people were there! The attendance of riders were great, and the support was fantastic, even though the weather forecast was not the best!
The sponsorship of the classes was good, and representatives from alot of the companies attended the lunch.
After the lunch I was asked to present some prizes. There were alot of classes and the prize giving went on for half an hour, and it was great to see so many young and enthusiastic riders doing well and enjoying the sport. It was also lovely to have people asking to have photographs taken with me, and wanting to know more about how to do well in the sport, and my personal experiences, which I enjoyed, as I love to help, as I can remember when I first started out!

Wednesday 9th July 2008 - Myerscough KBIS qualifier - To qualify for the nationals, you have to get into the top 4 in each grade, the grade 4s have currently got the highest scores, and there have been many combinations trying to qualify, which is great for the sport. Touchy went well again today, and even though one of the judges was the same as sunday, we got 5% higher, with 69.29%. To be sure of qualification I will go to the last qualifier which will be on the 16th August in Hampshire. I will take both horses for an outing, especially as this will be the last competition before we go into quarentine on the 18th.

Sunday 6th July 2008 - Vale View KBIS qualifier - There were 13 riders in the Grade IV section, quite a big class really. I felt Touchy worked in well, he was very forward, so I was pleased as I have been having problems with him backing off before. The test went well, we had to perform the team test to qualify. There were a few little mistakes, in the first shoulder-in Touchy tried to go off in medium trot too early (the problem with the horses knowing the test!) so we had a wobble in the shoulder in. And the second walk pirouette was a bit large, apart from that I was pleased with him. However the judges did not seem to agree, and we got a score of 65% and 4th. Although I was slightly disappointed with the score, it was those two judges opinions, and we will have to go to Myerscough College on Wed 9th to try and redeem ourselves!

Saturday 28th June 2008 - Hickstead Premier League - Day 2 - I had a slightly better time today of 11.30. Touchy worked in very well, and although I wasn\'t as pleased with the test as the day before. However I came out with a score of 67.50, which put me second, and some of the Junior European team was also competing! A great result, and even more promising that there is still plenty more to come!
I now have a week of training at home and in Nottingham, until the KBIS National qualifier at Vale View.

Friday 27th June 2008 - Hickstead Premier League - Today was the preliminary test. Our time was not until 20.17, so a long day leading up to it! I was very fortunate that my trainer, Angela Weiss, stayed to help me work Touchy in, and we went and did a solid test. I came 2nd, which i was very pleased with!

Thursday 26th June 2008 - Sheepgate - Not a very successful trip to Sheepgate, we entered to do the PSG, but Touchdown decided not to work with me, and after many mistakes in the canter, we came out with 62%.

Monday 16th June 2008 - Selection for Beijing 2008!! - Surprising news....I have been selected to be reserve!! A huge shock as we have only had Touchdown for a couple of months, however we have formed a great partnership and are going to really get the most out of this experience in preparation for the Europeans next year! The process is very interesting, and we still have to go into Quarentine of the horses for a week from the 18th August!

Sunday 15th June 2008 - Horseworld - We took Reece to Horseworld today, to try and qualify for the Regionals at Elementary. It\'s only his third one, but he has been working well at home. He did well, getting 72.8%. A great score and as we wo, it qualifies us for the Regionals.

Monday 9th June 2008 - Final Selection for the Paralympics - The second day, and I was the first rider of the day, setting the standard. The warm up was a bit chaotic but we still managed to produce a good test against the odds and scored just under 70% in the championship test. We won again, which was great for me as we had been told many times that I had no chance of going to Hong Kong.
The Team will be announced on the 16th June! x

Sunday 8th June 2008 - Final Selection for the Paralympics - The final competition took place at Hickstead. The weather was on our side at nearly 30 degrees.
Today I rode the team test, the best of Great Britain were competing in all the grades, so it was a great opportunity to see where we stand with Touchy.
My time wasn\'t until 19.10, so there was all day to wait, but this didn\'t seem to matter beacuse Touchy worked in really well, and didn\'t seem phased by the international arena, we achieved nearly 72% and my nearest opponent in grade IV got 66%.

Sunday 18th May 2008 - Addington Premiere League - The second day and the class has moved out side. It was quite windy and Touchy was really sharp. He worked in well though, but after going down the centre line and turning right, I was preparing for an extended trot when the wind caught my tails and tapped him on the back causing him to bolt off across the arena, not what was required! however, I got it back and apart from a couple of flying changes that were slightly explosive it was a good test for us to finish 4th again. Even with the really low marks for the not required movements, we still got the same score as yesterday, proving plenty of potential to win at this level.

Saturday 17th May 2008 - Addington Premiere League - The Junior class was in the big international indoor arena, the flags and flowers didn\'t bother Touchy, it was the purple table cloths where the judges were sitting that did! We still managed to come fourth out of 18, after being first on and only getting nearly 64% it proved to be a low scoring class. This shows great potential however he just need more experience at the bigger competitions!

Friday 16th May 2008 - Para Spring Championships - I won the Grade IV Spring Championships with Touchdown II today. We got 69% and beat our rivals by 2%. A great boost to our competition record, and a great result considering they were running 20 minutes late!

Sunday 11th May 2008 - I took Touchy to Sheepgate again today to test the water in our first PSG, and try to qualify for the Advanced medium regionals. It was very hot, and he didn\'t work in very well as he was very tense. This had a little affect on the quality of the test but in the advanced medium we got 66%, and his way of going improved a little to get nearly 65% in the PSG. I was pleased with this result as there is still plenty to improve on!
We have one more training session with Angela before we head of the Weston Lawns on the 16th for the Para Spring Championships.

Saturday 3rd May 2008 - On the British Dressage website, Valerius is number 20 in the top performing horses in the country. The list continues to 6045.
So we better keep it up!

Monday 28th April 2008 - Sheepgate Premier League - It was the first Premier League Touchy and I have attempted together. I didnt have too high expectations, as it is all very new.
The warm up was very traumatic for Touchy as his does have a slight phobia of other horses, and even if a horse cantered across the other side of the arena and grunted, touchy would leap in the air as if it was about to kill him!
Despite this, we went into the arena and he felt good. Im still not happy about the new saddle, but he had enough padding to prevent any discomfort.
The test went will, with a few small problems and lack of energy near the end of the trot but otherwise it was good, although i didnt think good enough to be particularly competitive as I know how well he can go.
Because of this, I was so suprised to see on the score board that our names were at the top with 70% and 1st place next to it!! I could not believe it! I had to check another 3 times that it was correct. I am very proud of him and look forward to building on such a fantastic weekend with both horses.

Sunday 27th April 2008 - We went to Laughton Manor Equestrian Centre today with Reece. He performed very well to earn 75% in the Novice, 10% above the rest of the class and 69.2% in his first elementary. He has now qualified for the regionals at Novice and part Elementary which is excellent news.
Laughton Manor was a great place to go, it was our first time there, but at less than an hour away, and considering how nice the people were, we will definately go back again!

Saturday 26th April 2008 - Patchetts Spring Qualifier - A fantastic day for my team today as I won the grade 4 class with a massive 76.1% and winning with over 4%. I also got the highest percentage of the competition over all grades, which is a great achievement for a grade 4.
I am going to Laughton Manor with Reece tomorrow and Sheepgate Premiere League with Touchy on Monday so alot more news to come!

Sunday 20th April 2008 - Vale View Para Spring Qualifier - Today was Touchys first Spring Qualifier, we got 69.6% which is a great start. I also did a medium regional qualifier and won with 66% - fully qualifying Touchy for the regionals.

Sunday 13th April 2008 - Squad Training - Day 2 - Day 2, continued on from the day before, as we built on the test riding and filmed it for Ken Barnsley to create some music for us.
The team doctor, Sally Nicholson, and Physio Helen Mathie and Joyce Sheriff we also available when needed.
Over all it was a very productive weekend.

Saturday 12th April 2008 - Squad Training - The first day of Squad Training consisted of running through our Freestyle to music with squad coaches and Jennie Loriston Clarke. This was a great opportunity, especially as I hadnt got an established KUR with Touchdown. It was fantastic to get the feedback from such an experienced judge and rider. Having Jennie there also pushed me that bit extra to get more out of Touchdown with each movement to gain an extra mark.
It was very good to hear the feedback about Touchdown as he is such a new horse to me, but Jennie really liked him which is very encouraging.

Sunday 30th March 2008 - Weston Lawns - I took Touchdown for his second competition today.
He was very well behaved, and came second with 64.16 in the Medium and second again with 65.45% in the Advanced Medium.
I thought he deserved some higher marks, but it will change due to the nature of subjectivity of the judging.

Thursday 27th March 2008 - First outing for Touchdown! - It was our first competition together, and we went to Vale View, leics. Touchy worked in well although slightly intimdated by all the other horses.
In the Advanced 100 we won with 66.25% although - I did go wrong. And I dropped some silly marks by touching him several times with the whip.
In the Medium 75 we won again, with a slightly lower score of 64% however we did win it by 4% and he went very well, just a bit tired.

There are great first competition results, and show a lot of promise for the future.

Thursday 27th March 2008 - Pictures! - Pictures of Touchdown to come shortly!

Saturday 22nd March 2008 - Para Winter Champs - Hand in Hand - It was the Winter Championships this weekend, but because i didnt do any qualifiers as i had no horse, i didnt qualify. However there was a class out on called Hand in Hand. Where a para rider rides the test for their grade and an able bodied rider rides a test, this time it could be chosen from novice, elementary, medium. I (ironically) chose to do the able bodied section, and partner Emma Kent who is grade 3.
Despite the weather, which was defintetly against myself and Reece as we were the only ones that a blizzard occured throughout the entire test, we still managed to pull it off and win the class with nearly 67%. It was then down to Emma to get a good score that would be combined.
Emma definately pulled it out of the bag and won with a great score of 73%. We won the Hand in Hand competition, which was a great start for the weekend for Emma and a good experience for myself and Reece.

Sunday 16th March 2008 - Vale View Para Spring Championship Qualifier & BD competition - Today I took Valerius (Reece) to Vale View, leics, aiming to part qualify him for the summer regionals at novice, so I entered him into the Novice 22 SQ, and the Para Team Test.
It has been a miserable day, as it was really windy and chucking it down with rain.
We decided to go, as I havn\'t competed in ages. Reece didn\'t warm up very well as the arena was very wet with alot of people in, so we were fighting for space, but he was obedient in the test, just needed my submission, but it gained 69.66%, and first place in the open, so I was pleased with the outcome, but he could have gone better.
I felt like he was a little unlevel on his off fore in trot, however I thought it could be due to the lack of connection and submission so I decided to try and work him through it for the next test.
The test was green, but I wouldn\'t expect anything else from a six year old. He did everything I asked. I didn\'t want to push him too much - because it needed to be a good experience for his first para test. There were a few mistakes in the walk pirouettes and rein back, but these are both new to him but there moments within the shoulder in and canter work that were very good for him.
We got 65% for the para test, which I didn\'t think he quite deserved in the scheme of things. However I was pleased with how he went and his performance, and it gives us areas to work on, but he is showing great potential, given a couple of years training.

Saturday 23rd February 2008 - New Horse - Exciting news - I have found a great little horse, Touchdown II. We bought him from Sam Sargeant, who has done a fantastic job in training him over the past four years. I am very excited about him, and looking forward to training with him and building a good partnership that will hopefully take us a long way!

Saturday 16th February 2008 - Squad Training - We had a squad training again this weekend. My young horse, Valerius went very well and we performed a medium test. The squad management was also pleased with our performance as it showed great improvement from the last training.
I have been viewing some horses in view of buying to compete running up to Beijing. We think we may have found one that looks promising.

Saturday 15th December 2007 - Squad Training - World Class Start & Potential Squad (Development) Training and Review was this weekend. The coaches viewed each riders progress on horse which concluded in marks out of 100. We also had an interview with our discipline co-ordinator, David Hamer, and the Performance squad psychologist, Joce Brooks. This involved checking if goals over the past six months had been achieved and setting goals in various areas for the following six months. Theses areas include:
Technical Skills and Knowledge
Performance and Training
Strategy and planning
Horses
Physical, fitness, S&C (Rider)
Mindset
Support Networks
Lifestyle commitment

Wednesday 5th December 2007 - Started Strength and Conditioning at Loughborough university - EIS English Institute of Sport and I am continuing physiotherapy at Loughborough EIS, as it has been very useful over the past 3/4 months.

Friday 30th November 2007 - We had Start & Potential cross-discipline this weekend. This is where all the 4 disciplines join together for team building, inspirational talks, and past champions. These included: Bryan Steel (Olympic, World and Commonwealth Medallist for cycling); Ian Wynne; Paula Reid (Round the World Yachtsperson); Claire Balding; Ashley Rossiter (styling the stars); Sam Forrest; Steve Wilde; Richard Davison; Janice Shardlow; Clive Hetherington; Mary King; Mike Ketcher.

For me, one of the highlights of this weekend was listening to Claire Balding, it was great to see and hear the passion she has for her job and the sport of equestrianism.

Monday 26th November 2007 - It was compulsory for my mum and I to attend the Beijing Preparation meeting at Hartpury College today. It was for all the long listed riders through all 4 equestrian disciplines to learn about next years Olympic/Paralympic games. A lot of the day was focused of accreditation, acclimatisation for both horse and rider, fitness and what they learnt from the test event which took place in August of this year.

Saturday 24th November 2007 - This was the 4th National Convention I have been lucky enough to go to, thanks to World Class Start and Potential. It is a great way to see different techniques some of the best trainers and riders in the world use. This year it was taken by Hubertus Schmidt.

Sunday 18th November 2007 - Now Reece has been back in training for 6 weeks, and is back on track, I wanted to take him out to do his second competition with me, and to try and qualify him for the winter semis. We went to Vale View again, as it is a great venue, not too far away.

The weather was dreadful, it rained all day, and the warm up and one test was outdoors. However this did not appear too much of a problem, as Reece behaved really well, and achieved over 71% and 76% in each Novice.

Tuesday 16th October 2007 - Past my driving test! This will make it a lot easier to access the expertise available through the EIS at Loughborough.

Friday 5th October 2007 - As I am still injured and do not have an international competition horse, I decided to take a trip out to Belgium to support the rest of Team GB who were competing. While I was there, I found myself in a very fortunate position of being asked to write for a Canadian practise judge, which taught me a lot about looking at the completion riding from a judges point of view.

Tuesday 25th September 2007 - I finally was able to start riding again. A month after my fall, and my ribs are healing. I’m back at the gym as well and back on track. I’m still looking for a new competition horse to keep me on the international circuit, as Muziek is still not back into competition.

Monday 24th September 2007 - I would like to say a big thank you to Lincolnshire Sportsman Club for the very generous donation of £1000 to contribute to my training and competition costs.

Saturday 25th August 2007 - I had a bad fall today off Reece. Fracturing 3 ribs and bruising many others. It also caused impaction in the shoulder so I have to wear a sling for 3 weeks.

Saturday 28th July 2007 - Freestyle to music, I had to change my programme quite a lot from the para test, to take out some disallowed movements. I didn’t have time to practice this as we were only home for one day in between Hartpury and Hickstead and Shadow doesn’t live with us, so I had to leave it to improvising and me knowing my music, which was also new to me. That meant putting it on repeat whenever I could. It went well, he was good in the international arena, and there was quite a good atmosphere, to which he responded well. We had a bit of extra time at the end, so I took out my extended trot down the centre line, which would of left me with even more time. We were given 67.200%, beaten into 4th place by 0.050%. Very close. I have been extremely pleased with my achievements on Shadow and I am so grateful to Carolyn Alston, Shadow’s owner, for letting me have the ride.

I have enjoyed every minute and has been a great experience over the past month, with 3 internationals in 3 weeks, it’s been hectic but very worthwhile. After our performance at Hickstead, we have been invited to Belgium to another able bodied Junior International at the beginning of September, however I am sorry to say we cannot take up the offer as Shadow is moving house with his owner.

I am now looking for another horse on loan. Mac is still under investigation, so I need a horse to compete on internationally to get more exposure.

Friday 27th July 2007 - Individual day. 12th to go again, even thought the draw was done every night. He went very well today, 65.667% and 3rd. Fantastic, at my first able bodied international and as a para rider. It surprised quite a lot of people! He got quite excited through the national anthem and lap of honour for the top 3.

Thursday 26th July 2007 - The team test day. I was 12th to go in the class, so it was a good draw, not too early as the class started at 8.00. Shadow did a good test, and we got 63.250% and =10th with Charlie Hutton. We lost a lot of marks after a mistake in the counter canter where he did a flying change so we lost marks for 2 movements from 3 judges although one judge still had me in second. He listened to me, and trusted me that is was safe, ignoring past experiences in that arena so I was very pleased.

Wednesday 25th July 2007 - Trot up for the CDIJY. We past although we had to go twice, it was fine. I rode Shadow after the trot up, he went very well, and even though he felt a bit tense, that was expected due to his previous experience at Hickstead. We got to walk around the International arena that we would be competing in on Saturday if we got through to the Kur.

Tuesday 24th July 2007 - We leave to go to Hickstead CDIJY tomorrow. I will now by riding Seymours Shadow in my first able bodied Junior International, so fingers crossed the weather holds out for us.

Sunday 22nd July 2007 - The freestyle day. I was in a good frame of mind and really looking forward to it. I had a good time, 10.37, and it looked to be a nice day. The flooding had cleared from the arenas so we were outside again. I really enjoyed the test, every movement and transition fit the music perfectly. I couldn’t believe the score when I was told it, 71.7% and 6th. Because I had to compete HC, I was not eligible to win anything but I got my qualifying score for Beijing. Angela Weiss my trainer was fantastic while we were away, and worked really hard to support all of her riders. The closing ceremony followed the medal ceremony for today, which were presented by The FEI President HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein.

Saturday 21st July 2007 - The individual competition today, and I wasn’t on until 5pm. A long wait as the competition started at 7am. Due to the horrendous weather, the competition had to be transferred inside. Hartpury staff did an amazing job, and the CDI competitors were the ones who suggested cancelling their competition in order for the Championships to continue. All 3 outdoor arenas were under water, and there was a huge river gushing down outside the indoor arena. Today, because it was inside and we hadn’t trained in there all week so it was electric. The atmosphere got to Shadow a bit, so we only got 63.335% and 15th. But I was still pleased with his performance. The medal ceremony for the team and individual medals was a proud moment as GB won 12 medal in all over the week.

Friday 20th July 2007 - First day, the team test. I felt the test went very well, Shadow behaved and I was pleased. A little disappointed with the score, 64.4% and I came 17th.

Thursday 19th July 2007 - The final day before the competition starts. Training went well and we had some time out to watch the CDI in the sun.

Wednesday 18th July 2007 - Another training day and I rode Shadow twice. It was the opening ceremony that evening, which was amazing. There were a couple of great acts that performed after all the countries had entered the main arena, and the seating was packed. You can find pictures on: http://www.hartpury.ac.uk/wpdc/event_images/index.htm

Tuesday 17th July 2007 - A training day for all riders, and chance to watch some of the other countries.

Monday 16th July 2007 - We left for Hartpury College today, we arrived by lunch time and there were plenty of people on hand to help get all of our kit off and into Team GBR stable block. Later that day I rode him, and we also checked that our music played well on the sound system. It chucked it down with rain…again, but all went well. Afterwards we went to collect our new Patey hats for the competition.

Wednesday 11th July 2007 - Myerscough KBIS qualifier - Another late entry, to fit in as much as possible to get Shadow ready for the Worlds. I won the warm up test, and came 2nd to an Australian in the Qualifier, although this will still of hopefully qualified me for the National Dressage Championships at Grade IV.

Sunday 8th July 2007 - Millfield Junior and Young Rider Para Dressage International. - It was a lovely weekend, and although I had to compete HC, due to my very late entry less than a week before it started, I would of won the Grade IV on over 70% both days. I also did a music demo at lunch time, so I could have a last minute practise before the World Championships. This went very well and everyone seemed to enjoy it, and it was a very good experience for Shadow as there was quite a lot of people watching and the atmosphere was bigger than at a normal competition.

Sunday 1st July 2007 - A preparatory competition at Hickstead was compulsory for those going to the World Para Dressage Championships. We made the 6 hour journey the night before so I could ride Shadow before the competition to get him used to the arenas and atmosphere. He worked in really well, however as the rider before me finished and everyone clapped this scared Shadow causing him to bolt to the other end of the arena, then the heavens opened as I went in for my test, the rain was horizontal it was awful. There were a few nice moments, but due to the weather it didn’t go to plan but we got through it and got over 60%.

Tuesday 26th June 2007 - Team training to prepare for the World Championships. It was a busy couple of days, the horses saw the Team vets, osteopath, farrier and the riders saw the Team psychologists, dietition, and we even got drug tested. I quickly designed a Freestyle to music floor plan for Shadow, and Ken Barnsley videoed it so he could fit music to it.

Friday 22nd June 2007 - I think I have found the horse that I could take to the Worlds. The selectors will have to assess our training at the Unicorn on 25/26 June Team training, and at Hickstead where everyone will be competing in a freestyle competition, but hopefully they will like him. You can see him on my Horses page.

Thursday 21st June 2007 - I went to see a horse, with the view of taking it to the Worlds, however unfortunately he is not quite what I need, but we will keep looking.

Monday 18th June 2007 - Mac went to the Vets today, he will be staying there until the end of the week for further investigation.

Sunday 17th June 2007 - Reece had his first trip to Squad Training at the Unicorn Centre. He behaved extremely well, and we had some really good training sessions.

Friday 8th June 2007 - Due to some behavioural problems, Mac will be unable to compete at the World Championships in July. He is going to Rossdales for further investigation into the problems we have been having.

Wednesday 6th June 2007 - Excellent news, we have been selected to compete at the World Championships. Because they are being held in Britain, Team GB can take 15 competitors, however only 10 will be allowed to medal, and the other 5 go for experience and to try and qualify for Beijing. I will be one of the 5.

Saturday 26th May 2007 - Today was the Final Selection Trials for the World Championships, the day went ok and Mac warmed up well. He was a little scared with a few things in the arena, but overall I was pleased with his performance. We came third, and now we just have to wait a week for the selectors to let us know who has been selected.

Tuesday 22nd May 2007 - Mac went to have a Gastroscopy today at Willesley clinic and is now on a course of treatment. 26 May Today was the Final Selection Trials for the World Championships, the day went ok and Mac warmed up well. He was a little scared with a few things in the arena, but overall I was pleased with his performance. We came third, and now we just have to wait a week for the selectors to let us know who has been selected.

Friday 18th May 2007 - All the horses arrived back in England, with only a couple of problems with dehydration - so we were lucky the vet was there to ensure everything was ok. Now the next couple of weeks I will be concentrating on training for the Final World Championship Selection being held on the 26th May at the Unicorn Trust, Stow-on-the-Wold (and my AS levels).

Tuesday 8th May 2007 - Second day of competition - Freestyle to music. The atmosphere was still affecting Muziek, and after a couple of bridle changes in the warm up, I had to enter the arena. As I was cantering around the outside, there was a big sheet of plastic, that was supposed to be on one of the judges huts, but was instead on the floor because it had been so windy. This was very scary, and made Muziek loose concentration and rear up and spin around. However I reassured him and we got past it.

I signalled for the start of the music, and we entered the arena. Mac knows his music so that reassured him too. He was still very on edge, but we managed to get 69.393%. This I was very pleased with, because his good parts made up for the mistakes caused by the tension. As you can see from the link below, places 5th-10th were extremely close - but this is promising because again it wasn't his best test. http://eventcontent.hippoonline.de/230/docs/erg35.pdf

7 May 2007 - First day of competition - Muziek went quite well, but was affected by the atmosphere so was very tight and tense. There was 22 in my class with all the top class competitors riding, as most countries took their A squads. I came 10th, which I was happy with as my horse didn't do any where near the best he can perform, and to still be http://eventcontent.hippoonline.de/ergebnisliste.php?AktEvent=230&evtname=30&ID_Abschnitt=1280&lang=DEU

Sunday 6th May 2007 - Trot up - All went well and all of GB's horses past. The rest of the day was taken up with Training. I rode Muziek twice just to get him used to the atmosphere and the venue. It was all quite exciting for him because it was a very big competition, which included National Able Bodied Dressage and Show Jumping as well as a massive County show that ran for over a week.

Saturday 5th May 2007 - My birthday ... horses and riders all arrived in Germany today, fit and healthy. It took two days for the horses to travel to Germany, under the eye of the GB vet and osteopath following all the way.

Thursday 3rd May 2007 - We travelled to the Unicorn Trust - Gloucestershire where all the Horses were meeting to pack the 3 transporters ready to leave in the morning. 12 horses were going to represent Team GB, very exciting.

Monday 16th April 2007 - We had a new arrival today; 17.1hh 5 year old Dutch Gelding, Reece and we bought him from Julie Fairway - Kent. He has a lovely character, and I am very excited to start working with him! Pictures coming soon...

Sunday 15th April 2007 - We travelled to our final World Championship Qualifier which was held at Vale View Equestrian Centre - Leic. I had a lot of difficulties in the warm up with Muziek, but after an hour I finally got through to him, and we went in to do a slightly underpowered and cautious test, but it still achieved us over 66% which was very good considering the working in. I will now work on his submission before The College Premiere League next weekend where we will be competing in the PSG and junior classes.

Saturday 14th April 2007 - Today we went to another World Championship Qualifier at Beaver Hall Equestrian, Leek. It was a lovely sunny day, and Muziek warmed up well. He went into the arena and was good, stayed calm and fairly relaxed, considering the last time we were there judge Chris Porterfield said 'nice samba down the centre line' obviously it wasn't my intention! He did a good test today, with only a few issues in the walk and we came out second to World Class Potential Gold/Performance rider Denise Shawns with 69.24% above the qualifying criteria.

Friday 13th April 2007 - There will be a fantastic lecture demo on 'HOW TO PREPARE YOUR FREESTYLE TEST & MUSIC, WITH GRAND PRIX FINAL' on the 27th April 2007 at Vale View Equestrian. It will be taken by Angela Weiss and Geoff Kroll. Angela is in charge of the floor plans, and I have worked with her on all of my high 70% freestyle tests for both of my horses. Geoff has produced fabulous music that both suits the horse and what the rider likes.

I will be taking part in this demo by riding Muziek to our very successful Prix St George freestyle to music which recently gained us 79.3% and will be our last practice before Mannheim International - Germany. I will also be riding another horse to demonstrate how to put together a test from scratch. If you would like more information about this event, please get in contact! It should be a very enjoyable evening, with some very useful tips! Not to be missed.

Sunday 25th March 2007 - We competed at the Winter National Para Championships today at Vale View Equestrian Centre, Leicestershire, and I won both the Grade IV Championship class with nearly 70% and the Grade IV freestyle with 78.3%.

I also won the overall freestyle championship because I got such a high mark over all the grades. Mac was a very good boy! This was an amazing achievement because I used my new Kur, in which I had only ran through once, and was at Prix St George level, which is the highest you can do for a grade IV Kur.

Friday 23rd March 2007 - I won my first World Championship Qualifier at Richmond, North Yorkshire with 70.35%, competition was stiff, but we did a good solid test especially considering they were running half an hour late, so we had an hour and a half to warm up.

Wednesday 21st March 2007 - I am really excited about the launch of my new website.

I hope you find it interesting and I will keep it updated with news. I have just been told I have been selected to compete at Mannheim International, in Germany 4-9 May. This should be great experience for my current horse, as he has had little exposure to the International atmosphere.

This weekend I am attending a World Championship qualifier where I will also do a Prix St George, and the Para Winter National Championships.

So I will keep my website updated with the news…