THE ADVENTURES OF GINNY photos by Henry Kinchin
W
ind down from Eventing and on to Winter madness... oh and a lot of rain!
PAU with BEAU (Undalgo De Windsor)! So where do I start? Now I knew it was a long way... but it is a very long way! Before we even hit the road it was the usual marathon packing session... How much stuff can you possibly need for 1 horse and 1 rider heading to a 5*?! Well the answer is plenty, eventually after getting my big white lorry packed up with everything, from 8 bales of hay, many bags of hard feed, rugs for all weathers and situations. My tack... very important... cant forget those beautiful Voltaire saddles, and a bit and bridle for every phase. Equine boots for each phase, not to mention lots of numnahs. I'm told it's raining a lot in France!
Then the rider has equally as big a wardrobe! Especially when you are provided with the most beautiful trot-up outfits, thanks to Linnell Country Wear. Fiona, you really do know how to dress us and made the big occasion an even more special one. Riding kit - very important, a hat for each phase, my ever precious silk top hat and tailcoat, my lovely Gatehouse jumping hats, the best of the best. Cross country colours, Hit Air jacket, body protector, countless pairs of breeches - now that's enough about kit, but I assure you there was lots of it.
So lorry all packed, pony on board and looking a complete picture... then boom... lorry didnt want to move! Disaster! Brakes locked on and going absolutely nowhere. Thankfully Peter Haines Engineers to the rescue, turns out just a minor issue, and we were on our way, on route to Team Way Eventing. Slightly behind schedule, but safely arrived and ready to un-pack and re-pack Ben and Sarah's lorry. Mission!
Monday morning bright and early - 3am if I remember correctly,
and the road trip to Pau begins. 3 horses on board, 2 riders, 1 husband/driver, 1 groom. 1 baby and 1 dog! Warwickshire to Portsmouth, to Caren, to Le Mans, then stay over, a few hours sleep and few more hundred miles, and eventually, Pau!
The horses travelled amazingly well and looked great after their 24hr road trip, they all setteled quickly in their stables and had some well earned chill-out time.
Now fast-forward a few days, trot-up passed and competition under way. Friday was dressage day, and didn’t he do me proud, feeling much more settled and rideable than Burghley, and even Blenheim too. His weakness though, is his changes. Having been sat on a score of 34 for most of his test, the changes let us down, pushing our score up, but knowing this is our winter mission to improve, I could not have been happier with how hard he tried. The cross- country phase was a true 5* track, technical and questions right up until the end. You certainly knew you had made it to a 5*. Beau however absolutely loves this phase and it was exactly what he had been waiting for. He gave me the most amazing ride and remained bold and careful right to the end, a little too bold at the second last combination, but regardless of having to sit a bit tight we came home clear and buzzing!
Second trot up, new outfit and a very happy horse ready to run again. On to the SJ, plenty of atmosphere, which has been something Beau has had to acclimatise to over the years and especially since making the step up. He kept his cool regardless of lots of French cheering and whooping, having one unlucky pole and one somewhat deserved. Regardless of a couple of faults, a top 18 Finish, plus a Badminton 2020 qualification was secured!
Finishing the season on a high, and following a great result Pau 5*, makes heading into the Winter slightly easier. With many of
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THE WINTER SPECIAL 2019
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