This month has just been manic – now that the weather has cheered up a bit our team have been out in full force with huge amounts of success!

Firstly, Sven and Legs made their 2013 competitive debut at West Wilts on 4^th April. Sven is actually a Grand Prix horse now - we have had him since he was rising 3yrs - but he had not been out competitively since November 2012, so Edward entered him for the PYO Inter 1, in which movements don't come up quite so quickly. They did rather a good test for 62% and took 2nd place comfortably. Sven’s next outing is on 30^th April at Abbey Dressage – a Grand Prix. Fingers crossed he behaves himself and that Edward remembers the test! Onto Legs, who was patiently awaiting her turn. She is simply stunning, and my goodness does she know it! She is comfortably working at Adv Med, but this was her first competition of the season, so she was entered for the Elementaries. By this point in the day it had actually started snowing but Legs knew she was there to do a job, so she concentrated on doing what she does best... Looking gorgeous. She warmed up very well, but just got a bit tense in the first test for 62%. Straight into the second test and she was much better, so got 67%, but was pipped into 2nd by one mark - really annoying as Edward went wrong right at the end - he couldn't hear the caller over the wind! Some lovely comments from the judge though & Legs was a really, really good girl, so lots of pats & polos.

Legs then was entered at East Soley EC on 14^th April, (just 20 mins from us) for another Elementary to try and gain more points towards her Regional qualification. Her owners, Ambra Paterno-Castello and Antonio Gatti were able to come and watch her strut her stuff and she did not disappoint! She did a fabulous, flowing test for 72% and won very comfortably. We made a little video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOuIgbrkMWM

So then it was the eventers’ turn! First, Dennis and Holly were at Aston-le-Walls unaffiliated; Dennis was doing his 1st event in 3yrs (BE90) and Holly was doing her 1st event EVER (BE80)!

First up was Dennis, who did a good test - could have been better, but for various reasons we only managed a 7 min warm up, where he should have had about 20 mins... Oh well, he still earned a very respectable 31. Love him! Comments were fair - just a bit tense & needed to swing through the back more. On the way back from dressage I heard over the tannoy that Piggy French had taken the lead in our section with 21 dressage, double clear.... No hope for the rest of us!

Dennis & I then tootled off to SJ, & can I just say now how lovely it was to be on a pony that doesn't tense up in the warm up/spin/try to kick other horses etc (mentioning no names.... Morris!). We went into the ring & he just felt awesome - positively flew! Looking back at the video, it does look too small for him, but rather that than over face him. I just love jumping this horse. Clear round & big smiles & pats for clever pony.

Onto the fun bit - the course looked really kind & just what he needed to get his eventing career kick started again. We went steady to ensure good strides into everything & he totally LOVED IT! So easy & he didn't back off at anything. Clear round with 5.2tps. Super, super pony!

Here's his video of Dennis’ day:

http://youtu.be/z0zNSGjhVng

Onto Holly & although she has never bucked/reared/fartarsed around, I was a bit concerned that the whole situation might blow her brains, but after one little 'Holy **** what the **** are those things?!?' at the ducks in the dressage field (!) she settled down nicely. There was a bird scarer going off next door, but luckily she's used to them & didn't really flinch. She did a good but slightly green test, with the highlight being our final halt, which was great, until I relaxed my left leg & we drifted about 6 miles. Thought it would be about 37, so was thrilled with 34.

Then we went off to the SJ, warmed up with help from the lovely Natalie from Snowball Farm to get Holly really pinging & then went in. I was a bit concerned that she might back off in the ring as lots of young horses were having issues..... Horses always surprise you.... She pretty much tanked me round! Had a couple of cocky "I'm 5 and I'm friggin fabulous!" moments (fence 1 and 5) but jumped a lovely forward round with some grown up flying changes in there too.

So we headed to XC on our dressage score of 34 - wanted a nice steady pootle round the course as it was her first ever one due to the crappy weather we've had. We did a nice gentle standing start, fences one-four were a bit baby & wobbly, but by the time we got to the water we were flying! The water was no problem, she didn't bat an eyelid at the ditch, and bounded off the step, to gallop home just 10 secs over the time. I LOVE this little horse so much.

And to top off a wonderful day, Holly was placed 10th! Amazing little horse. She will step up to BE90 next & Dennis will go to BE100 as they both found their respective levels very easy.

Holly's video:
http://youtu.be/pxBVcQ4cMfg

Like everyone else, Morris' season has been a bit stop-start - we were entered for Gatcombe, which was cancelled, then we entered Sapey just for a run, which was also cancelled, so back to Aston we went! So grateful to them for putting on another event at such short notice. Looking at our section we weren't hopeful of a placing... Think WEG in Novice form (without Mr Jung!).

We went in for our dressage, having walked past the XC & Morris promptly stuck his ears up my nose & started snorting each time he heard a horse going past. Managed to regain some sort of control to get through the test, was fuming when we came out (but did have to laugh... or I would have cried). Naughty Morris... Considering he did a 28 last time, I was sure we would be 38+. Bad, bad pony.

We have been playing around with bridles for the SJ, and safe to say I think we need more control... He jumped a very pingy, enthusiastic clear, but going to use a different nose band next time I think!

Here at Team HDE headquarters, there has been much talk of immigration to warmer climes. First we thought Florida looked rather appealing, but there is just too much red tape for UK residents. Then we thought about Australia. Too far away and I think our parents would cry (and Morris is scared of really big spiders). So, we have decided on France. If the UK does not buck up it's ideas by the end of this year, it's off to France we go!

Morris and Minnie had wonderful first runs at Aston-le-Walls at the beginning of the month. It was my first event on Minnie (owned by Chessie Kirkham) and despite all the horror stories she was filling my head with just before we went XC, we managed a very respectable 11th place in the BE100. She positively flew around the XC! So, having re-routed her 12 times already, she now heads to Hambleden BE100, then to Broadway for her first Novice.

Morris had not been out since July 2012 due to foot balance issues and so he needed an easy run in the Novice to ease him back into it all. He did the best test he has EVER done for 28, then followed it up with a very classy double clear to win his section. He was then meant to go to Gatcombe, but as that was cancelled, we have entered him into Sapey Novice (just for a run - he probably won't even notice the jumps!), then he goes to Hambleden to do the TCN**. Fingers crossed we can get that illusive final QR for Advanced!

Edward has been much more sensible and is waiting until April to make his 2013 competition debut. Sven is being eased back into competitive life with an Inter I and Legs (owned by Ambra Paterno-Castello) is beginning her campaign to qualify for the Elementary regional finals, both at West Wilts Equestrian Centre on 4th April. Sven steps back up to Grand Prix at the end of April. 

Casanova is working very well at home and is currently working at Medium - he will make his competitive debut once he is well established at Advanced Medium. He has been down to see the Dressage Oracle (Nicky Barrett) a few times now and she is very pleased with his progress.

Holly and Splash (both currently for sale) have their first events planned for next month, and Dennis (also for sale) is out competing with Ali for the first time at Aston-le-Walls, also at the beginning of April.

In the mean time we have continued teaching a hardcore bunch of clients throughout the bad weather - very impressed with their dedication - and we have managed to get a few liveries off our waitlist and into a stable. We do still have a few people on the waitlist so if you are currently waiting for a stable, we will be in touch as soon as we have a box available.

Until next time, please keep an eye on our Facebook page for regular updates on forthcoming clinics and news on horses for sale. And let's all do a massive sun dance so that we don't have to move to France!!

Well, it’s that time of year again... frozen pipes, muddy hacks and ice blocks for fingers and toes. Credit card companies must want to kiss the people inventing all the latest types of new fangled horse rugs – our equine friends are tucked right up to their chins in the cosiest, snazziest pyjamas, while we simply make do with the tatty old coat we’ve had for the last eight years (I’m sure that it must be coming back into fashion soon?).

It’s also a time of year that our horses must secretly dread. As soon as they see us unloading a car full of bags from the Family Bargains shop full of Christmas paraphernalia they must resign themselves to the fate that awaits them... Normal people buy Christmas decs to put up around the house. But horsey people are not normal people. The ponies know that come the weekend, they’ll see us looming over their stable door, beaming, with a set of antlers, bells and other decorations of the sparkly, jingly variety. It just goes to show how very tolerant our four legged friends really are.

So, on 15^th December we held our second annual Charity Christmas Dressage competition. It was, if possible, even more of a success than last year! We held it in aid of the Blue Cross – they do such wonderful work, not only for horses, but for all types of animal in these difficult times. We were very pleased to welcome Amy & Mark from the Blue Cross for the day – thank you for showing your support. We had really fabulous prizes to give out – many thanks to all who gave so generously, including KBF99 and Roubi l’Roubi.

The day kicked off with the higher level tests and the morning session was won by Sarah Howard and Lochinvar, riding a Medium test, on a stonking score of 76%.

The afternoon session was won by Gemma Lynch and Monroe (Mojo) riding a Prelim test on another very respectable score of 74%.

And the hotly contested Fancy Dress prize was won by Grace Dunbar for her Father Christmas and Rudolph costume, beard and all!

A wonderful day was had by all – lots of merriment, mulled wine and mince pies – many, many thanks to all who came and/or donated to this very worthy cause. We are still working on our final total – I will update as soon as we have had the final donations in.  

Finally, I would like to pass the funds over to the Blue Cross and dedicate the day to the memories of my wonderful Grandfather, General John Graham, and my equally wonderful grandmother, Veronica Dane. Both these incredible people have inspired me (and continue to do so) every day of my life. Thank you.

Recently Rudi (one of our beloved family horses) was diagnosed with suspensory ligament and tendon damage after jumping out of deep ground with his loan owner. We know that many horses every year suffer similar injuries and so Jesse Dane wrote this short article to help explain a bit more about this type of injury:

****

The vet has been and the prognosis is in – your horse has a tendon or ligament injury. But before we dive into the depths of despair and deem all hope to be lost, it’s important to remember that technological advancements in veterinary care mean that most cases bear a positive outlook.

What are tendons and ligaments?

The front and hind legs contain a number of tendons and ligaments, but the main thing to know is that the former is a fibrous cord that joins muscle to bone and the latter is a bunch of fibrous tissue that joins bone to bone, all present for stability and bearing weight. It’s easy to imagine the strain and pressure exerted on, for example, the suspensory ligament on a daily basis as it carries the horse’s weight and prevents the fetlock from dropping to the floor.

About the injuries

Damage to tendons and ligaments typically occurs in two forms – strains and tears. A strain is a pulling of the tissue and is accompanied by minor swelling and heat, but lameness isn’t always present. Therefore it’s vital to know your horse’s legs inside out as an unnoticed strain can escalate into a bigger problem. Tears range in severity from small to massive. The smaller the tear, the more similar the symptoms are to a strain, but lameness, heat and swelling increase with the size of the tear.

Treatment options

The weight-bearing job of the tendons and ligaments mean that rest is the first port of call. Keeping the horse stabled while wearing bandages or veterinary compression stockings helps to support the fetlock and aids blood flow. Later, very gradual increases in movement, starting with walking in hand, help to strengthen the injured tissue. If you’re fortunate enough to catch the injury soon after it happens, cold hosing and poulticing are effective means of minimising the heat and swelling.

Truly incredible scientific technology has sped up the healing process of such damage. The non-invasive shockwave therapy, used to stimulate the cells, has proved extremely popular in recent years. However, it’s not yet entirely understood how or why this method works. But the important thing is that it often does! Another treatment that’s gained momentum is stem cell therapy, which entails young cells that yet have a definite form being extracted from the horse’s fat and inserted into the damaged tissue, where they develop into the same tissue, regenerating the tendon or ligament.

Prevention is better than treatment

Maintaining strong tendons and ligaments is vital in prevention, so riding on a variety of surfaces, including roads and tracks, helps in the strengthening process. Having said this, do avoid riding in deep ground, particularly when jumping. Provide plenty of support to the legs using boots or bandages when exercising, but as heat has been proven to degenerate tissue, be sure to thoroughly cool the legs and preferably avoid booting up your horse in the field, unless completely necessary. Routine scanning is also advisable, particularly if the horse has suffered such an injury in the past.

As the nights start to draw in and we begin to hurtle towards Christmas, the clippers and heavy rugs are dug out and the seemingly endless battle against mud commences, here at Hurston Dressage and Eventing we've never been quite so excited about heading into winter!

Not only do we now have a resident Grand Prix dressage horse and rider, some very exciting youngsters and a super team on the yard, we can also announce that we are now working in partnership with Harry Dabbs Saddlemakers ! We have been working on a beautiful new dressage saddle, which combines style and innovation with functionality. Having spent the day at the Harry Dabbs HQ in the midlands today, we helped put the finishing touches to the knee roll and were then given a guided tour of the factory - SO interesting to see how each saddle is born.

Whilst at the factory, we were also introduced to the incredible KBF99 Range - an amazing set of stable products that actually disinfect the surface they are being used on! We are so looking forward to putting these products to use on our yard.

The saddle should be ready very soon and we will post pictures ASAP - many thanks to Harry Dabbs and Julie Robertson for their time and patience today while we were fiddling around with the knee roll. So watch this space for further developments and news of Harry Dabbs and Hurston Dressage and Eventing!

So, did you know that in the UK this year we have ALREADY had about 400mm of rain? Just to put that into perspective, that equates to the difference between jumping around a Pre-novice track and a Grand Prix track. It’s also about the same as the difference between a full size pony and our giant five year old, Nova. That’s a lot.

And this year just happens to be 2012. The year that four million (yes, that’s 4,000,000) extra people will be flooding to London for the Olympics. Many of them will be from the UK and will be well acquainted with the so-called ‘British Summertime’ but a large proportion will be from other countries and unsure of what to expect. I can just see the headlines now: ‘Usain Bolt Refuses to get off Aeroplane: “In Jamaica dis is called de Hurricane seesun. We all hide indoors in de Hurricane seesun”.’ Nothing says ‘Welcome to our country!’ like torrential rain and overflowing drains… I’m keeping everything crossed for blue skies and glorious sunshine!

British Eventing are experiencing their worst year EVER with high profile event cancellations across the country and even British Dressage and British Showjumping shows have been abandoned after arenas were left waterlogged. When will it end?

Morris and Cosmo have been lucky enough to get out eventing once each, but sadly the deluge has meant that all their other planned outings have been cancelled. Morris had a really super Intermediate run at Salperton in June after an unplanned, rain enforced two month eventing-break (really not good for his brain or my nerves!) and Cosmo stormed around his first ever ODE at Keysoe. Morris now heads to Hopetoun CIC** (fingers crossed) and then Aston-le-walls Intermediate before hopefully making the step up to Advanced before the end of 2012.

[Pic of Morris] [Pic of Cosmo]

In other news, Morris and I have been selected by Townley Equestrian as their Eventing blogger for 2012-2013. They are very kindly supplying a branded rug for Morris and 10% off all their lovely products – I strongly suggest you take a look at their stuff ASAP! Thank you Townley!

Sven has been having a comparatively quiet time of it recently and just training hard at home as well as going for lessons to try and crack the piaffe, so Edward has been concentrating on competing Esso, who has not disappointed! She is still being a bit cheeky in her tests occasionally – she has a tendency to add a few extra-curricular movements here and there – but she managed to hold it together extremely well at Merrist Wood last month.

[Pic of Esso]

Nova has had some time off to have a minor, routine surgical procedure carried out but is well on the road to recovery now and should be back on track soon. He continues to wreak havoc on the yard though, pulling down guttering, roof tiles and fencing. Very naughty boy!

The yard is jam packed full of horses, with no sign of a break any time soon, but if you would like to get in touch about any kind of livery please don’t hesitate to get in contact. We do hold a waitlist so your neddy could well be coming in sooner than you might think.

Until next time (I do TRY to do these monthly, but it’s not really going well at the moment!), keep dry and warm and enjoy the Olympics!

Team GB are GO!!

At the moment my bed time prayers sound a little bit like this:

"Dear God,

I believe that we are due for some sunny weather. We have paid for our frivolous ways with water now and yes, we do need it, but we also really, really need to go eventing. Which cannot happen if you keep leaving your shower on… Getting soaked to your knickers three times a day is not character building; it just sucks. So please, enough with the rain already and give us some sun.

And world peace, of course.

Amen."

I think these sentiments are echoed not just by the rest of the eventing community, but by the entire nation. Morris is certainly morphing into the slightly wild, unpredictable horse he becomes during the off-season as he has not run since Gatcombe. Some might say horses are just like their owners... wild and unpredictable? Moi?? 

 One of Morris' more angelic moments at Gatcombe

Firstly, I would like to formally welcome a new member to Team HDE – Chessie Kirkham is our sparkly new head groom and has been with us just over a month now. Chessie and her puppy, Maddison, are well and truly settled in and already feel like part of the HDE family!

Edward has been really busy teaching and since I last blogged (naughty non-blogger!) and has done three clinics (see our Clinics & Other Events page for more details) all of which were great successes with high attendance.

 The arena all set up for the first Test Riding clinic

Unfortunately Edward and Sven had a couple of disappointing scores at competitions in April, so have gone back to the drawing board and worked on a few niggling issues, but keep an eye on our Face Book page for regular competition updates as they will be out competing again soon.

Nova, who we bought from the Brightwell’s Stars of the Future auction in December, is just magical. Having been advised by Nicky not to compete him until next year, he is working hard at home but also enjoying hacking along the Ridgeway and (when it’s not raining) lazing around in the field.  

Edward has also picked up another exciting ride – Miss Sandro (or Legs as she’s affectionately known), who was previously owned by a 4* event rider and came to us to be sold in March. One of our current owners (Ambra, who owns Brandy with her husband, Antonio) fell in love with Legs and bought her to enjoy at the weekends, giving Edward the chance to ride and compete her during the week.  She will be making her BD debut with Edward very soon!

There have been so many horses coming and going through the yard on Sales and Training Livery – but every single one is treated to TLC HDE style and gets individual love and attention. However, we’re always so sad to say goodbye to any horse that passes through our yard, regardless of how long he/she has been with us. Our Sales Livery options have been particularly popular – if you are looking for a new horse, please visit our Horses for Sale page – you might find the horse of your dreams! Alternatively, if you are trying to sell your horse, we can take the stress out of the process for you and sell him/her from our yard. Please take a look at our Livery Yard Packages & Prices page for more details.

While on the subject of livery, we are now able to offer a Competition Livery – each package is tailored to the horse and owner’s needs and can be adjusted according to how much/little you would like your horse competed (dressage, show jumping or eventing, affiliated or unaffiliated). This is already proving popular with owners who would like to see their horse out competing, but still be able to come and ride them whenever they want. Please email mail@hurstondressageandeventing.com  if you would like more information about this livery option. It’s cheaper than you might think!

Oh look! My prayers have been answered… THE SUN IS SHINING! I will now solemnly swear to blog once a month like a good blogger should and keep all the HDE clients and fans (!) well and truly up to date with all that’s going on here at Ridgeway View. So, until June, happy riding, stay dry and take care!

We are looking for a full time groom to join our small, friendly team.

Duties will include:

• General yard work - mucking out etc.
• Care of fit competition horses and youngsters (up to 20 horses at a time)
• Aerobic exercise for eventers
• Occasionally travel to competitions
• Having horses ready for ridden work
• Sole charge of yard at times
• Possibility to compete

Our ideal candidate will be:

• 100% trustworthy and reliable at all times
• Personable
• Experienced in handling and riding fit horses
• Able to turn out to a high standard
• Self-motivated and proactive
• Completely dedicated to horses as a way of life

On site accommodation is available, as is the opportunity for your own horse and/or dog to come along too. Our yard is a very friendly and supportive place, but we do expect any staff to work as hard as us and be totally dedicated to the job. For the right person this a fantastic opportunity - we offer much, much more than the average yard and can open doors into the competitive world.

Please email mail@hurstondressageandeventing.com with a CV and cover letter if you would like to be considered for this position (and PLEASE remember to use spell check... applications with poor spelling and/or grammar will not be considered!)

CATHERSTON SORCINITE

Opportunity for partial/full share/loan of dynamic,
competition-fit Dutch Warmblood horse

Stabled at Blewbury Equestrian Centre

Grade A show jumper ‘Catherston Sorcinite’

Excellent dressage prospect

19 year-old bay mare, 16.1

Snaffle mouth, honest, no vices, good to box, shoe, clip, nice paces

Initial full loan due to broken leg (now-August 2012)

Part loan from August available due to work commitments

Potential for lessons, dressage competition, hacking

Possible jumping depending on ability

BSJA registered

Can be seen/tried at Blewbury stables

Share in livery costs, amount to be negotiated

Contact: Christina Sweeney, tel 01235 510 456

Email: csweeney@totalise.co.uk

As I write this blog entry it is pouring with rain outside, windy and generally wretched. Not that I was wishing for a white Christmas (I’m sure that 99.9% of other equestrian people are also of this opinion), but some winter sun with just a touch of frost would be nice. Thankfully our fields are holding up well and we are still turning out daily, if only for a couple of hours for some.

We have remained steadily busy with training liveries and lessons over the last couple of months since I last wrote and have a few new family members to introduce!

Firstly we have Juice and Sunny, both of whom we acquired from Eve Johnson-Houghton Racing in Blewbury. We only went there to look at Juice (Mujood) but took one long look at Sunny (Rowan Sun) over his stable door and fell in love with him. So, we accidentally came back with two retired racehorses, both of whom are remarkably quiet (Sunny is horizontal, in fact) and extremely well mannered. Juice is currently for sale and we are waiting for Sunny to mature some more before we re-back him in the summer of 2012. So here is Juice taking part in his first ever dressage test (tinsel, mask and ribbon will be explained later!):

JUICE AND AMBRA

If you are a member of our ever growing Facebook fan club then you may have also noticed another new face on the team (not that we shouted about it or anything). It is, of course, the big and beautiful Casanova. Edward is completely enthralled with Nova and comes in every day grinning like a Cheshire Cat after exercising him. Our plans for Nova are still a little hazy as he has a lot to learn but hopefully he will be set to compete in the spring. However, Nova has already taught us a few things in the short time he’s been with us – (1) He’s so big that he can tip standing water out of the guttering above his stable door – my advice is to wear a mac if you are going near his box; (2) He’s so enormous he can play peek-a-boo over the top of Sven’s stable wall, much to Sven’s annoyance; (3) Feed buckets are brilliant things to lob at passing dogs/people – a standard safety issue riding hat is recommended.

EDWARD AND NOVA

Sven had his nose put thoroughly out of joint by Nova’s arrival and has subsequently upped his dressage game. Long may it last!

In other news, the gorgeous little Leo (Hurston’s Leonidas) has found a wonderful new ‘forever’ home and has settled into his new deluxe lifestyle extremely well. Not that we would have expected anything else from Leo. He really is in 7* luxury accommodation with his every whim catered to – we couldn’t want more for him.

Morris has discovered the joys of drag hunting and is consequently a different horse. No grumpiness, no bad behaviour in the school and best of all, he is an absolute pleasure to hunt. So after he has won Badminton a couple of times and a handful of Olympic/WEG/European medals I think he will retire to be a hunt horse. This new, quiet Morris has been so receptive in the school that we are actually starting to put together a floor plan for his dressage to music for the Express Eventing qualifiers next year.

MORRIS HUNTING WITH THE BERKS & BUCKS DRAGHOUNDS  

Finally, on Saturday 17^th December we held a Christmas Charity Dressage Competition (hence the tinsel etc on Juice, above). I would like to thank all who participated, supported and gave so generously to the cause (The Emile Faurie Foundation ), including Infineum UK , who sponsored the event. The winners were:

Antonio Gatti on Hot Brandy – Winning the morning section with 77%

Izzy Hocking on Tamera Bay – Winning the afternoon section with 73%

Caroline Howie and Wizard’s Puzzle – Winners of the hotly contested Fancy Dress Award

In total, we raised £485. HUGE thanks to all involved!

So, I’ll stop waffling on now and leave you to have a wonderful (and likely, wet) Christmas from all at HDE and…..

ROLL ON 2012!

Well, the leaves have certainly started turning and the light is definitely fading earlier and earlier, which can mean only one thing… autumn is on its drizzly old way. All the horses here at HDE are looking fabulous, though, and are performing superbly in their respective spheres.

Sven has had a relatively quiet summer chilling out, contemplating the complexities of being a superstar dressage diva and getting psychologically prepared for a busy autumn and winter competition schedule with Edward. Showing that he had not lost his touch, Sven managed a fabulous 64% at Inter I upon his return to competition and is now aimed at Inter II before the end of the year.

Sven – looking ready as ever

14.2hh – just turned 12 yrs old

Westphalian - Chestnut Gelding.

Fun PC pony has been to Senior Camp twice, on PC teams for Eventing, Dressage and SJ, draghunted  lightly past two season. Has 4 BD points and has been a member of U21S Dressage UK

Easy to do, no vices, easy to load shoe, clip etc.

Sensible & Safe

Good in Traffic and with Farm Machinery etc.

A loving home is essential for this very capable chap.

Price - £6250

07860669161

The last few days have been truly action packed for everyone at Ridgeway View. Jolly successful too!

On Saturday 16th, Ali and Jesse headed off to Ascott Under Wychwood BE90 with Supporter Z (Rudi) and Miss Bella Brightly(BB). The rain was relentless in the morning, but luckily both Rudi and BB's times were quite late on in the day, so when the sun came out at about noon we were all very thankful! BB did an immaculate test to lead her section on 27, and Rudi produced an excellent test for 23. Both showjumped well, but in a 'baby' moment, BB had one down. Fortunately her lead in the section was enough that she could afford a rail. Both horses then excelled themselves XC and flew round inside the time. Rudi's 23 and double clear put him into 2nd place (not bad for his first affiliated event in 2 years!) and BB only went and WON!! Clever ponies.

 BB flying into 1st place!

On Sunday 17th Edward made the trek down to the West Country with the Craven Pony Club Dressage teams for the area qualifiers. An extremely good day was had by all, but we need to mention Breanna Howie and Biscuit in particular, who WON their intermediate arena (Breanna is only 12!) and has consequently qualified for the Pony Club Championships at Draycott House. Clever, clever girl!

Tuesday 19th brought more success for HDE clients - Edward joined the OBH Pony Club Dressage teams at Badminton, where most were placed and Chloe Webster won her arena.

Joey (3* event horse Carry on Joseph) is out for the first time since April on Sunday 24th, doing a couple of tests at Hunters Equestrian with Morris. Koko will be going to East Soley 2000 to do some dressage and Morris will be flying round Wilton Intermediate on 31st (fingers crossed for the ground!).

I hope that you are all enjoying a successful summer too and that we will see you at Ridgeway View soon!

For Sale: Miss Bella Brightly (BB)

Seven year old, pretty dark brown mare, 16hh.
Has done a bit of everything but really excells in the dressage arena. Esablished at Novice level with BD points, ready to move up to Elementary (started lateral work and esablished simple changes through walk). Well schooled and very easy to ride on the flat.
Lovely scopey jump, and XC schooled. Entered up for Ascott-under-Wychwood in July.

A pleasure to have on the yard, great to shoe, box, etc.

Would make fabulous RC/PC all rounder.

£8500.00 ono (plus VAT)

Currently in training at Hurston Dressage & Eventing.
Please call Edward for more details: 07949 931948 

It always seems like we start these blogs off by saying how busy we are... No change this time! Edward is flat out teaching and competing and Ali is riding too many horses to count at the moment. When we get a moment to breathe we will announce some more clinic dates.

Edward had a fabulous first outing with a new ride - Miss Bella Brightly (BB - currently for sale) owned by Jane Gwillim-Davies - at Novice and will continue to campaign her until she is sold. She is a smashing little horse with a lovely personality and will make a fabulous little dressage horse for someone. We will get some pictures of BB up on this page soon.

Leo (Hurstons Leonidas) is growing into his huge neck and shoulders now and had a great first outing of 2011 with Edward for 65% at Novice, without even being pushed! Both BB and Leo are next out at Hunters on 27th April.

Sven (Korenbloem Santiago) had his first outing of the year at the Winter Dressage Nationals Petplan PSG Finals - a huge ask considering neither of them had been out at this level since August. They produced a good test for 9th place overall. As always Hartpury put on a great show and we had a fabulous day. Sven will be contesting the Premier Leagues at PSG, Inter I and Inter II throughout the summer.

Morris went out at BE100 Open level for his opening event of the season, having not competed since August due to the wedding and the big move. He was really rather feisty in all three phases as he was so excited to be at a party again, but behaved beautifully and won the section on a fabulous 25.5 dressage and double clear. No rossies for Morris at Goring Heath Novice though as Ali wanted a steady clear XC to go all the direct routes ready for stepping back up to Intermediate in June.

Rudi (Supporter Z) has recovered from his operation last summer and is fighting fit and ready to go eventing again! He is out at Mattingley with Koko (Koko Dancer), who has been a star this year so far and is jumping beautifully, so watch this space!

We need to welcome our newest member of the team: Zoe Abbott joined us in February as a full time groom. Zoe will be doing her BHS stages, being tortured weekly during her lessons with Edward and doing much of Morris' fitness work, as well as all the general yard duties that Edward and Ali no longer have time to do!

This weekend brings Badminton Horse Trials and huge excitement as Team HDE go and support and cheer (very loudly) for Team Tapner. Edward, now nicknamed 'Tanker' by Paul (Taperz), has been helping Paul with his Badminton dressage preparations on Kilfinnie II. SO GOOD LUCK PAUL!!

That's all for now - Happy Spring Time!

14hh 7 years old British Riding Pony.  Celebrity is a striking bay gelding who is good to load, travel, shoe and handle. He is happy to hack both alone and with company.

Celebrity has three stunning paces and has been placed at un-affiliated dressage. He was also shown in-hand as a youngster by his previous owner.He has started jumping at home and shows great promise and has attended several pony club rallies over the winter.

Celebrity is a young superstar in the making who requires a confident knowledgeable rider to bring out his full potential. He has a lovely temperament and although he does crib, this has had no adverse effect.

Five star home essential for this lovely boy.

£3500 ono

Tel 01865 326465 /07880993676

16 hh, Bay gelding, 5 year old, IDxTB, excellent conformation.

We have had an absolutely manic couple of weeks here at Hurston Dressage and Eventing. First, on 10th December, we moved to our beautiful new premises in just outside Wantage. It is fabulous to finally be here but there is a lot of work to be done! The ponies have all settled in extremely well and are all snuggled up for the winter in their thickest rugs, lots of hay and lovely thick beds. We do have to wait until the ground thaws out before we can separate our huge fields into smaller ones for individual turnout. Hopefully the school (a whopping 60x25m all weather!) will be started in January. All VERY exciting! In the mean time our horses are all benefiting from the incredible hacking we have here - direct access onto the ridgeway - and a covered walker.

We do have a few more stables here than at Petwick so do have limited spaces available for livery. Please get in touch ASAP in the New Year if you would like to come and have a look around.  

The following weekend, 18th December, Edward and Ali got married in Surrey and were meant to be heading off for a fabulous honeymoon in New York, but sadly due to the snow flights were cancelled and they detoured to the New Forest instead!

This weekend obviously brings Christmas and with it comes family, friends and lots of food! We will update the blog with developments here at Ridgeway View over the next few months.

Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year from all here at Hurston Dressage and Eventing!

Job vacancy:

Part time staff member required to join our small, friendly team. Possibility to go full time next year.

We are looking for a reliable person to take sole charge at times of our expanding competition yard. Own horse, accommodation, good rate of pay and training offered to the right person after trial period.

The successful applicant will have relavent experience of yard work, handling and exercising fit horses and turn out to a high standard.  

Please call Ali on 07712 776321. No texts please.

Koko, our little ex-racehorse, has completed the first stages of her retraining. She has recently been out and about doing dressage and show jumping and winning a few ribbons in the process! Here are a couple of pictures of her at her first outing where she achieved a fab 69.4%.

We have had a great summer here at Petwick Stables. Firstly we would like to say a HUGE WELL DONE to all our clients who qualified for and did so well at the Pony Club Champs - you all did us proud!

Edward has been out competing with both his boys (Sven and Leo) with great success. Sven is fully qualified for the Meduim Winter Regionals, but also the Petplan PSG held at the Winter Dressage Champs in April. He has also achieved 62.89% at Inter I and is raring to go at Inter II. Leo has been out at Novice level and earned a couple of points at his one and only outing. He has now been castrated and is moving better than ever, so watch this space!

Morris had a great summer too, having moved up to Intermediate very successfully. Ali and Morris are now going to concentrate on honing their showjumping skills to ready themselves for the step up to Advanced (hopefully!) next year. Ali's new horse, Koko - a 15.2hh ex racehorse - is progressing fast and is booked in for her first dressage test later on this month.

Livery-wise we are currently full for the foreseeable future, but we may be taking on more stables at some point over the next few months, so as always, we can put any training liveries on a waitlist and contact you as soon as a stable becomes available.

Apologies for the lack of clinics this summer - with the amount of lessons, rallies and camps over the last couple of months we just have not had the time, but will get planning them ASAP!

We have had a very busy couple of months here at Petwick Stables, both livery-wise and competing.

Edward and Sven started thier season well with 3rd place in an Advanced and 7th in a PSG. Their next few outtings include Wellington Premier League and Hartpury CDI.

Morris flew through his first Intermediate with Ali, finishing 11th overall and is now aimed at the BE Champs in August.

We both have more rides in the pipeline and are working hard to get them ready for affiliated competition later on in the year.

We are now almost fully booked for summer training liveries, so if you would like holiday/training over the summer please get in touch ASAP to reserve your space. Similarly with lessons we are getting booked up a couple of weeks in advance, and with Riding Club and Pony Club Camps around the corner we are pretty flat out, so the earlier you can call/text us about a lesson the better!

We will also be announcing more training clinic dates shortly including further 'Racehorse to Riding Star' days.

Clients of ours are always looking for horses, and we also know of many horses for sale (usually before they are advertised) so if you are looking for a horse, or are selling please get in touch to see if we can help!

8yrs pretty bay mare
Came out of racing March '09
Has done lots of round work
Has done in hand shows last summer: she won and was placed in them, qualified for the Champs this October at the David Broome Centre
Jumps coloured fences, fillers, gates, grids etc.
Loves cross country schooling, very brave
No vices but not a novice ride
Good out hacking
Would suit a riding club home or would make a nice ROR show horse
£2500 OVNO

Please email: srozak@hotmail.co.uk

Welcome to our new blog - here we will keep you up to date on all the goings on at Hurston Dressage and Eventing (HDE) and list horses and other equestrian items for sale (a small admin fee - £1.00 per item - applies). To list an item simply go to our Online Shop and follow the instructions.

First of all we would like to say a huge WELL DONE to one of our most loyal livery clients, Emma Corless, who, with her horse Fitling's Essence of Honey (Esso) achieved a wonderful score at Advanced Medium last week. This is the product of very hard work and perseverence over the last 18 months. A fantastic result.   

Here at Petwick Stables, we have been amazingly busy since the snow finally melted, teaching, riding, training and competing. Our horses all look incredible and are fighting fit coming out of the winter.

Our clinics have proven to be extremely popular and get booked up very quickly, so if you want to take advantage of discounted lessons with Edward please see our calendar page for dates. The next one is Sundy 21st March.

Unfortunately we had a (small!) disaster on our way down to Kingston Maurward Advanced Medium Open Regionals, meaning that Edward and Sven could not compete. However, thankfully both horse and rider are fine. Sven is going better an ever and they are aiming at Inter I later on this year.

Morris, Ali's eventer, is now more than ready to go Intermediate this year, but first has two Novice Regional Finals to complete and hopefully qualify for the Festival of British Eventing. Fingers crossed!

We have had quite a few horses in and out for training livery, and are currently taking bookings for mid May onwards. At the moment we have a little ex racehorse in (Snoopy!) who is making fine progress with his re-training. Watch this space for pictures and further updates. Please call us if you would like to book your horse in.  

That's all for now, but check back for regular updates!