Last time I spoke I was quite jeg lagged and tired. that lasted quite a few days which surprised me. I recovered quicker when I went in 2004.

The day after we got back from NY I had to go on a business course. I have signed up for this course which runs for 10 weeks over the summer. We get put on placement with a business(I'm working at home) and we get paid £200 a week for 30hrs a week of work. One day a week involves going in to the uni to have 'lectures'. It's quite interesting. We have been put into teams and are doing an 'Apprentice' type thing where we each have to come up with an idea to market at the County Show and the team which makes the most profit wins a prize! I'm having fun but I think some people are only in it for the money! So yes... I had the lecture day that Friday.

On Sat I worked all day then had band practise in the evening as we had a comp on the sunday. I thought we played really well and so did the band that we were against.... but we still came 2nd. Ah well.

On Monday I had a Cross Country lesson with Percy. His first ever one. I decided that if he did well and didn't fall over everything that I would enter in the one day event on Sunday. He was super. So much fun! He banged his leg on the first jump and once he realised how solid they were was super careful from then on. It was SOOOOO hot though. I was sweating by the time I'd gotten on! Had great fun though and so I called up the organisers and entered the comp.

Can't really remember what I did for the rest of the week. Carried hay one day. On Thurs evening me and ~njt-rasta went for supper. we took the dogs so we sat outside the pub then met up with Alice for a walk. Had the business thing on Friday again. On Sat I worked til 3ish. Had some awful people that we had to kick off the site for having a party til 2am. They even had small children with them. they were so arrogant and rude it was unvelievable. In the evening me, Alice and ~njt-rasta went to walk the XC course ready for the day after. We had an ice-cream on Trearddur Bay and went for a Noodle 1 in Bangor! It was a nice evening.

So to Sunday. One Day Event day. Got up at 6am and drove to the stables for 7.30am. Mum, ~njt-rasta and Moules came with me. First of all we had to plat Percy. he was not impressed. To be honest I'm not impressed with platting horses either. Tis a silly thing to do. Moules did it for me though! Rode him to the dressage section by 9am. Our test was at 9.47am. He got very over-excited whilst waiting. I wasn't expecting much from the dressage at all. We did it though... managed to knock over one of the boards and I yelled at him in the middle of the test ... whoops. Lol. After that we had til 11.35 til my showjumping. I went to walk the course which looked massive! Moules was great when I warmed him up though-- she started the warm up jusmps small then built them up to size gradually. I was feeling confident by the time it came to the actual course. A lot of people had had some problems by my go so I realised I had nowt to lose. He did refuse the first jump... but it was quite a big spread for a first jump and he cleared it second time. Jumped the rest clear and I had great fun! Was quite relaxed by the time it came to the Cross Country phase.

I was utterly determined not to make an idiot of myself on XC and so we set of with great conviction! Percy flew over the first jump, galloped down the hill and flew over the 2nd (a wall which I had fallen off at previously on Gwenno). The next was one he hadn't seen before and I had some trouble getting over. I think it was marked as a refusal but i disagree with that as he kept going forwards... but there we go. he did refuse the next. I won't question that. Other than them... he was perfect and I nearly went round again! Lol. came 4th out of 5 in the end... but I achieved most of my aims for the day 1. Not to fall off in the warm up rings or in the dressage and 2. Not to refuse the first XC jump. I did refuse the first SJ jump but I'll forgive him for that! Brilliant day and I can't wait for the XC competition in September!

xx


OVER AND OUT




Clubs-