Strathallan BE100- Sun 1st Aug

Team Hopalong returned the the scene of our first BE event. Last year we did the BE90 at Strathallan as our first ever BE competition and this year we went back to take on the BE100. Spent Saturday morning fence judging with my pal Lisa and then walked the course. Enough to think about including a pretty meaty looking open corner and a huge steeplechase fence.

We were very lucky with the weather, a little drizzle while tacking up/warming up for dressage, but were able to shelter from the monsoon that passed through inbetween dressage and SJ!

Hopalong warmed up quite nicely for the dressage, but wasn't consistent enough in her outline (the usual story!) and got 43.0 score, exactly the same as last time out at Eglinton! At least not bottom as well. ;)


SJ course was very twisty but nothing looked too huge or scary. She warmed up nicely and we went in feeling quite happy. Got a little close to no.1 but she went "ping" nicely!


Then felt great round the rest, hitting really nice strides and staying in a lovely regular rythym. :)
There was quite a dog-leg from the double to the final fence, took off over the last (felt like another, lovely take off spot had been found) and went "whoop whoop" out loud, celebrating the end of our 4-fault-itis.... only to hear clatter as she took it out behind.... grrrrrr! (and very embarassing as everyone had heard me whooping to celebrate a "clear" round a few milliseconds too early! ;) The offending fence;
So 4 faults SJ, again! Really must try harder!

Quick change and onto XC. Had a really lovely round, she was a bit spooky and looky in places (step up to palisade and barrels in particular) but jumped really nicely. Bob caught us at the corner fence where we got a little bit closer than ideal (I don't think we could actually have got any closer?!) Check out the incredible angle of her hindlegs, I think she was definitely a cat in a previous life?!

However, we got over in one piece;
And zoomed over the steeplechase happily (sadly no action pic, but one of me when course walking to show the size of it! I think in this shot I was trying to shrink it with the power of my mind, since I know that Hopalong doesn't believe in brushing through brush...!)
Bob then managed to sprint up the hill and catch us over the last fence and galloping to the finish.
And I was thrilled to see on the scoreboard a little later that we made it round clear inside the time! :D First time we've acheived the PN speed. :) However, the pole down SJ meant we just missed out on 10th place (and a rosette) and finished in 11th! Grrrr. But still very pleased as she was so good XC.

Went back to Strathallan on Monday for a David Gatherer XC lesson. Jumped pretty much all of the Novice BE course and she was pinging, so very pleased with that too. :) We also re-did the PN corner with a lot more style than on competition day and she jumped the novice version of it beautifully too. :)

Scone next! :)