Saturday 1 March 2008

It's that time of year again......


Looks like the first Team Chase of the season will be on 16 March. At least we won't have to get up at the crack of dawn to get there.


Unfortunately I won't be able to go to the next one (on Easter Day!) because Ra and I are off to Cardiff that weekend to watch the Tigers in the EDF Energy Semi Finals. Strangely enough we missed the Heythrop last year for exactly the same reason! How inconsiderate having them on the same weekend!
The first cross country of the year was a couple of weeks ago. It was touch and go whether it would go ahead because there had been a heavy frost the night before, but after an hour's delay, Zorya and Charlie were the first pair out on the course. The girls were given strict instructions to 'take it steady' (not in Charlie's vocabulary) but they did a lovely clear, the only sticky moment coming right at the end when, on clearing the final fence, Luti (Charlie's jockey) let out a huge WHOOP of joy and he shot off, nearly failing to spot the rope directing him to the finish. Fortunately both horse and rider spotted it at the last minute and everything was fine. A great performance by both.
On a more worrying note, later on in the competition the Air Ambulance was called to take a rider (a member of the King's Troop) off to hospital with a suspected neck injury. Hopefully said soldier is now fit and well and has been able to return to her unit! They are an incredibly brave (or slightly mad) bunch. The majority of them have never even been on a horse when they join up! They're the ones you see trooping the colour and pulling gun carriages and the like. Of course, being soldiers they also go on active service (don't worry, they swap their horses for tanks).

1 comment:

Rising Rainbow said...

It sounds like you all had a great time. I hope that rider is well too, I hate when stuff like that happens.