We went down Friday evening to miss the mele and it chucked it down overnight.
Saturday dawned and someone decided to roll the arenas at 4.00am. so not much sleep.
Had to Substitute again, now we have Digger and Felix as Fast & Furious. Hanna rode as groom as she’s helped with the ponies at home and she wanted to see Hickstead. They went we’ll and we got 5th and into the Championship in the main arena.
The going in the outside arenas is not brilliant, the rings get a lot of use so they undulate a lot and are a ‘bit rough’ for driving at speed. But as always we drive to the conditions and everyone got round safely.
Rip and Tear went well and we also got 5th and into the Championship in the main arena. Some of the others are really going well today, great scrap for places. Ian and I love tough competition, it makes everyone appreciate the effort involved in the sport.
The Championship: The new Ring Surface is JUST BRILLIANT, long may it last. Kevin Millman set a fast but technical course, one show jumping fence even obscured the line to a set of cones.
The first two to run suffered penalties. We were 3rd to go with Fast & Furious, Holy Moly they FLEW. and went clear. this set a real challenge to those that followed, and no one went clear…
Rip and Tear were 7th to go, I was hardly able to believe that F&F were still in the lead, my head was spinning. Deep breaths, concentrate I thought as we entered the arena.
And Off We Went, Ian Asked me “what we were going to do”?as he always does as we approach the start, I replied ‘ We’re goin’a have some FUN’ and boy-o-boy did we have fun. I thought the smalls were fast but the speed was incredible, to say we flew was not enough, we rocketed! My Ponies Love the New Arena. In a matter of seconds we we’re at the box, I still can hardly remember the first 4 sets of cones. And instead of bogging in the box as Teddy sometimes does the pair just skipped round and with the crowd roaring behind us we went like crazy for the next cones. 7 was the tricky one, you had to guess your line without a clear view and it worked, again, this meant we were set up for the slalom which went like a dream. 1 stride to the right set us up for 9 and 10 and they we ran past the devils dyke up the hill through 11 and 12 and through the finish. WE WENT CLEAR AGAIN. trouble was we beat the smalls by FIVE SECONDS.
The remaining competitors all suffered penalties in one shape or another and Sally beat the Smalls into third place with 4 seconds added. otherwise we would have had the One, Two
WE WON The Osborne Refrigerators Double Harness Scurry CHAMPIONSHIP at the Hickstead Derby meeting 2011.
So far this year that’s 3 Championships, 2 Reserve Champions, and nothing lower than 5th.
Thanks to all those that have gotten me this far.