Well what can I say, Blair was an amazing experience and brilliant competition where Persimmon couldn’t have gone better.
We were asked to be pathfinders and run first for the team. This was a huge honour, but also a massive responsibility!
We were fourth to go into the dressage arena on Thursday morning and at that point the leading test was a 48. Persimmon was fabulous and rose to the atmosphere and occasion. He did some amazing work, including completely square halts to start and finish the test with. He felt expressive and concentrated, so it was a huge shame he was a little late on my aid for our last change.
He scored a 36.9 which put us comfortably in the lead at that point and I couldn’t have been more delighted with him. Nicola was our second team rider that day and she to did a stunning test, which by the end of day one put the team into the lead! William and Pippa produced great tests on the Friday, but the Germans were at the top of their game and produced to stunning tests to take the lead at the end of the two days of dressage.
Watch our test here:
Cross country day dawned and it was very rainy and wet, the ground up until that point had been perfect, so it was a huge shame that the rain had to come in. Luckily I know Persimmon performs really well in the rain and mud so I set out onto the cross country full of confidence. He gave me a brilliant ride round a tough, hilly, stamina zapping course. He was near on foot perfect everywhere, we had to go a little steady at times down the hills as the ground had got very slippy and we had to take a long route at the last water on team orders.
This cost us quite a lot of time but he finished full of running and just 20 seconds over to pick up 8.2 time faults. This moved us up to 5th going into the show jumping. Unfortunately it was a mixed day for the other team members, Pippa did a brilliant job on her young horse Sandman to jump clear, Nicola was having a great round, but has a very annoying 29 at the double of corners and William retired Bay My Hero when he was struggling with the conditions. The course caused a lot of trouble and even with our problems team GBR still managed to retain the silver position.
Watch our round here:
Persimmon trotted up brilliantly on Sunday morning, then had a little jump school early on in the day before the show jumping got under way. He felt great in his body and not at all tiered from his exertions the day before. After jumping him in the morning I was full of confidence that we could jump well in the afternoon.
Persimmon warmed up brilliantly and went into the ring on springs. He easily jumped his best three day event show jumping round ever, he gave everything feet to spare and felt amazing. He jumped a super clear to clinch team Silver and individual 4th, we missed the individual bronze by an agonising 0.1 but I couldn’t be more delighted with Persimmon and our performance together. He tried his heart out for me all week and was a complete star.
Watch our round here:
His brilliant performance is down to his talent a lot of hard work not only from me, but my fantastic team that is always 100% behind me. I must say a huge thank you to his owners Jane and Frank Inns for entrusting Percy with me, Emily Slater my head girl, Eilir Whiting and Nina my working pupils, Jo Jones who helps part time, Grieg Elliot my super farrier, Marnie Campbell the horses Physio, Winston Williams and Maggie Turner the chiropractors, Liz Brown and Spike Milligan the vets, Nick Buton and Tracy Robinson who help me on the flat, my super sponsors, Toggi, Champion, Mole Valley, Topspec, Woof Wear, Wow Saddles, Equiclass, Aqueos, Flying Changes, Yeoman Haylage and Kate Negus.
UK Sport Lottery Funding has made a huge difference to me and the support team at Blair was second to none. And last but not least a huge thanks to my ever supportive family, Ben King my husband for putting up with everything and being there when I need him, my mum Jane Boggis who is always there for me and a huge help with the horses, my dad Peter and my crazy siblings, Charlotte, George and Lucy.
