I had Persimmon doing the CIC**, Bonne Amie in the Open Intermediate and Mo Cuiske in the Novice at Somerford. If anyone hasn’t been up to Somerford before I can’t recommend it enough, it is the most fabulous event with beautifully designed and presented cross country courses, show jumping on a lovely all weather surface and all the international classes did there dressage on a surface as well. I don’t know many other one days with such great facilities.
Mo Cuiske is improving all the time and did a nice relaxed test to score 34.5, just two marks of the leading test. He then jumped a fabulous double clear, round what was the most demanding cross country track that he has jumped so far. He gave me a great ride and with just 2.8 time faults he finished 9th.
Mo Cuiske – Photo courtesy of Kev Blackband
Bonne Amie did her best test to date and scored a 26.4 to be well placed after the dressage. She then jumped a great round show jumping, but was very unlucky to have her first fence of the year down. She jumped a good clear cross country, but was pretty slow as she pulled a shoe off early on and was slipping all over the place. She went cross country in a very heavy down pour, which made the ground very greasy.
Persimmon was a star in the CIC**, he did a great test and led the very large and competitive section on a 39.8. He then jumped a brilliant clear in the show jumping to maintain his lead going into the cross country. The cross country was the most challenging that he would have seen, with some tricky questions and a particularly tough double of corners combination at the end of the course which caused a lot of trouble. Persimmon flew round however and gave me a great ride to pick up a couple of time faults. This was all good enough for him to maintain his lead and win his second CIC** on the trot!!
Persimmon – photo courtesy of Hoof Prints Photos
Persimmon – photo courtesy of Hoof Prints Photos
