What a difference a week makes!! I had Mo Cuiske in the CCI* and Persimmon in the CCI**. Both were obviously feeling sorry for me after my bad week in France and were on top form all week.
Mo Cuiske was doing his first three day event and behaved like a pro. He did a very grown up test, with only a few baby mistakes, mainly in his halts and scored a competitive 45.4 to leave us in 10th place after the dressage. Watch our test here:
He then jumped a brilliant clear cross country inside the time, making it all feel very easy and small and retained his 10th place going into the show jumping.
Photo courtesy of Alex Colquhoun
The show jumping was a twisty track with a lot of related distances. Mo Cuiske jumped a fab round and was clearly not feeling the effects from the cross county the day before. The show jumping caused a lot of trouble and our clear round moved us up to 5th place.
Persimmon was doing his first CCI**, he should he have done Le Lion last year and was laying 2nd after dressage there, but the event was sadly abandoned. So although it was his first CCI** he went with plenty of experience having done a lot of CIC** and a couple of Advanced this spring.
He did a superb test showing a lot of expression and suppleness and made very few mistakes. He led the large and competitive section on 37.2. Watch our test here:
On cross country day he flew round Ian Starks big bold track and made it feel like a BE100 and finished comfortably inside the time. I was thrilled with how he felt round the track and how he finished so well within himself.
Photo courtesy of Uptown Eventing
Our clear cross country inside the time left us in the lead, but not with a fence in hand. Oliver Townend was in second and jumped a great clear, so the pressure was on!! Persimmon jumped his socks off and didn’t even breath on a pole. He jumped the best he has ever jumped in the ring and was a very deserving winner!!!
Jumping the last – Photo courtesy of Lucy Hall
Photo courtesy of Alex Colquhoun
