I really like this event, despite the fact that it is not my luckiest of hunting grounds after a swim in the water there last year with 707. It is a great new event with super courses over all the classes, in both the xc and the sj.

It was a last run at BE100 level for Gloris Flight who seems, finally, to have found his dressage head, leading his section on a mark of 27. His showjumping round was pure class and we set out across country with a commanding lead, quietly confident of a good round. Alas, he did what horses do best, and put me firmly back in my place, with a somewhat uncalled for stop at the influential A element at the water. His first ever xc penalty! We represented and he happily popped over it second time and completed the rest of the course in his usual fine style, still 3 seconds inside the optimum time. But the damage was done, although a good reminder to be awake on his Novice debut next week.

Pusiden was back up to Intermediate level for the first time since his fall at Tweseldown back in June. His dressage went fairly well, his mark of 33.2 was good for him although left us about halfway in our section. Two down in the showjumping phase was unusual for Squid, but as it is his first ‘proper’ course in a while I was not too disappointed, he will be going to Hickstead in a few weeks which will tune him up again. The expression on Squids face as we got him ready for the xc phase was genuinely a delight to see, he knew exactly what was coming next and he was so very, very happy about it. His ears almost met in the middle as he watched the others in the warm up. He gave me a fabulous round with never even a wobble at the water, although my riding was definitely a little rusty at that level, it definitely makes it difficult to keep your eye-in in the higher classes with not having many horses running above 100 level. A trip to Hicksted to jump some bigger tracks will do us both good, and hopefully Flight will successfully step up to Novice and Bruce will be going for his first shot at an Intermediate at Burnham Market in a few weeks. It will be nice to feel like I have a team of (nearly) grown up ponies to play with again.