Eventing with Elise - Part Two

After our incredible return to eventing at Warwick Hall, to say I was buzzing on the run-up to Hopetoun (1) would have been an understatement! I entered the BE100open. Some of the buzz came from nerves, as Cara can be difficult to get fit, and I knew there would be more hills at Hopetoun than at Warwick. I have been so careful in her rehab and prepared fitness plans, so I knew I had done enough but just needed to put my mind at ease.

A life motto of mine has to be the '"Seven P's": "Proper Prior Planning Prevents P*ss Poor Performance", plus I did some hard work with Jane from Horse Riding with Confidence Scotland at the start of the year. If your head is in the clouds, you can't bring your A-game, but I'd done my preparation; we were ready!

The Kick on Events team did not let Scotland down; what a brilliant weekend! The event was so well organised, and everyone was so friendly and helpful. A HUGE thank you goes out to everyone who works tirelessly to put these events on, especially all volunteers who give up their time for our sport.

Cara and I were in the last section to go on Sunday and my panic of ground conditions and legs, etc., had set in. However, I needn't have worried – it was perfect! It was a scorcher of a day, but the wind had picked up by the time we arrived, which I was glad of.

I had given Cara the day before the event off, but I soon realised that had been a bad idea when our dressage warm-up was, let's say, a little forward! The cars and horses at the top of the adjacent hill seemed to be Cara's worst nightmare, so we were a tad unsettled, but I tried to stick to my warm-up plan and ignore her being a little silly.

I had recently started doing a few transitions around the dressage ring before a test, so when it was our time to shine, I managed to get her listening before entering at A.

We went down the centre line, and my 12-year-old, long time eventer decided to spook at the white boards – really, Cara?! I usually stud for dressage, but I decided not to on this occasion, which was a big mistake; moving a big warmblood round a 20x40 is a struggle at the best of times! We had a movement across X in canter, and she slipped, which led to a loss of balance and a few marks dropped. The test was okay apart from that, but I admit I came out feeling a little flat; I knew we both could have done far better.

We had a long wait till our jumping phases, and I hadn't yet seen the XC course, so off we went to walk. The best bit? I felt more and more confident as I walked around as I knew Cara could manage the questions on the course. She is always sticky at the water, which was the only one I knew I would have to ride really strongly into. I always think if your horse has a jump on course that they don't like, you can never relax till you've jumped it.

Showjumping seems to make most eventers nervous, but I knew she could do it, as long as I had some form of breaks and she kept her cool! The course was a twisty one, but I made sure to walk all of my lines properly and was confident that I could use the space to my advantage to avoid time penalties. Super Cara pulled a nice clear round out of the bag, albeit a tad fast!

By the time XC came around, I felt really calm; most of the other competitors had finished, and the venue was quiet, so maybe that had something to do with it! She warmed up nicely, but I could tell she was excited. Although she'll happily jumps logs on course, she found a log just outside of the practice ring really spooky!

Not too long after, we headed over to the start box, and I think that has to be the best feeling at events for me. The countdown from five is euphoric, and there really is no better feeling than heading out of the start box. I tried to pop Cara into a nice rhythm from the start and just let the fences come up to us, occasionally asking her to slow up and sit on her bum for the combinations. In the end, I need not have worried about the water because she flew through it without a second thought.

She really does rise to the occasion and aim to please when she knows it's a special occasion. Once we were cooled down, washed off and chilling by the trailer, I refreshed Eventing Scores, and to my delight, we placed 3rd on a 28.5 dressage followed by our double clear!

My aim is always to go and have fun, and a double clear is a good day in my books, but it is nice to be competitive on the day, especially when you've worked so hard.

I hope to catch up with you all again soon, and good luck to all of my fellow riders this season in whatever discipline you like to do for fun!

Elise & Cara x

Photos by Dave Cameron photography taken at our Summer photoshoot