Eventing with Elise - Part one

So, when Sarah asked me to write a blog on my return to the Eventing scene this year, I was excited and a tad nervous; prepare yourselves for a severe ramble!

I should start by introducing myself and my horse! I may be a little biased, but I own the most wonderful mare in the world, Cara. I do not doubt at all that I have indeed found my heart horse. She gives absolutely everything we try her all, and she is always there and ready to help me out when I need her, a real genuine type.

Flashback a couple of years, and sadly, just before Blair International Horse Trials in 2018, Cara picked up an injury. The vet diagnosed her with a Grade 1/10 suspensory damage to her hind leg. This was devastating, but her prognosis was excellent from the start, and I kept the faith that she would make a full recovery and we would be back on the XC course doing what we love soon. One silver lining was that the time spent out of the saddle, rehabbing her from the ground, helped us build a stronger bond.

As they say, time is a great healer, and she's had plenty of it! A short 18 months later, Cara and I were back out competing in BSJA competitions preparing for the event season ahead... and then Covid struck! I keep Cara at Avonmill Equestrian, where I work, and lockdown meant that the horses all had a break whilst everybody tried to come to terms with the pandemic. Once we picked them up again, a few months of hacking work was on the agenda to rebuild their fitness, which I feel Cara really benefitted from. As the weeks ticked by, I have to admit that my dreams of galloping through XC fields again that season looked slim; winter (amid a pandemic) was looming!

Then FINALLY, with the help of the vaccines and all of the hard work our NHS staff and essential workers had put in, we started to see the light at the end of the tunnel this Spring. Events kicked off down South initially, so things were looking up. I debated running at some of the English events in April, but it was still uncertain as to whether we could travel outwith our local area and if Eventing was classed as essential (to me it was!), so I held off until we had a clear go ahead, and aimed for Warwick Hall (1) in May.

I entered the BE90open to build confidence, as I aimed just to have fun and see how Cara felt. Well, it certainly seems as though she was happy to be back because she flew around – literally!

We have spent a lot of time working on our dressage over the winter, getting out to some BD competitions, so I'm happy that hard work is beginning to pay off. That being said, Cara was a little distracted by all of the jumping going on over the hedge!

On to the jumping phases, and we posted a lovely double clear with a few naughty "too fast" time penalties, which was a real surprise as pre-injury, Cara struggled to meet the time. She has certainly come back to competing with a new lease of life and is just loving it! It was so lovely to see her ears pricked and moving effortlessly forward all the way around.

The day was fantastic, and it's safe to say that we both achieved our goal of having fun! The cherry on the top was that we finished in a respectable 9th place in a tightly scored section.

Roll on the first Scottish event of 2021 at Hopetoun, which I talk about in part two. Stay tuned...

Elise and Cara x

All photos taken by @davecameronphotography at our Summer 21 Photoshoot