She's done it!

[racaille]

Took the T to a complet yesterday and she had two firm goals: to get round without elimination and to get Sam to jump into the water. The XC was very technical and 15 out of the class of 34 were eliminated. Sam really wanted to run away as far as he could when he saw the water but she really rode him to it and he gave in and clambered over the jump into the murky depths. It was funny and I will put up the vid asap. The only hiccup in an otherwise great round was that they shaved too much off the entry to a bridge and she hit the barrier hard with her knee and shin. The jump after that was a nasty big hole in the ground and Sam said: do I have to, mum? She was legless and swearing with the pain at this stage so not really able to give him the support he needed so he stopped. But he did it without problems the second time around.

So she got round, final place 16 which was not bad considering she was nearly last after a poor dressage test (Sam took a violent dislike to the judge's car) - and has now qualified for the French national championships. So we are both off to Lamotte Beuvron for 10 days in July. The T does not expect to do well but is going for the fun of it, as am I. I am not being falsely modest when I say I may well come last. I just want to go - it will be the only time in my life I will have the chance - and enjoy the experience. Luckily for me the two days of my TREC are at the beginning so after that I can just relax and have a laugh.

There are about 10 of us (from the other half of our team which is based in the Ardeche) and we have hired a large house plus boxes for the horses. Neither Paco nor Sam will enjoy being stabled - Sam is very used to being a free-range pony now and gets sh!tty when kept in - but we will get them out every day, there is some lovely hacking in the forest within the complex.

I have decided to break the 10-hour drive into two blocks and stay overnight half-way. It is nicer for the horses and much better for me!

Championships here we come!

[pboy]

How exciting!!! A big well done to both of you, it sounds like it will be a great experience. How nice to be able to go for 10 days and make a holiday of it too :-)

[racaille]

I know, we are lucky!

And I HOPE it is a holiday! Last time we went (when the T was in the pony champs) it lashed down every day for a week and we were up to our knees in mud. We were late renting accommodation so we ended up paying a fortune for a leaky 1970s camper van in someone's dank back garden (long story) while the boys, when they joined us, slept in a damp garden shed. I am not making this up.

At least this time we have a house!

[haffyfan]

Congrats to the teenager and so leased you'll get to take part in the champs too.

Sounds like, as long the weather holds, you'll have fab time and great results would just be the icing on the cake.

Does this championship basically cover all your equestrian disciplines? It's so different to how things are done here but sounds like a good system in honesty rather than the millions of different things (and bodies organising the same things in some spheres) we seem to have over here.

[racaille]

We won't get the great results - Sam's dressage is still too hit and miss amd I am just too rubbish in Trec, plus I probably won't be jumping in the PTV - but it will just be great to take part.

Yes, all the disciplines are covered at the championnats during four separate events. Because riding is governed by one body, the FFE, all official comps come under its umbrella and evryone works towards these championships. They start with the pony champs, for under 18s on full papered ponies, that is, the dam and sire are declared on their papers. If a kid rides a pony that is from who knows where, he or she has to go into Club classes. The pony champs are massively competitive and a lot of breeders lend ponies to decent riders to get a decent compeition history after which they are sold for big bucks.

The club champs are for over 18s and allows horses without full papers, like Paco or the majority of RC horses. (The goal is to stop indescriminate breeding so the FFE is trying to make it more desirable to declare a covering.) There are the main disciplines but also Equifeel and Equifun, horseball etc.

Then in August there is the Meeting de Proprietaires, the owners' event and I believe you don't have to qualify for this in the same way you do for the champs. I know there is also side saddle in this one.

For the really good riders there are the Amateur champs, again you have to have a full-papered horse to compete at this level. This is good news for me as you can get a talented horse much cheaper if it is ONC ( Origine Non Constate) as it cannot go into Amateur classes but this is never going to be a worry for me!

Sorry, that was a bit of an esssy ....

[brigadier]

Fantastic news. Over the moon for you all. Great achievement esp as prep time was short.