Semer Team Chase with the RoR Beasts from the East!

Poor Erik, he has been a little neglected this week, what with me doing the hospitality for Juddmonte Monday to Wednesday for the Horses in Training Tattersalls Sales and then with the dark evenings he hasn't been as busy of late but he did get some lovely long rides out Friday evening (half in the dusk light and was such a good boy considering I haven't ridden him in such low light before) and Saturday and Sunday where he got some fast work to keep his fitness up. We will look at some competitions and training over the winter, I promise Erik!

The mighty Bean has been on flying form of late coming 2nd in the Horseheath Unaffiliated 3ft open a couple of weeks ago  as well as winning the 3 ft 2" eventer trial at Keysoe a couple of weeks before that  so with this weekend being the Essex & Suffolk Team Chase at Semer the Retraining of Racehorses East Anglian team consisted of Georgie Shepherd, Hetty Keyes, Pip Davis and Ginny Fellows and as coordinator for the region I provided the RoR kit. 
An early set off time of 7.15am meant all hands on deck and speedy shoes on to get all rugged up, out in their field, mucked out and ready to go but we managed it with time for me to feed a friends dogs and have a tupperware of cereal at the yard before leaving. We took a different route to where we've gone before which was much less twisty and turny so we got to the event just after we expected to and met up with team mates to go and walk the course while I babysat B who gets so excited we cannot tie him to the trailer. 
Lot's of walking from both and me G later the course had been walked and horses were tacked up and ready to go and jockeys dressed and safe in their back protectors. The team really did look so smart in their kit! 

The RoR Beasts from the East were listed as the last to go in their section and it seems the course had been proving a little difficult with it being very twisty and turnie but when the group set off they had two front members to lead and with Georgie starting, Pip taking over for a short while before G and B took the leading position they all flew round in a nice safe clear and speedy it seems too!
The optimum time being 5 minutes 52 seconds and the Beasts completing the course in 5 minutes and 32 they were too fast but for their first event to get round with everyone safe and clear is awesome. Plus if they did the speed class they'd have come 3rd so maybe the class to do next year? These ex racehorses really do cover the ground quicker than you think!

Georgie was able to wear her GoPro and capture the footage, so have a watch to feel like you were right there with her! P.S sorry about the clicking it's Georgie's back protector zip tapping the GoPro, we'll make sure it doesn't happen again

I was on course taking pictures and despite the low light they came out quite well! Not too shabby for an amateur photographer!

It seems B and his team really do have wings! I am so proud of Georgie and how her and B have been getting on, he really is a testiment to ex racehorses and how they can thrive after being retrained! 
Erik and I will soon be jumping once I get my saddle back from being fixed. I did some dressage writing at Horseheath British Eventing one day event last weekend and earned myself a schooling voucher for the course which I plan to use in the spring once I've got some more confidence back and got to know E's jumping style more. 
Erik's owner Grayznor is coming to give me a flat work lesson this Sunday so I am looking forward to having Erik strut his stuff and me learn some more. Blog etc to follow with how we got on.

Over and Out,

Sophie x