Lets hope this doesn't tempt fate ...

Half way through the season now and another milestone achieved with over 100 rider points gained this season.  So fingers crossed for an even better second half to the season.

It's great to have Earl (Cudlic Earl) and Barney (Loch Sunart) back in work after their time off.  Everyone is looking forwards to seeing them back in action later this month when they compete in the Intermediate class at Great Witchingham.  Then, if all goes okay, it'll be onto Aston Le Walls and the Advanced class for them - fingers crossed!

Before then though, there is a trip to Barbury International to look forward to.  Doc (Cadoc Z) will be back in action in the CIC*** and Harley (Movistar) in the Novice.

A couple of the youngsters are also going along to compete in the Burghley Young Event Horse Qualifiers.  The atmosphere at Barbury will be a test in itself for them, so the whole thing should be a great experience.  Lets hope the 'little starlets' shine through!  With a bit of luck there'll also be some smart photos of the lovely Lissi (Redhill Ilisit) - the latest addition to the team.

So that progress can be shared, all of the new photos will be published on Facebook and video clips on YouTube.   Do feel free to get in touch and let the team know how you think they're doing.

Bramham International

A quick update following our trip to Bramham International last week and a chance to share some photos.

Cadoc Z (Doc) finished the three day CCI*** event in 21st place and is now home having a well earned few days rest.

Dressage on Thursday went well despite the soaring temperatures, we finished the first day on a score of 61.5. Following the remainder of the dressage tests on Friday, the penalty scores were all fairly close and we went into the Cross Country phase in 34th place.

Saturday - Cross Country day and the good weather brought huge crowds. There were some really challenging fences on the course which caused problems for many of the riders - in fact about a third of the riders didn't finish.

We had an unfortunate run out at the second part of fence 15 which was really frustrating.  Looking on the bright side, at least Doc came home full of running. 

We went into the Show Jumping phase in 25th place. 

Sunday and the final Show Jumping phase.  I'm glad to say that Doc recovered really well from the Cross Country - all the dedicated TLC he received from Rachel paid off!

He jumped really well in the Show Jumping, with just an unlucky 4 faults picked up.

We finished the competition in 21st place, which was a fantastic end to the weekend.  Most importantly we've qualified for Burghley Horse Trials in September.

Time for the youngsters

Meet Aron, the latest addition to the stables. He's settled in really well and is enjoying his training.

It was lovely to have some time to take stock last week (and enjoy some sunshine at last).

The horses have also been enjoying a bit of R&R and, of course, getting up to all sorts of mischief in the process. The 'naughty school boy' syndrome definitely applies here - why is it that the chestnuts seem to be the worst culprits? Anyway, there have been one or two rethinks on turnout partners to try to keep the mischief makers out of trouble!

This week it's been the youngsters who have been out competing. Aron and Sonny both managed to cope really well with the excitement and hubbub of the Houghton International Burghley Young Event Horse qualifier classes yesterday - we're really proud of them.

Doc finished in 6th place in the CIC*** Advanced class at Chatsworth International on 16th May. He took part in the combined training class at Houghton International yesterday in preparation for his trip to Bramham International next week.

We're all looking forward to Borde Hill Horse Trials this weekend, and then on to the Bramham International CCI*** next week. We'll keep you posted on how we get on.

Busy times ....

It's certainly been a busy week for us on the yard! In addition to the usual yard routine, Tuesday saw us heading out with the horses for a fabulous dressage training session and then it was off to Waresley Park Stud on Wednesday for Cross Country and Show-Jumping training.

The week ended well at Keysoe (1): a double clear for Fuzzy Wuzzy (Scrappy) who was placed in the Novice class and Alexandria II (Lexi) was placed in the BE100 - the youngsters are certainly starting to find their feet.

The new web-site design seems to have been well received. We'd like to thank everyone that has contacted us and given feedback on the new web-site; it's been invaluable. The 'For Sale' pages have been updated recently, to show details of some of our horses that are currently for sale. You'll also find updated news and additional photo's of some of the horses.

Please look out for our new advertising leaflets and posters which will start appearing in tack shops and magazines soon - let us know what you think.

The week ahead promises to be another challenging one. We're looking forward to the arrival of a new horse on Monday; we have BSJA Show-Jumping at Keysoe on Wednesday and then we're competing at Aston Le Walls (1) on Friday. If you get a chance, come along to the competitions and cheer us on.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the first Andrew James Eventing blog.

Our intention is to use this blog to let people know what we are up to and how we're getting on during the 2010 eventing campaign.

I'm very fortunate to have the enthusiastic support of some truly amazing people - from my long suffering parents, to owners, sponsors and my hard working support team; all of whom make this possible. 

In writing this blog, we're hoping that people will soon see how many opportunities there are to get involved with the Andrew James Eventing team in this exciting sport.  Whether as owners, sponsors, riders or spectators the whole team would be delighted to help you do so.

 
We've seen one or two changes over the winter months what with the introduction of some new horses; Rachel Nicholson joining us as yard manager and the revamping of our website.  Everything is now in place to build on our successes of the 2009 season - the team is looking forward to sharing the latest news over the coming months.
 
The Andrew James Eventing team would be delighted if you came and cheered them on at the forthcoming events; in the next few weeks these are Keysoe (1) on 8-9 May 2010 and Aston Le Walls (1) on 13-14 May. 
 
In the meantime, please take a look at the new website (http://www.andrewjameseventing.com/) and tell us what you think.