I took Toro to Addington Premier League, it was a first for both of us. It was quite an experience! First of all the opportunity to watch all the top riders in action and to learn from them, but also to see how they work in their horses. I made one big discovery, and that is that I tend to warm my horses up before a test, not work them in. So often they are just not in front of my leg enough in the test. So my homework is to make sure that I really have full control of the horse's body and his full cooperation before I go down that centre line.
The other interesting discovery is that a big competition is quite a fashion show! Everyone seemed to be in the latest must-have items, a camel coloured Pikeur jacket is most definitely "in" this season.
We did not disgrace ourselves, and I did agree with all the judges' comments, so am now looking forward to the next one at Wellington, my entries have gone off already!
We did this show to gain experience and we certainly did that, the judges are tough and the competition fierce, but the standard is so high that it really makes you think about your riding.
The facilities at Addington are superb, the surfaces divine to ride on, there is acres of space in the warmup, and they even have showers and loos in the stable blocks so only a short hop from the lorry. But if you go there, avoid stable 47, its right by the taps and it leaks!
