Preparations for Hartpury CCI*

With Doris'(KBIS Starlet) first three day event just a few days away we caught up with Georgie Spence to see how preparations were going...

 

‘Doris is on great form at the moment, since planning on going to Hartpury we have gradually increased her hill and canter work so that now, just under a week before we leave, she has peaked on her fitness levels. Her general overall weekly plan has remained the same in the lead up to the event, she schools a couple of times a week, has a jump, will hack as a freshener as well as hill work and may have a lunge session. We have been through the CCI* test a few times and I have also ridden her in my tailcoat so that she can get use to it flapping about before the test!

 

Her last run before Hartpury was at Wilton where she produced a good dressage test gaining a mark of 33 and a clear show jumping round. We withdrew her before the cross country as we had already made the decision that if the ground was a little firm we would not run her. Instead she went cross country schooling later in the week just so that I could take her through a few combinations and a couple of more technical fences to refresh her memory – she was foot perfect!

 

I feel very excited about going to her first three day and very privileged to be riding her, she is an amazing horse, now we just have to keep our fingers crossed that everything will go to plan, you can never quite plan for how they will find their first ‘stay-away party’.’

 

Georgie and Doris will leave for Hartpury on Wednesday morning ready for the trot up which takes place later that afternoon. The dressage takes place over Thursday and Friday and the CCI* competitors will then be the first to run cross country on the Saturday. On Sunday there is another horse inspection before the final show jumping phase which runs in reverse order according to the placings after the cross country.

 

Georgie will be kept busy over the weekend with a second ride in the CCI*on board Wii Limbo as well as contesting in the CCI** with Velocity II.

 

Hartpury International runs from Wednesday 11th - Sunday 15th August. For further information on Hartpury Horse Trials click here.