Well, it was another nearly but not quite year…but I say that with so much positivity and not an ounce of negativity or regret.
We saw in the New Year in exactly the same way as everyone else does, so many new opportunities ahead of us, lots of aims, goals, and dreams (some realistic and some perhaps not so), and lots of scribbles in the diary with potential competitions, training, and key dates to help try and get us on our way to hopefully achieving our goals!
Unfortunately, we were slightly scuppered right at the start of our year as we had some fairly major lorry issues which left us ‘grounded’ at home for quite a few months limiting our chances to get out and about. As I am sure you can imagine this was becoming increasingly frustrating the longer it went on as the problems ate further and further into the year with the start of the season approaching fast! Thankfully, not very long before the first international of the season, Keysoe, we were mobile again, albeit feeling a touch rusty in terms of test riding!
The decision was made to just compete Duke at Keysoe, as Red was then having a little trip across the Channel to compete at Deauville in France a few weeks later. Given all the troubles people had been having in moving horses abroad I was extremely grateful to be making this trip as part of the British Equestrian contingent who had the transporters’ Parkers getting the horses safely out there as smoothly and as quickly as possible. A nice trip to France I thought, I won’t need to pack any big coats I thought. Well, I was wrong! Wow, I can honestly say, and I think anyone else out there would agree, I cannot think of a time when I have ever been colder! It was FREEZING! The outdoor show was swiftly moved indoors… but the warm-up was still outdoors. Now up here in Yorkshire we are well accustomed to riding in pretty extreme weather but even we were wincing a bit at the hail and snow storms as we were trying our best to be soft, supple, relaxed, and harmonious!
Fast forward a couple of months and we went from one extreme to another. Duke and I were so lucky to be invited to compete at Kronenburg in Holland in June, again as part of the British Equestrian group of riders heading out there. This time though Sophie Wells and I were allowed to travel with the horses so along with Mark, who so kindly drove us and the horses out there, we set off on our travels, and we both had an intensive lesson in how to get horses abroad. My summary is as follows; there is a lot of paperwork, a lot of parking up in different lorry parks, a lot of getting in and out of the lorry, and a lot of stamping and signing… One big positive though was that we met some lovely dogs in the Pet Reception, and we learned a lot should we need to do it on our own in the future. This time the weather was possibly the hottest I have competed in, 34 degrees. It was hot! The stables were in tented barns so we spent a lot of time hosing to cool them and the venue kindly put out some cooling fans and provided free ice lollies for everyone in the stables. For not only this reason I can highly recommend this venue, we had a brilliant time.
For me, this show was a bit of a ‘pinch me’ moment. It was the biggest international class I had been in and the majority of the big Grade 5 names were there in their preparations for the World Championships. It was a wonderful opportunity to be out there and compete against the names I have only ever seen written or watched in awe on live streaming! At the start of the week, I had literally no idea where I would sit in a class of this caliber. I think the results were a pleasant surprise for all of us as we had a great week finishing a lot closer to the big guns than I dreamt I could do at the start of the week.
With the final selection trial for the World Championships looming, really sadly Red’s campaign took a massive blow as he developed a small swelling on the side of his face which after some investigation resulted in him having to have a tooth removed. For poor Red, this came at a really unfortunate time in the season but the absolute priority is always his welfare, and thanks to Rainbow Equine Hospital and the cover provided by KBIS Insurance he received the best possible treatment and was allowed all the time he needed to get back to his best self.
Post-final selection with Duke, I was absolutely delighted to hear that we had been listed as first reserve for the British Team at the World Championships. To make it to this spot for the second year running was such a huge honor and privilege. Although there was no quarantine this year we still had a pre-championship training camp so again we were packing and preparing ‘just in case’ we got our chance. The biggest difference this year was that I felt that so many of the things I got worried about the year before seemed so much more manageable and less stressful! And this I strongly believe is why the reserve role is such valuable experience… It gives you that perfect opportunity to have a dress rehearsal in preparing for the biggest of stages and be surrounded by other riders with years and years of amazing experience and wisdom.
As we are now in the winter training period we are in the midst of making plans, scribbling dates in diaries, addressing the ever-so-important basics, learning new skills, and pushing comfort zones all in the quest of achieving our dream.
To be going into the 2023 season with two fabulous horses to ride who both feel absolutely amazing is a dream in itself. With all three of us, Red, Duke, and myself having now been first reserve for the team we have all had a good practice run at the packing process so now the obvious dream has to be to put that practice and experience we have gained to good use and aim to make it one step further. It is a European Championship year… so we dare to dream.
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New year
Charlotte, Red, and Duke x