Jayne Ross HOYS 2016 Diary
With 14 horses
qualified for Horse of the Year Show, the 10 days before HOYS is manic for the Jayne and her team at Moor Farm. Each horse has a carefully
planned work regime, and clipping, trimming and visits by the farrier all need
to be timed right so that everything is perfect for he show. Jayne talk sus through her week
at HOYS...
Both horses had been
worked before we left so by 3.30 the horses were settled into their temporary
homes. We can’t pick up our passes until
8pm, so we have home cooked lasagne and a bottle of wine in the lorry.
The team start at 3am
– I am the only person who can plait Rex so at 3.15 I am busy with needle
and thread while Mark plaits the other two.
Then all 5 are taken to the international arena for exercise at 5am for
an hour – Mark, Matt and Scott all ride and Belinda rides her own Timpany
King. The LW’s stay in the collecting ring for the
class at 7.40, while the others return to the stables. It’s cold, so we put a
couple of our woollen show rugs on the horses as they wait.
The hunter
championship in the evening poses a question, with both Betty [Time 2
Reflect] and Rex [Bloomfield Excelsior] through. There is no hesitation to ride Betty for the
Stennett family, and she take Reserve Champion, and Mark takes the Show Hunter of
the Year title with Rex, much to his surprise.
Back at the stables,
the Riding Horses arrive for Sunday, along with Dolly who is returning for the supreme
championship. I decide not to bring
Rex back for the Supreme – He is a big horse and still only young. I don’t think he is ready to do all the
twiddley bits in the TopSpec arena for the Supreme judging. The
cobs return home on Saturday afternoon, except for Mason who goes into the Cob
Championship in the evening and is also in the coloured class on Sunday.
Sunday is the final
day and the Riding Horses are in first thing and Diane Stennett’s small riding
horse, Casino, goes beautifully to win.
I then rides Romanno Bedriska for Charlotte Clarke and she goes very
nicely but is not placed. Then it is
off to the Top Spec arena with Mason [Rockstone Raven] for the coloureds. The time is tight as I need to be back
in the international arena for the Riding Horse Championship with Casino and
Carol discovers that they have moved the championship forward by 15
minutes. There are hurried conversations
with stewards to let them know that I will be dashing from one arena to the
other and everything is organised. Then
Jo calls from the stables to say that Casino is not right. She has a nick on the coronet band that is
oozing and she is not sound. The
official vet declares that she is not sound and cannot go into the
championship. Meanwhile Mason goes
beautifully to take second place. Afterwards
I head down to the international collecting ring but I can’t watch the
Riding Horse Championship. We’ve gone
from excitement to deflation. I am
bitterly disappointed not to be able to take Casino into the championship – she
would have stood a good chance – but that is the way it goes. Now I just have to wait around, and it is a
good opportunity to catch up with my HOYS blog!
We all have to pick ourselves up and carry on. Jo Powell and Matt Richardson, who helps out
at shows, bring Mason back to the collecting ring for the coloured
championships at 3.05. Rachael and
Eamon McCourt are such supportive owners and I want to do our best for them in
the championship. Hello
Dolly has been chilling out in the stables all day. This morning she was lying flat out in her
stable fast asleep.
at HOYS...
This time of year is a
nightmare as their coats are changing by the day. We can’t clip too close to the show or they
will lose the coat colour, so we decide if and when they need clipping and then
juggle with rugs to try to keep their coats. The horses also need to be shod with
aluminium show plates, but not too close to the show as we don’t want to risk
any problems. Trimming has to be done
as close to the show as possible to keep that sharp outline, and as all the
horses at Moor Farm spend a good deal of time in the field, bathing has to be
done the day before. It’s all hands on
deck.
Lists are key to
ensuring everything gets done and the lorry is packed with everything that is
needed, including 14 bales of hay, 15 bales of shavings, enough feed for 14
horses for the week, plus all the show tack, grooming and plaiting kit, and a
host of other bits and pieces. I am
paranoid about forgetting a bridle or the correct bit, but Head groom, Mark
Chesters, is meticulous in checking and rechecking the packing lists and leaves
no stone unturned.
Tuesday
Hello Dolly and
Romanno Bedriska were the first to leave the yard on Tuesday, with Dolly heading
for the Small Hunter on Wednesday and both horses in the Ladies Side Saddle
championship on Thursday. I drove
the lorry, with Mark and Jo, the two horses and enough supplies for the week. There were no hold ups at the vet check as we
arrived at the NEC, and once we were in we located our stables and got the beds
down.
Wednesday
We have a 4.30am start
for the small hunter, with exercise at 5am in the international arena, then
Mark gets Dolly ready for the class at 7am.
Dolly is a good girl and takes third – everyone is pleased and it is a
good start to the week. Dolly’s owners, Dianne
Stennett and Lucy Cameron, are there to watch and will be at the show all week
as they are also sponsors of the large Hack championship. We are all done by 8.30am, so we have an easy
day and a chance to walk round, look at the stands and catch up with
friends. We have a long week ahead, so
we have a quiet evening.
Thursday
Early starts become
the norm for exercise in the international arena at 5am, and you have to be in
on time or you miss the opportunity.
Exercise lasts for an hour and all is well. We then have a leisurely morning and we are
delighted to see fellow Absorbine rider, Jo Bates, take the Large Hack of the
year championship, before we head into the Ladies Side Saddle Championship at
12.10. We got the horses ready in the
warm sunshine outside the stables, which is much nicer, and Dolly tried to eat
everything in sight as she is always on a diet.
Then it is time to get everything down to the collecting ring for the
class and our trusty trolley is packed with everything that we need – ShowSheen
Miracle Groom for the finishing touches, SuperShine hoof polish, brushes,
sponges, etc. Dolly was pulled in top
and went impeccably from start to finish, giving the judge a beautiful
ride. Then it’s out to the collecting
ring, stripped and tidied for the conformation judge, then it’s back out to put
the saddle back on and in to the ring for the final placing.
 |
| Well done, Jo! |
Dolly wins the class
for the second year running and we are all delighted that she actually won by 8
marks, getting 48 for her ride and 48 for conformation. We’re thrilled to bits, but there is no time
for a breather as we have 5 hunters arriving straight after the class so it’s
back to the stables to get everything sorted out.
Most of the hunters
have been to the canter track at home in the morning, so they arrive having
already been exercised and bathed. After
going through the vet check, they are all settled in by 5.30pm. Rex, aka Bloomfield Excelsior, is 18.2hh and
we are always amazed that he can fit in the stables and still lie down. The stables are on concrete, so we put 6
bales of shavings down in each of our stables so there is no risk of them
hurting themselves sleeping on the pavement!
There are always extra things to remember at HOYS, such as bridle
numbers that need to be on the horses whenever they are out of their stables,
and exercise times.
Tim, Louise, Matt and
Scott arrived with the hunters and on Thursday evening we have a nice drink to
celebrate Dolly’s win. Tim and Louise
take Dolly and Romanno home, and Mark plaits two of the hunters and they are
left with hoods on – there just isn’t time to do them all in the morning!
Friday
One of the most hectic
days with 5 hunters, Betty, Apollo, Rex for Jayne, the LW Keenogue Scooby Do
will be ridden by Scott, and the HW Timpany King, would be ridden by his owner,
Belinda Weaver. Olivia Bowen, who helps us out, also has her
14hh working hunter pony, Gallant Prince, competing today.
The team start at 3am
– I am the only person who can plait Rex so at 3.15 I am busy with needle
and thread while Mark plaits the other two.
Then all 5 are taken to the international arena for exercise at 5am for
an hour – Mark, Matt and Scott all ride and Belinda rides her own Timpany
King. The LW’s stay in the collecting ring for the
class at 7.40, while the others return to the stables. It’s cold, so we put a
couple of our woollen show rugs on the horses as they wait.
Time 2 Reflect wins
the lightweights and everyone is thrilled with the win, but there is no time to
celebrate as I get straight on to Bloomfield Tetrarch, aka Apollo, for the
MW. Jo is key organiser and makes sure
I am in the right place at the right time and getting on the right horse! It takes 25 minutes to do
the return journey to the stables, so we have to allow plenty of time to ferry
horses back and forth.
Apollo goes well and everyone is pleased with 5th place and I then hop on Rex for the HW. He gives the judge a beautiful ride and takes the win, to the delight of everyone involved in the Shades of Grey syndicate including Rachel and Eamon McCourt, Michael Cook and Tony Reynolds, known as the Daddies, Carol Bardo, Rosemary Gilligan, Christian Kwek and Alan Ross. Carol Bardo shepherds all the connections to celebrate with champagne and someone orders chips which are gratefully received. This is the first thing I have had all day. Jo made me a cup of tea at 3am this morning, and I think it is still sitting untouched outside the stable.
Apollo goes well and everyone is pleased with 5th place and I then hop on Rex for the HW. He gives the judge a beautiful ride and takes the win, to the delight of everyone involved in the Shades of Grey syndicate including Rachel and Eamon McCourt, Michael Cook and Tony Reynolds, known as the Daddies, Carol Bardo, Rosemary Gilligan, Christian Kwek and Alan Ross. Carol Bardo shepherds all the connections to celebrate with champagne and someone orders chips which are gratefully received. This is the first thing I have had all day. Jo made me a cup of tea at 3am this morning, and I think it is still sitting untouched outside the stable.
Then Jo gets a call to
say that the ‘boys’ are on their way, indicating that the three cobs for
tomorrow will be arriving soon. Dolly
has had today in the field for a mooch around before having a bath and coming
back to HOYS on Saturday with Sunday’s horses.
There is no need for her to do any work, she is one of the easiest
horses to do.
I am delighted with
both horses. You never know which way a
championship will go. Betty is the in-form horse and it would have been nice for her to win
after her win at the Royal International, but I am delighted for Mark and so
pleased that he was happy to ride Rex. I
offered him the ride on condition that he had a shave! Alan bought the horse for me and then he was
syndicated, so hopefully he will have lots more opportunities in the future.
Saturday
Today is cob day,
which means thankfully no plaiting, which is just as well as Mark had
celebrated well into the night! But we
still have to be up for the early morning exercise and the first class is at
6.45am. All three of the Cobs are owned
by Rachel McCourt and she will ride Magic [It’s Abracobdabra] in the HW. “It’s fulfilling a dream”, said a nervous
Rachel. Cob-In-Hood went well to take 3rd
in the LW class, then it’s a quick change for me on to Rockstone Raven, aka
Mason, who took second in the HW. He is
still a young horse and only novice, he went brilliantly.
The rest of the day is
spent socialising, and I get to take some time out to watch the SEIB
Racehorse to Riding Horse class with Lorraine Homer. It’s the first class I’ve watched all week,
and I haven’t seen any of the jumping.
Sunday is the final
day and the Riding Horses are in first thing and Diane Stennett’s small riding
horse, Casino, goes beautifully to win.
I then rides Romanno Bedriska for Charlotte Clarke and she goes very
nicely but is not placed. Then it is
off to the Top Spec arena with Mason [Rockstone Raven] for the coloureds. The time is tight as I need to be back
in the international arena for the Riding Horse Championship with Casino and
Carol discovers that they have moved the championship forward by 15
minutes. There are hurried conversations
with stewards to let them know that I will be dashing from one arena to the
other and everything is organised. Then
Jo calls from the stables to say that Casino is not right. She has a nick on the coronet band that is
oozing and she is not sound. The
official vet declares that she is not sound and cannot go into the
championship. Meanwhile Mason goes
beautifully to take second place. Afterwards
I head down to the international collecting ring but I can’t watch the
Riding Horse Championship. We’ve gone
from excitement to deflation. I am
bitterly disappointed not to be able to take Casino into the championship – she
would have stood a good chance – but that is the way it goes. Now I just have to wait around, and it is a
good opportunity to catch up with my HOYS blog!
We all have to pick ourselves up and carry on. Jo Powell and Matt Richardson, who helps out
at shows, bring Mason back to the collecting ring for the coloured
championships at 3.05. Rachael and
Eamon McCourt are such supportive owners and I want to do our best for them in
the championship. Hello
Dolly has been chilling out in the stables all day. This morning she was lying flat out in her
stable fast asleep.
Finally I change
into my side-saddle habit ready for the Supreme preliminary judging in the
TopSpec arena at 4.30, and Mark works his magic to get Dolly ready. She behaves beautifully and does a lovely
show, including the trademark gallop as befits a small hunter, right around
the arena on both reins, before coming to a halt, calmly dropping the reins and
walking back into line. Then there is
nothing to do but wait for the final judging in the international arena. Back at the stables, everyone is packing up
ready to go home.
HOYS is always the big
end of season party and this year was as amazing as ever. I have got the most brilliant team behind me,
keeping us all organised and turning out the horses to perfection, as well as
some wonderful and supportive owners.
And I just don’t know how we would manage without all the wonderful
Absorbine products. We celebrate the
highs and share the disappointments, and after a holiday we will start planning
all over again for next year.
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| Dolly in the field after HOYS with Apollo and Rex |
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