Dear Readers,
In a departure from normal service Dad (David Britnell BHSII,SE & my owner/rider) has handed me the keyboard. Whilst I have been incredibly bored David has been flat out teaching to earn money to pay for the vet’s fees, physio fees etc. which incurred when we had our recent upset, this is my attempt at writing a blog (I wonder if it will get past the Editor?)
Let me introduce myself….
Name – Brad – after Brad Pitt because I am beautiful
Competition name – Continuity
Breeding – By Contender (Holsteiner) out of an Heraldik mare – show jump bred but that’s not my passion
Height – 16-3hh – but I think I am bigger
Age – 13 – but I feel younger
Colour – Bay – all the best horses are
Sex – Gelding – pity
Address – David Britnell Eventing, Chesham, Buckinghamshire
So then, here is our news.
Did Dad tell you about the Open Championship & Event Rider Masters run at The Festival of Eventing at Gatcombe? Yes? OK, well just a couple of sentences about that then from my point of view. THE HILLS! I started as a Pony Club horse and though I am told I don’t have enough Thoroughbred blood (I think 53% is plenty thank you) to be a classic event horse I do love courses with hills, such a lot of fun to be meeting big fences off all sorts of angles, strides and terrain. Dad didn’t let me go as fast as I wanted to but if he had I could have had him in the prize money but he tells me he was aware it was a very tough track and he had his eye especially on the next event. This is my favourite picture from the event. It shows Gma, Masterberry who is the Event Rider Masters Willberry Wonder Pony from https://www.willberrywonderpony.org/ and me after the dressage!
Next up was meant to be our first CCI3* at Blenheim International Horse Trials in September. As usual we went for a tune up over fixed fences in the run up to Blenheim. You know, the usual; corners, angles, ditch fences and a paddle in the water. All was fine and I was jumping the same as ever, loving it, when something went wrong and I landed half in the ditch at a trakehner. None of us really knows what happened and Gma (Dawn Britnell) wasn’t videoing so we never will but it was a hell of a nasty surprise and I am told I went into shock afterwards.
The trip home is a blur and the first week in recovery was very painful indeed. It is now a month later and I have just been turned out again 24/7. I should think so too. I have been so bored. But I am told though my legs are just fine, not a scratch on me, I traumatised my shoulders big time and needed all that box rest, hand grazing, restricted grazing in a pen (not the playpen it was billed to be, as I can assure you, scarcely room to toss my head!), massage, physio, solarium, magnet therapy etc.
I appreciate my humans have done their very best for me but surely, now I am back out and in gentle stretching work, I could get some hard feed back on the menu?
So “Blenheim” was a banned word and Dad never did get to wear the swish jacket his kind sponsors https://www.timothyfoxx.co.uk/ gave him for the trot up. They have been very understanding and are keen to see us strutting our stuff next year instead.
I understand that young upstarts Continuum (4) and Earthwindorfire (6) will be borrowing MY lorry next year as they start eventing along with one or two owners horses. They had better not hog Dad’s time, that’s all I can say.
I imagine Dad will insist on writing the next blog and I hope I will be back to some showjumping and dressage competitions by then so he will have some rosettes to talk about.
For now I am dreaming of the event season starting up in March 2018 and more interesting feed buckets in my immediate future!
All the best,
Brad x
PS I have recently hacked Dad’s Eventing Facebook account (well it’s mostly pictures of me anyway!) and written one or two pieces if you are interested…….. https://www.facebook.com/davidbritnelleventing.co.uk/
PPS This is a picture of Dad wearing his new winter teaching cap – a fetching Timothy Foxx creation of which he is very proud!
This blog comes courtesy of tweed fashion brand Timothy Foxx www.timothyfoxx.co.uk
