After the disappointment of not making it to the Windsor CDI I felt a little nervous about something coming out of left field and stopping us getting to Compiegne . Out of the blue, just before Windsor, Sancette had a sudden very high temperature and colic. Luckily it turned out to be a 24 hour virus, and although he was a very sick boy, he recovered very quickly. Now to complete my qualification for the selection events, it was essential to achieve a really good score with Sancette in the Grand Prix. I also wanted to back up Boogie’s great score and win in Hagen – hopefully with another win.
Just before we left for the show, all was well with the horses, but it was hard to keep my mind completely on the job, as family members were all down for the count at home. Rob’s eldest daughter had just survived a liver transplant. She had been incredibly brave through the whole ordeal, and through her positive attitude and inner strength come up trumps. Her recovery so far has been miraculous. Rob on the other hand had become so stressed with all our suffering family members that he ended up sick and in hospital too, although he is now out and making a good recovery.
With chaos at home, my two amazing daughters Gitte and Alex assured me that they had it all under control, and encouraged me to stay focused and do my best at Compiegne.
We kicked off to a really good start with my lovely young horse Boogie Woogie winning the Prix St George with a great score over 70%, proving his win at Hagen was just a taste of the good things to come. Boogie loves to show his stuff in the arena, and loves to be the centre of attention. He has three super paces, and a super ability to both collect and extend.
Sancette not to be outdone put in a personal best in the Grand Prix only missing 70% by a whisker. All the hard work and training with Patrik is paying off and I had a much more collected horse, with a great improvement in the piaffe/passage and in all movements a much steadier more correct frame. Patrik seems to really understand Sancette well, and there is a great synergy between us as rider and trainer. I have come to really trust and believe in him. He is always very fair with the horses, and his training system is very clear and correct.
The last day Sancette really showed me what he could do. In the Special he was so concentrated and willing, keeping his energy and concentration to the last step. I was rewarded with a super score of 71.6 and 2nd place just behind Gareth Hughes, who did a lovely smooth test that will probably see him on the British team for WEG.
I was so happy with both horses, a win and a proud moment seeing the Aussie flag fly high, and hearing our National Anthem made my heart soar.
Mary Hanna
RESULTS:
PRIX ST GEORGE – Boggie Woogie 6 – 1st 70.158%
GRAND PRIX – Sancette – 3rd 69.820%GRAND PRIX SPECIAL – Sancette – 2nd 71.115%
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