We did this ride last year as well and it was our first sponsored ride together ever. It was great to ride it again this year and realise how bloody far we’ve come in such a short time. Annette and Sarah came too with Max and Merlin and they were great company as usual. The ride started off with Chet being his usual over-excited self. He tends to lose his brain at sponsored rides and just jog and nap the whole way round, which can get tiring pretty fast. This ride started no differently and I thought I was in for a bumpy one. We got to the first set of jumps and I thought sod it and pointed him at them. Popped the first one with a little napping, then refused the second as he wasn’t really switched on and he didn’t want to leave his friends. Took him back and pointed him at it again and he flew it. From then on, he became the ultimate cross country horse. Every jump he just locked on and popped it like it was nothing. Some of the things we jumped I would never normally have considered going over, but he just felt so eager and confident that I couldn’t say no! Between sets of jumps I was walking him on the buckle, when we went for canters I was able to keep him in front, in the middle or behind with no problem, and he was jumping like he was born to do it. There were a few we did that were seriously meaty looking, tall, wide and solid things. Chet didn’t bat an eye. 12 miles, 40 jumps and we did at least 30 of them. Got back into the lorry field where the last jump sits alone, after a lot of walking and roadwork so he was pretty switched off and napped on the approach to end in a run out. Didn’t take much to take him round again and he was back to point and shoot mode, flew it. I am so bloody proud. This is why I have a horse. He proved himself to be exactly what I need yesterday. I think we’ve finally really truly clicked with each other. I’m so excited for the future.
