Back in 2019 I went looking for someone to help me with my flatwork. I didn’t have many (any) dressage dreams but aspired to go eventing (BE). I knew my horse would be super going over the fences and didn’t want to make an idiot out of myself on the dressage section, which is apparently the easy bit.
On 6th September 2019 I had my first lesson with Emma. Rather surprisingly I actually enjoyed a lesson without aiming at a fence (I am to dressage what a fish is to motorcycling). More surprisingly I booked another lesson the next month. (As much as I would love weekly lessons, I can’t quite afford that if the horses want to continue getting fed…)
Despite the request to get my dressage ready for BE in 2020 by the November I had been roped into a BD Quest Team. I wasn’t actually sure what Quest was and may have agreed after a glass of wine, but I was in a Team. Sadly Covid disrupted the Team to the extent where we never really got going, but I had already signed up (paid), so by the summer of 2020 I decided to attempt the My Quest section. On 19th July 2020 my trusty steed and I loped off to our first ‘affiliated’ Intro with Parys adorned with my trademark rather lumpy plaits. Rather shockingly we managed a super score of nearly 75% and decided to have a go at qualifying for the Quest Regional Final. We managed 3rd at the regionals with a score just over 73%. We had in fact qualified for the Quest National Championship, but it was cancelled as a result of the pandemic.
With no championship to go to and some pretty great Intro scores I decided to have a go at ‘proper’ BD and attempted my first BD prelim test. This in theory would be easier with a bigger arena on a 17hh, but in practice involved putting our pretty weak canter on show. Less than a year into our lessons with Emma we attempted our first BD Prelim on 19th October 2020.
Throughout 2021 I continued working with Emma on strengthening Parys and getting her to work in a shorter frame and keeping the activity. Parys is a laid back soul and whilst she takes any event and competition in her stride she can get a bit lazy and switched off.
The work paid off and by 2022 we had accumulated enough points and experience at BD to qualify at Winter Area Festival at Speedgate on 11th February 2022. On a blisteringly cold day with a wind chill factor that was enough to freeze all, but the hardiest of riders, we managed a fairly reasonable test. On 5th August 2022 we another go at the Areas doing the Summer Area Festival at Speedgate. Both times for the Areas we got a reasonable score, but not placed in very competitive classes.
Following our second area competition we had a bridle change and once Parys had got over a fairly epic sulk the first time I went back to the basics with Emma in an attempt to be more competitive. On 10th Feb 2023 we attempted our third Area at the Speedgate Winter Area Festival and got placed 10th with a score of over 65%.
We have now set our sights on going up a level and are tackling our very first BD Novice next week with an aim to qualify for the Areas at both Prelim and Novice level.
Our journey up the levels may seem slow and I certainly don’t and never have considered myself a dressage rider, but I can’t understate how proud I am of all that Parys and I have achieved. For a non-dressage pair I feel that Parys is so much stronger and confident in the way she moves in the arena. She is so much more active and balanced, which can only help our jumping and I have had an absolute blast doing it. Our lessons with Emma are a lot of fun and she does make me work, when she can get me to shut up and concentrate.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Emma as a trainer for any level of rider, whether you want to concentrate solely on your flatwork (or if like me you dream of doing Team Chase) as you would be supported and encouraged to follow your goals.
