19th August 2009 | 5.47 am
My last show ahead of Windsor was Hickstead which was a mad show with world records being broken and amazing standards being set. Although my results sound great, I had two tough rides. The wind in that arena made it hard to keep my horse’s attention and although it was very positive that Alf did not get hot or spooked he did feel very different to ride than usual. He completely backed off and was quite behind the leg so it was difficult to get the canter work done without mistakes. However, the positive was that Alf and I are such a team now that we look secure and can make the best of any situation and still get fantastic results, which gave me lots of confidence. We now hold the GB record in all three Grand Prix tests, (Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle.) It was fantastic to be part of such a strong class although riding against Edward Gal on Totilas seems a bit like sprinting against Usain Bolt!! However, I know that Alf and I have still not shown our best and we intend on doing that where it counts - at Windsor!!
I have turned out a few of my youngsters for two month’s holiday and have only a few horses in to ride so I can be fit, relaxed, well rested and focused over the next 10 days. I have had a last sports psych session with Joce and am feeling fantastic. We have been so clinical in our approach to finding out how to get my best performance in any situation and how to deal with the various “Alf’s” that can be thrown my way!! I have had a fantastic season and the results at Hickstead have topped off my preparation, so now I am just looking forward to competing at the championship with the strongest team I think British Dressage has ever had. I think this is going to be one of the most exciting championships since I can remember, (admittedly - that is not that long!) because there are more medal contenders than usual and a wider spread of people producing massive scores… My dad’s ‘co-coach’ Klaus Ballenhol arrives tomorrow for two days of training and on Sunday Alf and I will be heading down the M4 to Windsor….hope to see you there!
Love Laura
I went to Hagen and had a great show. It was excellent to be able to start the outdoor season with such success but as always, I also learnt lots. Alf and I won the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special but I was not completely satisfied with my performance. In the Grand Prix I had Alf a bit too relaxed and was not quick enough to react and sharpen him up enough to be able to perform a clean test. In the Special I managed to have him just right and he was much more on the ball. It was a valuable lesson to have learnt but I was very aware that my wins were reliant on the mistakes of others which essentially means luck - this needs changing! Andretti, my other Grand Prix horse was also highly placed in both classes so I won the prize for the most successful rider over all which was great. The show was as fantastic as ever, we were spoilt by the hospitality and the great atmosphere and dad was happy because I won him a motorbike!
When we got home the horses had their usual easy week where I take them hacking and trot and canter them around the field tracks. Because I have about 6 weeks between each show, I can let them chill and then have time to spend on getting them back into work and through again, and then the final phase is the build up to the next show where I put the movements back into our training. Alf has even started to be the lead horse for some of the youngsters when we go out cantering which makes me very proud of him, although he did nearly fall over whilst trying to bite a horse fly on his bottom!
By the time we were preparing for Lingen again the two boys felt very ready for full work again. The timing seems to be giving me and my horses confidence in our routine. Alf enjoys his down time but is always quite keen and ready for a challenge again after his week of recovering. The following couple of weeks on basics, suppleness and fitness are essential for him and how he feels in his body. The last 10 days before the next show he is always ready for the next challenge; more test style practice. As a result, Lingen was another highlight. However, I am still not satisfied, well I am with Alf but I know I can still do better…! The show started off with Andretti’s win in the Grand Prix for the music. We got our personal best; 71.3% and to hear the British national anthem in Germany is always extremely satisfying! The following day was a bit manic. I rode Alf in the Grand Prix for the Special in the morning but the wind had picked up dramatically and the tents and trees were looking like they might take off. I knew I would have my hands full with Alf and so I was a little bit on edge. However, our training paid off and Alf was actually amazingly cool to ride. He did spook twice but did not let it affect him and did not end up getting hotter and hotter. As soon as he spooked he was with me again and focused straight back on the job in hand. This was the only reason he managed to still get such a good score of 75.6%. I was thrilled with him for having remained so rideable, we came 2nd to Isabel Werth and Satchmo but I was positive the next day Alf and I would get the upper hand. In the evening I rode the freestyle on Andretti at just before 11pm! Andy was highly excited about being up so late and was sure that the Freestyle must be against the clock! He did a faultless test but a little faster than his rider intended and hence we did not exude quite the calm and harmony that was needed to win and finished second.
The Sunday was amazing, Alf felt perfect in the warm up and he went into the arena feeling fantastic. Isabel was in before me and came out ecstatic with her test having just ridden her and Satchmo’s personal best on 79.8%! I knew Alf and I would need to do something magical to beat that but I was ready to give it a shot and Alf was ready too. He was so easy to ride, I just had to think and he was on it. He was ahead of Isabel and even on 82% but then came the changes and a little distraction got the better of us. I messed up both sets and that was just too expensive to keep the top spot. We finished second again on our own personal best of 78%. I guess it’s good to know that we can score so highly and still not have reached our limit but I just need to go home and work on the security of our changes. They have improved massively at home but at a show there is still luck involved. I have to know that even if a camera man walks past or something steals Alf’s attention, that he will keep jumping through. I am going to go home and practice and make sure that the peak performance is at Windsor in front of our home crowd! I won best overall rider again and was extremely happy with my horses. Andy has had consistently good results and Alf feels so secure and great to ride in the arena that it is a privilege to be able to show him off. They have earned their easy week now and I am looking forward to getting them ready again for my next attempts; Aachen on Andy and Hickstead on Alf…
Speak to you all again soon,
Laura B x
Easter was pretty exciting for me as I made the mistake of giving up chocolate for lent! My three older brothers, my parents and I all flew out to Switzerland to where my grandparents live, to spend the weekend together. (My horses had two days of chilling out to prepare for a heavier Laura!) We always uphold our family traditions and so, on Sunday morning my brothers and I went in the garden to hunt down our Easter eggs that the Easter bunny had hidden! It was a sad day for chocolate rabbits, (we take food and especially chocolate, pretty seriously in my family!)
Despite nurturing a chocolate baby now, I am actually upping the pace of training with the beginning of the outdoor season just around the corner. On top of riding I always have at least one pilates lesson a week, go jogging lots and have regular visits from our team physio, Andy Thomas. I have also been meeting up with Joce Brooks, our sports psychologist, trying to map out a plan of where I want to be at the end of the season and how to get there. I always thought sports psychology was just for riders who get nervous, but have recently learnt that there is so much more to it. In dressage we cannot influence what our competitors achieve and worrying about marks we might get is also unhealthy, so this year my aim is to make sure I ride the best possible tests at Windsor. This season I have decided that my focus is 100% on the “controllables,” that means having Alf and me as prepared as possible so that riding a mistake free but expressive test can be uncomplicated. (Possible placings, marks and other such “uncontrollables” are mere distractions from my goal – to ride the perfect test.)
I finished the indoor season in S’Hertogenbosch with a great result. Alf and I won the grand prix and grand prix special with our personal best scores and achieved British records in both. (76.5% GP and 75.35% GPS) We now need to establish a consistency in this over the next few shows in the build up to the championships and I am also hoping to keep improving on Andretti, my second horse’s recent successes to secure him as my “spare” team horse.
I am off to Hagen CDI in Germany next week with both horses and that will be a good first test of how the horses are outdoors, as it is always a bit of a change when coming from the hyped up indoor world cup show atmospheres. I am very excited as they are both on great form and I think the sport is at an interesting point where a few newer combinations are starting to put on some pressure. Hopefully this means that come summertime, it will be a battle between a few rather than just two combinations, to get the top spot.
Speak to you soon…..Love Laura
