Equestrian Sponsorship
“Goodbye to Vee”
It is with great sadness that we have to announce that Vee has gone to the big pasture in the sky! He was a horse in a million and all of us whose lives he touched will miss him dreadfully.
He was 22 and had an amazing full life. We brought him over from Ireland as a 4 year old for Bryony to compete up to Novice British Eventing. He then moved to Georgie, where he turned his hand to showing being very successful in riding horse classes, show jumping being successfully at local shows, as well as doing good dressage tests. He then got me back riding and I competed him up to Novice dressage, at our last outing we gained over 70%. He moved to Lizzie who competed him at British Eventing, he gave us such thrills as we watched them flying around cross country courses! He was kind and gentle enough to give the grandchildren rides and he got Jana riding again before she died. We hope he is reunited with her now.
Thanks to everyone who has helped me with him over the years, latterly to Nicky and Claire and not least Graeme who has “driven”, “towed” and generally “picked up” after him!
Thank you and RIP Vee we all count ourselves blessed to have ridden you.
Lyn
September 2016
“Congratulations to Chloe Fry for winning the combined training BE 90 on Balou and coming third in same class on Felix at Felbridge on 4th September”.
“We are very pleased to let you know that Balou is out competing again with Chloe after his colic surgery in February. Hes made a remarkable recovery and we wish him and Chloe well for his continued improvement. Photo is of them at Hickstead Dressage yesterday where they came fourth in the Novice section.”
28th - 29th July 2016
Concillio (cador x polytraum) and rider Kerry Mackin have been very busy over the past few weeks winning lots of rosettes for us! At the Hickstead Dressage Masters finals he was placed 5th in the Novice and 7th in the Elementary sections. Last week at the Regional finals they came 5th in the Novice and 4th in the Elementary. Showing how this partnership is building and with Chilli consistently scoring over 70% he is maturing into a superb dressage horse showing us his potential, a very exciting future prospect. These are amazing results for such a young horse and we are very pleased and proud owners!
Thank you Kerry for all your hard work with him. We are now looking forward to the winter series!
8th June 2016
Kerry & Concillio have been excelling themselves recently! They won their first “Medium” test at Step Aside, Belmoredean, two weeks ago with 73% and then they went to the semi finals of the Hickstead Masters on 4th & 5th June, where they were runners up in the novice section and champions in the elementary section scoring 72% in both tests! This means that Kerry and Chilli have now qualified for the finals of the Dressage Masters Championships on 21st June and they will also be competing in the 6 year old class on 23rd June. Kerry has done amazingly well to produce Chilli to such a high standard in a short space of time and we are very grateful to her as owners.
2nd May 2016
Chilli is carrying on his winning streak by being placed first in both his latest elementary classes at Belmoredean (Step-aside) on 21st April. Unfortunately he was completely overwhelmed by the experience of the 6 year old class at Oldencraig the week before and Kerry had to leave the arena with him. Always another day, she didn’t want to upset him, such a shame as he is usually so good and Kerry had spent hours grooming him to make him look even more amazing!
Kerry & Chilli practising last week | Advert for Kerry on back of our horse box
9th April 2016
Its been a long time since our last up date! Sporting Balou has moved to Chloe Fry who has been getting to know him and has been competing him at pony club events. Unfortunately he has just had to undergo emergency colic surgery. Balou is recovering well. We are keeping our fingers crossed for his full recovery. Vista and Oliver are now retired and “live out” together happily munching their lives away!
We now own a half share in a young dressage horse called Concillio (cador x polytraum). He is 5 years old, 17.2 bay gelding, which we acquired with Sandra Baxter in August last year. Kerry Mackin (KMdressage on Facebook) sourced “Chilli” in Holland for us last year and has been training and competing him. She has done an amazing job with him and has won various novice qualifiers through the autumn and winter regularly scoring over 70%. They have enough points to qualify for the Dressage Masters series at Hickstead in June. Kerry has progressed him to Elementary level and they won on his first outing at this level last week. We all have very high hopes for this lovely young horse. The video attached is of their winning elementary test at Step Aside, Belmoredean. Kerry will be aiming him at 6 year old classes in the summer. Kerry is available to source and train young horses and we highly recommend her!
Write up in 'Horse & Hound' Magazine, 31st March 2016: link (pdf)
Update: Kerry Mackin and Chilli had further success at Elementary level on the 2nd April, winning both his tests at Hickstead. They also had a write up about them in the Horse & Hound this week! We are very excited for his future. He goes out next to Oldencraig to take his chance in the 6 year old qualifier on 15th April.
5th August 2014
Balou had a very successful outing to Chilham Castle BE event on Sunday 3rd August. He was placed fourth in his 90’s section with 40 in his class. He did a very good dressage test for 29.5 and then went clear show jumping and cross country just getting 4 time faults as Catriona did not push him because of the firm ground. He is finding cross country very easy with his ever increasing galloping stride and he is gaining in confidence with every outing. The photo is of Balou and Catriona with Max our grandson who adores him!
12th May 2014
Our event horses had a very successful weekend! Big smiles all round from the Kerruish eventing Team (http://www.catrionakerruish.co.uk/) as young Sporting Balou won his British Eventing 80 section on his dressage score of 31.5! He went clear show jumping and cross country. Catriona flew him around the cross country course and he made it look very easy with his impressive long strides and scopey jumping! We are excited for his future as he now steps up to the next level of BE90. Our veteran Sporting Vista finished half way in his BE90 section, he did a good dressage test, but, unfortunately had two down in the show jumping due to his usual over excitement at jumping but he then flew around cross country to go clear and well in the time. He steps up to the BE100 next time out!
28th April 2014
Our competition horses, Sporting Vista and Sporting Balou had successful first outings at British Eventing Chilham Castle on Saturday 26th April.
Our young Balou was a superstar and came 10th in his 80’s section with a very nice dressage test of 34.00, clear show jumping and also clear across country with just 6 time faults. Catriona did not want to push him across county it being his first event and the ground was slippy in places, he bought home two lovely rosettes! Vista did an excellent dressage test for 30.00, got over excited in the show jumping and had three down and then flew faultlessly across country with just two time faults, he still finished 18th in his large 90’s section. Lizzy was “over the moon” with this wonderful versatile “veteran”! Looking forward to the rest of the season with our “special horses”!
22nd April 2014
Our “19 years young” competition horse Sporting Vista qualified at the weekend for the championship regional finals in the veteran class, he was ridden for us by Lizzie Byne. He was amazing as he had not done a showing class for years! He and Lizzie will be off Eventing with Catriona Kerruish’s Event team (http://www.kerruisheventing.com/) again this summer, before he takes his place at the championships in September. Our young event horse Sporting Balou starts his five year old campaign this week.
5th May 2012
Vista competing recently at Tweseldown.
1st February 2012
Sporting Vista is now back competing. The photo below is of his most recent outing at an indoor show jumping competition. He is scheduled to start eventing again in April. We will update this page with Vista’s progress and also that of “Oliver” who we hope to start riding this summer.
5th November 2010
Oliver has grown from the scraggy little colt as shown in the photo of May 2007 to the well grown 4 year old gelding as shown in the latest photo. He has now been backed, which went very smoothly under the expert handling of Claire and her daughter Chloe, both shown in the second photo. Chloe is hoping to compete Oliver in the spring and we will update this page regularly on his progress.
Oliver and Vista moved to our new property in June 2010 and enjoyed the summer here eating themselves through the grass in the paddocks, but not until we had made our own hay, in the traditional way, beforehand. The horses are now back out at grass in our field and will return home here for the winter.
I brought Vista slowly back into work and he went well in our sand school. He seemed to enjoy being back in work and was keen to show us all that he had not lost the ability to do “half passes” and “square halts”! He was ridden regularly by Georgie and Jana who was herself getting back to riding after a long absence. We hope to start competing Vista also in the Spring.
27th May 2007
We are pleased to announce a new addition "CV Lightning Strike" otherwise known as Oliver. He is a chestnut yearling colt registered Anglo European sport pony by Ousbek (http://www.sportpony.org.uk/ousbek.shtml) out of a thoroughbred X eventing mare. He should make about 14.2. He has wonderful confirmation and his markings are very distinct. He is very sensible, has a lovely temperament and is a delight to be around. He is turned out at home with his friend Ronnie. Watch this page for his progress through life with our hopes and dreams resting on his back!
Vista has had most of the winter off and has thoroughly enjoyed his break. He is now back in work and looking great as his summer coat is nearly through. He is working well, starting from where we left off, so hoping for some good marks when we get out to Dressage. We plan to show him again in Riding horse classes. Will keep updating this page with his progress also.
Thank you for looking.
3rd October 2006
This info. is for all the Vista fans who have inquired about him. As you will see from the photo we have been out and about at the local shows this Summer. Vista is nothing if not versatile and we won the rosettes in Riding Horse classes, far removed from galloping and jumping his way around a cross country course in his younger days!
We are getting more consistent at our dressage and our marks are improving, particularly if I can get him to concentrate on what I am asking him rather than the umbrellas and rain which we experienced at Ardingly and Felbridge, early in the season! In fact we improved so much that by the last Walk & Trot Test at Felbridge we came second, thereby qualifying us for their Championship show! Unfortunately, on “Championship Day”, Vista did not take too kindly to being dragged out of his bed early and he thought “hey who wants to be a dressage champion anyway” It was one of those days, there’s always another day and onwards to Prelim from now!
Vista is still giving his mum indescribable amounts of fun and relaxation and if only we could repeat our performances from the School at home to the dressage arena we would be getting high marks every time. But I guess everyone says that! Vista is now very accomplished at lateral work, his half passé and flying changes are coming on.
Thanks for looking at this page and will keep you posted as we progress onwards and upwards we hope!
