Taupo

Digital cameras are so frustrating! Here I was all set to take photos of Sam and Leo Degas at Taupo and the battery was flat!! Never mind.

Douglas and I arrived Friday afternoon to find that they were lying 3rd ,after the dressage, in the Non Championship 1* out of 45 starters, not bad for the youngest in the class.

The next morning was the YEH, a couple of minor hiccups in the dressage, a super showjumping round, a short gallop and run up for conformation and 3rd overall out of 23. 1st= for conformation , great result. So then off to the cross country. Quite a hold up before they started, following a fall. I was standing near fence 3, which seemed to be a fairly good vantage point, they were certainly looking keen and happy in their work. Andy needs to learn to jump a little more conservatively as he tends to clear them by a mile ( check out http://www.takethemoment.co.nz/photos/v/events/3DE/Taylor) and land too close to the next element in a combination, all went well until the sunken road and he was 1/2 a stride out for the second element so had a couple run outs, such a pity as they went clear the rest of the way and would have finished close to the time barring the mucking about.
The next morning was cold and wet but they jumped well for one rail and a 27th place finish .Some 17 were either eliminated or retired .

It's so much more interesting when you have some connection to a combination competing and this looks like a very promising one!