In this video, the rider/trainer provides a detailed post‑event report on Miss Lulu (also called Bonnie), a four‑star level horse, after competing at the Carolina International Four‑Star Short. She achieved a dressage score of 33 from two FEI judges, completed a clear show‑jumping round in a field where only 20% went clear, and delivered a solid, cautious cross‑country run despite feeling a bit green. The speaker attributes the horse’s progress to recent intensive training at their Pennsylvania farm, including flat work sessions before dressage, and to expert assistance from cross‑country coach Eric Devander and show‑jumping coach Peter Wild. He discusses specific technical challenges such as inconsistent flying changes, the need for more half‑passes, and canter work in dressage, as well as the horse’s confidence and stride on the cross‑country course, noting good ground conditions after rain. Looking ahead, the team plans a brief recovery week before targeting the Advanced Horse Trial at Fair Hill in four weeks, followed by the Tryon Four‑Star Long three weeks later, with continued conditioning on hills and gallops to build fitness. The overall tone is enthusiastic and proud, while acknowledging areas for improvement.
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This is a video for Bonnie Stead Bonbon. She keeps climbing up the ladder, mate. We finished our first four star short at the Carolina International and she was absolutely brilliant in all three phases. She was green in green in all three phases, but sort of what you'd expect. She's been training really, really well since being back at the farm here in Pennsylvania. Had some good training. Eric Devander flew up and gave me some cross country help last week. Then Peter Wild was here. He flew up as well on Tuesday, helped us in the show jumping. So we've been working really, really hard at getting Lulu up to, up to par and we're basically at the top of the sport now, Bon, with the four star level and we really needed to, to go to this event to have her qualified for the major spring goal, which is the four star long at Tryon. And she was very, very good. And she. We got there the day before and it makes a huge difference at these premier events when we actually arrive a little bit early. And I gave her a ride on Wednesday afternoon and then I hopped up early on Thursday morning, gave her another ride before the dressage. So she'd actually had two flat work training sessions before this dressage test. And she was a good girl. I mean, she was hot. She got a little bit hot and fiery in the, in the canter work. But we scored a 33. Which two proper judges. They're two proper FEI judges. So it was great. The flying changes are still a bit all over the shop, but as you saw with the trot work there, Bonnet was. It's pretty good when she gets sort of excited now, she's at least moving bigger. And this, the walk here, this is the hardest part of the dressage for Lulu. She can't wait to get to the other end of the ring. The biggest challenge this weekend, well, my biggest goal was sort of just completing it. And when I walked the cross country course on Thursday, I thought, holy moly, we're in a bit over our head here. But she was so good. You'll see a lot of the cross country round on the video today. And she was brave, she was bold and she was. She was so good. I was thrilled with her. I didn't go too fast on her. I was more just sort of hoping to get around unscathed. And she. She impressed me. She was. She definitely wasn't. My. My hardest ride. So these can. A half past Bonnie, they're a little bit. That one was okay. The. The next one you'll see, we start going a little Bit crooked. Anyway, we got her back to Pennsylvania last night and she looks good and happy and healthy out in the field. And next competition is going to be in, I think four weeks time. We're going to take the, to take on the advanced horse trial at Fairhill, which will be another big tough test. So that obviously that flying change needs a bit of work. And then about here she starts getting a little bit hot and excited. It felt worse than it looks. But anyway, the part of her excitement or nerves I think in the dressage is she still doesn't quite understand, you know, the canter half past and the flying changes. And I think once she gets acclimatized to it, you'll find that she settles right down in the dressage at the moment she sort of gets a bit frantic and a bit whoa, what's, what's happening and legs going everywhere. So she basically needs to do 10,000 more half pass and 20,000 more flying changes and she, she should be fine saying that score of 33 in our first four star short, pretty impressive. Now this is the show jumping and she is awesome. It was a quality field. Some of the best horses in the country were in the four star short and the clear rate in the whole field was only eight clear rounds. So only 20% of the the field went clear. And Ms. Lulu not only jumped clear, but she jumped well. She was careful. Good shape, good balance, good pace around the course. Peter Wild was there helping me warm up and she was spectacular. Right from the get go. Bonnie, she's just been a great jumper and it goes to show you start off with a good jumper and they stay a good jumper and she's just naturally careful and scopey like she used to have a bit of a short choppy stride. Now I'm getting across the distances without having to chase her, which is pretty cool. So in the cross country you'll see in a minute. I just, I went around just not like a, not too slow, but I didn't definitely didn't push her for the speed. I was more just trying to keep her confident. We went all the direct ways and she jumped well. She definitely felt a little bit green. You could feel it with the way she went. She was a little bit, whoa. Had the, especially towards the end of the course, but she was a good girl and she tried very, very hard the whole way around. Whoop. So she's, she's just brilliant, Bonnie, brilliant jumper and she's just hitting her prime now. So obviously the cross country was a challenge. The ground was good though. They had plenty of rain the night before, so the. The turf there was very good. And Lulu impressed me. I. I thought she'd be more nervous and, you know, it was exactly a year ago that we're having, you know, trouble at the intermediate level, and now she's. Now she's ripping around the advance or the Four Stars clear and. And making it look good. So we'll give her a bit of an easy week this week, Bonnie, and then slowly build her up as we take on the advanced at Fair Hill, which will be another big challenge. And then three weeks after, that's the try on Four Star Long. So this was either three strides or four strides, and Lulu roared across there in three. In our first advanced horse trial at Pinetop, I actually added strides between the big jumps and this. This weekend at the Four Star Short at Carolina, I tried to do the conventional distance, which I think is that she needs to learn to do that. She needs to be brave and bold and get across these lines on the. On the forward stride. I think we were about 30 or 40 seconds over the time. I do think she's fast enough. I just made a decision not to sprint her. You can see there as we're galloping along. I'm not really pressing her now. This is a bloody tough coffin and she's struggled at these coffins before and she was perfect through here. I gave her a little slap on the shoulder there. So, yeah, like I said, mate, I didn't. Sprinter or. You know, I think these first couple big events, we're just trying to get around and keep her confident. And I think eventually, obviously, we want to make the time and really go for the. Go for it. But at the moment, I'm just trying to do everything I can to give her a good experience around these monster tracks. I mean, this was tougher. Big right corner, bending turn to a big left corner and she just. She did it well. Anyway, we're back in Pennsylvania. Good thing is, the conditions are pretty good here, Bonnie and the starting to get her on the gallops on the long hills and putting a bit of fitness into her and get her all primed up for Fairhill in a couple of weeks. She's a little green here, but she dug deep for me. I can't tell you how impressed I am with her, Bonnie. She's exceeding my expectations.
