In this video addressed to fellow rider Bonnie Stead, the speaker provides a comprehensive update on the horse Miss Lulu’s recent competition and training status. After a demanding four‑star long event at Tryon, Lulu was entered in the Open Intermediate class at the New Jersey Horse Trials, where she placed fourth in dressage with a score of 30, completed a clear show‑jumping round, and finished second overall with 4.8 time penalties (about 20 seconds over). The rider notes Lulu’s improved relaxation in dressage, better movement, and overall good condition despite recent rain‑softened ground. Training over the past weeks has included a meter‑20 class at a Princeton jumping show with assistance from Peter Wild, regular slow gallops, and focused work on dressage and jumping technique. Veterinary checks by “vet Peter” have been favorable, with sound trot‑ups, ankle health, and flexion tests. The speaker outlines a forward‑looking competition schedule: a meter‑30 class at Princeton in early August, the Great Meadow four‑star short in late August, a return to Tryon in early September, and the Morven Park four‑star long in mid‑October, with the long‑term goal of reaching a five‑star event next year. Additional plans include the Millbrook Horse Trials and continued work with Peter Wild. The overall tone is optimistic, emphasizing steady progress, health, and the ambition to elevate Lulu to the highest level of eventing.
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This is a video for Bonnie Stead. Well Bonnie, we got Ms. Lulu herself out to her first competition since her big run at Tryon four star long. We took her out this weekend to the New Jersey Horse Trials where we contested the, the open intermediate and she was bloody good. Obviously we gave her a good rest after her, her first four star brought her back into work and been gently working away at her dressage and jumping. We took her to a jumping show in Princeton, New Jersey ten days ago. Peter Wild gave me a hand jumping her and we jumped her just a meter 20 class. She was very good and then put a couple slow gallops into her and took her out to the Jersey Horse Park. We've been blessed with a lot of rain up here Bon. So the, the ground was good. The exciting news is she actually started to relax a little bit in the dressage. Feel like the hot weather was to our favor and she's starting to get quite seasoned at this, this intermediate level. Like she finds it quite easy. This time last year she was going sideways and she was nervous and it was. Anyway it's, she's a lot, lot better now and even she's starting to move a little bit. We finished fourth place after the dressage. We score scored a 30 which is pretty decent considering you know she's probably best at these bigger shows where we, we get there a day or two before and really get her settled in. But she, she got straight off the trailer, had half an hour's warm up and went in and did it. Quite a, quite a respectable test. I think as time goes on we're slowly but surely building her up towards the, the Morven park four star long and that's going to be in October. October like 12, 13, 14 or something like that. That'll be a notch tougher I believe than try on four star long. Be a little bit bigger fences, slightly more hilly but she should be more seasoned by then. I think my goal would be to compete her compete. Maybe the next start will be the four star short at Great Meadow and I think that's in. See that's going to be towards the end of August 25th, 26th, 27th of August and then we'll probably come down your way for try on September 4 to 4, 15, 16 and then, then head her to the big one, Morven Park. She's been really, really healthy too Bonnie like she, I know we had a rough time a couple of years ago but now she's trotting up well vet Peter's been looking at her Sort of once every couple of weeks and she looks good on trot up and ankles and her flexion tests are good and really we're just sort of slowly but surely training the beast, building her up, building her up towards the five star level. This weekend we're heading up to the Millbrook Horse Trials and it's going to be weird going all the way up there. We haven't been there for the Millbrook Horse Trials in a couple of years and it's going to be strange not having you up there. Should be a. I've got a good competition. I'm just riding a few in the intermediate couple training horses. I think my goal, I'll also take going back to Lulu. I'll take it to another jumping show probably on August, August 3rd back up at Princeton. Princeton's a. It's a. It's a good show and Peter Wilde sort of meets us halfway there and you know, helps us jump the horses, walk the courses and it's a bit of a training day which is good and I think when we go up there in the first week of August we'll, we'll probably put her in the meter 30 which I think she'll jump quite comfortably. She's a very, very good jumping, jumping horse as you know. Slowly but surely she's turning into a good dressage horse too. I think if everything goes well at Morven park we could you know, next year look at, looking at taking to a five star which would be a. Obviously a huge accomplishment. It's been a, it's been a long road. We bought her as a four year old and it's crazy to think that all years, all these years later that she's knocking on the door at the five star level. The show jumping is always tough at Jersey. It's a bit of a spooky course and she, she, she's a little bit of a spooky horse. But she season now and she's experienced. She jumped, she jumped the clear round. So after the dressage we're in fourth place and then we show jumped a nice clear round and I felt like she jumped, she jumped really well. She's obviously got a very good technique and good with her front end and her back end. And she sort of knows where those top rails are. Obviously this weekend was all about just getting her out and about again a slightly easier course. Just considering that her last start was monstrous down at Tryon. It was kind of nice actually taking around an easier cross country course. We'll see a little bit of the cross country in a minute, Bonnie. But the ground was very good. And I feel like Lulu, if she had one sort of weakness or, or her floor a bit, is. She's a bit of a show jumping type. So having her sort of gallop quickly across the ground is something that we should always be working on. And the ground was good. And I didn't go flat out, but she went around with 4.8 time penalties, which was about 20 seconds over the time. Anyway, we finished in second place, mate, which was a good result. It was more importantly that she had a good experience because our next start at Great Meadow, that will be a. It'll be a proper track down there in Virginia. So I was sort of using this one as a confidence run. Anyway, mate, she's in good shape and I hope you're doing well and looking forward to seeing you in September.
