In this first‑person video, the rider recounts taking his horse Monty to the New Jersey Horse Park for Monty's debut at the advanced level of three‑day eventing. He describes the dressage test, noting the use of a double bridle, the introduction of flying changes, and a score of 35, emphasizing Monty's calm temperament. The cross‑country phase is highlighted as Monty's strength, with commentary on his galloping ability, stride control, and handling of a water jump and technical fences. The show‑jumping round is reviewed, mentioning a few minor faults and adjustments made after cross‑country schooling. The rider acknowledges the support of helpers Silva and trainers Eric Devander and Peter Wild, who contributed to dressage throughness and jumping technique. Finally, he outlines future goals: competing at the Great Meadow 4 short after returning from Tokyo, aiming for a 4 long later in the year, and continuing to develop Monty's dressage and jumping skills.
Chapters
This is a video for the Monty Group, the Wabanaki Group. We took Monty up to the New Jersey Horse park to do his first ever advanced horse trial. This was a big step up for Monty, saying that he's been really, really consistent in the intermediate level and it was time to sort of step him up to the advanced level. And New Jersey Horse park in June has a reputation of just a slightly easier cross country course. So I thought. So I'd love to get Monty around this before I head overseas. So anyway, he did really well. This is obviously the dressage. This was on Saturday morning sometime. It was really, really hot. So I put. Silva's been helping me a bit with him and we put him in a double bridle and I definitely think it puts him in a better shape. It sort of. I feel like he has a better connection. It gets him a little round but uphill at the same time. It sort of has a great effect on him where I feel like he doesn't sort of want to push his nose out. Obviously, he's very green around this dressage test. This is sort of the first time that he's had to do the flying changes and can a half pasts by saying that he did really well. He was actually one of the very, very first horses to go in the class. He went at, I don't know, the third horse on must have been about 30 horses in it. One thing about Monty, he stays very, very quiet and calm and relaxed. And for an event horse, it's a luxury having a horse that doesn't get hot and fiery in the dressage. Stay quite obedient through the whole test. So Monty scored a 35, which is actually not bad considering our. The test was. And you'll see our flying changes in a minute, which were very, very green. We sort of just started working on them the last couple weeks and they're a work in progress. I think he gets them clean. They're still a little bit all over the shop, but by the time we get to the end of the year, they should be great. So this weekend I wasn't too worried about the final placing or the result or like that. It was more, you know, to get him around the course today, cross country safely. You know, it's very hot not to push him too hard and just slowly introduce him to this, the highest level of the sport. And he coped really, really well. The show jumping, the show jumping. He was a little bit unlucky and you'll see the round in a moment. I thought he put In a really, really good round in the sense that he was making shape, he was using his body well. He just touched one, you won't even see. He just nicked fence two. And then I think he had the first of the treble down. I didn't quite. I actually cross country schooled him a couple days before the competition. I usually show jumped them just before an event, which usually keeps them sharp for the show jumping. But I was, I was just more nervous about getting him around this cross country well today. So I took him out and cross country schooled him, which sometimes makes them less careful for the show jumping. And, you know, here's my first ride in the show jumping yesterday and after getting a little bit too close to fence two, I decided to ride a little wider with my other horses today in the cross country, we've got tiny little bit of snippets and unfortunately the girls that are working for me were busy getting horses ready and cooling horses out. So one of them zipped over and got to video a couple of fences. But he was a, he was really, really good in the cross country. He, he's an honest horse. He's a good galloper. He, he definitely knew that this was much harder than what we've been doing about fence four. He's like, holy moly. So this is our first flying change and it was better than I expected, to be quite honest, because he sort of been leaping from one side to the other, so it was clean. Obviously it's sort of a bit jo, but give me a bit more time and they should be soft and through. So going back to the cross country, he's a very well schooled, well trained horse. Cross country, he's a great galloper. The hard thing with the jumping is, or the cross country is slowing down close to the fence. He's got this big long stride and you've sort of got to just gently slow him down cautiously well away from the fence and then try and let him go at the end. And I thought we did a good job of that today. If you hold onto him close to the jump, sometimes his head and neck come up a little bit, but he's sort of got his own style of jumping. This was our second change, not quite as good, but we did it. So Eric Devander and Peter Wild have been coming to our farm a bit, obviously preparing the horses for the Olympics. And I've been lucky enough to train Monty with them a bit and that's been awesome, you know, working away with Peter and Eric. Eric's been Helping me a little bit more with the throughness in the dressage and obviously Peter, with the show jumping. This is a show jumping around. It was a little bit of a twisty course and funny enough, I turned up a little bit tight to this one. You don't even, probably don't even see. I just touched the back bar. I heard it clunk though, saying that I felt like he was making a, I don't know, a good shape and getting up in the air and jumping throughout his body and not trying to make too many excuses. But even though he had two poles, I felt like I was quite pleased with the way he jumped around. Like he's. He didn't feel overwhelmed in there. And I think he has the next rail here. He got a little bit fast and long coming into the treble here. So anyway, what I'd like to do with Monty next is actually a four star short at Great Meadow. This is a week or two after I get back from Tokyo. This would be a little bit of a step up from this event by saying that I felt like he did this event pretty easily. Obviously we need to keep working on his training at home and improving him, especially in the dressage and show jumping. But, you know, the important part of three day eventing is obviously the cross country and he's really, really good on the cross country. He just popped through that water jump like it was nothing. It was quite impressive. This was a big tricana to two offset tables. Anyway, we'll keep working away with Monty. I believe he's come through this event good and health. And then aiming him for the Great Meadow four star short, which will be another first for me and Monty. With a bit of luck, I'd love to get him to a four star long at the end of the year and then sort of see where his career goes from there. Thanks for your support, guys.
