It was 150 miles away down in Hungerford at an amazing places called Boomerang Stables. It was an absolutely boiling hot day and if I didn't know better I would have thought I had hopped on a plane and landed at a training base in Oz, after all its not every day you take your horse training in 30 degrees heat, where there are pet wallabies and lots of the cross country fences related to Australia in someway or another.
My day consisted of dressage training with Gill Watson and Showjumping and cross country with Mark Todd. Frankie was very cooperative, although a little steady in the dressage. Gill wanted me to get more energy and sparkle out of him. The show jumping warm up went well but when it came to jumping the course I could not get the first fence right, I kept waiting and Mark wanted me to move to it, for some reason I couldn't allow myself to do it. I think because it was off a sharpish right turn over an upright, into a dog leg left to a big oxer, I was more concerned about not allowing Frankie to run away with me before the oxer. I think I may also have been a bit nervous jumping in front of Mark Todd. The rest of the SJ course I felt I rode much better and much more forward. The cross country went well. Mark said he would like to see my lower leg remain on the girth with weight in my heels and not pivoting on my knee with my upper body getting too far forward. I was pleased with how Frankie jumped but Mark did say he would also like to see him moving on a more regular rythym into the big water jump.
It was a very long day getting up at 4am and not getting into bed til 1am the following day, but it was well worth going, you don't get many opportunities to train with one of the worlds best riders and two of the countries best trainers of all time all in one day.