Lizzy Bird – Flying high at camp

Lizzy Bird dropped us a line from her training camp where she is in between riding, revising and hunting cooking pots!

“As I am writing this I am sat in my lorry at a training camp with Penny Brooks! So far Halle (Spring Promise II) has shone in a flatwork lesson, where we worked on leg yields and early stages of half pass and a jump session where she was flying! She really does give me the highs of eventing and sure does try her heart out!”

“So, I can’t believe we are in April already…time has flown! Did anyone receive any cruel April fools pranks this year? I was super lucky and managed to escape with nothing other than an early morning shift at work… meaning I had to be up even earlier to ride the horses who gave me the dirtiest of looks for getting them out of bed that tad bit earlier.”

“Unfortunately, this also means A level exams are drawing ever nearer… 8 weeks! Revision levels have risen drastically, and I have to admit the horses have been having a quiet few weeks because of it. Although my fantastic sister has been keeping Halle fit for me by hacking her out a few times a week, whilst I school her and keep her up to date in my revision breaks.”

“You may be wondering why I haven’t mentioned my other horse who I am campaigning this year (or supposedly!), Todd (Kildrenagh Rocket). March has been a rollercoaster month for this poor lad. We noticed he was dropping condition at a noticeable rate and stomach ulcers are looking suspect. He is having some more diagnostic work done to confirm what the problem is, so we can sort it out and get him back in to his training regime – as he was going so well at the beginning of March! I am going to give him as much time as he needs to recover so he is on top form upon return to work. I can only have my fingers crossed that nothing is too serious and he can get back out there doing what he loves! It is so gutting to see him down… although he is being kept entertained by his Mobility Horslyx in his stable!”

“Other than keeping the horses ticking over with regular training sessions with Penny, March has been very quiet and April is looking the same way. I am planning on turning to the ‘dark side’ and attending a few BS shows as a break from A levels in the run up to exams before we finally hit the eventing scene…. Which will be in July when my exams are out of the way. I am hoping that with all this training and preparation I will be super relaxed for the first event of the season and the entire team will feel refreshed and perform – in all fairness, I won’t be expecting anything miraculous from the horses… they are their own beings after all!”

“In the meantime, I hope everyone has had a fantastic start to their seasons and are excited for what the future holds! I have loved reading everyone’s event updates on my Instagram (@lb_eventing) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/LHBeventing) pages and cheering them on! I am feeling like a bit of an armchair eventer though I have to say! I will be joining you all as soon as I can!!”

“Got to dash… Mum is crashing around in the lorry in a desperate hunt for the saucepans and frying pans… which have all seemingly made a bid for freedom and have disappeared! I am fearing for the life of my laptop right now… and my dinner is in jeopardy if they aren’t found soon. On second thought, I am off to join the pot and pan hunt as I am hungry!!”

Lizzy & the Team x x