This time it was Brook’s turn who was overly excited with it all, so much hat I had to get off and lead her through the car park and down to the arena before I got thrown on the floor or even in the river ahead of us! Good job I had a lot of time to warm up because she sure needed it. I didn’t think today was going to be the one and it wasn’t at all going to go to plan because of how awkward she was being. It was the same course as Olly the previous day so this time I knew where I was going and the best routes to take and hopefully learnt form my stupid mistake of jumping a fence more times than your allowed. I was again 7th out of 10 to jump so had enough time to watch and see how much I needed to go for it. At 7.50- 10 minutes due to start they announced that they weren’t running in catalogue order like they have all week and they were going to draw the order! I was drawn 2nd to jump which was totally against my plans for warm up and course that I was going to jump.
I went in with quite a good idea of where I was going today so I just had to concentrate on getting brook into the arena without rearing up and galloping off out of the warm up. I took exactly the same route as yesterday which took me by surprise as I was going round because Brook is much bigger, faster and stronger to turn, but she was really focused and enjoyed it, I even remembered not to jump fence 100 3 times which gave me more time and I was able to jump 3 extra fences than I did on Olly the day before. Brook came out well into the lead by more than 200 points with a score of 1590. I had to wait a long time as I was right near the beginning so I sat watching intensely, and was worried because people had know seen the route id taken and knew all my tactics! I was listening to every conversation with people saying things like “She went in there and jumped all those twice, if you want to win, that’s what you need to do”. But I managed to hold it and stayed in the lead with a clear win by over 200 points. After an extra lap of honour on my own, the photographer asked me to go round once more so he could get some photos & I was asked if I could go for an interview in the tent when I had finished which was very exciting! As the previous day I then went into the scurry where I wasn’t too bothered on how I did because I had already achieved higher than expected. So I didn’t push her too much and she jumped a lovely clear which there weren’t many of and came 3rd.

The plan was: course walk at 11am and class start at 11.30 where I was drawn 12th out of 14 to jump. However there was a fall in the morning which meant it was running 20 mins behind time. We checked with the steward at 10am and planned that we should get down there for 11.15 at the start of the course walk.
We went back to the lorry for breakfast then got tacked up and started the long 10 minute walk down to the arenas (which we had to do many times throughout the 2 days.) We got as far as the stable area (almost to the arena) when I realised I hadn’t put the horses boots on! I would like to apologise now, to my poor grooms who had a long walk back to the lorry to grab them- oops, sorry!

When we finally got down to the arena they were already walking the course and I was now running late which isn’t good for a top score as you have to work out your own course which takes a lot of time & thought to get the highest score possible. So I had to run into the arena and quickly find the highest scoring fences in order to work out my course. The bell rang to tell us to clear the ring and I hadn’t even worked out which fence I was going to jump first! Luckily I was drawn near the end which meant I could watch a few and give me a bit of time to work out a course and see a few tactics from others but I had only 15 minutes before I was in the ring, so while I warmed up Mum and my grooms watched a few then reported the routes they were taking to me. I wasn’t totally clear on where I was going before I went in but as I went round I just headed for the fences I knew were worth the most. Olly was in a fairly good mood for him and seemed quite forwards to me although it must have looked terribly slow to people that didn’t know him! I started off over two flowing fences just to get him forwards, although they weren’t the easiest on the course. Then I turned up really tight to the 3rd fence and went straight onto the joker, from this point on there were no easy or long routes, I turned and kicked as hard as I could. There were a few hair raising moments where I went from one fence to another with only a stride between the two, jumping from a near stand still and still continued to the next fence again from another standstill. Olly just took it in his stride and came out the ring to 3 or 4 strangers that where stood on the gate watching giving him lots of fuss and congratulating me and what a lovely pony I have and an amazing round that was. It was announced over the tannoy that I was in the lead with a score of 1000 600 and something.
Two horses later it when then announced “Jodi Randall did in fact jump the 100 fence three times so we have had to deduct that score which now leaves her on 1000 500 and something and just scraping into 2nd place!”
At this point I said what an idiot, if only I was more organised and walked my course on time I may have worked a course out & known what fences I was going to be jumping, before entering the ring on the horse! But I finished in 2nd place which we were still really pleased with. This then qualified us for the main arena into a scurry round, but sadly they didn’t have enough time and it had to be done in the outside ring which was a shame! & by this time Olly had, had enough and thought he'd done his bit so didn’t really perform but still came 6th.

Luckily we travelled up to the livery yard we were staying at near Windsor the day before competing because we had to get up at 5am as it was- without a 3 hour journey added from home.
We has a 5am start both days as I was jumping at 7.30am Saturday in the working hunter & 11.30 for the Top score and 8am the next for the 2nd top score.
The weather was good both days, some sun in the morning which was nice as it wasn’t so hot you couldn’t do anything and the wind & rain stayed away which was a bonus.
Lilly Colette's 5year old was doing only her 2nd ever working hunter class which was rather a scary & tough course. Sadly she only managed to get to fence 3, but it was a lot for her to look at and take in. I'm sure she will be back next year with a bit more under her belt, and fighting for a top place.

Another new ride Cloud 9- (Rupert)- just an unlucky 4 faults in the jump off of the 1m amatuer qualifier- but a really nice round considering i'd never ridden him before.
I won the discovery on La Bella Mia.

This weekend I will be riding Brook, Olly & Lilly at The Royal Windsor Horse Show.

Yesterday we headed off to Pyecombe on our own which cost a fortune in fuel! Which did later pay off.
I jumped the Discovery where I was a bit asleep and Brook caught me out at fence two. After a lot of persuasion from friends and mum to not wait and jump the scope qualifier where I would be against horses and people of the same standard but to jump the Metre Open where I would be against fast open grade A horses, because it was easier than waiting around.
But I soon woke up after the doze in the discovery and went on to win the Open by 5 seconds, on a little grade C mare that hasn’t done much at all. So a good day in the end!

After a very busy day previously, we decided to go Felbridge last Monday with Brook to jump her first ever Newcomers.
We arrived at 12.45pm to find that they were only on the 2nd class that had not long started. After the first class starting at 9.30. There were over 60 in each class and I was the 4th class to jump so we had a long day ahead of us.
I eventually jumped at about 7pm and by that time we had all switched off. I went in and around the big lake in the middle of the arena to let brook have a look before I started jumping, not that she was bothered. She was a bit sticky to start with as it was quite spooky and a lot to look at, but we got to fence 6 before she stopped where I got her a bit deep to a big oxer where my mind went blank and I thought was eliminated, so jumped another fence and went out, later for them to announce “competitor retires”. I then realised and though what an idiot! So I went back in HC just so I could get round and she went really well with just 4 faults, after napping to the first fence then galloping off around the arena. We eventually finished at about 8pm where they still had another class to jump, god knows what time that finished, but I was glad to be home at last around 11pm.

Last Sunday I took 4 ponies and 9 pupils to Colette's Horse Show @ Barville farm.

Daisy jumped Woody in the 60cm & 70cm classes- in the first class she did a lovely first round but unfortunately nerves took over in the jump off and she didn’t know where she was going. She then went into the next class which was rather spooky for Woody, but Daisy did excellent in getting him over every fence, even if it was from a stand still!

Sofia jumped two lovely clear rounds on Tommy @ only her 2nd ever jumping show.

Jack also did a lovely clear round on Tommy @ his first ever jumping show

Jacqueline took Tommy into Best Pony class which turned out to be a bit of a nightmare as it clashed with two other classes we were doing! But this was Jacqueline's first ever In Hand show and she was quite nervous but she handled Tom really well.

Faye, this was her first ever show! So she was very excited and nervous as she had never ridden before she came to me and had only a total of 5 lessons before the show. She did the lead rein class on Tommy with me leading, and came a brilliant 3rd out of about 8!

Georgia, also her first ever show where she did junior handler with Tommy and did really well coming 5th!

Maddy, again another first show, very excited and slightly nervous, but not much seems to bother Maddy, she went in with a really big smile on her face and came out exactly the same with a lovely rosette after handling Tinkerbell brilliantly and remembering everything she had learnt before the show.

Tazmin did her first ever class on her own, at only 5 years old! Tinkerbell didn’t help Taz very much as she wanted a lunch break every 5 minutes band kept putting her head down for grass! But Taz managed to do a lovely display in front of the judge all on her own and came 4th. She also did a lovely clear round jumping, with just a pole down in the jump off to finish 4th

Milly is another of my pupils but has her own ponies! Lucky girl! Milly took her pony Minty to the show and did really well in the first ridden especially as it was her first show off the lead rein and came a brilliant 3rd.

Lilly is Colette’s pony that I ride for her. We did the Novice Working hunter pony and came 5th which was really good as it was lilly first ever workers class, we thought we aught to do at least one before Royal Windsor next week! She also did the 60cm jumping and came 4th as well as winning the M&M WHP gaining a lovely sash.

In the afternoon I did the 90cm & 95cm on Olly where we won the 90cm and came 3rd in the 95cm with a pole down in the first round due to a mistake from me.
So a good but very busy day all round, but I think everybody enjoyed themselves, Well Done everybody.