Silver Linings
It has been a whirlwind few months filled with all the emotions, some setbacks, some special memories and many realisations in the midst of it all. From La Baule to Stockholm, Paris to Peelbergen to Ommen with an eventual homecoming to Hickstead, it has been quite the rollercoaster. It was my first time competing at the Super League show in La Baule. Beautifully located on the French coast, the venue was packed to the brim with enthusiastic crowds. I jumped a second round clear in the Nations Cup with my best horse Salt N Peppa. There is an undeniable pride in being part of Britain’s ‘A squad’ and delivering when the moment matters is what you put in the work for. Unfortunately, more recently Peppa has been sidelined, and whilst I am thankful he will be back in action soon, it meant my plans to continue campaigning as part of the British squad this season were put on hold. It was extremely disappointing as Peppa is my most established horse. Without him my big goals for the season all of a sudden felt very much out of reach.
Nevertheless, I kept building on my momentum for the New York Empire team as part of the Global Champions Tour the following weeks and campaigned some of my less experienced horses at some smaller international shows. I picked up several placings in a variety of classes and lots of progress has been made on the whole. However, having so many top tier shows back to back was difficult to juggle. The pressure of showing up to such prestigious events without necessarily the horsepower to compete in the finals was a real challenge for me. I got goosebumps in Stockholm when Henrik von Eckerman won the Grand Prix in front of a Swedish homecrowd. Witnessing moments like that in the flesh definitely makes you hungrier yourself to keep building up to be in the mix one day too. Even though it is hard to sit the feature classes out sometimes, in the long run it can work in your favour. Sometimes seemingly taking a step back is the best way to keep moving forwards. This became crystal clear to me when I won the three-star grand prix in Ommen with Kimosa to culminate my mini marathon of shows. She has been on great form all year long and having come second for the team in Paris I decided to give her a few easier weeks and some smaller classes to keep her happy and fresh. Ommen is only down the road from my base at BWG Stables so it was a fantastic feeling to get a result with all the BWG team and Schroder family there supporting. It was also a real boost for me after the disappointment of my best horse being out of action. After the success in Ommen, it made sense to bring my horses home to England for us all to recharge, especially with Hickstead being the next major show on the calendar.
Hickstead was a fantastic show and as always it is a privilege to canter into that historic arena. It was amazing to witness the British team win Friday’s home Nations Cup and to enjoy the traditional riders BBQ with everyone in an extra celebratory mood! Despite my baselines shifting in the past month, it has given me the breathing space to readjust my priorities. Spending some time at home has allowed me to celebrate my best friends’ birthday, sing my heart out at my favourite band’s Bastille concert, watch the new Barbie film, participate in the Target Sports Stars Fishing Championship (and help raise £24,000 for the ‘Willow Foundation’ charity), reconnect with my old flat trainer Daniel Sherriff for some help (my six-year-old is now nailing his flying changes!) and even escape to Mallorca for a quick holiday with some friends. It has been a revolutionary feeling to give myself permission to be here and to take a few weeks out from the madness of the hamster wheel.
Whilst I understand for many riders the world ranking list and prize money are the driving force to constantly keep on the road, there is no need to always keep in the momentum race and battle with stagnancy. I recently found myself questioning whether to make the ten-hour round trip to Chard Equestrian the other week I arrived home, in the desperate gamble of picking up some ranking points. On one hand the growth of the sport with thousands of pounds up for grabs in a new location every week is simply incredible, but on the other this new age of the sport tempts riders to overjump their horses in a game to not only climb up to the top, but to stay there. I truly believe that taking a step away from the hustle and bustle of the show circuit, albeit for a fortnight or so, allows me to reconnect with my horses without the same level of intensity and distraction. It is only through this connection can we truly perform at our best together.
Ultimately any high-level sport is tough with a wave of highs and lows. On very good days I feel like superwoman in the saddle, invincible and unstoppable. On the lesser days there are butterflies in my stomach and I cannot decide whether to walk left or right foot first when walking the course! There are so many moving parts to the puzzle of showjumping it is challenging to constantly make all the moving pieces fit. Whilst it would be easy for me to claim I have everything under control, clarity on where I am going and what I intend to do, it would be completely and utterly misleading. As any horseperson knows it is not always easy; but is it worth it? Most definitely yes!
All the best,
Jodie x