Aachen….where to begin? Its hard to describe the feeling of walking Christine Bates’ horse Adelaide Hill around the grass arena’s , as riders like Ingrid Klimke and Marcus Ehning just casually stroll past you! These are the riders that have inspired and continue to inspire me everyday so it is a very surreal and cool experience. Going into Aachen I was both very excited and nervous.I had never been to a show of such calibre so it was a little daunting! Christine and I both laugh at how OCD we are, we enjoy everything being orderly, so being in a different country with unfamiliar surroundings can be quite tricky. however, once greeted by the large Australian banners streaked across the stables it quickly felt like home.

Once Adelaide was settled into his stable I took him for a walk around the grounds. To get to the grass arena where you were able to warm up, lunge, hand walk and graze you went through a maze of stable blocks and crossed over various paths which included bypassing the amazing trade stalls, to this point Adelaide was his normal chilled self, however this quickly changed when low and behold the marching band got starters. Oh my gosh I don’t think I have seen a horses eyes pop out of their head more than Adelaide’s did haha…once that passed he was a man on a mission to get to the grass. We joke at home that when he comes in from the paddock in the afternoons his head is always fat, we suspect it is because his piggy self just eats and eats and eats, he very much enjoyed the Aachen grass after his long travels across from the UK.

On the Friday Christine and Adelaide put there best foot forward to produce two fabulous results in both the show jumping and dressage arena. It was a very proud groom moment as I watched them make their way down the centreline looking very much the part with the Australian flag proudly stitched onto the saddle blanket.

I made sure that I always gave myself at least 45 minutes to get Adelaide ready, it was important to me that he looked the best he could, fortunately he is already very handsome so he makes my job quite easy! Lots of gear cleaning, baby oiling, makeup and brushing! Once Christine mounted Adelaide I would quickly follow with my little bag filled with everything you could possibly need before entering the ring- sponges, towels, brushes, studs, baby wipes, camera, whip and everything in between! The horses were all turned out to such an incredible standard. One thing I noticed that over in the UK they tend to do lots and lots of little tiny plaits so I was very relieved when Christine said it wasn’t what she wanted.

One of the highlights of the whole event was being in amongst the warm up; wether that be waiting to take the boots off or walking Adelaide around. I was so proud to be wearing the Australian uniform, I felt apart of something very special. I was seriously impressed by the professionalism of not only the riders but also the stewards and marshals, it was really outstanding. The grooms at Aachen were treated with such respect; we were given three free meals a day (who am I to turn down free food!) and had access to almost everywhere on the grounds including the fabulous trade stalls which I made full use of and definitely put a dent in the bank account. The grooms were all great and it is so lovely when passing grooms from other countries and you can exchange a nice smile and hello. I became particularly close with Andrew Hoy’s groom Katie Dutton. Grooming can be a tough gig at times especially when things don’t always go to plan so it is always nice to have the support of other grooms!
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On Saturday morning cross country approaches , and the stables are always in madness with everyone trying to organise ice, studs, the cool down and gear. Unfortunately team Bates had a disappointing morning with the decision to withdraw Adelaide due to presenting lame out of the stable for XC. Although this is not the result anyone was hoping for, Adelaide and Christine had proven themselves at an international level and I felt very proud of them both.

There is definitely a certain feeling in the air on cross country day and even the horses could feel it, so much excitement and adrenaline! I was lucky enough to go sit in the main stadium and watch the riders over the last few fences. A highlight would definitely be watching Chris Burton come through the finish line. You can see how he earns the title of being the fastest cross country rider in the world. The cool down is always a bit of a stressful period for grooms, you want to make sure you get the horse cooled down as fast as possible especially in the German heat, lots of water being thrown everywhere, sometimes not actually on the horse but the people around it haha.

As I left Aachen on the Saturday night, exhausted and very poor I was filled with such excitement and so many great memories. It is an event that I think everyone should put on their bucket list wether you are horsey or not, there is something for everyone. As a groom I walked away with more respect and knowledge of the sport I love and it opened my eyes to the opportunities that the equestrian world can offer. I was able to make friends with grooms from all different countries and feel apart of something very special. It was tiring, emotional and at times overwhelming , but totally rewarding and I loved every minute of it and am super proud to have been a part of Team Bates.

Groom Izzy over’n’ out
Xxx

Times flies when you‘re having fun!

Thank you to everyone back home that supported my online auction whether you donated a prize for the auction or you bought a prize in the auction.  Without your support and generosity Adelaide and I couldn’t be on this trip of a lifetime. I will be forever grateful that so many people in Australia made this possible for me.  So thank you, thank you xxx

Well last week my Aussie family arrived.  First off was the arrival of Izzy Dunne in preparation for Barbury CIC.  Izzy has been working for Team Bates since March this year. I can honestly say without Izzy we would never have been able to organise this trip to the UK.  Izzy has been such an asset to our team with her love of the horses, exceptional computer skills and her ability to put up with our crazy eventer life and family.  Adelaide was very happy to see Izzy and demanded where is the NUTRIGRAIN.

The following day saw the arrival of my mum Wendy and William Bates. William had a few big days of travel which had seen him fly from Sydney to Perth spend a few hours in Perth and then continue to London with my mum.  As per usual William charmed all the crew and scored himself a spot in the cockpit on the new Dreamliner. Mum and William had to hit the ground running as we were wanting to take Adelaide cross country schooling before Barbury.  We are lucky that XC schooling at Boomerang Stables is not too far from the Nicholson’s and run by Australian Russ Hardy. This is a great facility and had plenty to offer including some firm Aussie type ground.

Thursday was spent riding Adelaide, cleaning and packing gear.  I was able to take the small lorry to Barbury which meant that I could bring Adelaide home after his dressage test so he didn’t have to stand in the sun for the whole day.  Its ok I haven’t turned all English and gone soft, Adelaide still has his winter coat and the temps were around 30 degrees with humidity and no breeze.

When we arrived at Barbury Andrew very kindly gave me a run down on where I could find everything. Go to that hut and pay your starting fee and then you can collect your back numbers. Walk down there for your two star warm up and competition arenas.  Oh and make sure you take your FEI passport when you go to do your test. I. stood there for a second and went, oh shit. Andrew is like, “you forgot your passport didn’t you?”  Everyone who knows me knows that I like to be very organised, I usually think of everything, very rarely forget anything and well known for over packing. A quick phone call to Mum and crisis was averted.  Good thing the Nicholson’s only live about 15 minutes from Barbury.

Adelaide performed well in the dressage and did his usual consistent test.  The warm up area for the two star dressage was on the side of a hill and was as firm as Goulburn.  So not ideal and I was very mindful to not over do it. There is certainly room for improvement in our test for Aachen and I’ll be looking forward to being able to ride in good arena’s.  We had a quick chat with Helen Christie who had come along to say Hi and watch my test, a few photos with the awesome Libby Law and we took Adelaide back to the lorry to be cooled down.

While we cooled Adelaide down we caught up with Derek Pascoe and did a quick interview for Equestrian Australia on our life in the UK.  We then drove Adelaide back to Westwood Stud so he could have the rest of the afternoon in his box out of the sun and humidity. Getting home proved a little more difficult as the road into Barbury from Marlborough is very narrow and not ideal for lorries.  Just as we were nearly into Marlborough the traffic came to a stand still as the lane is really only wide enough for one lorry not two lorries going in opposite directions. This was extremely interesting to watch as the lorry I was following decided that it should have a bit of an argument with the oncoming lorry as who should have to reverse back to let the other one through.  After about 10 minutes the bigger lorry won and the small lorry started the very difficult task of reversing backwards while trying to not bump any parked cars on the street and convince the cars and lorries behind them already that they too need to start reversing. What seemed like forever we were then eventually able to pass and continue on what is meant to be a short journey home.  Poor Adelaide was pretty hot and sweaty once off the lorry. Unlike Aussie trucks where we make sure there is always good ventilation and airflow, English lorries tend to have very small windows and no roof vents so on a hot day the horses will sweat up.

We then headed back to Barbury to have a course walk around the 2* track.  For those that don’t know Barbury it’s pretty hilly and you can virtually see the whole course as a spectator.  I thought the track was inviting at the start and relatively straight forward. First combination was a brush rolltop jumping off a turn down hill to a brush arrowhead which was approximately 70 meters after the A element.  This brush arrowhead did cause a few problems as you come down the hill the horses have a full view of all the marquees and trade stands so can be easily distracted if you’re riding an inexperienced horse. Next combination was an open skinny oxer then six curving strides to an open corner.  You then went uphill and turned onto a coffin/gully style fence, vertical rail in and out over a brush arrowhead. It was then onto a quarry with just a rock wall going in and nothing on the way out. A couple of table tops on a curving 5 strides it was then downhill to another table 5 strides to a wishing well and three strides to another wishing well.  We then had two water jumps, first water was a pheasant feeder type fence where you landed on dry ground and then ran down into a pond, you then travelled approximately 80 meters to a log drop into water and six strides out over a V style arrowhead rails. You then had a couple of single straightforward fences and the next related line was a wall with brush on top, up a mound to an owl hole then seven or eight strides on a right curve to a brush arrowhead.  Both the owl hole and brush arrowhead caused problems. We then had three more fences and you were home. Overall a great first start for Adelaide who had not competed since Sydney 3DE the last weekend of April.

Saturday we left early so I could walk the cross country course with Andrew Nicholson.  Andrew is known as the king of Barbury so I wanted to make the most of his experience and knowledge of the course.  His information was spot on. We also walked the two star showjumping. It was an interesting course and quite different to what we have in Australia.  Firstly the arena is on two levels. Secondly there are some XC fences also in the arena ready for the ERM class which finishes in the main arena. The course was a mix of tight turns and open stretches.  You also went up the bank to the second level to a vertical four strides to an oxer, canter around the water jump over a triple bar back down to the lower level to the last related line and combination. Time was relatively easy to make as they had set it at 98 seconds and then reduced the time again after the first three horses to 90 seconds.  I watched the first 10 horses go and everyone was making the time easily.

Adelaide show-jumped at noon.  I made the decision to turn inside to fence 3 and go outside to fence 4.  In hindsight I slightly overrode Adelaide up the bank and probably didn’t quite give him enough time to read the vertical and we had it down.  Overall I was happy with how he jumped and the way he handled the atmosphere and the different styled arena. It was just a short wait till I went XC.  Adelaide felt extremely confident and pretty quick around the track and we finished just two seconds over the time allowed. I had purposely not found out what the time allowed was on course so I could let him travel at the speed he was comfortable with and give a great ride at the same time.  It turned out we were one of the few fast rounds of the day and moved from 27th place to 5th place.  Barbury was a great event and a great run in preparation for Aachen.

Sunday I gave Adelaide a quiet ride and he had time out in the field.  I then headed over to Barbury to watch the ERM class go XC. Caught up with friends and had a few drinks.  If you ever want to watch a rider on how to ride the perfect cross country round watch Chris Burton. His round was sensational and he was the only rider to make time (9 seconds) under.  For me his horse was always in balance and the pace changed instantly when required, the round was super smooth and his horse looked to have finished more confident the further they went.  You can totally see why Chris is the fastest cross country rider in the world.

Monday after working Adelaide the family and I headed to Bath for some sightseeing.  Wow Bath is truly a beautiful town with so much history. I just love the architecture and the lovely old buildings.  We didn’t go to the Roman Baths as the queue was ridiculously long and it was pretty hot to be standing around for hours.  Instead we had lunch and walked round taking in the sights. We did venture into the amazing Cathedral. It’s hard to comprehend that you are walking over grave stones that are from the 17th Century.  My great friend Becks Bennett was also able to spend the day with us.  I first met Becks when she came to Australia backpacking in about 2003.  Becks lived and worked with us and groomed for Matthew and I during her stay.  I then conned Becks to come back in 2006 to nanny/groom when William was just 6 weeks old.  Becks and I have always stayed in touch over the years. Becks was instrumental in sending Rosie Jilla to our property back in 2011, and she also helped us in 2016 when I was planning to bring Adelaide to the Uk in preparation for Rio Olympics.  So to actually be in the UK with Adelaide seems even more special when you can share that experience with friends and family from all over the world.

Tuesday we spent the day at home catching up on washing, food shopping and office jobs.  William has become great mates with Andrew and Wiggys son Zac. William and Zac literally ran around all day playing some form of sport.  Either tennis, cricket, rugby or soccer and their playtime even included an ironman course which meant swimming in the horse baths! I’m truly grateful to the Nicholson’s for not only having Adelaide and I stay at their home but my crazy family.   It has certainly been fun and loud.

Next blog – Nelson Pessoa Clinic, BBQ’s with Aussies, Gareth Hughes and preparations for Aachen.
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Christine 
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Wow what a week it’s been.

Dodgy sales man, gallops in England, English pubs, catching up with Aussie friends and representing Australia.

Last Saturday was spent driving around looking at used cars.  Its sounds fun but it was not.   I live in a beautiful town in Marlborough, Wiltshire and I went car shopping in Swindon.  Swindon is no less than 12 miles from Marlborough and sounds like a lovely name and you are in England so of course it has to be another beautiful town.  Oh, how wrong was I.  Think of car shopping in Blacktown.  Luckily I had moral support in former Aussie resident and client Sarah Martin.  Sarah lived and worked in Sydney and changed hobbies from polo to eventing and was a regular at the Bates Ultimate Training Clinic and comp days and moved back to the UK about 18 months ago with her pocket rocket polo pony turned eventer Nero.  

You know your in trouble when even google maps is getting lost.  It was a sign that I probably shouldn’t bother with this car and dealer.  Next stop really wasn’t any better, more dodgy cars and rust buckets and some cars had such bad smells there are no words to describe the stench.  I was amazed how they are quite happy for you to jump in the car a and take it for a test drive knowing that you are a foreigner. After a couple more no goes, it was time for a pub lunch, re group  and find some more cars to look at.  Sarah and I scoured google and we found another car yard and this one actually looked more promising.  Less sleazy sales man, better quality cars and more to choose from.  The guy actually seemed genuine.  I found a golf that I liked took it for a spin, negotiated a few things that I wanted fixed and left a deposit.  Happy days or so I thought.

Things that I have learned, trust no one especially car sales men.  When buying a car, like I am, for short term use you need to make sure the car has a long MOT (green slip), you make sure you pay for a HPI check (not stolen, under finance etc), V5 log book (UK car registration) and then you need to look at getting insurance.  Insurance is especially expensive if you are a foreigner as you have no record of NCD (no claims discount). So, I’m all excited and enter my golf’s license plate number into the HPI check, good it recognises that, secondly enter vin number (I had taken a photo of the plate on the engine before my test drive, all good so far everything is matching like it should. Next, I entered the date of first registration from the V5 paper work (had taken photo’s of this document). Red flag not matched.  Oh that’s weird.  I check the vin number from the photo I’d taken against the vin number on the V5 registration papers, this doesn’t match either.  Quick call to the sales man and he’s like totally not understanding me at all.  So an angry Christine calls HPI and asks what I should do, I lodge a complaint with the DVLA and ask them to investigate.  So I email the sales man explaining everything and he assures me it must be a typo and they have never had this happen in 8 years of selling cars.  Needless to say I said no to this car.

I’ve since found another car and it will be getting vet checked by the AA in the next day or two.  But it’s off to a better start than the last one as it was all clear on the HPI report.  I’ve negotiated with the car yard to fix a few things so hopefully this one passes the vet check.  I will then need to tackle the task of insurance.  This is not a cheap exercise as many of the insurance companies in the UK will not consider your driving record or no claims bonus from Australia.  
Since my arrival in the UK I’ve discovered online shopping with Amazon.  My little apartment needed a few household items and not knowing my way around it was much easier just to shop online with home delivery.  My first item arrived- an electric fry pan. I  was so excited and cooked an omelette, I heated up the fry pan and chucked it all in and off I started cooking away but not for long as the element blew up.  I have since returned the fry pan, luckily all my other purchases have not failed so far.

Adelaide has now had two gallops in the UK.  I’m very fortunate to be able to gallop near Barbury on an all weather gallop track up the most amazing hill.  As we drive to the gallops you can see that the preparations for the Barbury event are well under way with the stables already being put up some three weeks ago.  The closest thing I’ve seen in Australia would be the new gallop track at Wallaby Hill.  Adelaide is certainly appreciating being off the hard ground and I’m looking forward to Barbury this weekend.  Adelaide is only competing in the CIC** as he’s not had a start since Sydney 3DE at the end of April.  There’s some 298 entries in the CIC**.  Barbury is only about a 25 minute drive from Andrew’s yard so we will come home each day.  

Last week I managed a night out with fellow Aussie riders Rob Palm and Lissa Green.  We had dinner at a lovely pub called Silkes On The Down.  Rob and Woody have settled in well at Samantha Birch’s and like me Rob has been on the hunt for a car.  It was great to catch up with Lissa as it had been sometime, she has certainly grown up and she was very good at keeping Rob and I entertained for the evening.  

Last Saturday I had a great lunch date at The Outside Chance in Marlborough (lunch may have gone for 4 hours with several Gin and Tonics) with an old friend Sophie Allison.  Sophie and I first met some 29 years ago while I was over here competing as a junior rider.  I was extremely lucky at the time I won Sophie’s pony in the pool horses.  We have stayed in contact with Sophie and her family over the years.  An interesting side note is back in 1996 when I returned from Sydney to Perth I met a boy named Matthew Bates.  Matthew and I were talking at a party about the UK.  He asked me who I knew in the UK and I answered with, I really only know one person her name is Sophie Allison.  I can still remember the look on Matthew’s face as he also knew Sophie as his best mate at that time had actually dated Sophie, his name was Blair Richardson.  So as they say the rest is history.

Last week saw the announcement of the Eventing Riders who will be representing Australia at Aachen in a couple of weeks time.  I’m so thrilled to be named as one of the 5 riders going to Aachen.  No matter who you talk to about Aachen everyone always says it’s a must do event, the best show in the world.  So to be picked to compete and represent my country at Aachen is beyond my expectations and I feel like a kid in a candy store.  

So its really hard to imagine that the UK is as bad as everyone says it is regarding the weather.  I have now been here for 3 weeks and it has been amazingly good.  Tops of about 28 degrees during the day and down to about 14 degrees at night – perfect, my kind of summer really.  I’ve been told by several UK residents that this is about the best summer they have had since 1976.  Feeling very lucky.

Off I go now to go and get ready for Barbury.

Till next time.
Christine
Xx