The 2023 event season has not been quite as I expected. It’s had a lot of change, with a lot of horses in and out, all for the better. The challenges started at the beginning of the season, with the first few events unfortunately cancelled due to the wet. It was really hard to try and re-route and make new plans, but we persisted, the weather improved, and we ended up with some really good results…

Watch Ginny's video review of the year on YouTube here.

Six-year-old CHF Captain Jacob, owned by Jane Blakesly Grimes, has been a real highlight of this year. His consistent Novice form this season – a fabulous win at Nunney and several Top 10 placings – showed he was ready for a bigger challenge and, sure enough, he made the step up to Intermediate Novice an easy one. He also competed in his first CCI-L 2* at Osberton. 

I’ve produced him since a four-year-old and it’s so exciting to have a horse of his calibre. His consistent double clears and ever improving dressage scores make his future very promising! He’s an absolute machine cross country (half TB, super speedy and just a snaffle mouth), loves to please and is an absolute delight in every way. I’m super excited about his potential. 

This season:

• 6^th Novice at Larkhill
• 7^th Novice at Aston
• 6^th Novice at Tweseldown
• 1^st Novice at Nunney
• 5^th Intermediate Novice at Dauntsey
• 8^th Intermediate Novice at Aston
• 25^th 2*long at Osberton Championship 

A really exciting season for CHF Captain Jacob

CHF Archie and Sixmilewater both ran consistently well and got top ten places, which was very exciting. Then we have the young horses. They’ve all exceeded their goals this year, including Spot On Time, my lovely homebred mare who competed very well at BE100.

The young horses started out at BE90 level and mostly finished at BE100, picking up plenty of top ten places along the way. All very exciting for the future. 

A highlight would be my young stallion, Chanuck Z. He is only a five-year-old and made a fantastic start to his eventing career season in the second half of the season. After many wins at British Showjumping, he proved his love for Eventing also, picking up two second places:

• 2^nd BE90 Open at Little Gatcombe
• 2^nd BE90 Open at Moreton Morrell

 
A brilliant start to Chanuck Z's eventing career

A new ride for this year, Britannia’s Royal Blue owned by Jemma Colborne is a lovely little grey. He’s renowned on the circuit as being cute and myself and Jemma have had many jokes over the course of the season about how many times he’d been called cute, which was quite a lot! He’s only a six-year-old and she bred him. He had some really good form at BE90 and BE100 and then made an easy step up to novice, which was fantastic. I can’t wait to consolidate him at that level, with the aim of 2*Long. After a busy season and is now enjoying a well-deserved holiday.

He recorded many consistent results and double clears throughout the season, with highights including:

• 2^nd BE100 at Calmsden 
• 5^th BE100 at Upton

Some promising results for new ride, Britannia's Royal Blue

Another exciting you horse that I have been producing this year is Drumhowan Tadagio. He was purchased as a first horse by his owners but he was very green and lacked an education, not suitable for his teenage owner. I have since given him an education that he very much needed and from being a bit ‘wobbly’ at the start and having to iron out some creases, he has certainly proved he is capable of exciting things as he develops. He picked up a number of top 10 places and shows a lot of talent for 2024.

Drumhowan Tadagio is full of potential for 2024

There have been some highs and lows, as you always get with our sport, but overall competing has been fantastic throughout the year. The horses have all had brilliant results. 

It’s not just the competing that has been a highlight of the year, though. Coaching my amazing clients that I’ve been helping and working with has also been extremely rewarding. They’ve all exceeded their expectations and they’ve done so well. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with them and see them fulfil their goals. As well as that, the commentary and media work that I have been doing has just been wonderful, and I’ve loved being part of some very special teams.

All in all, it’s not been the season that I’d expected but there are so many positives and I can’t wait for next year.