Top 10 at the BD Regionals - again

A suuuper early start today for Team Koning. Up at 0440 to get the horses done, get Koning Albert ready and tootle 2 hours up North for the British Dressage Regionals.

Berti came out the lorry super excited, but it wasn't because it's dressage, oh no, because he spotted about 20 miniature ponies on the way in, and thought he'd died and gone to heaven. Berti loves mini's and is very partial to a coloured one 😉

Anyway, tension was the theme for the day, and lots of it sadly.

Who knows, what goes through these stallions' little minds, when the subject isn't of the greatest interest to you, but Berti, certainly wasn't really concentrating or relaxing like we know he can. Ellie did a fabulous job keeping his attention and nursed him through his Novice Gold test. To come 6th, in a great field of talent, was impressive, when there's so much more we know he could have produced.

We know that Berti isn't "dressage bred" or big moving like nearly all the horses there. He's also not now out competing at Advanced Medium, or won the Young Horse Championships, or the Nationals in the previous year like several others in his section, BUT, he's trained by two lovely girls, who love him and treat him like the kind boy that he is. He in turn, does his best for them. Yes, I'm sure if he was schooled every day, he would be better, but the plain fact is, he isn't, and won't be. Berti loves his varied life, (so he tells me 🤷‍♀️), is treated with kindness and gets to do lots of fun things. We love him, even when he is distracted at the Regionals!

Thank you Ellie Roberts again, for riding him, and being one of our superb kind riders.

Thank you also to our sponsors and supporters, without whom these things aren't possible.