‘After 9 months off, i’m back on the circuit and couldn’t be happier!’

February was a very kind month weather wise here in Whitby, which has helped hugely to get me and the horses back to competition fitness, and actually out competing for the first time in 9 months after my injury!!!

Its taking time to get my shoulder to full strength but by the middle of February it was starting to feel so much better riding and i’m now able to start schooling other peoples horses again, as well as my own.

My young horse Stovkants Sopraas AKA Tango was the first one to have an outing, we headed to Northallerton to compete in two novice tests, he has not been anywhere while I was off and he is still only 5 so I wasn’t sure if he would remember what to do as seen as he had only been out a handful of times prior to my injury. I should not have worried as he was brilliant looking after me!! He came away amazingly with two wins including a qualifying score in the qualifier, it reminded me how much I had actually missed it all and the buzz I get from the horses doing well.

Horse and Hound magazine rang me about the wins and return to competing, a report should be going in next week.

Sandonista will compete in the first week of March and is feeling really good, i’m going to try and get his Medium and Advanced Medium regional points as soon as I can and then work towards his first PSG so he can do the Premier leagues with Detonator.

Detonator has been feeling really well but as February crept on he felt more and more reluctant to take me forwards, I was so worried he had damaged his ligament again so had a trip to the vets with him. The ligament is looking really good which is fantastic but he has had his front feet medicated which is hopefully going to solve it, he is 13 this year so just needs a bit more TLC but I’m very hopeful to do out first Grand Prix this year, he will hopefully be out to his first competition at the end of March.

Mario Lanza has found himself a lovely new home so he can do some low level competing. I’m so gutted about his injury and although it was very tempting as he was looking so good, to try and take him up the levels, I thought so much of him that it was only fair to give him an easier life than I would have given him. It was really lovely having him happy again.

We hope you enjoyed reading about Cara’s successful return to the competition world, keep an eye out for her success this season!

The post Cara Shardlow Returns To The Circuit appeared first on The Millbry Hill Blog: Life in the Country.