Keysoe in Bedfordshire was the venue for Oscars's 2nd Event and again he was entered into the 'Intro' category. The omens weren't good; the pair had been given the start number of '666'....

As ever the dressage test was first on the agenda and things were going really well with Oscar in the right frame of mind and listening to Richard. However, minutes before the pair were due to begin their test another horse spooked and bolted into the path of Oscar. Richard reacted in time and prevented a collision, but this was the last thing thing they  needed. Even so the test went pretty well and the pair improved on their score from their first event (35.8 from 37). Richard was a little disappointed, because of the incident, but he is confident that Oscar can do even better than this. The judge commented: 'A super horse with lovely paces, marks will soar....'

The SJ phase was next and after the clear round at Great Witchingham, but with time penalties, Richard was keen to improve on this. Unfortunately, Oscar had other ideas and decided that he didn't like the look of the 2nd fence and 'ran out' at the very last second. This was a 1st for Oscar and a surprise to Richard who was fortunate not to take a fall after losing his balance and a stirrup. The situation was quickly resolved as Richard brought Oscar back around to the same fence; no problems this time and Oscar went on to complete the rest of the course without incident. On the whole Richard was very pleased with Oscar's performance as he had kept a much better rhythm and if he had not been 'spooked' at the 2nd he would have easily completed the course without any time penalties.

That just left the XC to complete, a quick change and the pair were straight out onto the course. Again Richard's plan was to improve on the effort at Great Witchingham and complete the course safely, but push Oscar a little more between the obstacles. Again Oscar performed faultlessly and took all the fences in his stride without hesitation, or persuasion. Richard judged the pace almost to perfection and pair completed the course only 1.5seconds over time. This meant that the pair finished their 2nd event in 22nd place, out of a field of 40 starters. Another improvement on their 1st effort at Great Witchingham.

Overall the day was a great success and the improvement in both Oscar's dressage and SJ was clear to see, even to a non-expert. Richard was also pleased with the XC phase and he knows that Oscar has lots more to give. Additionally, his confidence and presence are ever improving and it was commented that Oscar already behaves like a horse of greater years and experience.

The pair are next scheduled to tackle the Aston -Le-Walls horse trails and Richard has decided to move Oscar up to Pre-Novice level; the next stage of his career.