This was only the pairs 4th event and their 1st competition since Oscar's injury and forced rest. They returned to the fray in style and finished this competitive event in a terrific 3rd place. They put in a sparkling performance to brighten up this miserable August day.

Oscar was entered into Section G, along with 45 other 5 and 6 year olds. As ever the dressage test was first to be tackled and things looked to be going well, right until the final halt when Oscar had other ideas. Maybe he didn't want it to end and that's why he decided to walk backwards, or maybe he just didn't like the look of the judge! Thankfully, the judge liked the look of Oscar and he scored his best test result to date (35), although this could have been even lower (lowest 'wins') with a good halt. Richard commented afterwards that Oscar was a little bit excitable and could have done better. He put this down to the fact that this was Oscar's 1st outing for many weeks. Due to the limited results recorded on the score sheet at this time, it was difficult to know exactly how Oscar was doing, but he appeared to be in about 5th place and everything was still to play for...

The SJ phase was next and Oscar needed to go clear with out any time faults - no pressure then. He kept the crowd on the edge of their seats, but he delivered the goods. He must have been conserving his energy for the XC course, as he cleared a couple of the fences by the smallest of margins, or maybe he likes to see his supporters sweat! However, he kept a really nice rhythm throughout and Richard was pleased with his performance.

A look at the score-board now revealed that the pair had not been as high up the rankings, after dressage, as they thought. Fortunately for them, some of the other riders with good dressage results had made mistakes during the show jumping. It was still unclear where the pair were lying overall, but a top 5 finish looked achievable...

The XC course awaited and both were keen to get on with it, nerves must have been jangling though, as the rider before them refused at the 1st fence. Although this was good news, as this pair had possibly been lying in 3rd place. No time to consider the implications though, as Oscar was soon under starters orders. Both the 1st two fences had been causing other riders problems, but not for this pair; they sailed through with ease. The remaining 15 fences, including 2 water complexes, provided lots of fun for this dynamic duo, but no drama. A clear round, well under the allowed time with the pair looking really composed and professional; a great achievement for them in a relatively short space of time.

All that remained was to wait and see how everyone else had faired and to get the final placing's... This was a long wait, but it looked as though the pair could have moved up into 3rd place. Almost 10 hours after arriving at the venue the results were finally known and worth waiting for; Richard and Oscar were confirmed as taking 3rd place.

(Sorry about the lack of pics from this event, but the cameraman forgot to pack his camera).