Brigadoon ODE

Our first little fence! 

The scary brush fence! But over we go.

This weekend was Brigadoon ODE and Crafty was entered in the Sr Intro I. He did a really nice dressage test in another 20 x 40 arena, (this time we fitted in it better) and finished on a score of 49 which was a really good effort. We then had SJ on the Saturday as well, and Crafty didn't miss a beat getting perfect spots to all his fences and feeling a lot more confident taking me to the fences, even the scary ones! The xc course was testing enough (As the lower grades tend to be in WA.....) but he set off out of the start box in a good rhythm and was getting the idea of what this phase is all about. He was more concerned about what the jump judges were up to during his round but was very focused on all the jumps. Again he covers the ground really well and everyone commented on how fluent he looked for a young horse, he is very sure footed and copes with the change in terrain really well. At the water jump there was a lot to look at for a young horse and a log jump in, I decided to trot him through the water first( to give him confidence as it was causing lots of problems) and then he was really amazing, jumping in huge with no hesitation. Overall I was really pleased with him and we finished on our dressage score which placed us 6th (out of ~50 horses in that class!). This has been a big year for Crafty, it has been exciting to see the transformation from an unbroken 5yr old in January to successfully completing his first 2 ODEs in. We now have a break over the summer from competitions, Crafty can have a couple of weeks off while I am in Adelaide and then he can come back into work and do some SJ days and some more xc schooling so we are ready for next year. Bring on 2012 and thank you Vanessa for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the ESB team this year and for selecting such a cool young horse for me to ride! We love him to bits and he has so much character!  

Brookleigh ODE

Brookleigh ODE was Crafty's first event for the season and he was very well behaved all weekend. Our dressage was in a 20x40 arena and not only did we manage to fit in it but Crafty did a really cute test finishing up on a score of 48. He warmed up well and did not appear stressed trotting around with all the other horses, I just let him find his feet in the arena, not putting too much pressure on him as I felt his first time out needed to be an enjoyable experience. We also did SJ on Saturday and Crafty did a nice clear round jumping all the scary fill. Now I thought Sunday was going to be our biggest test as Crafty can be a bit spooky training, but I was pleasantly surprised when he cantered out the start box, found a lovely rhythm and took it all in his stride. It was a reasonably tricky Intro course with a lot of variety. We had a log on a mound two strides down to a narrow, a sunken road, ditch/palisade combination and two water jumps, crafty cantered around all of it with me needing to trot to the finish line as he has a deceptively large stride, finishing up right on time. Crafty finished on his Dressage score and placed 3rd! It wasn't until I looked at the score board at the end of the day that I realised we could have been 1st if we went a bit slower as 1st, 2nd & 3rd were on the exact same score and placings came down to whoever was closest to the optimum xc time. Overall I was very pleased and look forward to our next event :)

Ditch/Palisade

3 strides to another ditch

What a good boy!

Winter with Crafty

Over the winter i have been working with ESB Irish Craft (aka Crafty). Although he has not been an easy horse to produce i think he will be well worth the wait as he has some serious talent over a fence!
Therefore we have not rushed him, instead have taken it slowly consolidating things at home and attending a few little SJ days. He has really come along in the last month and is getting the hang of the lateral work and is jumping  with more balance. Crafty has such a powerful backend we needed to learn how to land with control.

(Photo from beginning of the year)

Now that it is Spring and the weather is better we have entered in an ODE for a couple of weeks time. Between now and then we will do some more xc schooling and SJ events. I have a feeling the spectators and jump judges will be the most scary bit about eventing!

Below is a link to some xc schooling from a couple of weeks ago, poor video quality (not sure how to fix that as it looked good on my computer before i uploaded it???) Anyhow we are just doing a few small fences and in the next few sessions i will add in a few bigger fences.

Beginning of 2011

After working with the two lovely ESB horses at the beginning of the season, ESB Irish Leprechaun has now found a new home with a super young rider in Western Australia. Katlyn Prendiville member of the W.A.Y.E.R squad (WA Young Event Riders) has selected Leprechaun as a future prospect to take her through to International Level. At their first event they came home with a blue ribbon and i am sure there will be many more of them to come! We wish Katlyn the best of luck in producing this talented young horse.

New ESB Arrivals

We welcome ESB Irish Craft and ESB Irish Leprechaun into the stables!

These two lovely horses have recently returned from getting broken in over the summer. They will now start basic flat work and education at home. I look forward to working with them both as they are super scopey looking horse with great paces.    

TEAM ESB

I am proud to represent Team ESB and look forward to producing the lovely young horses that have been carefully selected by Vanessa Hawkins. 

At the end of 2009 we Purchased ESB Irish Ritual as an unbroken 4year old and took on ESB Irish Operation a 6year old to produce. I have very much enjoyed working with Vanessa, I have never met such a motivated and passionate person in my life and I love her positive attitude and dedication to her horses and breeding program.

ESB Irish Ritual is a spunky grey gelding that has taken everything in his stride. He finished the eventing season winning his first Prelim event, and has the brain and heart to take him through the grades!

ESB Irish Operation is now a member of the WA Police force, they are thrilled with his temperament and ability to pick up tasks so easily. He has started street patrols and is a delight in the stables. The Police force hope to liaise with Vanessa in the future as Irish horses are very suitable for the job!        

Career Path So Far

I am currently working full time as a Registered Nurse and my sisters and I run Perth Performance Horses a family run business www.perthperformancehorses.com.

I am a member of the WA State Eventing squad, having previously been a member of the National Youth Development Squad. I have received fantastic training from our National Coach and Olympic riders themselves.



One thing about Evening is you will never stop learning! The ultimate aim is to represent Australia on the International Stage. Over the years i have trained and competed a variety of event horses with numerous wins and Placings. I now look forward to sourcing a special horse that will take me all the way.

Justamint is my current 3* horse who has been in the family for 6 years, producing excellent results. In 2011 I plan to qualify and compete at Adelaide CCI4*. 'Minty' has taught me the ropes of eventing and allowed me to develop my riding. Although he has his quirks he is a very special horse with a big heart.

My long term plan is to relocate to the UK to gain further experience on the International eventing scene. If the time is right and i'm presented with an opportunity that will allow me to further my riding skills, heading overseas will be a challenging but exciting prospect!

But for now, we look forward to the 2011 season in Australia with Justamint and the Young horses.