Gemma Hampson Eventing NZ

2023 season wrap up
- bit of a long one seeing as I haven’t done any event updates

Didn’t really have the season we wanted with lots of events being cancelled and with it being my first year as a radiographer we missed a lot due good old shift work. But even with that I couldn’t have been happier with Luke.

He really stepped up this season with only one 105 start at Taupo, coming home with a 3rd before his first 2* at Brookby. Unfortunately weather meant that was run as a mini ode, and a muddy warm up resulted in a couple of uncharacteristic rails early in the course but we still managed to come away with a 2nd placing. Our next event was the Waikato 2* and with Luke performing perfectly all weekend an unfortunate rider error on my part resulting in a rail pushed us what would have been 1st to a 4th place. Our final event of the season was the national one day champs at Northland. Luke was again super all weekend. Unfortunately we had a really unlucky stop early in the cross country where a group of kids stood in the middle part of the double not far off our line. Don’t blame him for spooking at that, was just frustrating to come home without a well deserved placing and to have that on his record.

Luke’s consistency also resulted in him winning the TiES Eventing Series New Zealand Bloodstock Newcomer award which was unexpected but very exciting. If you want to have read there’s a little write up on him

https://www.nzequestrian.org.nz/2023/05/ties-eventers-cap-off-a-successful-season/

Couldn’t be out doing this without King Equine Osteopathy and my family. Very thankful for everyone who’s helped me through the years!
Photos all from the amazing Julia Murch Photography

Had a really great end to our season at Rotorua with Luke coming 3rd in a very competitive 105 class. He did an accurate test and jumped beautifully to finish on his dressage score. He felt incredible in the cross country jumping easily around what was definitely the biggest 105 he’s done so far. He is for sure turning out to be a very cool eventer who truly loves his job!!
Thanks to the organisers and volunteers for pulling off such a great event!
Massive thanks of course to King Equine Osteopathy for keeping Luke feeling great!
And Take the Moment photography for the photo!

It’s been a hot minute since my last post. A year since Luke’s first 105! I’ve also been a bit slow on the Northland one day Eventing champs update 😅
It wasn’t our best event results wise but I was super happy with how Luke went. We had a bit of a tense test which really showed in the marks, although there were some nice moments, the score really didn’t reflect that. We had one rail in the show jumping which was my fault as I kept pushing him too forward into jumps I thought he may spook at. Turns out he’s a big boy now and not spooky at fillers anymore 😂 he felt great in the cross country, super confident and seemed to love every minute of it. After the average dressage score I decided to just take it slow and save him for another day.

It was overall a great event with a super cool course and was very well organised!

Thanks to King Equine Osteopathy for coming out to see Luke. He felt so much better and much more confident jumping!

Thanks for the awesome photos
Julia Murch Photography
JM photography
Sarah Caldwell Photography
Spot on photo
KAMPIC

Well I definitely didn’t pick an easy event for poor Luke aka Nightshift to step up to 105 but he sure proved he was more than ready for the step up.

The very wet conditions paired with no back shoes definitely had me wondering if I should scratch before show jumping and then again before cross country. But luke was super careful and although he had 2 rails in the show jumping he jumped super in horrid conditions. The cross country was much bigger and more technical than anything he’s done before but he tackled it like a pro, even if he was a bit overly excited at times.
His dressage had some really exciting marks with very encouraging comments but some silly mistakes and the weather let our mark down. Overall I couldn’t be happier with him and am super excited to get him out more next season.

He was also very lucky to get a treatment from Emily earlier in the week which had him feeling so much better. King Equine Osteopathy

Thanks to the volunteers and sponsors of the event for a really great weekend.

And thanks Click It Photography for the first 2 pictures!

Isn’t he just the cutest! First 105 ✅

Sadly my number one is now up for sale. I’m just way too busy with uni to keep him fit enough to keep competing him.
Rocco is a big 16.3hh 9 year old Hanoverian/stationbred geilding.
He is schooling to level 5 dressage but has only evented so does not have experience competing at this level. He competed at level 3 for the senior division in the NZPCA North Island dressage champs in 2019 where he came 4th individually. He has competed up to 1.20m show jumping with the ability to go higher and events up to 2**.
Rocco is schooling 1.35m but due to my lack of time whilst studying, I am struggling to keep him fit enough for higher level competitions. He was brought on very slowly and has had great results in his first few years competing. He is much admired and is a safe and easy ride. Rocco is very calm and never gets worked up whilst he is being ridden. I think that this would make him perfect for hunting or someone that is wanting a safe and reliable horse.
The only reason that I have decided to sell him is because I am studying full time and do not have enough time to keep him fit enough for the level he is now at.
He will only go to the best of homes

Love these photos of the boys at papatoetoe from Julia Murch Photography

It was so so nice to have my number 1 back out competing again! It wasn’t quite the weekend I’d been planning for however, as I ended up deciding to enter Rocco in the 105 class instead of the 2* all thanks to my accident prone self. A few weeks ago I was in a cast so I guess I was lucky to actually compete! We had a decent score after an average test in the dressage to put us in 4th and an annoying 2 rails with a very annoying unlucky one at the last in the show jumping on Saturday. And then we just cruised around the cross country so ended up with time and no ribbons to bring home this time. But I was super happy with how Rocco felt, and am looking forward to the next one and stepping back up to 2*!
I really couldn’t have done it this weekend without Freya from Symmetry In Motion Pilates who worked wonders on my foot! I could barely move it a week ago 😅 and of course King Equine Osteopathy for everything you’ve done to get Rocco back feeling himself.
And a massive thanks to all the sponsors and volunteers who put together such a great event, I always love competing at Northland 😊 and thanks Sandra Darcy for the awesome photos!!

It was a pretty special day for us yesterday with my precious Shazza, “Just Imagine That”, giving birthday to a beautiful filly!
Shazza was my horse of a life time and was an incredibly talented jumper. She barely touched the surface of her potential, placing at her first and sadly only 3* (after only 2 years of competing I might add!!) before injury ended her competition career.
And daddy of this future super star is Astek Cornet’s Air so I’m sure she’s going to be a bit of a powerhouse! 🤩
Thank you so much Blue Blood Equine for looking after my precious girls!!
Astek Stud