October's Diary

Week 1

A fairly relaxing week.
With no more one-day events this season a chance to have a break form dressage schooling!!

Ghillie was collected, by his new owners. So good luck to Kirsty Thompson with him.

We had a new horse arrive from Ireland (Jester) to sell.

This didn't prove to be difficult, Allison a friend of ours has been looking for some time. We thought he would suit her. And he did! He has the most wonderful temperament and a lovely relaxed way of going.

We are sure she will have a lot of fun with him.

Cambridge Polo Club has decided to keep their polo ponies with us this winter.
They arrived this week.
They start training this soon, which should be good fun to watch, or even better to have a go!

Irit has joined the yard from Israel.
Here to learn English and learn more about horses.
We think this is very brave to come to a foreign country on your own.
The weather must be a real shock. It has turned very wintry here very quickly.

Another new horse to the yard is Hercules a 3-year-old Lucitana X Welsh Cob.

Initially here to be backed the owner has decided to sell him. We do not know much about Lucitanas, only that they are used in bull fighting. He has a very good temperament, and is riding quietly already. See FOR SALE

Sunday saw the inaugural Jump Cross competition.
Having been involved in trial courses we were looking forward to the day.

Having had torrential rain all day Saturday we were dubious that the competition would go ahead. Luckily Sunday was a dry day with bright sunshine. Someone had been having a chat with the weathermen!!

With 8 horses for us to ride, and Zoe's mare we had quite a busy day.
Run as a team competition consisting of 2 riders we had 2 teams in the novice section and 2 teams in the Grand Prix class.

Zoe was paired with Phoebe another pupil of Tanya's to compete in the novice class.

All the 'A' riders complete the course first, there times and penalties for knock downs are added together to give the first score.
The 'B' riders are next to jump, with their times and penalties added to their team partners.
In the Grand Prix class the 'B' riders ran in reverse order.
This making a great climax to the competition.

We had a very successful day.

Muffin ridden by Tanya and Kiwi ridden by Mark won the novice section. Collecting £600 pounds in prize money. (Much better than eventers are used to!) Zoe and Phoebe finished 2nd, and our other team came 10th. So a good class for us. Click here for all the results.

In the Grand Prix class, Mark rode Swazie in a team with Tanya on Carl (dragged out of his holidays for the day!)

They both went super, finishing a very close 4th. Our other team in the Grand Prix consisting of Murphy and Alfie (a chance ride for Tanya) finished 7th.

A good day much enjoyed by the riders, spectators and owners alike.
We are all looking forward to a series of Jump X competitions next year.

Week 2

Another very wet week.
Soon we shall need an arc, rather than horses.
But we should not complain, at least we have the indoor school.

We did not go competing this week for a change.
Instead a chance to do some catching up on chores around the yard and try and arrange what we shall be doing this winter.

We have decided to visit Utah, in the United States.
Emily one of our pupils who is at Cambridge studying, comes from Utah, so she is arranging for us to do some teaching, along with some skiing.
Now we have booked the tickets we are very excited about it.

Unfortunately, Irit the working pupil from Israel only lasted a few days.
The horrible weather could not have helped much.

We had more luck with Amit, here for a weeks work experience along with her pony, Woody. Amit lasted the week, (maybe only because she could not get home!!) Only joking,

Woody received the beauty treatment, pulled mane and a clip. And, along with Amit, a week of intensive training. But it certainly did the trick; both were going very well when they left. Anyway, we enjoyed her visit, and hope to see her back.

Allison collected Jester, on Saturday, so good luck to them for the future.

Mark had a couple of trips to take Murphy to Newmarket cantering.

Roy, (our Physio) giving Murphy a check up.

He is now fit and ready to compete at Le Lion D'Angers 2* three day event in France.
Tanya won at Le Lion D'Angers last year, so it holds very good memories for us.
Set in the French National stud, it really is one of the best 3 days.

We shall travel over night on Monday, and should arrive in time for breakfast.
Looking forward to the croissants already!

So fingers crossed the rain stops, and we have a good Le Lion. Full report, next week.

Week 3

Monday we spent the day trying to tie up all the little jobs that inevitably need doing whilst we are away.
Nothing too exciting; ordering feed, and haylage, fixing a broken stable door and a leaking water pipe.
As always jobs that we think will be quick still manage to take all day!

Finally at 7pm we set of to Dover.
Having checked the times of ferry crossings earlier, and being told that booking was not necessary we were a little cross. Arriving at Dover at 9.30pm it then took us until 1.40am to get on a ferry!
The result of a go slow by ferry workers on Monday.

Luckily Murphy is a very good traveller, and while he has a hay net he is quite happy on the lorry.
The trip from Calais is 6-8 hours depending on stopping for fuel and the traffic around Paris.
We had an eventful trip, having to stop at a local Police station to find the nearest garage where lorries can refuel!
At 4am in the morning it isn't very easy to find people to ask!

Anyway we finally arrived.
Murphy was very perky after trip, and settled in to the beautiful stables at Le Lion D'Angers.
Set in the grounds of the French National stud, it is such a pleasure to have fantastic facilities at a three day.

Unfortunately the sun of, Tuesday did not last long, Wednesday bought torrential rain. Everything still goes ahead with the first trot up completed uneventfully. Tanya played groom for the week

Mark was drawn to compete number 29 which meant his dressage was early Friday morning.
With the weather still very wet we were happy to be early, as this meant we would also be early around the XC on Saturday.

Murphy did a good test. He was obedient and calm, lacking a little strength to put him at the top of the field we were pleased with his test, although felt he had been marked a little harshly. By the end of dressage Murphy was laying 54th. Not great but all the scores were very close together.

And still it rained!!

Saturday morning we walked the course again to see the state of the going. Part of the course was underwater; this was obviously of some concern.

The roads and tracks had already been shortened earlier in the week.
The Steeplechase was then shortened, and two fences taken out of the XC.

Murphy was rather fresh on the steeplechase, with only 1.5 minutes you just get started when you have to pull up! But rather that, than tier them out.

XC he went beautifully, gaining more confidence all the way round the course. The ground didn't prove a problem; it was so wet rather than being holding the horses just sloshed through!

The part of the course that was a few inches under water when we walked the course was about 6 inches deep across the whole of the field.
We think this must have been the world's longest water jump!

Murphy finished very fresh, and trotted up on Sunday morning as if he had been on a hack the previous day!

Having moved up into 37th after the XC only the jumping to go.

The weather decided to brighten up on Sunday, (about time!)
Le Lion always attracts huge crowds giving it a great atmosphere.
One of the attractions for the spectators was Lorenzo, performing his amazing stunts on the backs of horses.
We were all very impressed. Maybe we will have a go over the winter!

Murphy jumped a very good clear moving up another ten places to finish 27th overall.

Although not in the money, he went as well as he could and is proving to be a real horse for the future.

Murphy with one of his fan club We decided not to leave for home immediately, but to have a quick meal at Madonna's (our regular haunt whist in Le Lion) then have a few hours sleep.

We left at 3am and are currently on the M11 about ½ hour from home, whilst writing the diary.
So far! A very smooth trip home. We are looking forward to a nice shower and a sleep, but not too much food.
The food in France is far to good, and we ate far too much!!

For lots of great pictures, and full results from Le Lion D'Angers take a look at thier web site www.lelion-hn.com/

Week 4

With the event season over, time for a relaxing week.
(Or so we thought)
We seem to have been busier than ever!

Arriving back late afternoon Monday left little time to do anything other than open our letters, and start to go through the 140 emails, which had arrived whilst we were in France.

Tuesday we had a little play with Ard Special, see FOR SALE who arrived from Ireland last week to be sold. He certainly lives up to his name being a really 'special' horse.

Tanya had pupils here for the week, so she was busy teaching all week.

Thursday we took Ardy (Ard Special) & Sox to Carols for some jump schooling.
Both went very well.
Sox is maturing all the time, and we like Ardy more and more.

Polly one of Tanya's pupils went to a competition. Consisting of dressage, showjumping and then a roads and tracks section, this was a new concept to us. She went very well finishing 3rd.

Saturday we decided to go hunting with our local Harrier pack, as they were meeting very close.
We filled the lorry, it would have been quicker to hack, but it was raining!

Emily on Lilly who we broke earlier in the year.

We did not stay long, (well the children would get tired!)

Saturday afternoon we had customers to try Ardy.

Ina, one of our liveries, fell in love with him. Ina trying Ardy

The sad thing was so did the next people!
If only we could clone him.

Sunday, a lay in. well sort of, with clocks changing we got an extra hour in bed.
BLISS.
Until Toni (Tanya's sister) rang us to say the girls were late in the yard.
No one had told her about the clocks!

After a couple of lessons, we went to a meeting about JumpX.
After their successful inaugural competition. It looks good for further competitions.

The plan was then to have a couple of hours rest before we went to Antonia Grey, and Tim Browns reception.
No such luck.
Emily broke down on the way home from Drag hunting. She had put water in the wrong place!!
So of we went to the rescue, on the foulest of nights.

Never mind, what do they say about the best-laid plans?