On the Monday after Addington I moved Emma and Luna to Lower Claygate Farm at Isfield to be looked after by Bea Fuller who will oversee their care until they hopefully have their foals and probably after that as well. They look very well and happy, especially Emma, who has taken to living outdoors incredibly well for a horse that hasn’t spent a winter’s night in the field since she was two.

I was amazed at how tired I was after Addington, I hope this wasn’t just my old age catching up with me, but more the fact that I was quite out of practice at being at a stay away show by myself. The lorry also went back to Empire to have a few things tidied up and to have its MOT so I was a little bit stuck at home. Askeaton was now cantering in the school and doing a full hack so Mike Barratt came see her again, just to check that she was 100% sound and that her canter work could be increased.

I took Askeaton for my first dressage lesson for 13 years with Daniel Bremner at Alderlake Farm. With my roots in eventing I have always tried to start the horses very correctly on the flat, I’m not a strong or very dominant rider, so I need the horses to be soft, supple and light to enable them to respond easily and quickly in the ring. However, I have always lacked confidence when it comes to asking a bit more on the flat, so I was really delighted with Daniel’s help with Askeaton. He picked up really quickly that I needed to make her more able to shorten and lengthen her canter, this is spot on as with her very long stride I have been dependent on seeing a distance very far out rather than being able to make small alterations closer to the fence. Askeaton is a super-intelligent mare who loves to work and learn things, so it was also a great opportunity to get her brain engaged as well as mine at a stage when she was still not ready to start jumping.

The following day Claudia and I took Riri, Khalissy and Heidi to Felbridge. Khalissy jumped a lovely round in the British Novice to win her first BS money. Claudia and Riri jumped really well in the British Novice in torrential rain to just breathe on the final fence, but this was a great achievement round a rather strong British Novice.

I took Heidi back later for the Newcomers, having wimped out of jumping the Foxhunter in such filthy weather. Actually the sun came out and she absolutely romped round the Newcomers to be placed, so all in all a rather good day.

We have weathered storms Ciara and Dennis, and having to wade up and down the garden, and it is a miracle that the outdoor shows have not only managed to start, but also run incredibly full classes. It has been a bit of a struggle managing fit young horses in the stormy weather and the strong wind and saturated ground have meant that we have struggled to give them any turnout.

Last weekend I took Khalissy and Heidi to Pyecombe. Getting up to the rings and the warm up can be quite exciting at Pyecombe and Khalissy was extremely well behaved to post another British Novice clear round. Heidi jumped a fabulous round in the Foxhunter, I thought it was quite big enough, but a nice course when I walked it, and she jumped a really good round, just making up a bit too much space in the double in the jump-off, but I was thrilled with just how easy she is finding the next step in her career. She is so grown up, apart from some very loud neighing, it’s sometimes hard to believe she isn’t really six yet.

Sunday was a fabulous family day. Mark and I met Sophie, Alex, Anna and Rory for lunch before watching the England v Ireland rugby match at Twickenham. Not only a lovely lunch, but also an exciting match with a great outcome for England who won with a large enough margin to keep them in the hunt for the Six Nations Championship.

The horses and I have had a busy week this week. Askeaton had her first little jump on Monday, great fun for both of us, and she certainly hadn’t forgotten how. Then on Tuesday I had a lesson with Michael Duffy with Askeaton and Khalissy. Askeaton was very excited, and very bouncy, but Michael really helped me doing some lines to help me lengthen and shorten her and control her better without actually pulling - which is just as hard as it sounds, and also to be confident enough to let her have a little play after the fence without pulling at her - which is even harder. He then very kindly rode Khalissy for me before I then had a very nice jump on her. She is very brave, and unbelievably scopey, but I am not at all brave and perhaps am not always quite firm or forward enough with her, so it was very helpful to see someone else get her going well so easily and simply.

Yesterday I took both Askeaton and Khalissy for another lesson with Daniel Bremner. Askeaton was very good again, Daniel felt she had definitely improved in her canter and we worked hard on her trot as well. Riding Askeaton is one of my favourite and most exciting things. If she was a car I think she’d be an Aston Martin, so comfortable, corners on rails and so much power (I’ve actually never been in an Aston Martin, let alone driven one, but when I get it right with her it is the best feeling!). I was also really pleased with Khalissy, and impressed with Daniel’s simple approach. He made me ride her much more forward in both trot and canter, and it will be very interesting to try this on my own at home. I was meant to take all the horses to Felbridge to jump them today, but events conspired to stop me. Askeaton got cast and cut her hock, I have got a horrible cold and to top it all Bell Lane is closed, so I will try and take them all to Parwood on Sunday instead. Camilla and I had a rather lovely morning hacking round the village with Bell Lane closed. We had very little traffic, even if we did encounter some very frisky free range sheep, more road signs than you could ever imagine and BT men up ladders, but the sun came out and Khalissy can be a police horse if the jumping doesn’t work out as she was the bravest of everybody. As always many thanks to the team here, Mark, Camilla, April and Esther and to my sponsors Saracen Horse Feeds, MacWet Gloves and Just Equine. Life would be much harder without them. Here’s hoping March will bring some sunshine and we can actually make some plans without rain and wind continuously altering them.

February