BE Khalissy Newcomers - Photo: Spidge Photography

After NEXGEN, I gave the horses a few quiet days before having a morning training with Trevor. Unfortunately the weather has now turned very Autumnal and we had a particularly rainy, stormy morning for it. Khalissy was a little bit wild, but she jumped well. She is unbelievably brave and honest, but being half thoroughbred she does get incredibly fit, so I have now decided not to ride her quite so much, and let her have more days off. Our horses get a long afternoon in the field anyway, so just letting her down a little bit combined with the time in the field will hopefully help her feel a little bit quieter. Heidi also jumped very well, but in a complete downpour which, combined with a new pair of riding boots, made me about as secure as a bar of soap, so she didn’t get a very long session, but enough to check that she was happy and confident. Luckily Askeaton has a different, and therefore dry, saddle and I managed to find some sticky spray for my boots, and I had a very good session jumping her.

Having had a good jump on Wednesday April I set off on Friday for Pyecombe. This was the first time I have managed to get to Pyecombe since lock-down, and, like all the other local shows I’ve been to, was really impressed with the amazing lengths that the Light family had gone to to make the show COVID friendly. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere with such a brilliant loo attendant, and everything else was super efficient too. It was great being able to do flat work in the indoor school and the new rules of having only 5 or 6 horses in the collecting ring make it so much more relaxing. Khalissy jumped in the Newcomers and jumped a good double clear, including a very bold jump over the water. Heidi jumped a lovely round, just having four faults in the jump-off of the Foxhunter and Askeaton rounded off the day with a super double clear in the Foxhunter to finish just out of the money.

As the horses all jumped well, and the next part of the plan is to go to Vilamoura in Portugal for three weeks, I decided not to jump on the Sunday. Khalissy had six days off, so that she is well rested and a little bit fresher in her self for the long journey, and both Heidi and Askeaton have had a lovely week of hacking. We all had a little jump at home yesterday and everyone seemed in good order. The lorry is pretty nearly packed up, with an enormous amount of Saracen Feed , and all the other essentials that we can’t do without. It was a busy week of tiny jobs that needed doing for the journey, like new windscreen wipers, mending a partition and getting a new gas regulator, so many thanks to Simon and Ryan Moss of Aspire Horseboxes who are endlessly patient with me.

I have been using Bombers Bits more and more, and now have both Khalissy and Heidi jumping in Bombers snaffles. I find Stephen Biddlecombe of Worldwide Tack, the UK stockists, very helpful and knowledgeable when discussing what will suit which horse, and the bits come in lots of mouth sizes which also suits my little horses. Kvint is still going really well in his Bombers Blue Kimblewick, Khalissy has a Full Cheek Cherry Roller Snaffle and Heidi a little Full Cheek Square Twist Snaffle

It seems that Autumn is truly upon us now with incredibly windy and rainy weather, so I am really looking forward to getting to sunnier climes. Fingers crossed that the long journey go smoothly - four days driving is a lot for me as the sole driver, but April is coming with me, and we will have slightly shorter days having only one driver. Once we are up in the Pyrenees the journey is very pretty and the days should get warmer. If everything goes to plan we will be at the showground by tea-time on Friday, ready to start jumping the following Tuesday. One more day of keeping the horses safe and well and a very early start on Tuesday morning. It’s a long time to be away, and will be the first time that Mark can’t come to join us, but at the moment he doesn’t want to fly, or to isolate when he comes back. April and I will have to isolate, but i think at least the first week will go very quickly because we’ll be pretty exhausted and the horses will be on holiday for most of November, so hopefully the 14 days will fly by.