March

6th March was a very busy day: Jack Simon Fraser made his way into the world just before 7 in the morning, a very bonny little boy and a lovely little brother for Lila. I then went and schooled Arietta and Askeaton at Coombelands with Trevor which went very well, and then shot home to see Khalissy off to her new home, and still made it to Pilates by 4!

Breakdance moved to the Breens on the 8th March, and has benefited greatly from being in a bigger yard, and from me having more confidence with him. He has had to get used to working in a busier arena and to the noise that goes with it, and I have had easily accessible help with getting on him, which has previously been a little bit of a problem.

We had a lovely, busy weekend, with both Anna and Sophie staying with their little families. It was lovely for Rory and Immy to meet baby Jack, and for Lila to show off her big-sister skills! Mark and I also had a wonderful, if freezing cold, day at Cheltenham - taking full advantage of not having the horses at home!

Having had a little break from shows we all went to Felbridge on 21st March. Breakdance jumped a lovely round, albeit for a few poles! He is still inclined to get tense in the warm-up and holds the tension for the first few fences. Askeaton jumped a great round to be just out of the money in the 1.10 open, but sadly Arietta was not at all herself, jumping very spookily over the first four fences, before stopping at the fifth fence and decanting me through the wing onto the ground. Airbag to the rescue, but sadly it doesn't stop your confidence getting dented! Subsequently we found that her mouth was a bit sore, and she was very upset about it, so she had a few days off, and then a few days in a hackamore before getting back to work.

We had a very good school at Trevor's with Askeaton with a view to stepping back up to 1.20 and set off to Hascombe full of confidence. Breakdance jumped his best round to date in the Newcomers, just for one pole in the jump-off which was probably my fault, but very naughty Askeaton refused to play at all, stopping at the first and third fences. We went back for a school yesterday and she was as bold as ever, so who knows what was going through her head on Wednesday. She is the most frustrating creature!

All this drama left my confidence feeling very shaky. However, a few well chosen words from some very nice friends have strengthened my resolve, and I took myself off to Hascombe again yesterday with just Mark to pick up poles and call and ambulance if needed. We kept the jumps small and all the horses jumped round really nicely. Sometimes the acronym KISS (Keep it simple stupid) is the best way to go. A lot of over-thinking goes into all sport, and I'm not sure that it ever helps. Add in a large sensitive animal, and a sport that is intrinsically rather dangerous, and you can get a serious muddle going!

Sadly having three horses at full livery has proved a little bit more than my bank balance can cope with in the long term, so the horses are coming home again after Easter. I have also missed the lovely hacking and turn-out here, and hopefully I will cope with them all now the warmer weather is coming.

Zarnita and Emma are both about six weeks away from foaling now. They have coped really well with the appalling weather, although I have had them in at night in the worst of it. They look really well, benefiting from Stud Cubes from Saracen Horse Feeds and the most delicious hay from Spanton & Partners.

What a lot of changes have been fitted into one month! The weather has been so challenging, and I'm thrilled that I have had somewhere so safe to ride in all the gales and rain. Hopefully the worst is behind us now, the fields will dry up and the grass will start growing and we can have a peaceful and more successful Spring and Summer.

Many thanks to all at Breen Sport Horses, who are a tremendous team, Mark, and my lovely sponsors, Saracen Horse Feeds, Just Equine, MacWet Gloves, NDS Equine and Protexin Equine.