Hi, back again, ready for the new season.. The summer, generally a time for sorting out, mending, cleaning and painting sort of passed in a blur of wet weather and school holidays. The stables got painted but the rugs didn't get washed!
We didn't go away on holiday but did manage to catch up with some good friends and the house was often full. So now it's September and time to start the long road to getting Storm to racing fitness.
This season we have a new inmate in the stables - Ravara Super Ted who has come over from Ireland in the hopes he will be a super speedy racing pony for Pippa.
He hasn't raced before but has spent his life as a show hunter pony. He looks like a TB in miniature (137cm) so it will be interesting to see how we get on. Pippa has been getting to know him during the summer and has been taking him to all the local shows where he has been performing in whp and sj classes. We haven't competed much in proper showing as he was pretty skinny when he arrived and nowhere near what is expected to be showing condition. We have him in partnership with Alan and Jane Walter, Alan having found him in Ireland, so hopefull we will have some fun.
We still have Champagne Charlie as Pippa is devoted to him and is very keen to hunt him a lot this autumn. He will also carry on doing pony club activities but we will have to find another lovely home for him in the Spring as Pippa will be too tall for him by then I am sure.
Storm has just started his roadwork and already I am envious of anyone who has a horse walker. I think two weeks of living in the field but having a spell on a horse walker each day before he was actually in proper riding out work would make him less like a whale with no steering!
He being ridden out of the field and will remain like that as long as possible, coming in twice a day to be fed. Straw this year is likely to be very expensive and dusty due to the very late harvest after such a wet summer so we will probably have to investigate other types of bedding. We are combining here as I write - Sept 19!
The point to point season starts in November this year - 30th at Blackforest Lodge - but Storm won't be ready until January. FIngers crossed that his back injury has completely stabilised during the summer and that he will be back to his usual consistent self at the races.