So we begin....

Spring is in the air and it looks like a dry spring is ahead. After starting the season early the last two years and having cancellations due to the wet weather I felt it was probably better to start my lovely young horses a little later this year so Swalcliffe is our front runner and all the horses are raring to go. This has been one of our best winters so far with my super team at home who have worked hard and efficiently to get the horses fit whilst having a lot of fun along the way. The winter can be really tough with dark nights and weather to contend with so it is always welcome to see the sunshine at the end of it and yesterday was so lovely the horses had their rugs off and were enjoying the sun as much as we were.

This season I have some of the nicest horses I have ever had the pleasure of riding but equally importantly I am lucky to have equally as special owners who are going to ensure a fun season for all here at Team Pickles. Over the years I have learnt that it isn't only about the winning, obviously that is a bonus, but to spend your time with people who share your love and passion for their horses is a real treat and is a far bigger motivation than any rosette. Things don't always go to plan with horses as injury, drama, unexpected complications always seem far too close when you are asking so much from our horses. What I have really learnt is this; it isn't about the things going wrong that neccessarily dictate what happens in a situation, it is how it is dealt with that really matters and those who are loyal to you as well as their horses always seem to shine in these situations whether it be owners, employees, clients or friends who are involved.

Dassett Cooley Dun owned by Kate Willis and Mel Pritchard has had a good winter and is debuting at Gatcombe with our aim this year to improve the dressage and hopefully, all going well head to Blenheim in the Autumn for the 9year old class. Lucianna Wiser Than Wise is soon to be heading back to TeamP to start his campaign of BYEH and aswell as BLS All Inclusive and the beautiful Cendora who are both starting at Badminton this spring in the 5YO sections.

The Direct Horses are going well and as their breeding is so close I find it no coincidence that their temperaments are so similar, both are mares, both are super talented, both are sensitive and both like to be treated like a real Princesses! All being said a fun year awaits with Direct Tullyoran Cruise upgrading this season and Direct Diamond making a start.

She's All Class is at last looking like being an event horse after a testing 18 months and I just can't wait for her to give her owner Lady Butler some enjoyment as she really has been so supportive and deserves the fun we know this horse can bring us.

Sandra, Pete and Kate England's lovely crew are all strengthening up for their season and although they don't live with me it works very well with Kate  and hear parents very kindly bringing them to parties and training as and when is needed, the same can be said for Tricia Thorntons lovely PLS BlueJay who is always at the party bang on time ready to go looking immaculate.

Lucianna Pearl of Wisdom has nearly completed her breaking in training and although out of same mare as her brother Lucianna Wiser Than Wise, she could not be more different. However both are lovely and have very exciting futures with their owner Lucy Keaney ahead.

I have a super 14.2 pony Hayestown Caption in for sale who is a real pocket rocket, he is smart, careful and full of the beans a true competition pony needs. So if you are looking for something to do PC/BE on then look no further as at 10 years old he has a lot to give.

Mary and Alex have both wintered really well and have improved their horses no end. I have promised them dinner on me if they can #beatheboss this season so best foot forwards Mrs P otherwise the bill is on me! Good luck guys........

So results will follow in our next edition and hopefully everyone behaves at their first competitions. Also a big good luck to all those who train with Team Pickles you are all ready to have a fabulous year.

Until next time.....

So as I am writing this I am in the air 36,000 ft above ground on my way back from a fabulous two weeks in Australia visiting my sister in Melbourne and attending my good friend James Gaspers wedding down on the Mornington Penninsula, South of Melbourne. The two weeks have flown by but we have had some amazing experiences and Australia is a country that I have really come to love. The weather has been pretty kind to us and we have both managed to catch a bit of the sun without frying too much. I have to say I am not looking forwards to getting off plane in Birmingham and feeling the drop in temperature, let's hope it is at least dry!

To break up the winter with a trip to the sun is a real help but I couldn't do it without my amazing team at home who are all working diligently whilst we are away. Although I am sad to leave my sister and her partner Dave as well as my brother and friends it will be nice to see the horses, dogs and team again and get going with the 2015 season and all of the wonderful horses I am privileged to compete.

We have had a few changes at Team Pickles for the 2015 season and I am very sad to say Red Horse Rug Clean will no longer be sponsoring us. We have some really fun times over the last few years and I wish Tina Faulkner and her lovely crew of horses all the best for the future and would like to thank her for all the support she has shown me over the last four years. My era of riding the black and white wonder pony (aka Whole Lotta Rosie) is over but I am sure she will now give a younger person a huge amount of fun. I look forward to watching out for how all the Hathaway Horses are going after starting their careers here at Team Pickles and hope they all have bright futures.

We have had a busy winter prior to me jetting off to the sun. PLS Bluejay qualified for the BD Regional Dressage Finals which will be held later this year. He has improved beyond recognition on the dressage front and is looking forwards to eventing again this spring. I am in the midst of planning my season to kill some time as we fly back although sleep deprivation and decision making do not seem to go hand in hand I may have to revise this after I have had some sleep.

I have also taken some time to work on my riding with some regular dressage lessons which I have found hugely helpful and I am thoroughly enjoying the experience of having expert eyes on the ground again.

We also have some new supporters for the season with Topspec feeds and JS Equine equestrian products joining us as Sponsors. I have used Topspec for a number of years so I am hugely excited to have them supporting us with their huge range of products and excellent customer service team.

JS Equine are a Cotswold based company who provide all our yard essentials and wormers at very competitive prices; they have a comprehensive website http://jsequine.co.uk/ so well worth a look and I am very pleased to have them on board.

I would like to also thank my current sponsors Equestrian Direct and North Cotswold Construction for their continued support. It is such a huge commitment for these companies to make and I am hugely grateful for all they do for me.

We have a new Twitter account and will soon be joining Instagram thanks to my super team so look out for lots of updates and results of how the horses and team are going aswell as my usual posts on Facebook and Twitter.

So there you go, once I have finished my planning I will update you with where we are heading first but it will be nice to spend a few days getting back on them all and remembering how to ride!

The website is currently being updated with all the new recruits and those who we have lost this season so watch this space!

Colina

Why Colina Rates This Horse:

"Blue, owned by Tricia Thornton, is the most fabulous all-rounder. He started eventing with me last autumn and was never out of the top ten proving to be a consistent campaigner. He has spent a winter doing BD and has produced some amazing scores up to 79% and qualifying for the regional dressage finals later this year. He will be stepping up to BE100 this year and I hope will carry on giving his owner a huge amount of pleasure."

So the end of another season for Team Pickles and holiday time for the girls after a pretty full on summer. I managed to finish 4th in the Foundation Points league for the second year running on my lovely young horses who have all finished the season having learnt so much and are now back in work after enjoying their holibobs!

Kelly Smith my little Trojan horse has enjoyed a nice few weeks away and MaryB who has been with me for two seasons now is on holiday as we speak. Seeing her pictures of the Warwickshire Hunt Ball on Saturday night I think it is fair to say she is enjoying herself!

I quite enjoy it when the girls take their holidays as it gives me chance to get back into yard life and make any changes to the routine and just spend some time on the ground with my lovely ponies. Speaking of which we have a very exciting new recruit on the yard who goes by the name of Dassett Cooley Dun. He is pretty unique being 15.2 but jumps like a stag and has been successful at Intermediate and 2* and now belongs to Kate Willis – fun times are ahead and I can't wait.

All the horses are back in work after their holidays and are feeling pretty fresh! I have had the neckstrap at the ready and so far so good although Chloe Herbert has been lending a hand in getting them legged up whilst Mary is away before our winter training campaign begins.

We had our end of season team outing to Alton Towers a few weeks ago where I wasn’t convinced I was going to get any of my team on to any of the rides, so was preparing myself for a few solo voyages. You may be asking yourself then why go? The answer to which is that given the option of what the end of year outing was going to be the chosen destination by the team was Alton Towers. They all swallowed their nerves and even Little Al made it on to Oblivion and managed to come away smiling. Another great day and no, one does not get too old for thrill seeking at Alton Towers!

Friday night was Eventers ball night and off we trotted to Newbury in our glad rags only to arrive at the Racecourse to find everything locked up and quiet and dark! In true Pickles style I had managed to take us to the wrong destination and it was the Rubgy club we were after. Thanks to google maps we were there in a flash and were soon partying the night away.

One cocktail too many for Mr Pickles meant his dear wife (me) was clearing up after him well into the early hours and driving it is for him for the foreseeable future. However, we were raffle ticket winners and I also managed to get super groom Kelly Smith into a dress so really a highly successful evening.

This Friday is our annual owner and supporters do which should be fun, have had so many people support Team Pickles this year and it is just a nice way to say thank you and of course have a bit of a party at the same time!

We are having a little time away in January this year and we are jetting off to Australia to see my sister, brother and one of my good friends is getting married. Spray tans at the ready and me and Mr P will be there to soak up some rays and have some time at the beach.

Master Wlf my beautiful foaly has now been weaned and has gone off for his winter grazing. We are really going to miss him as he is such a little character and loves cuddles so I hope his new friends look after him and teach him how to be a grown up!

So that rounds up the Team Pickles news, have a great end of year everyone and will be in touch in the New Year when we are up and running and have some horses related stories to tell.

2014 BE Statistics for Colina Pickles Eventing

•    4th  in the BE foundation points rankings
•    9 Wins
•    20 Different horses ridden competitively
•    307  Foundation Points won
•    26 BE Points Won
•    32 Dressage Tests marked 70% and over
•    3 Dressage Tests marked 80% and over
•    37 Top Five results
•    59 Top Ten results 
•    34 Events attended
•    113 Classes started
•    49 Double clears
•    88 Clear Cross country rounds
•    333 BE Points in Total earned in 2014

Kelly,and of course her faithful dog poppy, joined the team in the Spring and she has proved herself to be a brilliant asset. Kelly is a very hard worker and a great competition groom. Poppy is proving be be a super yard dog and keeper of the tack room.

Once again my ambitious statement that ended my last blog was not achieved so sorry folks for the gap in blogging!

As you can imagine a lot has been happening at Team Pickles but the thing that has given me the most satisfaction this summer is that........wait for it folks….. yep we have not had  a member of staff leave for over 3 months now! Whoop whoop, so I am celebrating by giving my super lovely team some extra holiday for working their socks of this summer and for making my life a lot less stressful. Mary Burnfield, Kelly Smith, Hannah Okines, Alex Haynes, Claira Miesegaes and Sara Walker a huge thank you to you all – you are invaluable!

So on to the horses where we have a lot to catch up on. Direct Tullyoran Cruise belonging to Equestrian Direct has amongst other things had a name change - well done to those who spotted it, can tell who the stalkers are! We have had a great few runs finishing 5th at Keysoe over a tough Novice track, 5th at Sapey over another trappy course and then onto Gatcombe where she tried her little heart out in the CIC1* to finish outside the placing’s purely due to losing a shoe and having to take it steady. So holidays for her now before a winter of dressage and Sj training for her! Love this horse.

Mel Pritchard’s beautiful ex racer Winsome Wendy has clocked up three wins so far this season with some stunning dressage scores and is definitely contributing to my current fifth placing in the Foundation Points Table - next year I will be going for the win!

Sue Dawson's super Future Divine Illusion (Dennis) has had a good season and after jumping really beautifully at Solihull to finish 9th and Llanymynech to finish 14th he has gone back to his mummy for some hacking and time out to be a dressage pony before we make plans for next season. Dennis has a great sense of humour so let's hope he is behaving himself for his mummy!

Lucianna Wiser Than Wise (Beau) belonging to Lucy Keeney has also had a superb summer; we decided not to do any eventing as he is a big 4yo but to focus on the BYEH programme. So off to Field House we went and against over 50 four year olds Beau won the class by 10 marks toqualified us for Burghley. I have never been so was hugely excited to be going on such a classy looking horse. However, fate was to play its hand and Beau managed to throw a splint just before the big day meaning holiday time it was for him. Sad times but next year we will be there as a five year old! Thank you to Lucy for allowing me to ride her lovely horse all summer and exciting times ahead.

Fate played its hand again and whilst watching the BYEH FINAL with Kate Willis we saw a horse that we couldn't forget in the top ten line up and I am very excited to say that this horse, Cendora, is now safely part of Team Pickles and is owned by Kate Willis and Mel Pritchard and will be making her debut next season with me as a five year old.

The lovely Coco Chanel belonging to Hannah and Michael Henderson has matured well this summer and is out doing dressage and is turning into a bit of a pro. She has such lovely paces and a fabulous temperament so next season will be a fun one for her. Hannah and Mikey have a lovely horse who hopefully will bring some really good times next year.

Tim and Vanessa Willes beautiful TJ Blousey Brown (Bugsie) has had a flying summer with a win at Sapey, 4th at Shelford and 10th at Goring Heath in the BE100. She is such a classy scopey mare who with time is going to be a star. I am looking forward to a winter of flat work and jump training before going Novice next season.

We have another new addition in the form of Patsy who is out of the same mare as Direct Tullyoran Cruise so you can imagine this is really exciting; she is now broken in with thanks to Mary B and will start jumping in the next few weeks. She stands a little smaller than Tully but knowing all of her ridden history will be such an advantage and I really can't wait to jump her - let's hope she is half as good as her sister has turned out to be!

The Hathaway Horse brigade are also having an excellent summer with the star of the show being Tina Faulkners Whole Lotta Rosie who has now been 2nd four times this summer - are we going to finish with a win? We have two more events to try and make it happen so fingers crossed the upgrade will happen before we finish! All that being said, I don't think anyone could ask for more from this super special little pony.

The Beautiful Hathaway Quality (Roxy) finished her season at Homme House 4yo BE90 with 5th place in a strong class and 5th place but not good enough to qualify at the Carlton BYEH class. Her jumping has come on leaps and bounds as she strengthens up and given how blood she is I have a very good feeling about her future.

Hathaway Strider (Jimmy), the diminutive grey of our crew, has also had some great results this summer, finishing 6th in a BYEH qualifier at Carlton, followed by a 5th in a 5yo BE100 at Solihull and a win at Sapey. He is having his holidays now as we have a busy winter ahead doing some BD and BS in prep for a busy 2015.

Hathaway Wowfactor (Ruby) is on great form competing in her first BE event at BCA this week. A 27.5 dressage was good enough for third after this phase and a costly rail and some time penalties XC put us out the prizes but my goodness this horse has a future and I feel very lucky to ride her.

Hathaway No.1 (Fizz) has shown she has a real flare for dressage so is going to turn her attention to some BD very shortly and hopefully will bring home the ribbons in this sphere. We are all registered and ready to go. The patent bridles have arrived so hopefully we will fit in nicely!

I also have a new ride in the form of PLS Bluejay who is a super cute blue and white pony who is owned by Trisha Thornton. The aim for this man is to make him into Rosie pony mark 2 - I have some work to do then, no pressure!! However, he has started off well with a 5th place in the Unaffiliated at Aston Le Walls followed by 7th today at BCA with a lovely double clear in his first BE event.

So you can probably see why blog writing has taken a back seat? I can't complain though, I have to say I have some fantastic horses to ride, super owners to ride for and a great team to support me - what more could a girl want and to top it all off my students seem to be doing really rather well!

Mary B and Ballinfull Boy have bagged some top 10 placings and are looking really established at BE90 so will upgrade next season. Airtime seems to be hard to beat at BE100 with Aimelia Herbert and is loving his new life. I do miss him but seeing him so happy at this level is such a pleasure to be part of. Bruce and Claira Miesegaes are also flying with some serious placings at BE100 before Claira jets off to the Southern Hemisphere for the winter (lucky lady).

Hannah Okines and her lovely little horse we found in Ireland last year are getting Very established and had a 5th placing at Moreton Morrell unaffiliated last weekend. BE next year Hanny O is calling.....

Chloe Herbert and Arkwright NJ are back on the scene and again are dominating the BE100, my go tomorrow with the lovely Alfie at BCA, I did warn her that she might not get him back!!

Sister Suzie & Sarah Mann have been sharing Kate Low’s lovely Hazy Daiz this Summer and both have done really well with some top ten results.

Amy Newcombe and her talented little horse Condor Goariva have enjoyed their first season of BE posting some lovely jumping rounds. Amy won’t argue when I say her horse is not particularly keen on dressage but with patient and persistence on Amy’s part the marks are improving at each event.  

Have I covered them all? Ah no! I am also having so much fun riding Kate Matterson's lovely young horses and am looking forwards to competing next year with her. All in all fun times are ahead but I really couldn't do it without my super team and sponsors and of course my super husband Mr P who as always puts up with me!

Until next time - god knows when!

Colina x

Firstly I am very proud to say that I have a fabulous new sponsor in the form of Equestrian Direct. If you have any surface needs then you please look no further.

The last couple of months have not been our most rewarding on the results boards, however sometimes the results don’t reflect what is actually going on and it was really nice this week to see all the horses coming together and maturing with the added bonus of it all being on the same day at the same event which was our lovely local event Upton House. With fab going, super organisation and for once upper level prize money it really was a lovely couple of days and very rewarding for my super owners to see their lovely horses going so well.

There have been a few changes at Team Pickles with a hard decision to retire Airtime (Albert) from my string. He is going to go and have some fun back at his home with Amelia Herbert and hopefully own the BE100 Open classes!

Ciderpress (Apple) very sadly is also taking time out to try and have a baby,  hopefully she is in foal as you read, we will find out in the next few days – exciting.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank both the Herbert's and Kate and Matt Low for their support over the last few years. We have had a lot of fun with these two fabulous horses and their involvement with Team Pickles has been very much appreciated. This sport is a tough one and for me is only made possible by lovely people allowing me to ride their horses in competition; both the Herbert's and the Lows have been hugely, hugely supportive and for that I can only thank them.

So back to the young guns where Tullyoran Field of Dreams is heading the Novice string with some good runs under her belt. She has been in contention for a prize the last 3 times out but I have taken her slowly XC to give her experience at this level before we become competitive. However, at Upton on Wednesday the time felt right to move her on a bit quicker and she finished in 9th position with a couple of time penalties to add. I was thrilled with how she felt and she was so scopey and brave XC I couldn’t help having a huge smile on my face all the way round the XC. She is just beginning to come into her own and strengthen up enough to be competitive and boy is she an exciting prospect.

Winsome Wendy has had a great season so far with a couple of wins on some fab dressage scores. She was super at Upton for 6th place in the BE100 and sadly a rail cost her a much higher placing.

The Hathaway string are going from strength to strength with Hathaway Strider growing in my opinions every time I ride him. He is a small horse with a huge stride and boy can he jump. He is loose, elastic and really careful and reminds me so much of my first super horse Nictim it is untrue. He had a great result finishing 4th at Upton last week and is off to Homme House for his first 5YO class in a few weeks. Hathaway Quality lives up to her name and although a little weak this year I feel is a horse for the future. She has bags of stride and a huge jump and did really well at Barbury BYEH earlier this month finishing just outside the top ten at her first attempt. Hathaway No.1 was just behind her at Barbury doing a lovely test and SJ round and has so much movement she is a pleasure to ride and has the most super temperament to go with it.

Future Divine Illusion has now completed his 2nd BE event with a 4th place at Upton House last week in the BE90. He has such a pop in him and although he keeps me on my toes most of the time he is a great competitor when in the ring and a horse that gives me a lot of excitement for times ahead as he has so much athletic ability.

Lucianna Wiser Than Wise has now completed two BYEH qualifiers with a great result at the awesome Bolesworth Castle, finishing 3rd in a fairly strong class with a serious amount of atmosphere. He is off to Field House this coming Thursday for his final try before having a holiday. He is a big horse who is going to take time to mature but has a great temperament and all the talent to be a super eventer.

So you can see I have my hands full with all these lovely young horses but I feel so lucky to have them to compete and am hugely grateful to their owners for choosing me to ride them.

Our Baby Bob is on great form and although only small (around 15hh) is going to be a really smart 'proper' pony. He has bags of character one could say but Mary has done a super job of organising him and putting him on the straight and narrow so hopefully he will turn into a little super star like his mummy!

We are really busy with horses in for schooling and starting and the team are flying along. Kelly and Sarah have joined us and are both getting to grips with the job. Alex has been with us a year now and has nearly finished his apprentiship which is a great qualification for him. He has matured into a vital part of Team Pickles and is proof that sticking something out reaps the rewards as both his riding and understanding of horses has improved beyond recognition.
Sara Walker who used to work with me many years ago has rejoined the team part time and is like a breath of fresh air to me. Her standards are exactly where I want them to be and she is a superb role model for anyone to follow. I am trying to persuade her to come full time but sadly I think I am not going to win this one!!

So this week brings us to Field House with the BYEH ponies and Aston with Tullyoran on Friday.

The summer weather is making everything so much easier and it is so nice to have long evenings and light mornings which makes getting up for early starts all the more appealing!

Until next time…..

 

As promised I am back with my blog and loads has been going on at Team Pickles.

Last week being half term meant my time was definitely pretty tight teaching the Warwickshire Pony Club and the Ettington and Kineton Riding Club. We had a clinic here over three evenings and attendance was great. We had some lovely horses and rider combinations and look forwards to seeing lots of them out competing soon.

In addition to lots of teaching we have been out and about competing and to training sessions with the horses. All the young ones are coming on leaps and bounds. Hathaway Strider is unrecognisable from the horse we bought a couple of months ago and I think could be a very exciting future prospect.

Hathaway Quality and Hathaway No.1 are out this week at Aston le Walls UA and they are beginning to feel like they know what they are doing and where their legs need to go. I have to be mindful they are only four years old so they will have a pretty quiet year just tootling around getting experience without putting too much physical strain on them.

Farley Hall was a new event we ventured to last week and wow what an event with so much scope to be a big hit for the future. The organisers had worked so hard given the weather conditions but the courses were super and we will be back next year. The horses all went well with Airtime finishing 4th in the ON and Direct Puissance finishing 10th in the Novice. Tullyoran has gone from strength to strength after her first Novice at Aston. She was a little excited in the dressage but jumped exceptionally well in tough ground conditions and XC felt like a pro which was very exciting.

Sunday was the first outing for Rosie Pony in a while due to both her recent events falling foul of the weather and she was as usual on great form finishing 5th in the BE90 so off to West Wilts next week for her. Hathaway Strider also completed his first BE competition finishing just outside the placings but feeling super special all the same. 

Lucianna Wiser Than Wise is preparing for his first BYEH class at Bolesworth Castle and will being doing the UA at Aston this weekend in prep. Future Divine Illusion is also going back for his second go at the UA and is then heading to BCA for his first BE event. He will do some event horse classes a little later on all going well. 

All the team are flying and finally we seem to have a good crew working together. Mary and her horse Tintin are on great form and are looking forwards to their next event at Aston this weekend. 

Baby Bob, my first and hopefully last, home bred is now in work and is going really well, not quite sure where we will head with him but he will do some little events this summer. He hasn't quite grown into a horse so pony trials may be his calling!!

I am so pleased that yard favourite Olympic Tracer has found a lovely new home which he is off to next week. He is such a beautiful horse with a fantastic character and massive heart so I wish him and his new owners all the very best in the future.  

After last weeks rain the ground is now pretty good so we are looking forwards top a fun weekend eventing and am taking the horses to Solihull for a bit of dressage practise on Thursday.

By the looks of it, Tattersalls was a great event and one I will hopefully have horses to go there with next year – looks like a good party was had by all.

So until next time – stay dry everyone!

Colina

I hope you have been keeping up to date with all the goings on at Team Pickles with facebook and twitter over the last few months whilst the blog has been sadly lacking.

Well we are back with a fantastic new look to the website thanks to Max Ross and Suzie Allen my super technical support crew, I would be lost without them.

We have been exceptionally busy the last few months with lots of new horses on the scene. Our lovely young horses are now all up and running with Hathaway Strider, Hathaway Quality and Future Divine Illusion all doing their first event last weekend and although we weren’t winners they all behaved impeccably and bar a few green moments I was extremely pleased with them- they are beautiful.

Hathaway No.1 and Lucianna Wiser than Wise will also be making their debut at Aston next month for the unaffiliated 80cm to get them going before their first BYEH classes of the year.

We also have just broken a beautiful mare Surprise Proposal by Primitive Proposal and she is looking like she is going to be a super horse for her owners Sarah and Diane Foster – so hopefully some exciting times ahead with her.

My older horses are going extremely well with Aston fever last week highlighting who is doing what. Airtime was super cool finishing 6th in the OI and I am hopeful that this year will be a little more lucky for him as last year seemed to cause set back after setback for him. Ciderpress has had some good results with a 5th at Weston Novice and a win at Keysoe a few weeks back. She was also en route to have a good result at Aston Intermediate but a run out – her first ever with me sadly put us out of contention- time for some homework!

Direct Mission a new ride for me has pulled out some great results including 4th place in a very hot OI section last week and is also for sale. He will be a super horse for someone to gain mileage on as he is a machine XC and for a big horse never gets strong – quite a relief for me!

Tullyoran Field of Dreams has also made the jump up to Novice being slightly green but she will soon get into the swing of things as she has so much talent for the future.

Reed Hill Rose who is also for sale has been doing really well, she is going to make a fantastic 1* horse for someone as she has a great attitude to work and a super jump! She is stepping up to Novice at BCA in a few weeks.

Mr Pickles has also been helping the team a huge amount doing all my fencing and driving the wife to a few competitions, he is now at home as he has recently started his own business fencing, hedge laying and doing all things rural (website coming soon). It is really nice to have him on hand a little more to fix all the things around the yard that are continually causing me grief!

Olympic Tracer owned by Kate Willis and Mel Pritchard is also for sale, he is sadly not going to carry on to a higher level and he is such a fun horse we think he would be a super all rounder at the lower levels, with bags of experience and a great attitude to work, his advert is on the website and goes on Horsequest today. I will be very sad to see him go but I am hugely aware with my horses that they have to compete at a level that suits them.

We had a fantastic few days at Badminton and boy what a competition – I don’t think anyone was expecting that outcome at the beginning of the week. Watching some of the XC it seemed to be very physically demanding on the horses with many twist and turns and take offs and landings that were not even which I think is difficult to predict before a competition how this is going to affect the horses.

We were lucky enough to have tickets for the SJ on the last day and after a teaching some lessons in the morning we flew down to watch and it really was nail biting to the end. I am not sure I can remember a badminton or championship where no one jumped a clear round.

I will be interested to see what alterations if any they make to it next year – exciting stuff.

We are taking on a new competition this weekend with Berriewood and I am looking forward to seeing what it like and if it is one to come back to in the future. Keysoe earlier this month had made some great changes to their XC course and had worked hard on their ground so I would go back their.

Rosie pony and Winsome Wendy are looking forwards to an outing as it has been a while since they have been out as Solihull was sadly cancelled on the Saturday. Airtime is down to Pontispool on Monday for another OI run before he heads to Salperton in June.

The team here have been working exceptionally hard and we are having a lot of fun this season. I am not going to lie, getting a team has been a tough ride over the last year but I am very hopeful we are entering new waters with an enthusiastic crew who are wanting to help me achieve my goals.
Thanks to all my support crew as well for keeping the horses on the road. The vet, physio, farrier all doing such a great job which is fundamental to achieving consistent results with these super horses.

So until next time which will now be a regular occurrence (I promise), have fun!

Colina X