Certainly not English weather! The view from our hotel room in Bangkok on our recent trip
It is blowing an absolute hooly outside, the wind and rain are so loud that it sounds like we are in a train tunnel and it is difficult to get the horses even to the walker because they try so hard to avoid the sideways slashing rain... aah the joys of an English winter. It is days like this I dream of sunny Australia and wonder why I ever left - and then I remember 40+ days and flies and bush fires! Needless to say I have retreated to the tearoom to write my blog (one which I promise will be more than annual this year) and Hels has decided to clip one of the hairy goats - well at least I think she has but I can't hear the clippers due to the rain.
2013 was a rollercoaster ride for me - for the most part I was glad to see the back of it. I will not bore you with too much detail but I will give you a brief insight as there was no blog to speak of.
After much thought and many discussions at the beginning of the year, I put my prices up. It was a relatively big jump as they had not increased for about two years but I considered they were fair. I understand that horses are very expensive to run but our profit margin as riders is miniscule and it is incredibly difficult to break even let alone make money out of horses. I think I produce the horses well and with their best interests at heart and with Hels looking after them their care is second to none. We both become quite attached to the horses so when one owner decided to take their two promising 6 year olds away it hit us both very hard. The decision was made and putting them on the lorry was one of the hardest things I have had to do, especially seeing Hels distraught.
Onwards and upwards so they say and I was determined that 2013 was still going to be amazing. Unfortunately money makes the world go round and the decision was made by Susan Lamb and me to sell the favourite Shannondale Santiago. It is very difficult to turn down good money for a horse when so much can go wrong with them and sometimes I actually need to make money rather than spend it. Even so, within six weeks three of my beloved ponies had left the yard and taken some of my enthusiasm with me. I struggled to pick myself up and I think the girls on the yard felt it, not to mention my long suffering boyfriend who does not really understand that weird connection between girls and their horses. He often says "But treacle, you get attached to all of your horses!" I hate the fact that he is always right!
My yard was still full of lovely horses to ride but 2013 kept throwing the punches. 'Kintara' who had gone so well at Boekelo in the autumn of 2012 was having soundness issues that we just could not keep on top of. We had been treating her for arthritis in her neck for a couple of years and so in May Susan and I decided to retire her - she will hopefully go in foal this year and have beautiful babies.
It was about Badminton time when the sun started to shine and things started to look up. Susan Lamb's stunning 4yo performed impeccably to win the BYEH at Badminton. He is full of power and scope and I really believe he will be doing the Four Star there in years to come. He went on to win the same class at Gatcombe in the summer.
Homebred 'Hunter Valley' also known as Gizmo (or ‘wanker’ by Hels) was really getting a move on. He is such an exciting prospect and I have very high hopes for him. He is quirky to say the least and will let me down on the odd occasion but when he does not he is a winner. He won three Novices and then finished the season by winning the Intermediate at Dauntsey by 10 penalties. So far this year he has already bucked two people off - little shit.
On the wall! Hunter Valley winning the Intermediate at Dauntsey
Winnetou M was improving all the time and I felt I was really making progress towards the end of the season where he jumped a double clear in the CIC*** at Hartpury. I was so excited to be taking him to Boekelo and was hoping for a really good performance and then he picked up a virus and we didn't even put him on the lorry... a huge disappointment but ultimately the right decision.
And then something amazing happened which made all the bad things that had happened in 2013 pale into insignificance. On a slightly overcast drizzly Monday morning in Dorset Ed asked me to marry him. For those of you who don't know Ed he is somewhat of a joker. It has become a great story that the only thing I could say was 'Are you serious?' – and, yes I did think he was joking! Mum and Dad were over which made the whole occasion even more special and we are getting married in June this year in England. It is so exciting and I really cannot wait but I was starting to wonder how I was going to organise the wedding,
Ed and I enjoying cocktails in Aus
I need not have worried as 2013 had not finished with me yet. On a very dismal day, not unlike today in fact, I was XC schooling a very nice horse with a great jump who made a mistake coming out of a sunken road and we hit the ground hard - very hard. I like George Morris’ philosophy ‘you either go to hospital or get back on.' I was desperate to get back on but it became apparent very quickly that I was in fact going to hospital. X-rays confirmed that I had busted the ligaments in my shoulder and would need surgery. Mum, Dad and I travelled to London the following Monday and had the operation that afternoon. I came out of my operation and returned to my room to discover Ed had come down to surprise me and he was sat in my room drinking beer! Yes beer! It was quite a fancy hospital with its own wine list - unfortunately for me I did not get to enjoy it!
It has been a long slow rehab process and I was out of the saddle for a total of 13 weeks. I am back in the saddle now feeling good. I'm still going to physio and the gym every week at the amazing Oaksey House where they have given me a program to strengthen my shoulder. I have a bit of a bump and scar which is not going to look great in a wedding dress. I think I can say the best thing about injuring my shoulder was that I really miss riding. I was desperate to get back on a horse and go for a hack - I did not even think I liked hacking.
After an amazing holiday to Thailand and Australia I am feeling very positive about 2014. I have ten lovely horses to compete and a wedding. No doubt there will be a drama or two but I promise to keep you posted!
Sammi
