Monday 10 June 2013

Thank goodness! We have finished the season with every horse safe and sound - Quite extraordinary and we have been incredibly lucky. We just had a slight touch of a leg with Whisper right at the beginning of the season after Larkhill, but all our other fifteen horses have gone out on their holidays 100% sound and ready to fight another day in the autumn. Such a massive relief.
Rosie was even better behaved than last time - She went around the paddock as good as gold without a hint of a plant and then started her race with the others. Phew. She jumped beautifully for a circuit and a half but then made a bad mistake in front of the crowd and lost touch. As there was only four in the race and one was two fences behind she had no company and dropped back further. Pete jumped one more and then tried to pull her up at which point she shot off again and tried to join the leading pair but as he had missed one fence he had to pull her up properly. Because of her past history we were slightly suspicious that she had got as far as the horseboxes and half pulled herself up, therefore making the mistake at the fence near the crowd, but we will give her the benefit of the doubt this time but may need to be more positive with her next time if she does the same again. Saying that we were delighted with how well behaved she was in every other way and the most important thing for her is that she enjoys it as if she doesn't absolutely nothing will make her race apart from her own desire. I have to say that if anyone could have seen this mare on the schooling field or on the gallops they would have bet big money on her never taking part in a race. so for us it was a great result and very rewarding to see how much she has changed since she came to us and how happy she is in herself.