The drop pot has gone from looking pretty dismal to darn good all in one day! We were getting a bit worried about our Christmas party but things are looking up now thanks to Lucy, who came off Budge when he thought Tik was about to kick him and shied, Kerry who slipped off Red (the fat hunter) when she decided to sit down in the menage and Mike who parted company from Doris twice around the big field when she spooked at the same thing both times around. All contributors to the drop pot were fine and it was taken in good humour (particularly by the rest of us!) The horses are feeling really well and this is always a slightly difficult time as the food intake is at its highest but the horse aren't quite ready to go up the hill yet. Riding up the hill is the easy part for the riders but we don't want the horses to start going up yet until they have done enough core strength work (for the jockeys too!) and also we have got a long season ahead of us without souring them by going up the hill so early.  It was an absolutely stunning day today and an absolute pleasure to be cantering around the grass field and the longer we can do that the better for everyone.
Kerry has turned out to be a bit of a superstar with the clippers and managed to get six done today. We had booked our normal clipping lady, Cathy, but she can't make it until the end of the week and because some of the horses are looking like woolly mammoths we had to put Kerry to the test and she did brilliantly. We wanted to get them all done before Friday morning as we have got the 'Horse and Hound' who want to come and do a featured article about our horses then, and we want to try and look as though we know what we are doing.....??
Arthur Griffin, who is part of the Duck Club who lease Ponty Pandy drove into the yard just as we finished clipping him hence this photo shoot -

Don't I look smart?