Dickens Diary - March 2008

Another month has gone by, the clocks have changed and the nights are getting lighter, however the weather is still not improving. The month started with the same sort of work at home, lunging with side reins or the chambon, hacking with and without friends from the yard and the odd day walking on our undercover horse walker . I also asked my mum to be my eyes on the ground while I schooled on the flat and over the fences - including a grid work session to encourage Deekie to pick up in front a little more and bascule more consistently over his fences.

All of this work is improving at a steady pace and Deekie is showing a lot of promise in all disiplines at the moment. Jane Kidd came over to the yard to give me a training session on the flat - Jane spent time "tweeking" my position and explaining how my position and weight distribution affected Deekie either in a positive or negative way. - I have lots of homework to be getting on with!!

Easter weekend came early this year and Deekie was off to his first 3 day party away from home! We had qualified for the Cricklands Winter League Dressage Finals at the David Broome Eventing Centre. John, Deekie the three girls (Fudgie the Terrier, Tealie the Labrador/Hoover and Maddi the Spanniel/ Mad dog) and I set off on our Adventures, with the car and trailer packed to bursting - years of competing away from home I have learnt not only to pack well but to also pack for any unforeseen circumstance that might arise.

We arrived at the venue on Friday afternoon via the scenic route - after avoiding the Bridge due to the high winds, Deekie travelled well but we were all glad to get out for a leg stretch. After bedding his stable down, John took Deekie for a walk and a graze while I started to unpack his luggage!

With Deekie settled into his new accommodation John and I set to work transforming Deekies trailer into what would be our sleeping quarters for the next 3 days. I was amazed to see people turning up in their trailers and then erecting tents next to their trailers - There are lots of advantages to sleeping in a trailer to a tent and this weekend I was glad of the trailer. The weather forecast was gail force winds, Hail and rain - and for once the weather reporter had got it right it was going to be a wet one!

After a good nights sleep I got up early to feed Deekie and check that all was well, while I mucked out John took Deekie for a graze and walk around to see the sights and soak up the atmosphere. After mucking out I joined John and we walked him around the warm up arenas and the main arena - The main arena had palm trees around the white boards, sponsors banners, a pavilion and grand stand around it. Deekies excitement couldn't be contained any more and he spent the next 10 mins with all four feet off the floor skipping around John.

I had to ride Deekie in for an hour and a half in the warm up before his test on the first day, for the first forty minutes Deekie was so excited he just couldn't contain his excitement and spent most of the time up in the clouds somewhere!

I was extremely proud of my boy over the three days and on the Sunday it was our 1st years anniversary - looking back Deekie has made huge progress not only in his work but in his outlook to life in general. His work was also pleasingly consistent over the three days of competition especially considering the conditions and atmosphere that he had to work in. Deekie finished 16th out of 28 and I couldn't have asked for anything else - I love my horse. Andrea our Equine Dentist visited the yard and checked Deekies teeth the following week - he is very well behaved for Andrea but does like John to hold his hand while Andrea is doing her job.

At the end of March with the ground riding well I took Deekie into the cross country field and under the watchful eye of John we jumped various fences - including some of the more technical fences that Deekie has not seen before. Deekie ounce again stepped up to the mark and jumped everything that I put him at - What a star.

Watch out for my next installment........ (or you could click on the link 'bookmark this page' at the top right of this page to make sure you don't miss out!). Alternatively, please visit my blog at http://dickensthehorse.blogspot.com

To find out more about the excellent facilities and services offered by Jonathan, Director of Equisea and his partner Kelly at New Barn Equine, a Livery, Training, Rehabilitation and Therapy centre situated in Chedworth, Cirencester in Gloucestershire, please click on this link.