What Mary Has to Say – Christmas Edition!

Happy Christmas! This is my final update of 2021:

With Christmas around the corner, and British Eventing releasing the 2022 fixtures list imminently, we can start to dream about next years plans and aims.

My horses have done well during their winter’s break – the mild weather, with the grass continuing to grow, has been lovely for them. I have only just started to give them extra feed of Baileys Conditioning Cubes, and also some Marksway High Fibre HorseHage – usually this happens at the beginning of December! Nick Rule, my fab farrier, is booked for Jan 3rd so then it will be the start of the fun for another year!

I had an enjoyable couple of trips to the sales in Ireland in November, but was amazed at the high prices the horses were reaching. Despite there being plenty of lovely horses at the first Monart Sales, nothing ‘grabbed’ me enough to take part in the online bidding which happened the evening after the 2 viewing days. At the Go for Gold sales, a couple of weeks later, a proper auction happened in the evening after the second day of viewing. I had 3 I was interested in – 2 ended up way out of my price range, but I managed to buy one, hurray! I’ve named him ‘Pat’ after his previous owner Pat Fenlon. He is a 3yr old athletic bay gelding with plenty of blood, and is being an angel to break in. He is loving working each day, and so far I’ve got to the stage of riding, at walk, in my arena and hacking around the lanes with another horse. I’ll just get him hacking confidently on his own, then he will get turned away until next summer.

Barry, my homebred 4 yr old, has now been off in the lorry show jump schooling a number of times, and has been down to the river getting used to paddling through the water, and climbing up and sliding down the banks. He is a confident willing horse by nature so I am looking forward to starting his eventing career next spring.

Some after dinner speaking (including one for the Exeter NFU, who have been great supporters for many years) and teaching, have kept me busy. David and I were invited, by Blue Cross for whom I am an ambassador, to the fabulous 2021 Peter O’Sullivan Racing Awards lunch at The Dorchester Hotel in London. Rory Bremner, the impressionist and comedian was the after lunch speaker – he was absolutely brilliant, and made me realise how much I need to improve!!!

Thank you all so much for your support during 2021. Once again Merry Christmas and Happy New Year – lets hope we can all enjoy this festive period and keep fit and healthy.

Best wishes

Mary