"Its like Boxing Day on our yard; our Towerlands National Carriage Driving Championships and Horse of the Year Show are over, and all we have left to look forward to is cold turkey and wondering how much you can get for the presents you didn't want on eBay. 
 
Once a quick Mediterranean holiday is over its kind of getting your mind set and organised for the season ahead, although we are still only at the end of October, there is only five or six months ahead to get your ducks in a row and prepare for next year. This year's baby horses now need to become next year's novices, and that is quite a leap. The novice horses have either proved themselves, or need to make a space, we have one or two like that and I need to make a pretty serious decision as to whether to be patient or cash in!
 
All the dinner and dances and AGMs come at once, with the inevitable clashes; I am torn between the British Driving Society, the Hackney Horse Society and the Donkey Breed Society, such choices! All need an after dinner speech, a vote at an AGM, or an entertaining raffle puller and cup presenter. Plans made now for next season seem to go the best, as I know these best laid plans don't always go the right way, but at least its a plan and something to work towards.
 
As far as home is concerned, Monty the young Hackney stallion has come on a treat and enjoyed a couple of non competitive outings, where excitement didn't get hold of him too much. We are reinventing the tandem, and we are going to look at a horse today to replace Dreamer, so watch this space. With a pair of young Hackneys on the horizon, which we will hopefully get together for a new client in Middle England, we are being kept busy with breaking, schooling and teaching, so long as my patience holds and I don't swear too much. 
 
All the horses look great, and Baileys have done a wonderful job, they look as good now in winter coat as they did in June of this year. Chalky the donkey has found a wonderful way of rolling under our perimeter fence to help himself to the Colonel's garden, so a little trip to the garden centre to buy replacements I think.
 
Well with luck, by the time I blog next we will be into schooling, and putting ourselves back into hard work again, so get ready for the winter regime and how not to waste a moment of dry weather."