"As I sit here in my office, it doesn't seem 5mins ago that it was the begining of the year and we were still wondering whether to chance the novice at his first show or not. Is it me, or is it true when people say that time goes quicker the older you become? I remember as a child thinking that people in their mid-40s had had a good innings, and here I am now slap bang in the middle of that age group. Plus I'm grumpy as hell because I'm on another diet, on the wagon - pardon the pun - and determined to get my waistline and blood pressure down to around the same figure.

A good ending 

This season really has been a game of two halves. I can't complain too much about March to June, but June to September was fantastic. The team (that saves listing everybody individually) really came together, and at the National Championships this year they excelled. The show had moved to the wonderful Addington and it went wonderfully.

Striker won his three classes and then qualified for the evening floodlit Strictly Come Dancing-esque final. My finest show horse, Striker is not known for his patience (some say rather like his driver) and this kind of evening event usually gets him doing airs above the ground and Gary's bottom going to a point. However, the horse somehow got his brain together and walked - yes, I said walked - into the arena and decided (with little help from myself) to win the championship and become The Osborne Refrigerators British Driving Society National Champion - the only title thats has eluded me in my 30-year career.

It wasn't made easy for us either. Mention must always be made of my other double succesful showing livery Dunkery Bewick, an Exmoor pony who won three classes classes and joined me for the evening championship. Penny, who drives the Exmoor, was thrilled and trotted around the ring festooned in red rosettes and sashes looking very much like the cat that got the cream. I was rather pleased winning the Moutain & Moorland class with him as the judge described him as a pony with an arse "like a haunch of ham". He has a point - it does look a bit like that.

Back to the yard

Now with some of the showing horses gone home to go feral, and me looking forward to a couple of week in the sun after Christmas (with a toned and slimmer body, I hope) we have a few breakers in to sort out for next year. I say breakers... There's a two-year-old Welsh Cob stallion who thinks the world owes him a living. He has been shown extensively in-hand with much success but needs his owners to go home and Gary to apply a little grown up conversation. There's a miniature pony with a metabolic disorder, and a jack donkey that can't be caught. Ah, the glamour of it all!"

Until next time...

Gary