"Well, I am just tidying up the garden with Ben surrounded by toys. We're off to pick up Annabel soon from playschool and then we're going Luna Lift - an indoor playcentre. 

So, last time I wrote, we were off to the Equine Pathway with Mr Hyde. We got down to the last 12, but sadly didn't make the final six. I was very pleased with how he handled himself though, and it was really positive. Some of the horses there were incredible - and, like the selectors said, they're not just looking for world class horses, they're looking for International champions. But Mr Hyde did well and he coped with the pressure.

Mr P's cartwheels

Sadly, when we got back, I couldn't see Mr P anywhere. I thought he'd been stolen, but he'd broken out of his corral and been doing cartwheels with the three-year-old. He now has a fat leg, so is off right at the beginning of the season. He must have seriously spooked because he smashed a vertical fence to the ground and the injury he's sustained is more akin to racing than dressage. He's quite upset that he's not going out. He keeps watching Mr Hyde being washed off and is standing at the gate saying, "Me, me - take me!" But it's rest, relaxation and healing for him and then we'll take it from there.

Mr Hyde qualifies

Six-year-old Mr Hyde has qualified for Advanced Medium now and we have our first one in the diary. It's time for him to step up and for me to kick on! I'm not quite sure what'll happen; I could be going across the diagonal and get a change, or I might get a handstand. We'll see! It'll be interesting to see how he develops; in training, we're linking changes together and doing some baby piaffe steps and he's managing not to explode so we shall see!

Demos

We've finished all the demos now and they weren't bad! I got a lot more confident as time went on and we had great feedback. One of my reasons for doing it was to expose Mr Hyde to a buzzy atmosphere and to help him learn to relax and have a positive experience. It was very good for him and the competition winners that rode were great. It was very lighthearted; as I say, I'm not a professional and I'm not an expert so I just said what I'd do if I was riding the horse. 

Ready to drop

Ancie, our Dutch Harness mare is ready to drop. We have the CCTV set up and check it when Ben wakes up for his milk, but you can bet the night she decides to foal will be one when we can't get him to sleep or something! 

Captain Mac is now going off to be backed. We've done the groundwork, but he's going to a local show jumper to be started. After being dumped several times by Mr Hyde when we were backing him, we've decided to send Captain Mac away - he's the first one we've sent away but for £100 a week it's worth it!

Next time I should have news on Mr Hyde's first Medium and foal news to share.

Bye for now."