Monthly diary — December 2015

Here we are at the end of 2015 and it seems to have finished with a flourish. I’ve just returned from the Chinese National Championships where the provinces compete. All the event horses are imported from Europe or Australasia and generally eventing in China is 1* level, but these championships are 2* and the teams did very well. I had no idea that Outer Mongolia and Tibet have very credible 2* combinations. I was there to help the Shanghai team with their cross-country – they only had one faller (on the flat) which was pretty impressive as the course was built on reclaimed rock-solid clay ground, with a sand track laid on top. The result was very slippery, especially on the turns. However, there was a strong competitive spirit as all the riders are focussed on the 2017 Chinese Games.

Back home I’ve been scheduling next year’s clinics – while Petplan Equine kindly continue to support the UK series, I will now also be heading to Europe and the US with other new sponsors, and hopefully adding a further supporter to my Australian/NZ leg too. Suddenly it’s all become a much bigger enterprise which is very exciting. However, it does raise the question of where am I going to fit in finding and riding another horse? I’ve done without for over a year now, if I don’t find my way back onto one soon, I may have forgotten how to do it. Meanwhile Lissa has had a great year and qualified for Burghley – before discovering last week that, due to a new rule change, she will now need another good 3* result to secure her place. If luck is with them it should not prove a problem. So, Merry Christmas and wishing you all a successful 2016.