Arthur had been going well and was an adorable horse but I was really missing having my own and I had started to put out the feelers to a few yards in Holland to see if they had anything suitable. I was looking for something bigger and more advanced but also affordable (those things don't go together well in dressage apparently). But they say everything happens for a reason and I truly believe they do. Before I had a chance to make any offers, a friend showed me an advert for a girl in Kent who was advertising her horse for full loan and asked me was I interested. Currently competing BD medium, 17.3hh, 11 years old and amazing temperament. Hmmm...am I interested....am...I....interested....HELL YEAH IM INTERESTED!!!
I contacted his owner, Amy, and arranged to go down to see him. She rode him around beautifully and I thought there was no way I could ride him so nicely. And of course I didn't...but I didn't make a TOTAL knob out of myself. Me being me, I couldn't keep my feelings inside and pretty much signed on the dotted line then and there. I loved him. He is big moving, safe, floaty, sensitive and I could tell I would learn a lot off him. Not the easiest ride in the world, but then who wants to just sit there and not learn anything....we have to both put in some effort! WHO CARES if I can't afford it right now. WHO CARES if he's stabled about 500 miles from my home. I'm in love.
So without going in to too much detail and boring the life out of anyone, I now have full loan of an amazing horse, at an amazing yard, with an amazing instructor and so far we have been getting pretty good results in the dressage arena. I took Woody on in December and we went out for our first competition in early January. From then on he's pulled in mainly firsts and I have loved every second of having this massive overgrown, overcuddly beast. 
Not only that, but I got contacted by a reporter for the Horse and Hound magazine and she asked me if she could include me in the features because we had pulled the highest score of the day at our most recent competition. Can I be included? ME? In Horse and Hound magazine??? Em, yes, I think that would be ok....I'll have to run it by my em, person who em, deals with, my, I mean, em the publicity, em, YES SHE SAID ITS FIIIIIIIIIIIIINE! So in the April 2nd issue of Horse and Hound if you get your binoculars and look reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally closely, you MIGHT just spot a photo of me looking like a creepy smiling weirdo on top of a very beautiful un-creepy horse - Woody! Next goals are:
1. Qualify for the Elementary summer regionals (update, done!)
2. Qualify for the Senior Inter County team (update, done and I'll put a further update in my next post!)
3. Start competing Medium to Music
This is the start of a VERY exciting future with Woody....I can feel it in my ageing Irish bones ;-)
WATCH THIS SPACE!
