15th-21st August

6:48pm, Sunday 21st of August 2011, by Simone Kann

Saturday saw us at Ellerslie races for the Pakuranga Hunt races where young Andie Gibberd raced her pony Ellie in the pony feature race. Andie rode a good race giving it all they had on the heavy track. She finished just out of the placings in the tough field of 10 fast ponies.

I think the most exciting thing this week was after spending the day at the races, we somehow  managed to then arrive at Nicola and Tony Smiths birthday in Cambridge....but the most exciting bit was Donna, my self, Patrick and Lauren actually managed to back up the next morning to work all of our 30 horses that are now in work on the Sunday. Now this may seem easy, but the last two times we have been at the 'Smiths of Cambridge" its been an all niter and the next day has turned into a mandatory day off!!!

Tom and Gaye McClunie have been busy finishing off the truck ready for the season, its looks great.

Lauren our Scottish groom is fitting in well and getting used to our day to day life.

Just three weeks to go before our first event in Taupo, the training trial is always pretty eventful with every one bringing there young ones out for the first time. This year will be no exception for us, we plan on filling the truck up and spending from Wednesday through to Sunday for all the babies to settle in and chill out.

 This week we are off to Taupo xc schooling on the upper level horses for a few days, hopefully the weather is nice to us while we are there. All the seasoned horses are back in work and feeling really good after the long spell since Taupo 3 day event.