Doreen’s Diary                                                                                      

September, 2007

Well, here I am again. Sorry there has been such a big gap in my diary. Many, many things have happened including lots of highs as well as lows. I don’t suppose that we would appreciate the highs if it weren’t for the lows.

Amongst the highs, many students have been successful at all different levels from complete novice to international competitions in show-jumping, dressage and eventing. Congratulations to them. At present, we have some of the best young horses that we have ever had and it is a great experience to see them beginning to demonstrate their talents. As I have sent several horses abroad, it is interesting to discover them making a name for themselves in their various situations.

Amongst the lows, we have lost several of out elderly stalwarts who were much loved. This includes a show-jumper called ‘Woodfield Color Design’ – ‘Casper’ to his friends – who taught many students. Originally he had jumped internationally in Holland in Young Rider Classes with great success. It is a small world when one of my daughters went to Holland to buy some young horses and discovered that she was dealing with the original rider of ‘Casper’! This gentleman kindly sent us this photo of him when he was young. Casper now has an apple tree planted in his memory.