Thursday, 10 February 2011

The Countdown Begins...

Its great to be back! Four weeks into training the horses, after a well-deserved break, and three weeks away from the Italian tour, I’m feeling oddly calm running through my mental checklist…

  • Horses back in shape: check

  • Dentist: check

  • Veterinary Inspection: check

  • Practice shows: One down, two to go.

  • Feed ordered and delivery date set: check.

  • Ferries booked: check

  • Stabling: check

All that’s left is packing the lorry, organizing the tack, “haircuts” and shoes for the foursome.

We’ll set off Wednesday 23rd February. Rosslare to Fishguard, stopping in Dover, then Dijon. ETA: Friday evening at my parents’ place in Valbonne (15mins from Cannes). My friend Nathan Primrose is doing me the MASSIVE favour of driving the lorry down – I ask him all the time, frankly I think he’ll just start blocking my calls one of these days.

So here’s the POA (thus far):

MARCH

  • Follonica
  • Follonica
  • Follonica

APRIL

  • San Remo
  • San Remo
  • Chieti
  • Pioltello

MAY

  • San Giovanni
  • San Giovanni
  • Caserta

The only confirmed show, for the time being, is the Follonica Jumping Tour in March. Might adopt a more “laissez-faire” attitude this time around; what will be will be.

Gotta bring our A-game though. As Martin Luther King jr. so wisely said: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”.

Let it begin…

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