OK, I admit it. I am clearly more tired than I thought I was. I mean, I knew I was tired after camp. And I haven’t even started the camp clean up yet.

This morning I headed over to help out at the dressage qualifiers being run by Carleton Riding Club. I was down to steward two arenas for a few hours. That ended up turning into four arenas for a bit longer than I’d planned. It happens and at least this year it wasn’t raining. Can’t say I was on my A-game though.

When I got back, I needed to move the Buddymobile over so I could get the Upgrade on my drive too. I only needed to move it over by about 2 foot. I managed to reverse it into a plant pot…

After that, I admitted defeat and flopped on the sofa watching Wimbledon.

Tomorrow I will be less haphazard and start the camp clear up.

We’re all back from Big Camp. We all had so much fun together. Buddy and I are old hands at these camps now. I’ve been going to them since 2016, Buddy since 2017. Now we can add Bert to the list. He aced Big Camp.

He was quite the hit too with the other campers. He got lots of fuss and cuddles.

Not to be out done, Buddy got lots of fuss too. There are a few more people in the Buddy and Bert fan clubs.

This morning we finished off our lessons with poles. The instructor set up a Y-shape in poles so we could trot or canter through them. It was very versatile. And definitely one I can recreate easily at home. I love it when I get homework.

This afternoon, we finished off with a little competition. We came 6th in the dressage with a score 67.40% (Prelim 1). Not bad seeing as the last time we did a dressage test was February 2023! Even got an 8. Admittedly it was for a bit of walk, but I’m taking the positives.

We then did a round of show jumping and came 5th. Because it’s an open competition, there were people doing everything from poles up to 80cm (I’ll let you guess which one we did). It’s so wonderful watching people achieve things they didn’t think they could.

All in all, it’s been blooming brilliant. I’m pretty sure we will all sleep well tonight…

I got to see the results of Bert’s photoshoot today. Oh my goodness, they’re just brilliant. Shelley has captured him beautifully. Looks like I’m going to need bigger walls!!

I had to have this photo as a print. I got another one too. I’ll share the rest as soon as I can. Believe me, you’re going to love them.

I’m hoping there will be some good ones of Buddy today too. He had not one, but two jumping lessons today. First up was focusing on the canter through curving lines and a bounce.

I ended up having a long conversation with one of the campers about how we measure progress. I found her the video of my first ever lesson with Buddy with today’s instructor at Forest Edge back in 2017. She couldn’t believe it was us! We’ve come so far since then.

This afternoon is was grids. We love grids!! Buddy flew through it. I might even have a photo where my face is enjoying it too.

Afterwards some of the other campers complemented my riding. It’s true what they say that you have to look back at how far you’ve come sometimes…

Well that’s the first day of camp done. It’s been a fab one. One of the campers makes rosettes. So she gave us all a lovely momento.

We started the day with a flat work lesson. The instructor complimented me on my lower leg position in the first 5 mins! Something I’ve been working very hard on.

Then she used us as models several times in the lesson. Another massive compliment. Lots of demonstrating standing walk and trot. Something in or find easy, but my god it was hard to crack.

This afternoon it was jumping. My little boy was having the best time popping round the course.

Finished the day with a photoshoot for Bert. I had a photoshoot with Buddy a few years back. So this time I thought I would mark Bert’s 3rd camp with one too. He’s 9 months today and growing up so fast. It’ll be lovely to look back on the photos.

It seems I have a very photogenic puppy to go with my very photogenic horse. Now I need to decide which photos to get. There are a lot to choose from. Of them both!

We’ve all made it to Big Camp! There were a few times when I wasn’t sure we would. But here we are. Little bit less than usual as I think I must have sweated more than a few pounds off getting here. It was a tad warm today!

I travelled Buddy wet and opened all the windows for him, Bert and me. We all arrived rather buffeted but relatively cool. As this is Big Camp, the lessons don’t start till tomorrow. So this afternoon was a time to chill and catch up with everyone. After the last few weeks, I really needed it too!

We had a fun quiz this evening. Proving once again that while I may know how to ride, I don’t know as much as I’d like to about horses.

I took Bert for a run in the forest. Buddy got a hand graze. He was transfixed by the foal in the field. He stood for ages starting at it. Funny to think he was once that tiny.

We’re all tucked up in our respective beds ready for the learning tomorrow. Fingers crossed it cools down a bit…

Look who’s back! What a relief! Buddy, Bert and I can go to Big Camp tomorrow. I feel like Cinderella – we shall go to the Ball.

The Buddymobile needed rather a lot of work, but he has his MOT done. He also had a service and health check. Let’s hope he’s feeling much better now.

My original plan was to go to camp in my new lorry. Best laid plans and all that. So I get one last camp in the Buddymobile. For old time’s sake huh?!

I’ve had the Buddymobile nearly 6 years now. Yes we’ve had our issues, but we’ve had so many adventures together. I will be sad to sell him when my new lorry arrives. So maybe it’s fitting to make some more memories before he goes to someone new…

Buddy and I were meant to be show jumping today. Sadly I had to withdraw. Now I’ve had to withdrawn from competitions before as I’ve been lame or Buddy has been lame. Think this is the first time it’s because I have a lame lorry. Or two to be specific. Only me huh?!

My new lorry needs a part from Germany of all places. And the Buddymobile failed his MOT so needs some work doing to rectify that.

It looks like I will be taking the Buddymobile to his final camp this week. Well providing he’s fixed and MOTd. Adventures in my new lorry will have to wait a bit longer.

This made me laugh on arriving at Easton College. My first reaction was genuinely ‘crap how did a horse get in here?!’ It’s been a long week people….

It was lovely seeing so many friendly faces though. Always fun to catch up with my Carleton family.

I took both my boys out for a walk today. Not together. We’re not that far along. It would be quite magical to be able to do that one day.

First up was Bert. I knew it was going to be warm today so thought I’d take him out before it got too hot. There was a lovely cooling summer breeze out on the fields.

My plan had been to give Buddy the day off. But the breeze made it so pleasant that I couldn’t resist taking him out too.

I think I was hotter mucking out than I was riding!

I took Bert to the woods this morning for a cool walk before it got hotter. He had so much fun. I spotted these mushroom growing. Don’t worry I didn’t pick any. I remember being told that you only eat the wrong kind of mushrooms once…

I woke up feeling like I didn’t have much room in my head today. I had another bad night’s sleep. This time as the rain was dripping off the shade sail onto the elephants ears outside my bedroom. Having already got up once to remove a dead mouse from my bed, I got up again to rearrange the garden furniture to stop the dripping noise. The positive was the fact it was raining! That was very refreshing.

Walking round the woods helped to ground me and clear my head. Ready for a rather challenging day. Nothing I couldn’t handle, let’s just say it’s a good job I am a professional organise. Sometimes I really do wonder why things have to be quite so hard though.

I had to order this photo from the day dressage camp we did. It shows the bond we have. And clearly the love I have for him. Buddy is my partner-in-crime. I’d be lost without him.

He is the reason I’ve worked so hard. He gets me out of bed on a bad mind day (Bert does that too). He makes me want to be a better rider. He gets the best I can provide him with. Even if that means I go without.

It makes me so sad that there are people who say I’m cruel for riding him. I don’t have the words to convey how I feel in the saddle. Or how he makes me feel. And for someone who writes for a living, that’s something! I have to leave my stuff at the stable door or on the mounting block.

Being away at camps, clinics or competitions bring me joy. A lot of sweat too of course. There have been bruises, there have been broken bones and there have been many, many tears. There have also been amazing achievements, memories and moments.

I’m not the best rider and he’s not the best horse. But we are better together.

We’re off again next week to Big Camp. We couldn’t go last year as Buddy was off games, so looking forward to getting back to the learning…