The move South Dec 2005 to April 2006

I'm not keen to go into details on this site as to where Sam and I hang out, as you never know who reads these things (although that’s me wishfully thinking that anyone will read this site!). Anyway, without mentioning specific locations I had my initial drunken meeting with Sam up in Cheshire where he was based and I had just moved to. My move up there was with work and meeting and taking on Sam, to be honest, was my one saving grace as I am a southern girl through and through and missed my family and friends far too much being stuck up North. Anyway, being at the other end of England did finally become too much and so after much negotiation in my company it was finally agreed that I could move back to the London office which of course meant finding a new home down South for Sam.

After ignoring my boyfriend's suggestion that we "trade Dobbin in at the glue factory" I started my search for a new home for Sam in January 2006. Although I was moving back to central London I was keen that Sam remain able to spend most of his time kicking his heels in a field (I personally think it is cruel to keep a horse stable 24/7). So from January to March most weekends were spent trawling round the (many) livery yards that circle London trying to find a suitable place for him. I eventually found a perfect place that has many ex racehorses, its own gallops and is surrounded by lovely hacking countryside.

What I don’t think I mentioned earlier is that by the end of 2005 Sam was completely sound and so I had started first lunging and long-reining him and then moved onto riding by January 2006. Even though he has never been schooled in his life (just lots of moving fast in one direction!) he has very good natural paces and so as soon as I got on his back my plans went up a notch and my new aim is to start eventing him – although only small one day events no plans for Badminton or anything! As they say though “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and although he moves well that is only in straight lines and so it is going to take a lot of work to get to the stage of even staying in a dressage ring let alone looking like we know what we are doing. Anyway, with Sam moved in to his new home at the end of April our quest to become an event team had now begun in earnest...