Friday, 30 January 2015 00:00

Back From Oz And Ready for The 2015 Season

So as I am writing this I am in the air 36,000 ft above ground on my way back from a fabulous two weeks in Australia visiting my sister in Melbourne and attending my good friend James Gaspers wedding down on the Mornington Penninsula, South of Melbourne. The two weeks have flown by but we have had some amazing experiences and Australia is a country that I have really come to love. The weather has been pretty kind to us and we have both managed to catch a bit of the sun without frying too much. I have to say I am not looking forwards to getting off plane in Birmingham and feeling the drop in temperature, let's hope it is at least dry!

To break up the winter with a trip to the sun is a real help but I couldn't do it without my amazing team at home who are all working diligently whilst we are away. Although I am sad to leave my sister and her partner Dave as well as my brother and friends it will be nice to see the horses, dogs and team again and get going with the 2015 season and all of the wonderful horses I am privileged to compete.

We have had a few changes at Team Pickles for the 2015 season and I am very sad to say Red Horse Rug Clean will no longer be sponsoring us. We have some really fun times over the last few years and I wish Tina Faulkner and her lovely crew of horses all the best for the future and would like to thank her for all the support she has shown me over the last four years. My era of riding the black and white wonder pony (aka Whole Lotta Rosie) is over but I am sure she will now give a younger person a huge amount of fun. I look forward to watching out for how all the Hathaway Horses are going after starting their careers here at Team Pickles and hope they all have bright futures.

We have had a busy winter prior to me jetting off to the sun. PLS Bluejay qualified for the BD Regional Dressage Finals which will be held later this year. He has improved beyond recognition on the dressage front and is looking forwards to eventing again this spring. I am in the midst of planning my season to kill some time as we fly back although sleep deprivation and decision making do not seem to go hand in hand I may have to revise this after I have had some sleep.

I have also taken some time to work on my riding with some regular dressage lessons which I have found hugely helpful and I am thoroughly enjoying the experience of having expert eyes on the ground again.

We also have some new supporters for the season with Topspec feeds and JS Equine equestrian products joining us as Sponsors. I have used Topspec for a number of years so I am hugely excited to have them supporting us with their huge range of products and excellent customer service team.

JS Equine are a Cotswold based company who provide all our yard essentials and wormers at very competitive prices; they have a comprehensive website http://jsequine.co.uk/ so well worth a look and I am very pleased to have them on board.

I would like to also thank my current sponsors Equestrian Direct and North Cotswold Construction for their continued support. It is such a huge commitment for these companies to make and I am hugely grateful for all they do for me.

We have a new Twitter account and will soon be joining Instagram thanks to my super team so look out for lots of updates and results of how the horses and team are going aswell as my usual posts on Facebook and Twitter.

So there you go, once I have finished my planning I will update you with where we are heading first but it will be nice to spend a few days getting back on them all and remembering how to ride!

The website is currently being updated with all the new recruits and those who we have lost this season so watch this space!

Colina

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