July

Scottish Endurance Championships - Scone Palace Well we did it!  Pendragon stormed round 64km, split over two days and I'm really proud of him. I was tired on day two but he showed no signs.  The routes on both days were great and the field below Scone Palace to start day one and the field by the river to end both days (at canter) were absolutely fab.  So proud of the beast - now upwards and onwards to Longnewton in two weeks time.

Congratulations to Gaoth, Jackie and her team for their results at NPS Area 25 show.  Gaoth won his Intermediate Workers class and went Reserve Intermediate Workers Champion.  Testament to all the work Jackie has put in since he left me as a wee scruffy two year old. Congratulations again

Countdown to the Champs! A week tomorrow we go up for the weekend to Perth and the Scottish Endurance Riding Club Championships - very excited to see there are three other Exmoors entered as well as Pendragon, hope to catch up with them over the weekend.  Had my first butterfly moment over the ride today - 2 day 60km, here's hoping!!!

Broughton Weekend.  SERC Lothian's Broughton weekend is famous not only for the ride but for the profiteroles!  We had a brilliant weekend down there and rode the 19km Pleasure ride on Saturday.  Pendragon stormed round the route, really enjoying himself and we ended up 6th in the class and he won the Best Condition trophy!!!  So pleased with him - two weeks it's the champs so looking forward to that now!

More good news this weekend was hearing that Pendragon's half brother has been chosen for the Irish Home International/Celtic Challenge team, coming to Burgie at the end of August.  Well done Tasha and Zeno

June

D-Day finally dawns!  Pendragon was entered in the 50km ride at SERC Lothians Seacliff ride for his Bronze Thistle Final.  As usual we camped/corralled the night before and had a great time chatting with chums.  Next day he stormed round the route, 10.6kph and although we vetted on silver, again that had a lot to do with the weather conditions. So proud of him considering he towed me round the whole route!

Thank you to Lorna for the crewing and the taking of the picture - 40+ km and he's still wanting to race!

May

A last minute addition to the SERC Lothians calendar was the return of the postponed John Muir ride.  We spent a lovely Friday evening jaunting round the 16km route, followed by a barbeque - great way to spend the end of the week!

Pendragon again camped/corralled with Team Bell, this time at the SERC Lothians Cadrona ride - very tough but we got completion.  He was fine the next day but I wasn't, not helped by having walked two munros two days before the ride!!!

Flecknoe has foaled - this time a lovely filly that I've called Olive.  Pictures will follow when time

April

The Lochmaben ride went really well - an amazing venue and a good route for our first competitive ride of the year.  The weather was a little unkind during and after the ride so we vetted on silver but happy with the result and at least the camping weather was good (though frost was on the ground early Sunday morning!)

Well another SERC ride has fallen victim to the weather.  With the gales and snow that we experienced in the last week, the John Muir ride on Easter Day was cancelled, great shame for all the organisers who's hard work has come to nowt.  Hopefully that's the end of the really awful weather - especially we're camping/corralling in two weeks time for the Lochmaben ride!!!

Have added a blog for pony and pup exploits in case anyone is that bored!  Blog

March

Pendragon's first ride at Roslin Glen went really well - with him proving to me he's far fitter than I thought he was!  We followed it up the next day with a ride out from West Fenton with a group of Icelandics.  He was SO TIRED from his exertions the day before that he had to jog most of the walking bits and GALLOP on Gullane beach!!! 

Website update - Eagle eyed stalkers will notice that there are now links to pictures on the Herd 309 page!  Hoping to add a blog onto here to supplement the news page and make it easier to update the pony exploits!

February

SERC Lothians AGM - Pendragon won the Bobby Dazzler Trophy for the 2009 season, as well as receiving his 500km distance rosette.  Really proud of the beast - here's to a successful 2010 season with no injuries!

Still not done as much as I'd hoped due to the weather but last weekend we FINALLY got to the beach (despite more snowfall!) Pendragon and his chums were definitely on their toes after enforced boredom!  Tyree even got to join in with the regulation bacon sarnie picnic afterwards - we've picniced in worse you know!!!!!!!!

January

Snowy snow snow - getting fed up of the stuff by now but needless to say the ponies are all taking it in their stride :)