Hoofing It through London

On Thursday I set out from Mount Mascal stables to ride back to Wales, visiting HOOF London supported stables en route.  Passing Greenwich Park on the day of the memorable individual dressage finals, I arrived mid afternoon at Vauxhall City Farm www.vauxhallcityfarm.org where Zorbee was stabled overnight near an assortment of animals including alpacas and chickens.  Linda the manager went to great effort to keep him happy by moving their two shetland ponies into the next door stables where he could see them - Zorbee tends to panic if he thinks he has been abandoned without equine company - and she phoned to assure me he had settled in.  Thanks Linda!
The next day I rode to Park Lane stables in Teddington via Deen City Farm www.deencityfarm.co.uk , passing very close to my daughter's house share in Tooting Bec - so I was very pleased when housemates Emma and Lou came down to the station to cheer me on!

..and no, I did not cheat by taking the tube - though I don't think Oyster cards are available for horses.

Handing Over the Flag

Last Wednesday August 1st I was delighted to be invited as a guest of honour to a British Equestrian Federation reception on board the Cutty Sark in the presence of HRH the Princess Royal.  In Beijing in 2009 I was presented with an Olympic flag by the Chinese Equestrian Association at the official starting ceremony. I flaunted it on a pole riding into Greenwich, and I was now given the opportunity to officially hand it over to the Chairman of the BEF, Keith Taylor.I also gave a little speech which seemed to go down very well - at any rate the Master of the Worshipful Company of Farriers subsequently asked me if I would give a talk to them at some point!

Here I am hobnobbing with Princess Anne, who came over to quiz me about the journey - she was most engaged and friendly, and we were also able to congratulate her on the wonderful success of daughter Zara in the Olympic eventing!