The beginning of the comps. The great thing about our indoor arena, is that there is so much light it brightens up the whole event. I dont want to dwell on how much sand we moved and raked and added and raked and moved and added.... you get the idea! Here is King of the Seas, showing us how it is done. Sugar Confection had a go too, who says and old gal cant make the grade! She gave King a run for his money although I think King was holding back a little. (Always one for the ladies!).

And here is Showdown, patiently waiting his turn to show off in the arena. He is amazing to watch. Trouble is, he clears the jumps so well, and so high, that he loses time! He doesn't seem to mind though as he enjoys the change, once in a while, from dressage I think.

Of course, it wasnt all confined to the indoor school. We made the most of the weather and had our own little gymkhana outside. The best way yo describe it would be "Oganised Chaos". Whether anyone remembered the rules or not I have no idea, but they did seem to be made up as the riders went along. There were loads of allowances made as many competitors were young and we wanted to create a fun atmosphere and a bit of day out feel. I think it worked.

The "Display Team" This lot had me on the floor with laughter. They were brilliant at barrel racing and they did it all in sync with each other. Then they would throw in a move that looked like they had made a mistake which threw the others in to disaray, only to recover with amazing skill and finesse. It was all an act of course, and we all thought it brilliant. Not bad for amatuers practicing at weekends!

We put the boards up to protect the sides of the arena and to create a preparation area for before the events. This obstacle course was huge fun. the riders had to jump smaller bars and fences, while carrying a teapot (plastic) full of water (cold) we added food colouring to the water so it was easy to tell if any was spilt. We had to limit the participants as even the 'posh' horses and their riders were clamouring to have a go. It was fun to watch hanno's, usually seen sailing regally over huge fences, manouvering over smaller bars with ears and eyes swivelling to see what was being done with a bright red teapot! The dignity aspect had totally disappeared!

It was a fabulous day, enjoyed by all. If I have the energy, I may even organise another one!