Blog: When real life gets in the way of being an overgrown pony kid

Between getting a promotion and my close friend having her baby early, I have had almost no time over the past fortnight to fit in more than six hours' sleep a night, never mind continue to mastermind how to buy Magic and find a way to fit her in my back garden in true pony kid style! I do hate it when mundane things such as work get in the way of my beloved horses but gaining a new godson is never a bad thing, he is absolutely beautiful.

The good thing about the promotion (aka let's increase your workload three-fold!) is that it moves me that much closer to perhaps one day getting my hands on my own horse to make my inner pony kid explode with excitement...

Magic in full-on donkey mode

Another date for the diary

Working full-time in a non-horsey profession means that I don't get to attend nearly as many equestrian events as I would like (for instance, this weekend's HOYS or Olympia in December, which I will NEVER be able to go to as long as I am working in retail. Time off in December doesn't exist in this trade!), but one thing I have managed to squeeze into my calendar is Your Horse Live.

This show (exhibition? Event? It's more like a combination of all three as far as I can tell) is being held over the weekend of 10th and 11th November this year, and you can either go to both Saturday and Sunday, or just choose to visit on one of the days which is what I'm doing, seeing as a non-horsey friend expressed an interest in coming and I thought one day would probably suffice when you're not all that fascinated by brushing boots and new chaps. It's on at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire, and although I will admit that all of the tradestands proved to be pretty tempting, even after my blow-out at Burghley, it was the celebrity demonstrators that really made me want to go. Charlotte Dujardin, Carl Hester, my old friend Mary King, Ben Maher...all the people that inspired and excited us over the summer, under one roof! And all for the bargain price of £16.50 for an adult in advance. Add to that the fact that a nearby hotel only cost us just over £30 for two of us for one night, and you've got a pretty good deal for the weekend.

I don't plan on spending much, with Christmas being just around the corner by then, but I could really do with some new half chaps, any suggestions? And I have no doubt that I will find my way into the Joules tradestand at some point during the day...