I have to start with last Friday. Farouche and Wavavoom (according to the Badminton Young Horse Championships) are the two best four year olds in the country, and Farouche was placed first overall, beating all the five year olds in the process! I have said from the beginning of her lunge and ridden work that Farouche was better than any horse I have ever seen. For the last twelve years I have visited Germany several times every year and seen the best in shows and competition, and for 'raw talent' I had never seen a horse with three such amazing paces. I say this with satisfaction rather than pride because as a breeder you know that you can do the most thoughtful things with the best strategies and you should get a better than average horse, but to get perhaps one of the best young mares in Europe is just great fortune. The satisfaction is about seeing how special she was and how very special her mother (Dornroeschen) was, and then being right when they went under saddle.

Much the same can be said about Voom. There is never another horse that I would rather take home for sheer athleticism and attitude. 24 hours before Badminton, he had to provide semen for three mares and he is now very switched off with the covering, having had a very busy season. We have multiple mares in foal to him and apart from females from his closest family there is no mare that I would not use him on. When he was graded in Hanover, one well known pundit said to me that he was surprised that he was not a Premium stallion (he is in the UK) and we thought that it was only the traditional breeding (Weltmeyer x Donnerhall on a Longchamp x Davignon) that kept him in a different place.

I could perhaps stop breeding now because how could it ever get better. Sadly for my children (who on one level think I should stop) I just want to prove that this is repeatable and encourage other British breeders. These two youngsters represent the possibilities of British breeding with their dams also being British bred.

At the end of June, which seems ages ago, we had another yard visit from the NW Dressage Group and were very flattered by their return. Unfortunately, Carsten had had a car accident the previous Friday and his ignition key had gone into his knee rendering him unable to walk. (He was able to ride, telling me it was easier than walking, by the following Monday.) This resulted in Ferdi and Michael Eilberg doing a great duet on the day with a three year old, two four year olds (Voom and Farouche) and a real treat was to see Dornroeschen (Rosie, Farouche’s dam) who had won her Inter I the previous day with 71% plus. We also discussed the breeding strategies and saw this year’s wonderful foals. From Rockstar’s family a Desert Moon colt and a Del Amitri filly; from Voom’s family a Rockstar colt; from my Londonderry mare a spectacular black colt who looks to be another superstar and from Farouche, the supermodel herself, a wonderful bay filly by Wesuvio, who is just like her mother to look at and is really starting to move. Last but not least is the only Voom colt, Winwood, out of our mare who descends directly from the dam line of Ferro.

I was very heartened when Ferdi congratulated us on these foals. More riders should know where top horses come from and my dearest wish is that these young horses become like cherished supercars where there is a waiting list for a Farouche youngster or a Rosie youngster or whichever mare or stallion proves itself to be in the top 5%.

Very sadly, following great interest and emotional engagement from the Horse Hero community, we had to put to sleep our foal with the insummoutable challenges in his hind limbs. We had tried everything and supported him for a long period but it became clear that he was going to struggle with an independent life. We needed to leave him in the stable with his mother to, effectively, bury him and come to terms with his death. Within less than five days, she is fully recovered and with one of the visiting mares in the field, munching away. For animals, death is much more a matter of fact while for people our intellect makes it harder to accept. It is always so sad as from certain angles and perspectives everything looks viable, but isn’t really. Goodnight Deo! Now I can cry when I think about it but when you are having to make the decision you must be much tougher than that.

It’s just three days to the first Futurity and we are taking two foals. There is no time this year for too much polishing. They will have two days in from the field, maybe some plaiting, but that will be it. We are up to our ears with backing, breaking, schooling and covering and, just for good measure, deciding to move if we can. For my day job, which is more and more in and out of London, I need to be closer to a motorway and/or fast line station. We have found a perfect place but it will need a lot of work so I have also advertised a lot of youngstock and ridden horses for sale to give us a bit of a window during our move. In two weeks we will start stallion preparation, Voom will have done his Hartpury National and as soon as Maria is back from Aachen, will be off to the Eilbergs'.

The last two weeks have also been challenging as my 86 year old mother is seriously ill in hospital so I have been running in and out of Birmingham trying to make sense of what is happening with her. When I finally talked to him, her consultant – a Welshman of course – was great and gave me a good hour of explanation and prognosis but it is still a very difficult time. When I finish this, I must find a nursing home because as and when they discharge her she will be unable to cope without more care for some time.

It’s a beautiful day today and as I write this, the only sound is that of the wind in the trees and the distant noise of haymaking. It is idyllic walking the fields with the curious youngsters approaching to greet you and the mares raising their heads from grazing to just check up on the posse of foals playing together (the boys are very rough). It’s time for a glass of wine and the next load of bandages and saddle cloths into the washing machine. Cheers!