Today is a lazy Sunday perfect for doing nothing but reading and watching films etc! But I have to talk about yesterday it was great as I trained again with Bimbo. We started at 8am Markus had his first lesson with Bimbo on Dr Doolittle and then I followed with Domino. I decided to ride in the snaffle as usually I ride with the double but I felt it was a good idea to have a change. In the beginning we focused on changing the speed and tempo of the trot on each long side for at least two transitions. This is good for Domino because it helps him relax, next we rode the canter, after the warm up we started with the tempi changes. I have the fours and threes really secure and the twos, but I tend not to over practice because I have a competition approaching soon.

Bimbo was very happy with the twos and asked me to ride one one tempi change on the long side. It was amazing! Domino did them like he had always done them. We rode two ones, thee more times for Domino’s first effort and Bimbo said it was super. After a quick walk break Bimbo helped me with the whip again on the long side on the left rein to start the piaffe, it’s getting more established, next on a circle to start the passage this really makes the horse bend and flex the hock.

Duke was also good, the piaffe has improved so much and the height of the steps has vastly increased. It was a great morning, Markus sits in on my lessons sometimes he translates for me but Bimbo and Markus work very well together and I think that’s very positive as the more eyes on the ground the better.

This coming week will be a little strange for me as Wanda (the Swiss rider living next to me) is going home for three months. I will miss her a lot as we have become good friends.

I really don't know where the time goes! It’s definitely changing seasons here, you can feel the drop in temperature and everybody keeps warning me how cold the winters get here in Germany. The horses are all going well. Rocco is great at the moment, I had a little fall from him last week - nothing too bad luckily! It was last Monday and he was feeling rather fresh, someone banged a door and off I came! Apart from that he’s coming along really well, though he has still a lot of growing to do.

My Mum came to visit last Tuesday and it was lovely to see her. She hasn’t seen me ride the horses in a long while - I was secretly hoping she would see my improvement and she said that it was vast! I have started the two tempis with Domino so it was a nice surprise for her as he finds them so easy! The piaffe steps Bimbo has helped me with have really enabled Domino become stronger and be able to hold his power. As for Duke she was really happy! I had been riding all the Grand Prix movements well enough, but now we are working on the details and the piaffe and passage are much better. Whilst Mum was here I got spoiled a little in the Schockemohle saddlery - they were having a sale and I got some new fleeces for the winter.

Last week was the Vechta Auction so on one evening we all went to watch the preview presentation. The format is similar to the spring auction I told you about, the horses were of a good quality again, and three horses really stood out hence one of them being sold for half a million Euros to Denmark! The prices are becoming huge.

On Friday evening there was a big celebration for Uwe Heckmann who has worked at Vechta for thirty years! For those of you who don’t know who Uwe is, he is the Vechta and PSI (Performance Sales International) auctioneer - a fantastic showman and he also trains the auction riders during the previews and is a very knowledgeable horseman. Markus was head rider at the auction house for ten years! The evening consisted of showing some of the best auction horses and various acts from comedy to fancy dress - it was fun. At the end we had tickets to the VIP tent where people ate and drank a little, it was a lovely evening. Unfortunately Saturday and Sunday I felt a bit under the weather so I didn’t do everything I had planned.

Today I worked on the basics with my horses in preparation for lessons with Bimbo tomorrow. On Mondays and Thursdays the whole yard eats lunch together in our ‘casino’. It’s nice to sit and chat and the lovely food is a bonus.