Does anyone else feel as though 2021 has utterly flown by? I can’t believe this will be my very last ‘monthly musings’ of the year and it feels like just yesterday that I was taking down my decorations and facing up to another lockdown. That lockdown proved to be the toughest yet for many people I know, with short, cold January days and long, boring evenings trapped indoors. Thankfully, we used the extra time positively, working hard to bring on a host of our homebred youngsters. This extra time invested in their development meant that the 2021 babies are even more special than normal (and we’re always over the moon with results our youngstock get!) and we can’t wait to see what they go on to achieve.
I was very thankful for the timely completion of an exciting yard project as well. When the weather forecast was certainly throwing plenty of ‘spring showers’ (with extra snow) at us in April, our new indoor school was nearing completion. I can safely say that it’s been a fantastic investment for the yard and is constantly in use by all of us, giving us extra schooling space and somewhere to really help youngsters focus. And you stay dry, which in North Yorkshire is not something to be sniffed at!
When the summer finally did roll around, we held our first TCE Camps since 2019 (absolutely no prizes for guessing why they weren't held in 2020...) which were a great success. Our camps gather keen riders and their horses here at my yard for 2 dressage lessons with myself, test riding, Pilates, Baileys feed advice and a lot of laughs! Our camps ran throughout spring, summer and autumn, with the very last one taking place at the very end of November. That one was all about the Baileys hot chocolate and keeping warm!
I also started a new ‘Coffee & Cake Club’ this year. These are the perfect (in my mind!) blend of an hour-long lesson with up to three friends sharing the session then sociable coffee and homemade cakes in the clubhouse area. These kicked off in October and they have been so popular that I will definitely be carrying on with them after Christmas. You can book on the website and the lessons run from 10:30am all the way through to 7:30pm, so people who work during the day can still join in.
The year has also brought some fantastic results for us in the ring. I was over the moon to qualify 6 horses for the LeMieux National Dressage Championships which took place in September at Somerford Park in Cheshire. The preparations paid off with an amazing fourth place in the Shearwater 4-year-old class for Majesteit TCE and I am very grateful that my parents have stepped in so that I can keep him here in the yard. We also started up our first ever Team Chapman Equestrian event horse syndicate for Madame Revolution TCE. This beautiful homebred mare is by the world young horse dressage champion Revolution out of an Alicante mare (a leading jumping stallion), and I believe she really has it all. She’s already showing a scopey, bold and careful jump, bravery when cross-country schooling and has paces to die for. She will be campaigned by our super event rider Holly Richardson, and you can learn more about the syndicate here. I’ve been so bowled away by the response to the syndicate and can’t wait to see this mare out competing next year.
One thing which has stayed wonderfully constant throughout a very up and down year is the words of encouragement from my supporters. So, before I sign off for the year and plan my mince pie and mulled wine consumption for the next few weeks, I’d love to say a big thank you to my followers and fellow riders. Your support has been amazing throughout a year which was downright difficult at times, and I’m so grateful to you all. Here’s hoping 2022 will be just as successful!
And one last thing… If you’re hoping to spend some of the Christmas holidays searching for a new horse for 2022 (and I have to say that sounds like a wonderful way to spend some time!) why not take a look at what we have for sale here at Team Chapman Equestrian? Either take a look on my website on our Current Availability page or have a little scroll through our Facebook page.