This summer featured many of North America’s best pairs traveling to England for Burghley and Blenheim. Many of them stayed with the amazing Jacky Green at her Maizey Manor Farm. The great stories continue even as the riders and horses head for home. Thanks as always for writing this Jacky and thank you for reading.
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Sinead and Meg with the world famous pea treatment
From Jacky:
The Will and Nat show are heading home….the house has never seemed so quiet…but man we had fun!
After Burghley we waved goodbye to Sinead, Jessica, and Hawley and saved Kyle Carter from certain starvation by feeding him as he rerouted to Blenheim with the engaging and always entertaining Parker (Madison Park). I have to say looking out of the kitchen window and watching Kyle run up the gallops with Parker as his jogging companion was one of the funniest things I have come across this season. The Canadian riders brought such fun to the yard and Graeme Thom is without doubt blessed with the driest wit I have ever encountered and is quite possibly the funniest person you could ever hang out with. David O’Connor taught one of the best jumping lessons that I have ever watched, there is a reason that guy was one of the best riders in the World and is now one of the top coaches in the World, he just sees the little things that change everything.
After three days driving back and forwards to Burghley, Blenheim was going to be a welcome respite. With everyone due to leave on the Tuesday it was a quick turn around and all was going to plan until the Great English Weather kicked in and it rained solidly all day on Tuesday and everyone elected to stay at Maizey Manor til Wednesday which was fair enough except it totally buggered up my meal plan for the week. Will Faudree had taken over the kitchen, deck bbq and seating area in an heroic attempt to feed his family and everyone else on Monday night whilst I escaped to the pub with assorted Kiwis, therefore Tuesday meant a late dash to Waitrose to compete with Will’s dinner the night before. As I had left on Monday night I actually saw Nat VC acting as sous chef so I think much of the credit should be given to her, even if she was rather aggressive in her chopping methods. Since that day also saw the arrival of Kate Harrington (Ireland) and Caroline Powell (NZL) and groom from Scotland, Bobby Costello (USA) and the usual residents of about 10 we had to resort to chairs from the deck being brought into the house. Of course the dining room chairs arrived today as everyone left…..
Wednesday started early and various lorries left the yard and Blenheim was underway. Much has been written already about the event but suffice to say it was a great one for the USA with Tiana running 2nd and Will and Ernie (Pawlow) finishing 8th with a superb showjumping round and a great end to the UK season for Will. Phillip Dutton never fails to impress cross country and his Mighty Nice was the talk of the event as at just 7 years old he was even ineligible for the CIC*** 8/9 year old class!
So now Will’s little car sits forlornly on the drive waiting for a new owner (impossible to advertise it this time as “one careful owner” as we yanked various bits of the neighbours hedge off it today) and his horsebox has gone to Boomerang Stables to hopefully be sold as well. Nat has wound up her plumbing skills (amazingly she fixed a bathroom leak with no credit card demand, call out payment, or 5 cups of tea), cleaning skills (I am thinking I might have to have the industrial cleaners in to my house before her 2012 return just to match what she has achieved), horse care skills, gardening skills (I have a new front garden thanks to Nat) and all round winner of best House Guest of the Year 2011 award (not to be underestimated as we have had about 35) and certain winner of best thank you card ever….Nat, you and I know it hits the spot but we might just keep that to ourselves! The house is strangely silent without our Will, either surfing the net, tip tapping away on his lap top or just making inane comments on what passes by the window which at Maizey Manor can often be very strange indeed.
We still have Ballindenisk (NZ rider), Boekelo (IRE rider) and Le Lion D’Angers (NZ rider) to go so we are a way off the finish but as our friends across the pond departed it is hard to realize they will not be back til 2012. In Nat’s favorite words, So long! Farewell!……never really did get her thing about the Sound of Music!
