Jill’s Royal Windsor Horse Show report from Thursday …

After a great reception and dinner last evening in our hotel, several of the group slept in! However, a hardy goup joined me at 8:30 this morning to walk over to the show and be shown around. Each year it seems that the show is slightly changed in layout and classes and I am often left surprised!

The weather was sunny and warm first thing this morning and continued so until after lunch. Then there was a little shower (this is England!!) and clouds and it was cold. I watched some Hackney classes this morning, then walked down to the driven dressage arena and saw Tucker Johnson score a 49 (ending in second place overall despite having his best leader spun from the vet check yesterday — apparently it did something to a leg while being transported from Germany to Windsor and was lame). Complete scores came be seen at www.hoefnet.com.

Then it was back to the Castle Arena to watch the Light Trade class. Fantastic is how I could describe it with fifteen in the class (six two-wheel and nine four-wheel vehicles). They all came in the ring together but ribbons were placed in both the two-wheel and four-wheel divisions and then an overall champion was announced. The class took almost an hour to complete as each turnout was given the chance for an individual workout (halt for a close look by the judge, then a figure-eight at the trot, a short walk back to the judge, stop, and back). There were some really unusual vehicles, and it was fun to see.

At 4:30 this afternoon, the entire CAA group was invited to a Pimms Party in the camp area of the Fawcetts, the Woods, and the Sellers. Great fun.