I’m happy to say, April was good. It kicked off with a 9 hour round trip to Hampshire on the hottest weekend of the year so far. Deeply frustrating to be stuck in a car for so long, but 24 hours with Katie made it all worthwhile. On the Sunday she had invited some of my best friends from college days (yes, back in the 1980s, I’m that old!) for lunch – I couldn’t ask for a better day.
Then on to Barefoot Estates Burnham Market International. Not many people know but I have a real ‘thing’ about camels… it started when I rode one around the age of 6, the first time I ever went abroad (which reminds me, at the time I was attending a convent in East Grinstead, St Agnes & St Michael’s, and my biggest concern after arriving on foreign shores was: ‘Mum, what am I going to tell the nuns when I go back to school?’ Perplexed, she asked me to explain. ‘I’ve been above the clouds…. and there is NO heaven.’)
I can’t remember how I got around that one.
It was almost 20 years later when I was next back in the (camel) saddle, in Egypt with the White Rabbit interloper (for those that haven’t read my previous blogs, simply ignore). I even inflicted my ‘passion’ on said interloper by adopting a camel in his name.
Then, another 10 years or so later, with my ex-husband in Petra, Jordan, I spent a wedding anniversary astride a grumpy, swearing, hilarious dromedary. Given my marital status it’s not rocket science to work out which bit of that holiday made me most happy 😉
You will be forgiven for thinking I have gone off on a tangent, but no – we had camel racing, courtesy of the East Anglian Air Ambulance, Musketeer’s official charity this year, at Burnham Market. With Mitsubishi Motors Badminton, Rockingham and Saracen Feeds Houghton looming I did not step forward this time in case I fell off and bent myself, but I did take the opportunity to have a sneaky ‘bonding session’ with Bertie (pictured – isn’t he handsome?), on whom I have been promised the ride in 3 weeks time when I am a jockey at Houghton…. shameless plug: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Hilary-Manners.
It’s love. What more can I say?
Aside from that, Burnham Market was also a great weekend because a) client of almost 15 years, Oliver Townend (have I said, British number 1 for the last 3 years? Probably…) won the headline 3* class for the 10th time since 2007 b) it’s a rare feeling for an equestrian press officer to get your event mentioned in the Daily Mail, Sunday Express… and even the Daily Star (thanks to the camel/Zara Tindall combo – and to Rhiannon Rix for starring, despite wearing a jacket zipped to the neck – that must be a first for the Daily Star) c) we had fantastic spectator numbers and d) I survived the late night chat/eat/drink sessions with Lorna and my top photographer, Trevor Holt.
Post Burnham I was remarkably sociable – totally out of character for me, but it seems my Norfolk friends have sussed how to get me out of my cave. I even found myself having a ‘make-over’ with Fiona Reddick, bizarrely planned while she was checking the fit of George’s saddle during Burnham – I love a woman who multi-tasks!
So now I am packing for the ‘big one’, Badminton… I can’t wait. I leave at sparrow’s fart in the morning. Will Herr Jung do it again? After his performance in Kentucky last weekend no one can doubt he’s on form and I will never bet against the magic Sam. Time will tell… the really good news is that another client, Piggy French, is back on the Radio Badminton team for the second year… sorry Pigs, but I think it’s time we all heard this again:
Piggy’s post-cross country interview with Michael Jung at Badminton 2016 – classic Piggy!