End of an Era

It was a sad day yesterday - we finally sold Ritz & Max's carriage. There will be no more flying round the countryside, cones or obstacles with the dastardly pair.

After 8 years of excitement, frustration and fun in and around the Wolds, Max - at the age of 23 - is now officially retired. Sadly, his arthiritis now makes it difficult for him to work without pain, particularly on the hilly territory around here. The German warmblood half brothers came to us as 'schoolmasters' having enjoyed a busy career competing both in England and France with a number of handlers. We learned a lot from them. Particularly, we learned that there was not a lot they did not know and they very quickly had us trained to their ways! Ritz taught us all about dealing with colic -he managed to have three bouts in quick succession soon after arriving. The first required transportation to the equine hospital in Rutland - when we had no transportation! We knew virtually nobody in the area but we quickly learned how to rustle up trailer, towing vehicle and driver! Thank you Ritz. Over the years he has taught a number of people not to take him for granted - either by a crafty and well-placed nip (one local vet learned to be very wary of him!), or a well-timed buck (on one occasion tossing a complacent would-be groom into the dirt), or doing a 'platform nine-and-a-half' through various hedges and fences. Danke Ritz. They both taught us that trailers were not the transportation of choice for well bred equines..... many a hazardous journey was undertaken with the pair of them creating all sorts of mayhem in the back before we finally traded the trailer for a lorry - overnight the terrible travellers were transformed into angels! Throughout, Max has always been the straight guy, reliable and steady in contrast to the crafty and sharp Ritz. The only time he has ever really displayed a temper has been in his impatience to get going once hitched to the carriage. Mind you, there was one memorable occasion when the pair of them showed what they were made of on a particularly trappy uphill farm track - and we very nearly lost our two senior citizen passengers out the back...... We shall miss seeing their two pairs of ears ahead of us.

Now the search is on for a lighter weight carriage for Ritz for next season.... though the elder of the pair, he has far too much go in him to consider retiring to pasture yet a while. I don't doubt that he'll lead us a merry dance between the shafts on his own though.

Meanwhile, we have now witnessed the squirrells dashing hither and thither with conkers clutched between their jaws..... so that explains the piles and piles of discarded conker shells everywhere. It is an entirely new 'thing' to us this year. Is it an omen? An indicator of a really hard winter ahead? We shall find out.........