I have just returned from a short but very sweet ski trip to Norway. It was great to get away for a few days with my Dad, brother George and some friends. My father built the hytte (Norwegian word for chalet!) in the mountains 32 years ago and we have been going there since we were 6.
It is the most beautiful and picturesque country and we do a mixture of downhill and cross-country skiing. It is always fairly entertaining teaching our friends to cross-country ski and there were a fair few falls, but luckily everyone stayed in one piece.
Before I went away I had a lesson with Emma Fisher on Kitkat (Another Breakfast) and took my 4-year-old Archie for his first lesson. Both were very good and we just did some gymnastic exercises with them. After Kitkat’s small back problem at the end of the season we will be building him up again slowly, doing lots of grid work to make sure he gets really strong in his back, so he won’t be jumping anything big for a while.
Archie is still very green but by the end of the lesson he was happily jumping back and forth over spooky fillers. He just needs to get his confidence so will we take things slowly and do lots at home in the school and get him out in the field jumping over logs and ditches (weather permitting!).
They both had a little break while I was away, but we will now crack on again as the 2014 season is approaching scarily fast. We will be in March before we know it and there is still lots to work on.
The Harry Fry Racing team is still in great form and we have had another 3 winners from the last 4 runners, including exciting chase debuts from Karinga Dancer and the stable star Rock On Ruby. We have a yard Christmas outing to the greyhound track in Poole on Sunday. I’ve never been before so it should be great fun and I know everyone on the yard is really looking forward to it.
Happy Christmas and New Year everyone.
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Rosie
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Rosie Fry has been blogging for Horse & Hound since shortly after she left university to concentrate on eventing full time in July 2013. She is the sister of National Hunt trainer Harry Fry and helps school and exercise his horses when time allows.