Its been a tough few months for me here at the farm, watching the gradual deterioration of our wonderful stallion Whisper. In just a short period of time his health deteriorated so much that attempts to give him a great quality of life seemed futile.

On the 10th of March 2011 Whisper was finally laid to rest, buried beside our other great stallion Ramazotti on a rise overlooking the broodmare paddocks. My vet Noel Power did a wonderful job of letting this wonderful horse move on to a pain free and restful place. Whisper took it all in his stride with dignity and calmness and I know in my heart he was ready to go. Still, those last few minutes together when I walked him from the stable to the field, talking to him of how much love I had for him and how much I admired and adored him, were minutes I will treasure forever. As we stood together in the field and he ate carrots and apples out of my hand, my mind wandered back to the great victories we shared, and the pains we had endured together both in NZ and the USA. It had been a rollercoaster of a year long journey for both of us, with the saddest of all endings. The last thing I whispered in his ear as he laid down to the ground was a simple "Thank-you".

March is always a busy time for us, with the NZ Dressage Nationals and the Horse of the Year Show. This year I decided to make it even more tricky by attending the Arabian National Championships as well.

For the first time ever the Dressage Nationals were held in Fielding at the big impressive indoor venue Manfield Park. I took Donnerwind down in the Horse Van (www.horsevans.co.nz) and he enjoyed a very comfortable journey!

I managed to arrive late (nothing too unusual there!) and had only a limited amount of time to get Donnerwind used to the indoor venue. He felt terrible that night, stiff and looking at everything - not with me at all... But by the next day he was supple and concentrating and we went in and rode what I think was the best PSG level test I have ever ridden - and there's been a few! I felt like I could just sit and do nothing, and with no mistakes - magic! The Australian FEI judge agreed, giving us the massive score of 68.16% and saying that Donnerwind "is a true international Prix St Georges horse". Unfortunately the local judges didn't see the quality she did, so we finished 3rd in the test - but in my heart I knew it was something special.

Every so often my teaching takes me to a magical location somewhere in the world. Banff for instance, nestled under the Canadian Rockies is one such place. Spruce Lodge in County Wicklow, Ireland is another that a remember fondly.

In January 2011 my teaching took me to a special spot in my own country though - Tahi - A secluded estate of over 740 acres, encompassing surf beach to native forest. Situated about an hour from Whangarei in Northland, Tahi is no ordinary farm - oh no...

Having foals born is an exciting time for any breeder - wondering just what colour they will turn out to be, what sex, and with what markings. Well in January we had an extra-special delivery - our first (and only for this season) Whisper foal was born.

Because Whisper arrived with us so late in the breeding season last year we only put a few mares to him. One of these was own own three year old mare Luxor (Landioso / Wesserwolf / Haajii) who is simply a stunning mover.

I decided that Whisper needs a break from competing - nothing left to prove and no oportunties to further himself in New Zealand at this stage. So I decided to drag the wonderful twenty year old Rheinlander stallion Donnerwind out of retirement to see how he would fare back in the competition ring.

After an injury back in October of 2009 I decided that Donnerwind's career was over and he deserved an easy retirement - but now I'm seriously rethinking those plans! I dropped him down a level from Grand Prix to Prix St Georges / Intermediare I level (a rule I help instigate the changing of a few year's back) and pitted him against the best horses in the the country at the North Island Dressage Champs. And he didn't disappoint.

At the start of 2011 I welcomed "Bling" into my home for a month or two. She is a harrier hound pup who had joined me for a bout of "Puppy Walking" where a young pup leaves the pack to be socialised. She was tremendous fun to have around, but kept me on my toes with practicing her "speeches" at 6am every morning and constantly redistributing shoes, brushes, sponges and the like all around the farm. Bling even made an appearance at the North Island Dressage Championships - but there is a bit of a funny story to go with that!

Christmas is a simply great time of year to be a Kiwi. We are not stuck in snow, but instead have wonderful weather and plenty of long summer nights for BBQ's with friends.

Its also a very busy time of the year for us here as it is the middle of the breeding season. This year is Whisper's first proper year at stud and we sent semen right around New Zealand from Kaitaia in the North to Invercargill in the South and just about every place in between. I don't think I will ever get sick of breeding horses - I simply love getting mares in foal - especially the "tricky" ones. Poor Sarah, our worker from Northern Ireland had to learn how to collect semen off the stallions in my absence (away teaching around the country) and package it up and send it to the airport for distribution. That is an icky and somewhat dangerous job, but she always handled it so well.

As much as I love traveling the world and meeting new people - spreading the equitation science message far and wide - its safe to say there's no place like home!

Getting back from the World Games and straight back into my daily chores here at Raglan was a bit of a drag, but was made easier with the arrival of a new foal whilst I was still on my way home. The best kind of foal watch is one you are not there for as far as I am concerned, and with the mare dropping earlier than expected I didn't have to endure sleepless nights on my return home.