As hard as it was to pick myself up from the disappointment that was America, I knew that I had to get back to work as quickly as possible. Because Whisper would need to spent five weeks in quarantine before the breeding season in NZ could commence, I decided to head up to the UK and Ireland to run some clinics and get myself back up and running again.

I flew from San Fran direct to London and straight on up to Belfast in Northern Ireland. I was pleased as ever to see my darling friend Chris there to greet me and the standard Drumeen Lodge BBQ and booze-up was held that first night - a great chance to catch up with the Northern Irish crew and see what they had been up to in the last year since I was last over. I had plenty of lessons booked out and some interesting behavioural issues to contend with. These included a 3yo coloured trotting mare that bolted thru her stable doorway and was becoming more than slightly dangerous. She took all my skills and four sessions to fix - the sort of job that would normally take half an hour...

After Northern Ireland I headed south to Dublin and spent another four days running clinics and teaching alongside Orla Doherty who lectures in animal behaviour at University College Dublin. We met a couple of years ago at the ISES (International Society for Equitation Science) conference and it was super to renew our acquaintances.

Then it was off to Holland and visiting Donnerwind's family - I simply can't get to Europe without calling in on them for a few days. We went to the big horse show at Breda - there was eventing, showjumping and carriage driving as well as dressage. It was a great day out and I followed with interest the tactics employed in the warm-ups for both the show jumping and dressage riders.

I went to Germany on the train after that to look at more business opportunities and enjoy some great hospitality from Mary-Anne Winfield my adopted Aunt who is over there training.

And then it was back to England to visit and teach Laura Sale who was my long suffering groom last season. Laura and her mother had done a fantastic job in organising a lecture demo for me, I think we would have had 50 people turn up, and plenty booked in for lessons afterwards.

I had been told many months ago of a lady in England who wanted help with her more challenging horses - and so I headed to South Farm near Cirencester to help Annie Backhouse with her horses, in particular a very talented young jumper called Blue who was dull to the leg aids, inattentive, and would often freeze then explode. Annie is a very talented horsewoman and it was a pleasure to meet her and stay at her wonderful farm. She had in her youth, won many big international showjumping titles, and was crowed European Ladies Champion one year. Blue took well to learning new signals and was straightened out in just a few days, much to Annie's delight! To have a rider of her talent and experience who at 70 is willing to learn a whole new technique of horse training was nothing short of humbling.

I was lucky enough to get in plenty of hunting in England, although its only cubbing at the moment, it was a good chance to get out and about and meet some great hunting identities on the UK scene. I went out with the Ledbury, VWH and North Herefordshire foxhounds and also the RAC beagles which are a Harrier pack that hunt on foot.

It's now half way thru September and I haven't really been home since the end of April - so I'm winding up my overseas adventure for the winter and will be heading home via the World Games where I will unfortunately be attending only as a spectator, and working on a trade stand for the website www.dressagetrainingonline.com.

I am looking forward to WEG and then getting home to sink my teeth into the breeding season and my patient and ever tolerant clients back in New Zealand.