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Cwmfforest Newsletter October 2007
General News The summer of 2007 certainly was no vintage one… For most of June and July we were recording rainfall of around 20mm / day! This meant that by the time we got to August no hay or haylage had been made in the Cwmdu Valley or over most of Wales for that matter. It also meant that many folks who might have come riding in Britain gave up on that idea and went abroad for a little sun meaning that trail riding business in August was well down on previous years. On the upside the actual weather in August was quite reasonable and all hay was eventually made (and it was also quite good too!) It really was a matter of having patience that the weather would come right… sometime. We have been enjoying a certain amount of good weather throughout September and might soon qualify for having had an Indian summer if this keeps up!
Farm News The ugly head of Foot & Mouth has popped up again back at the start of August at Purbright in Surrey and although there were no cases in Wales, DEFRA slapped on a total animal stand-still which meant that many farmers were starting to feel the pinch by the time the restrictions were lifted by the 9th of September – only for new cases to occur at the time of writing – 12th of September… The price for ready lambs and cattle was already rock-bottom due to the glut of stock on the markets. The local show such as the Brecon County Show and the Monmouth Show were all affected by the standstill. We are just hoping that the whole affair doesn’t make it to the same scale as the 2001 debacle. Hay making was eventually completed around the August Bank Holiday and with the good September weather we are slowly catching up with neglected tasks that were not done earlier in the summer. Even Owain’s road to the old barn is in progress… Don’t hold your breath for the rest of the project mind!
Family News Mostly the same as before except that we’re all a year older. No new members of the Turner clan. Mike has been better this summer although he has been winging about his hips and various ailments that come with age and work… Maria as ever has been the rock upon which this place operates. Randal has popped in a few times to help with rational thinking and doing a bit of carpentry here and there when he’s not been learning to Salza dance or travelling around Spain. Eldest brother Owain and his wife Pip are quietly getting worn out because their two weans Tim & Theo are becoming more and more troublesome. Pip is getting less & less sleep due to more chatting and teething going on. Mike has made Tim a huge swing. They did get a well earned 2 week rest from Wales in Sweden at the start of August just as the weather improved for hay making with no staff which made everything fraught to be sure! Paul and Julie have separated by mutual agreement since the start of June, although Julie is back at Cwmfforest for now helping out in the same capacity as ever. So if Maria is away on holiday never fear the quality of food is sure to be as good as ever.
Show News Paul took 2 horses down to West Wales for the Welsh TREC Champs to defend his Level 4 Welsh TREC Championship from 2006. He managed to go from the top of the pile to the bottom (with Piles almost!) after 8 hours of arse-panning stuff! Ogmore and Boyo however, did better in their respective classes! Similarly Trefor who is currently residing with one of Paul’s Ex’s Jane in Devon did himself proud at his first major competition. Later on in August Paul went on to the British Championships at Rodbaston College with most of the orienteering taking place on Cannock Chase. Magic did well but again Paul came a bit unstuck with his orienteering – not being allowed to use his iPod which ruined his fun for sure. Mind you he did get his own back by ruining everybody-else’s orienteering too. Just to level things up… So there’s still plenty of fun to be had at TREC competitions to be sure… Four other Cwmfforest horses were also competing – with Trefor competing again with Jane and Charlie being used by Karena Gomez for a bit of fun which she certainly got as well as Boyo for Sonya Hamlyn and Ifor with Shelia Watson from Scotland… They enjoyed themselves but I’m sure that they didn’t have quite as much fun what with Ifor not wanting to load off the Chase at the end of a long day etc. The Brecon Hunt Steeplechase was a laugh again on Friday the 17th of August with Paul taking 5 horses to the evening races and Amy Austen on Cardi coming 2nd in the 14.2hh class and Louise Hogan coming 2nd in the ladies class with Ogmore and Tamson coming up in 3rd on Mr Pugh. Paul on Murphy won the men’s race and then also beat all the above women in the Open Class with a Cwmfforest 1,2,3,4. Not bad eh! Magic was hired out for a Pony Club Tretathlon Championships at Hartpury College on the following day to Gethin Rees who’s own horse had stood on a nail. They flew around in slightly inclement weather over the British Eventing 1* course of 3’7” jumps only glancing off at a skinny 4 from home. Not bad for a lad who’s only sat on the horse once for ½ hour… I suppose it also says something about Cwmfforest horses… I can’t think what mind… The Hunt Team Relay Season was a bit wrecked by a certain excessive amount of alcohol being drunk at the Hunt Ball earlier in July and so the team was pulled from the Royal Welsh Competition. Mind you it looked like a bog there anyway so we were slightly glad not to have to jump in those conditions an d risk the horses! After filling the diesel Skoda with Petrol and getting the AA to siphon it and eventually get to Brecon Show the Brecon Team did win that competition… This was made up of Paul & Magic (just), Julie & Precious and Gethin Rees (this time on his own horse). At the Monmouth competition things weren’t quite so good and the team came 4th out of 4 despite the best efforts of Julie, Tamson, Alva and Tom! Say no more, Paul was once again somewhere on the top of Plynlimon… I won’t make that mistake again next year (ed)! Paul judged the Trekking classes at the Royal Welsh this year which was an honour albeit that it was pouring down when he was doing it and did it in partnership with Marianne Griffiths of the Grange Trekking Centre at Capel-y-ffin as Paul managed to get stuck in a traffic jam on the was to the show and… as ever … was late!
Local News At the end of May Annie & Frank Dierikx migrated from their place near Talgarth to the Ardennes in Belgium with their 2 children Katie Maria & Kieran. We wish them luck with their new lives there. Two folks have popped it in the valley over the summer. Cynthia Price from Pentwyn near Middle Genffordd, Talgarth, near where we keep our mares and foals and John Price from the Swgum Valley, Cwmdu whose farm we ride through on the way back from Bwlch under Snakes Pass both passed away in August. Welsh funerals as eve are big affairs and there were upwards of 200 folks at both of them. On a brighter note Mark Davies from Ty Isaf Farm opposite Cwmfforest and a primary school friend of Paul’s got married on 1st of September to Jo Hansell and they jetted off on their Honeymoon on Wednesday the 12th of September. We wish them all the best for the future.
Trail News 2007 The summer of 2007 will be remembered as a wet one. However from a riding perspective, apart from the going being a tad wet most of the rain seems to fall during the nights and hence us riders didn’t have it too bad. Trails in March and April were very enjoyable with the great weather throughout and hence the folks who participated enjoyed themselves. We had 2 Japanese Groups this year. They were on TREC Training / Hay Triangle / National Park Trails. The first one in early April was with Tanaka San’s Freedom Riding Club and the other one with Kikuchi San’s (from Italy) group in May. Both were very lucky with the weather and had successful rides. The Trans Wales Trail early in May was well subscribed with Stuey and Robert, Linda, Saskia and Joelle all enjoying themselves. The TWT’s which were run in June and July went well although as you might expect the first had the best weather and then it got progressively wetter throughout the following two months. The first August TWT was cancelled through lack of support whilst the TWT at the end of August was run with a small group. The TWT in the middle of September has 12 folks on it – things do seem to go from the “Gawdblimey to the Sublimey” in this job you know! Most of the Black Mountains Trails have been great fun especially those in early August and it was great to catch up with so many Em’s (Williams, Hansford, Hogan among others) as well as so many musicians this year – Lu, Rachel, Gayle etc… Emma & Amy certainly enjoyed Muriel’s Wedding and late night beach volleyball! Here’s hoping to have a repeat next year! We enjoyed the opportunity of catching up with Mike Hedge back from Borat Country Kazakstan – dig those lime green Unikeenis you know!- and meeting his daughter Jacqueline for the first time. Similarly we had our friendly Italian friend Ste meeting up with Linda and the girls making a good fun week singing along to their own tunes! Rachel (AKA Bubble) as well as Marianne & Dan (the oozers!) had a fun week as did Alva when she was here for her traditional end of August slot. Alva with Ogmore, Tamson on Magic and Julie with Prichard even got to compete at the Hunt Team Relay at the Monmouth County Show. Horse News During the spring TT2, PTT & a very pregnant Gem all left us for pastures new. Later in the year Frankie also went on after having been broken in during April & May. He is now working at Summerhouse Riding Centre in Gloucestershire with his new owner Hannah. We wish them all luck. Five horses stayed over at Hartpury College during the summer month to be used in their taster sessions. These were Tiger, Butcher, Gwenny and Ace as well as Willy Nilly who just returned to Cwmfforest for the last TWT in August with Dan & Marianne. Hopefully Paul has arranged to school out at least 5 horses to Holme Lacey College in Herefordshire as well as 5 to Pencoed and 10 to Hartpury for this winter – so he will have less shit shovelling to do this winter… We’ll see – unless anybody has better suggestions?
Pet News Ellevis has been a good girl as ever while Eltrix has managed to cost the management a mere £100 due to running a pregnant sheep into a stream and another £50 for a lamb at the end of August. So the local farmers have marked his card. Anybody for a naughty Jack Russell?
Staff News During most of July, Emilie Stockhaus – Pip’s Niece helped out at Cwmfforest taking many of the local rides. She is certainly becoming a proficient trail leader after the last 4 years of summers at Cwmfforest. Rowena Jenkins helped out for a few weekends throughout the summer and a week over the Royal Welsh Week. During August we had the help of 2 German lasses – 16 year old Lena who came last year as well as Kati who was here from 18th August until the 8th of September. Both enjoyed riding the horses but are realising how difficult the English language is as well as how much domestic work there is in the house before you can get out for your good-time ride at Cwmfforest… At the start of August Paul put an advert on the Gumtree to recruit new staff and was rewarded with the help of Tamson, a young Irish lady who has done loads of Pony Club qualifications and previously worked training race-horses. Tamson is a great horsewoman and has a brilliant customer service manner – I am sure all of you who have met her will agree – she is a great asset to Cwmfforest. |
Send mail to riding@transwales.com with questions or comments about this web site.Last modified: 12-06-08© Trans Wales Trails Ltd.
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