The more it rained the more unlikely it seemed that the Royal Windsor Horse Show would run. Even as I bathed Ferro on Tuesday I wondered whether I was mad. However when I declared on Tuesday evening the secretaries said everything was looking good, and sure enough I drove straight onto the lorry park at 8.00 on Wednesday.

It is a long walk from the lorries to the ring at Windsor, but, as I was drawn 6^th to go in the second section of the Foxhunter, i  had a chance to watch a few in the first section jump before getting Ferro ready and riding down to the ring. The course looked fine for Ferro, who is experienced at Foxhunter level now, but the arena was very spooky, with a model of Buckingham Palace on one side, and a rather strange rockery with monkeys, ostriches, elephants and a hippo on the other. Previously Ferro has been very spooky about new places, so I was thrilled when she went very well. A little bit spooky over the first two fences, but growing in confidence all the way round. It was a bit of a pity that I turned her too quickly coming out of the double in the jump-off causing her to have one down, as she would have been placed.

Ferro was drawn late to go in the B&C (1.30), so I had plenty of time to walk the course and watch a few. She warmed up really well in spite of the rain and just rolled two poles, one when she spooked at the monkeys and one when I pushed rather than squeezed. All in all I was thrilled, but with Shane’s help decided to miss the 7 year olds on Thursday, as we thought a 1.35 in the rather tight Frogmore Ring might be a little bit much for both of us.

The rain on Wednesday afternoon and night caused Windsor to close the public car parks, but the horse show bravely continued on Thursday. Sadly some of the showing classes were lost on Friday, but once again I drove straight on at 6.30 am. The course for the B&C on Friday walked quite big and quite technical. There was also some confusion about the running order, so, having been told there were 30 before me, I was happily sitting on the fence chatting when I was called as having 4 before me. Luckily Ferro is so easy to warm up and she jumped the most fabulous round, just having a little spook before the last fence in the first round which caused her to roll the top pole.  I was so pleased, she had been so classy and brave, and even with 4 faults in the first round finished in the top half of the class, which shows how difficult it was.

The sun finally showed its face on Friday, so having collected the dogs on my way home, I hacked all the others out: it was too lovely to go indoors. Ferro obviously had a day off and a big lie-down on Saturday, but having ridden the others Mark and I went back to Windsor to watch. We saw the Spanish Carabinieri and the Canadian Mounties do their musical rides -the Mounties were really out of this world, so polished and so precise.  We also watched the speed class and the six bar competition, which was especially exciting when Tim Stockdale won it on K2 in spite of falling off just after the finish.

So Windsor is over for another year. It is always a special and exciting show, and this year was memorable partly for overcoming the mud, and mainly for the excitement of three really great performances from my very special, home-produced horse. So thank you Royal Windsor Horse Show and thank you Ferro!

/Sarah Lewis, www.sarahlewisshowjumping.com