Thames

Well before you know it Thames show is upon us- my fav show of the year (for many reasons) I was feeling good, I'd seen the physio and had a diagnosis for my knee ( it only took 9 months!) I have a condition called Bursitis and it affects the little pad between my knee and the ligaments- also known as housemaids knee! ( all those years with hoists in nursing and all the driving I do have ended up in this injury). So this weekend it was exercise and cold applications.
I ran well i thought and i had positive vibes- great ground- wooden poles etc etc I could run my normal style with ruby!
Champ on the Saturday had fantastically innovative courses from Amanda Rogers, the dogs loved them - even if in my opinion they did not entirely suit ruby's style of running, and I felt that to do really well you had to have a dog that would do an independent dog walk - and ruby needs me there for her ( or- the way I trained her means I've got to be there!) A 5th in the jumping round was followed by a steady clear in the agility round- my see saw was not going to suffer as next week i had the ABC semi final. We qualified in 15th place for the final- so I was very pleased for that. Ruby ran her socks off in the final with ( for her) blistering contacts, I baulked her at a fence where she came to a near complete stop and a fluffy handling bit on the back jump saw me come 4th by 0.7 of a second- oh for my inept handling and it may have been a repeat of last year!
The next day was just as good- a 6th in the Chum saw me book a back up to the ABC semi, a 2nd in the jumping saw me win one of the laser etched trophys. I was booked to run pairs with Tom Hadaways youngster ,Panic- who has just won out of grade 4. We had a fantastic run which saw us win the Pedigree pairs! So we have a national final to go to at the end of August at Stoneleigh- I can't wait as we will be underdogs, but certainly one's to have a side bet on ! Puck was a dulard at this show being an absolute tunnel fiend! His best run being the chum which was stunning except for the missed weave entry as dad got in the way!- I'll forgive the dog walk up contact as it was at such a strange angle it was harder to get than to miss! And easier for the judge to see the up rather than the down !
So all in all a great show, with loads of potential for the next weekend